For those looking to get into the beach buggy scene for access to Island Beach State Park you better wake up and get your finger on the keyboard tomorrow. The sales for the passes went live today and the 1,000 permits were sold out in less than an hour. What does "An additional 1,000 permits will be available at 7am tomorrow through December 8" really mean?
If you look on the nj.gov website it states that 1,000 permits will be sold each day over the eight day period. That's 8,000 permits. Remember, on any given day only 500 permit holders are allowed in the park.While people buy them for different reasons, like bringing the camper for night time fishing during the summer to chasing the fall run, at any point when the fish are up that could mean a lot of bumper to bumper traffic on the sand.
New Jersey states that an "independent contractor" is handling the sales, kinda like going online and trying to buy Taylor Swift tickets for the Eras Tour. But these aren't tickets, they're permits, assigned to a specific vehicle. They are not transferable so "poaching" them won't get you very far. Years ago permit sales were simple. You went to the booth and got a permit. Then it was order online and pick them up. Them order online and they will be mailed. Well this year no more mailing.
This new system has "leveled" the playing field for out-of-staters to be able to grab a permit just as easily as the angler who lives three blocks from the entrance to IBSP. If you're an older fella and aren't computer savvy, well, you're just beat.
Another 1,000 permits will be available at 7 am tomorrow so have all your vehicle info ready to try and beat the 1,000's of other people trying to get that coveted permit. You can do that
HERE. The annual pass will set you back $195 for NJ residents plus the $3 transaction fee. So make sure you have permission from your better half to drain the checking account.
Out here in Mercer County it was a brisk 23 degrees this morning and I opted to sleep in till 630 before taking the drive for some local bagel love. Hats off to those braving the
elements looking for that pre-football Sunday bass. Don't forget the Christmas tree has to be put up and some decorations need to be fetched from the attic or basement. When you get home and defrost you might as well put your gear in the garage because, "It's over Johnny". The updates from Betty and Nick's will be ever so often, the beach cams will only show the dog walkers or that one or two people fishing, the birds that are working will be far off to the left of your screen, and the Stripers Online December Reports will be more of a running commentary then any actual reports.
You won't see those "fish from the north" because even with some chilly air temps the water is still around 50 and those fish may stay put for the winter. Remember, not every bass heads south, not every bass wants to get laid in the spring, and if there's bait and deep water around those will be the early bass you'll see in just a little over 4 months. Hopefully for those that continue to fish they will have sand eels or herring around and be rewarded for their perseverance.
Now I may be dead wrong and just spooked by this cold snap we are entering. According to the Farmer's Almanac Winter 2024-25 isn't going to be all that bad. It shows the northeast having a mild and dry winter. That's not all that good for striped bass. Right now we are still in drought like conditions in the spawning rivers and without a good snow fall, snow pack, and snow melt, the water will not set up for optimal spawning conditions. You need good levels, good flow, good salinity ( at the right place in the river), and good participation to get a good spawn. Spring days of drought followed by monsoons deluge the rivers but not in a. good way. We need nice slow and steady, not extremes. But that's the way everything in this world has become today, extreme one way or the other.
