The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been walking around with smiles on their faces, at least when the wind velocity stays under 30 miles per hour.
The striped bass bite is as good in the waters around Beach Haven as it has been for many years. The only thing that occasionally slows the bite for the inshore boaters and those who jig and troll in the ocean waters are the periodic high winds and tides.
The "Star Fish" out of Beach Haven fished for striped bass last Saturday with Captain Carl Shepherd and on Sunday with Captain John Koegler. Carl said they found a good amount of bass that were fat with clams and hard to catch. The fish kept bumping the baits but not picking them up. They had their anglers pick up the rods and bump the baits to entice the fish to bite.
Captain Fran Verdi on the "Dropoff" has been returning from his fishing trips with nice sized stripers in the box up to 30-pounds. He has been doing the bulk of his fishing in the waters of Little Egg Inlet and some calmer areas just inside. He likes to anchor up and fish with fresh clam baits.
The "Miss Beach Haven" with Captain Frank Camarda had a private party out last weekend that wanted to fish despite the rough seas. They managed a mixed bag of striped bass, bluefish, and blackfish. Captain Frank and his crew are excited now that the daily limit for blackfish is back up to 6 per person.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com or by calling 1-877-LBI-BHCFA (1-877-524-2423).
