The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have a lot to look forward to. First, the season for black sea bass re-opens on November 1. Recent wreck trips have shown that there are very good numbers of big sea bass around.
Next, although the bite has started off slowly, as the water temperatures continue to drop, the striped bass should be arriving very shortly. The November bite for stripers in the Beach Haven area is traditionally a very hot one.
Thirdly, the daily bag limit for blackfish will be increasing to 4 per person starting on November 15. That fact will make ocean bottom fishing a very exciting proposition.
Meanwhile, Captain Fran Verdi on the "Dropoff" fished a group in the Red Man's Striped Bass Tournament based in Tuckerton. He began the weekend fishing in the inlet with clams but found the ever present sand sharks too bothersome. He moved into the back bay to fish with live spot where he managed to pick up a 20-pound striper.
Captain Fran fished hard both Saturday and Sunday and managed to boat another bass that weighed in at 15-pounds. The two fish gave him a total of 35-pounds, good enough for fifth place in the contest.
The head boat "Miss Beach Haven" had a couple of student groups out recently. They took environment science classes from Cinnaminson High School under the tutelage of Mr. Angelini out for a day of catching and tagging whatever fish they could locate. According to mate Sal Rosa they caught a large number of croakers and small weakfish. He noted they were as well behaved group of young adults as he has ever seen.
Last Sunday the "Miss Beach Haven had a group from Rutgers with a special permit to catch, tag, and release black sea bass. In addition to catching over 300 sea bass in 4 hours, they also caught a variety of triggerfish, croakers, and blackfish.
The "Miss Beach Haven" has one more overnight tuna trip planned this fall which will take place October 29-30. On the last trip everyone limited out.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com or by calling 1-877-LBI-BHCFA (1-877-524-2423).
