The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been getting a taste of the developing fishing season, but recognize the best fishing will be arriving any day soon.
Captain Gary Dugan of Irish Jig Sportfishing had some anglers on the waters of Great Bay recently looking for striped bass. He reports the water was calm but his thermometer registered only 52-degrees. That was enough to chill off the striper bite, but he managed to put together a nice catch of feisty bluefish. Captain Gary says they took a few of the blues home for fresh fish on the grill.
He also noted a few boats drifting live eels in his area but says none of them managed to pick up any bass.
Captain John Lewis of the "Insatiable" reports the boat is now in the water and will be in Beach Haven by this weekend to do some fishing. He passed along the word that his mate Ryan Schramm and fishing friend Sean found some nice black drum in the bay as well as some short striped bass on Mother's Day. They were fishing in the waters off Beach Haven in about 6-feet of water.
The captains are putting together the final touches on the curriculum for the 2014 Junior Mates Program. There are some new twists this year including a special sponsorship from Berkley Fishing. Berkley will be donating quite a few fishing supplies to the junior mates as they progress through the course. The program runs for several weeks and covers a wealth of material necessary for a mate to learn.
The youngsters will learn many facts about fishing and especially how to become a qualified mate. Complete information and registrations forms on the Junior Mates Program can be found at the association's website at www.BHCFA.com
