# First racer blue 4/25



## HelpOnTheWay (Feb 23, 2004)

Fished an LBI bulkhead on Sunday afternoon. Released 5 bass from 22" to 30" and kept a 30" 10lb2oz fish. Her belly was packed with sand shrimp and calico crabs. That night, I nailed my first blue of the year, didn't measure, but he had an enormous head, and little skinny body, moreso than I've ever seen on a spring bluefish. Let him go so he could fatten up and be huge again. All bass were caught within an hour and a half, on a smack-it popper, except for one lost fish on a bomber.


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings HelpOnTheWay!

Great catch!

When you say "bulkhead", are you talking about a street-end on the back bay or one of those wooden stabilizers that jut out from the beach?

How's the access at LBI? I was there two years back and most beach entrances were marked "private". The walk to the surf up at Barnegat Light is a killer!


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## HelpOnTheWay (Feb 23, 2004)

Greetings Jake!

It's essentially a street end bayfront bulkhead, but its not accessable to the public. It used to be, but now its houses. That is the case with much of the island. The front beach is very accessable in all but about 3 towns. Even the private beach towns have at least one public access spot. 
However the fishing is TERRIBLE!


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings HelpOnTheWay!

I saw my first "blitz" in Beach Haven, but I was too young to realize what was going on. I was about 10, and our family was flying kites one evening (no boardwalk on LBI!) I noticed gulls diving, and these big (too me at least) fish jumping out of the water and landing on the beach. the gulls were dragging the beached fish up onto the sand behind one of those wooden stablizers. I told my older cousin what I had seen later that night while playing 500 rummy. She called me a liar. Next day I took her to the spot. I was glad to see about a dozen picked racks with heads attached laying in the sand. My cousin gave one look and said "Some fisherman left them there." I've hated her ever since....

Back then there were very few buildings on the beach side of the road. I saw lots of guys surf fishing, but they were usually fishing for kingfish (they'd bury them in the wet sand so the gulls wouldn't grab them.) One morning a guy with a surf rod came walking down the beach with a giant (again to me) flounder in his hand. That's how I found out fish could be caught from a beach.

I was down Beach Haven a couple of years ago. It seems like every dune has a house on it, and all the beach entrances were marked "private". I went to the bathing beach at the State Park at the end of the island (Barnegat Light), and found out the beach had sanded in. It must be a mile or more walk to the breakers. Places like Harvey Cedars and Loveladies, that had been almost uninhabited, are now exclusive communities (and well-known speed traps.) I liked the old LBI a lot more....


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## HelpOnTheWay (Feb 23, 2004)

Yes Jake, times have changed. I remember seeing my first blitz as a kid on a Barnegat Light beach. Guys were going into knee-deep water wearing foul-weather bibs, garbage bag in on hand, billy club in the other. When they'd feel fish whacking into thier legs, they'd start swinging the bat. When the turmoil paused, they'd load the bag up with stunned blues, and head home to the cleaning table. I was also stuck on a raft in a blitz. I was a kid, so I didn't realize the danger until the lifeguard began screaming at me to stop paddling. I got a great birds-eye view of the carnage, though.

The North-end beach has gotten much wider since they put the new jetty in, but more reasonable hikes to the water can be found when you get to the 20th streets in BL, but the best action is 8th-15th streets. Harvey Cedars sports the shortest walks, and some great fishing too. As far as I know, all acess in BL, HC, Surf City, Ship Bottom is open to the public. I avoid Beach Haven (Shoobieville) like the plague, unless my neice and nephew have a hankering for water slides and video games, so I can't comment on the fishing or access there. 
On the bayside, I like the bases of the causeway bridges at night. Great shadow lines, big stripers and weakies, and a few old salts that get pissed that you found 'thier' spot. If you ever feel like coming down, I'd be happy to get together and show you a few of my spots. My folks are residents, and I have a few friends who gladly trade access for fillets.


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings HelpOnTheWay!

How does the public access/private beach thing work? Are you allowed to walk the length of the beach after using the public access, or is a section of beach marked off for public use?

I've seen a lot of "gated" communities up in Connecticut where you couldn't get to the beach. I know the yuppie/preppies love LBI (you can see a lot of LBI stickers on the BMWs and Land Rovers on Main Street in Manayunk.) I've also heard some communities in the OBX are going "private", too.

Thanks for the offer -- we'll have to work on a date. Giving away fish is my specialty! Maybe we can do an afternoon drifting for fluke on the Carolyn Ann, then hit the beach in the evening....


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## HelpOnTheWay (Feb 23, 2004)

My understanding is that all beach below the high tide line is public property, and I believe thats a federal law. (Don't quote me, I'm not a lawer) On LBI, the beach beyond the dune fence is open to anyone (provided you have a beach badge during the required hours/dates). Getting on the beach can be the problem, but in Loveladies, for example, there is public access at the yellow church, for bayside residents. Once on the beach, feel free to walk north/south. 
I'm game anytime you want to go. I'm typically off Sat-Mon, so if you can work with that, great! If not, it's a blessing to have the flexibility in hours that I have in the restaraunt biz. 
My boat won't be wet until mid-May, due to ice damage to the dock, but once it's in, our possibilies open up. Ever chum weakfish with grass shrimp? The only thing harder than keeping the slick going with a fish on is trying to keep track of the number of releases.


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## BigJeff823 (Oct 14, 2002)

*Bluefish!I'll be Damned!*

Them Blues are up there WOW!I might try IRI in Delaware soon.I hope they might be there too.


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings HelpOnTheWay!

I never did the live grass shrimp chum line -- that seems t be a strictly Barnegat Bay thing. I have livelined spot for big weaks in South Jersey. You might only get one or two fish, but they'll usually weigh five to six pounds. Of course I haven't done it lately because the big fish are scarce as hen's teeth. Some fellows fish for spotted sea trout with grass shrimp in the Fall near the sod banks back from Hereford's Inlet. The spotted sea trout are usually 2- 4 pounders and caught on light gear (its definitely a boat game.)

There was an article in The New Jersey Angler about Barnegat Bay/Great Bay sharking making a comeback. That would be something to mull over....


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings BigJeff823!

The mackeral are in Northern Jersey waters so blues should be plentiful to the south. Some of the early shark tournaments begin in a couple of weeks, and most of those sharks hammer the blues.


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