Friday, May 3, 2013
Both the party boat crowd and shore-based locals getting in on the action
As local anglers try their collective hands at spring fishing after a tough winter all around, the striped bass seem to be cooperating as water temperatures slowly rise. Starting in the northern reaches of this column's publication area, the crew of the Big Mohawk out of Belmar finished their blackfish season this week and decided to dabble in the bass fishery on Tuesday. The result: everyone on board got their limit of stripers. "I know that is what so many of you have been waiting to hear," Capt. Chris wrote on the boat's website. The boat, which sails 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, had a similarly good day Thursday after taking Wednesday off. Few reports came in from the suds in the Manasquan and Point Pleasant areas, but anecdotally, anglers …
Friday, February 8, 2013
House raisers and carpenters note spike in work, adding that many residents are waiting for insurance funds before signing contracts.
The message on the answering machine at LBI House Raising is telling: "Due to the high volume of requests we are receiving, we are only able to provide estimates for Long Beach Island homeowners at this time. Please check back with us periodically for updates. We apologize for the inconvenience." There was a time, LBI House Raising Co-owner Nancy Leonetti said, when their contractors would travel all the way to Flemington, N.J., to raise a home. But that all changed after Hurricane Sandy. If there can be one "bright spot" in Sandy's wake, it would be the growth in certain businesses that cater to the rebuilding efforts needed all along the shore, from private home rebuilds to construction of various recreational areas, like boardwalks. …
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Clean-up and restoration with a dose of humor all go hand in hand as Long Beach Island recovers from Sandy.
Long Beach Island residents - except those from Holgate - returned to their homes Saturday morning, beginning at 6 a.m. During a Friday afternoon news conference in Seaside Heights on Friday, Governor Christie announced that the Route 72 causeway bridge will be open. Christie said the state will allow residents controlled access to assess damage, retrieve belongings and permit repopulation of the island for residents whose homes are safe and habitable. Here is a short photo tour before Saturday's reopening. People should procede with caution as there is still a lot of work going on and dangerous conditions in many areas.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Restoring power, access to fuel are immediate priorities, governor says
Parts of the Jersey Shore are “unrecognizable,” Gov. Chris Christie said in Brick Friday afternoon. Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno toured parts of Ocean County, including Mantoloking and Bay Head Friday, before coming to a FEMA relief center set up at Emma Havens Young Elementary School in Brick to address the media. “The destruction the lieutenant governor and I have seen … is just unfathomable,” said Christie. “I’ve driven on Route 35 since I was coming to the shore with my parents as a young child. And you just can’t recognize the place. It is heartbreaking." “It’s unrecognizable,” he said. “Once you’re able to go there, you will not believe what you see.” Chritie described walking on Route 35 where sand was piled calf-deep. “I tell…
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Surf City already being impacted by Sandy
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Governor blasts Dems on taxes but tip toes around the question of municipal consolidation.
Governor Chris Christie brought his Endless Summer Tour for Tax Reform to Long Beach Island on Thursday. He spoke to an overflow crowd that filled the pavilion and lined the boardwalks on either side of Bayview Park in Long Beach Township’s Brant Beach section. Christie began his commentary outlining the bipartisanship in Trenton that had accomplished items like tenure reform and scaling down the size of government. But he quickly went back into attack mode on the “Corizine Democrats” when it came to tax reform. “The Democrats need to come off the beach, just for one day, and pass the tax cut,” he said. Christie also took a swipe at fellow conservative Bill O'Reilly, who has chided him for not passing Jessica's Law that would further …
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Patch is coming, today, to the place where President Nixon dined at Burger King; where the sand is soft and the seas are serene; and where my wife and I floated around in a boat
The lagoons that ran between the Manahawkin bungalows, each showing a metallic shade of grayish brown, were waist-deep in muck. The water had no waves, no wake. Not even a ripple. Come winter, the lagoon water was so solid, so still, it froze like a quarter-mile-long ice cube. In boredom, I threw pennies from my second-story apartment and watched them bounce like balls on the rock-hard surface. Those coins would rap against that ice so hard, they'd clang like tiny bells. All the while, and despite the noise, not a single light would pop on. Not even a T.V. I was in my mid-to-late 20s, and I was alone, in Manahawkin, N.J., living the southern Ocean County life. Life rarely strayed beyond the skinny, wood-panel walls of my apartment. In the …
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Seven people perished during the three-day coastal storm that battered Long Beach Island and the New Jersey Shore
"It was unexpected and unannounced, sudden and surly, inundating, devastating, mutilating, obliteratiing. It battered and bludgeoned the shore until there was no more shore, unti it was all running water and milling debris, until almost every trace of a human presence had been wasted away. Then it was gone." - Great Storms of the Jersey Shore, by Larry Savadove and Margaret Buchholz At first, the Great Atlantic Storm of 1962 seemed like any other nor'easter. The National Weather Service forecast on March 5 called for northeast winds of 10 to 15 knots, with snow. But by nightime, the forecast had changed. Tides were expected to run several feet above normal. Winds would blow at a steady 35 to 45 knots. By the morning of March 6, the …
Friday, January 20, 2012
Local boats seeing better action recently
Local captains reported better action over the past week this week, as the winter cod and ling fisheries began to heat up. High winds kept the party boat Gambler at the dock earlier this week, but the last time lines were dropped, fishing (more specifically, catching) was good. "On Monday, we had a good catch of ling and a few cod," Capt. Bob said on the boat's website. "Bill Bryne of Toms River caught about two dozen ling, an 8 pound purple hake and a 6 pound cod. Weather permitting, we'll be fishing everyday." There were some good numbers reported on board the Jamaica II party boat out of Brielle as well. "The wreckmasters" are running 12 hour and 14 hour cod-long combination trips these days. Ling have been found in the deep on recent …
Friday, October 7, 2011
Annual clinic kicks off the Shore's surf fishing season
As surf fishing at the Shore goes, there is no place where it is as celebrated each season as on Long Beach Island. For many anglers, tomorrow is Memorial Day: the kickoff of a season at the beach. But forget swimming, it's surf fishing season. The island's annual Surf Fishing Classic, a months-long tournament that will last through Dec. 4, will kick off bright and early. On the island, anglers come in droves weekend after weekend, hoping to hook the striped bass that will land them a valuable cash prize. The entire tournament is sponsored by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, as well as local tackle shops where anglers can sign up and get in on the action. For a $30 entry fee, anglers can hit the beach armed with a chance to …
its over
6:22 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013
1 flounder, sea bass closed,blackfish closed. Fluke need to be halibut size. NJ sucks so bad you people dont even realize. more ›