The striped bass have finally arrived in Beach Haven, and the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are in the midst of the action.
After many weeks of hearing of hot fishing to the north, the striper bite arrived off Long Beach Island with a vengeance over the past couple of weeks. These fish are a short ride from the inlet and are being caught by trolling, jigging, and even live lining spot.
Captain Jimmy Zavasky and mate Pat took the "Star Fish" out and found the stripers abundant. The bass were up on top and chasing bait as Chris Bertuccini of Woolwich Township and his friends hit pay dirt. According to Captain Carl Sheppard "If you jigged on the bottom you caught nothing but doggies, while up on top the fish ate anything that looked like an eel." The party on the "Star Fish" boated 13 bass with 10 keepers in the box.
Captain George Finck of "Sparetime Charters" had a couple of successful striper trips. Linda Swartz and her 10 year old son Michael and her work partner had good luck in the rain. Michael showed himself up to the task as he caught his first striper. The party returned with two nice bass. The next trip was with Ross Alber and friends. Despite a heavy fog, fish were caught. One 16 year old caught his first striper to go with another fish of about 20-pounds. Two more stripers spit the hook at the boat which were also about 20-pounders.
Captain Fran Verdi on the "Francesca Marie" has had several trips where he managed to find limit catches for his anglers along with enough throwbacks to tire them out. Most of his good catches were with live spot in close to the beach. His anglers brought bonus tags so they could take an extra fish home for the freezer.
Since there is so much bait in the water off Long Beach Island, there is no reason why this hot bite will not last for a few weeks.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.fishbeachhaven.com.
