I'll talk about the new waders in a minute. First my trip down to 8th Ave in Asbury Park. For those that follow me you know I am on top of what's going on regarding beach replenishment at the Jersey Shore. And, you know I hate it. Following Sandy the Army Corp of Engineers, with the State of New Jersey, the DEP, and the various towns decided another round of sand pumping was the answer to restore the beaches back to pre-Sandy conditions. Well, we know that's a joke.
In recent developments the ACOE is looking to do more than that in "Jetty Country", from the Elberon section of Long Branch down to Loch Arbor. Sand berms, groin notching, and outflow modifications are all on the table. Fisherman, surfers, swimmers, local residents prone to flooding especially around the Deal Lake area, and even town representatives are reviewing the current plan. This Friday at 5pm we will be having a protest and information session at the 8th Ave flume. The was the site of a standoff in the early 80's which led to the construction of the 8th Ave groin and flume. The
flume is important for many reasons. One it protects those residents around Deal Lake from flooding by having a place for water to drain from the lake into the ocean. Two Deal Lake is a spawning ground for river herring and shad. If the opening is blocked, by sand or poorly planned construction design, then the fish can't get in or out, even on the biggest of tides.
The river herring, alewife's and blueback's are at historic lows due to habitat destruction and overharvesting. Now there is a moratorium in place to get the stocks back to sustainable levels. When there is good bait around, there is good predator fish not far behind. Striped bass, bluefish, and fluke eat the smaller baitfish.
We hope to have a good crowd on Friday, and several fishing clubs and other groups will be there.
We hope to see you down there.
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| Juvenile gizzard shad |
Before I went down to the beach I busted out my new pair of Endura bootfoot waders. These are my go to waders for the salt. I first screwed in the tungsten-carbide tip studs sold by Orvis. These are great and I wouldn't be as confident and safe if I didn't have these under my feet. With the felt bottoms and the flexibility these boots offer me in the feet they are all I need when jumping from the beach up onto the rocks.
It felt good to be back in a pair of waders and back on the beach and in the water. Let me say, the waters still cold, probably just under 40......warm weather can't come soon enough.
