Sandy Hook - back in time

[storminsteve]

God SH has undergone some changes since Sandy! Was driving down officers row last week and saw all those porches propped up by beams. Seems the state of disrepair is very bad. I wouldn't mind paying double for he night permit if the money def went to fixing those majestic buildings.
Found a cool license plate the other day

[VSdreams]

Here is a pretty good historical overview of how sandy hook came to be, and the settling of the highlands area. I did not realize that sandy hook was not always there but instead was created by shiftinig north flowing sands.

http://www.sandyhookbaymarina.com/historic.html

[DarkSkies]

Sandy Hook memories.....

August for me used to be a very exciting month....
When I fished fresh water a lot and snuck into many of the state's reservoirs to fish....the action would slow in August....and I would gravitate toward the saltwater bays and rivers.....

We're going back decades, when I exclusively fished bait in the salt.
I remember going to Sandy Hook....
When the "Real" Hook was there and extended out (about) 100' feet more than it does today....The channel was right at your feet.....one half-cast and you were in 30' of water....
No fancy lures or plugs needed.....

Just a seine net to seine the abundant spearing.....no fancy bucktails.....just a simple weight with dropper loop above....hook a few fresh spearing from the contractor's apron you had around your waist.....a few jig strokes in the channel....and you were into a multitude of fish....schoolie bass, small blues, weakfish, and fluke, with 1 in 10 being a keeper......

If some get irritated with my ranting here about the current state of the fishery...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...of-the-fishery
....This is my recollection of how things used to be....15-20 years ago....
When it really didn't seem that hard to catch fish....most of us weren't concerned whether there were a lot of them or not...because of the abundance in front of us.......
This was not only possible....but easy....as long as you had fresh spearing......

These fish were there in large amounts.....none of us had to expend too much effort to catch them....(Try catching all those species now...in the middle of a hot August day..)..from any NJ surfline.......an almost impossible feat, given the current state of things.....

I bring these memories up....
to try to share with some of the newer anglers out there....why some of us are so passionate (or Grouchy) when we talk about the way things they used to be....

And to try to give the newer folks out there....
1. A sense of why we fight so hard for the access we are losing....

Yes, it is much different than what I remember 15-20 years ago....or even 5-8 years ago....
I hope some of you people out there....can get some understanding from some of the memories we're sharing here....

[cowherder]

Great thread guys thanks for sharing.

[surfrob]

two distinctive Sandy Hook memories for me:

1. was fishing on one of the groins that used be be prominent near the first lot, pre-"replenishment", with a friend. was brand new to the salt, fishing squid for "fluke" using a 3 way and 2 oz pyramid sinker. Friend casting one side of the end, me on the other. I went to cast and planted that pyramid square in the middle of his back on the forward cast. He has the scar to this day, is still my friend, but for some strange reason never wanted to fish with me again. Just put your time in, they said, put your time in....

2. had an old pontiac (Poor Old Newyawkers Thought It's A Cadillac) station wagon, loaded with the wife and kids... day on the beach, fishing, whatever.
turn the key when ready to leave and engine goes "whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr', never turned over but spun like a top. Only time I had a timing *chain* break on me.

ok, carry on. Fishing, ah yes. Wait, what?

[storminsteve]

two distinctive Sandy Hook memories for me:

1. I went to cast and planted that pyramid square in the middle of his back on the forward cast. He has the scar to this day, is still my friend, but for some strange reason never wanted to fish with me again.

Ouch! I know a sinker would hurt, but a bud would eventually forgive you. Does he fish anymore at all? Or just not with you? As for the pontiac station wagon I rememer when I was a kid I would see a lot of them in the summer and at the beach. No more. Can't remember the last time I saw a station wagon. That must have been pretty cool.

[surfrob]

My buddy actually doesn't fish any longer for a variety of reasons, health being one. He continued to fish, and I continued to fish, just (I should have added...) not together on the end of a jetty

Yeah, the old wagons were a trip but for the most part supplanted by the minivans that were "invented" (or perhaps "popularized", if I recall)
by Ford (not including the VW microbus LOL).

This old pontiac had the back seat that folded down for storage, or popped up and faced rear, had the rear electric window that lowered.
Kids use to love riding back there. Of course, now considered too dangerous (and compared to the passenger compartments of today's
cars, it was)

[buckethead]

I don't fish sandy hook anymore Rob but your post brought back a lot of memories. Go back 30 years or so and the Park was a different place. You could definitely find a few of those station wagons filled with families and screaming children eager to a day of recreation at the beach. A neighbor of ours, old time fisherman, used to have a station wagon with the wood sides. They were called woodys. He fished from Perth Amboy to Cape May. The back of his station wagon looked like a tackle shop with shelves and compartments he hand built out of 2x4's to hold all his fishing gear.

Great memories thank you for sharing.

[hookset]

That post about the old wagons was like a time capsule. Photo I saw online today from 1973.

[ledhead36]

Mustang wagon bet that thing took off like a bat! Thanks for sharing.

[captnemo]

A pirate ship came in the other night. Good thing I had a friend with me, otherwise I would have thought this was a flashback from all the drugs I did back in the day.


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That ship might have been moored there overnight in preparation for the trip to NY Harbor and the tall ships thing they had. It does look a little spooky at night in the fog like that though. Nice pic.

[captnemo]

The wife and I did a tour of Keyport for Halloween. They talked about Captain Kidd. It was pretty fascinating so I decided to dig up some further info here.


Captain Kidd Believe it or not, there is treasure to be found on the beaches of New Jersey. Centuries ago, pirates roamed the shores of New Jersey and buried some of their treasure here. Captain Kidd's treasure chest is the most sought-after bounty on the coast.
William Kidd was born around 1645 in Scotland. He loved the ocean and adventure, and in 1689 Kidd captained a privateer ship for England. As captain, Kidd became wealthy by protecting English ships and attacking French ships. After his service ended, he moved to New York City and became a private captain. He also bought beach houses along the northeastern seaboard and rented them to people.

During this period, however, the governors of New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts were having problems with pirates. Because they were aware of Captain Kidd's prowess at fighting ships, they asked him to protect the coast from the buccaneers. He agreed to help the three states, and once again he was protecting ships on the high seas.

At this point in his life, Kidd was an upstanding, law-abiding citizen. In 1695 he received a privateer license for England, which permitted him to sail his own ship to protect the East India Company's fleet. The East India Company was an English business that traded goods with India. Captain Kidd's job was to attack French and pirate ships and take their cargos.
Captain Kidd named his privateer ship Adventure Galley. In order to find a crew, he first sailed from England to New York City, where he promised his chosen sailors portions of whatever treasure they captured. Captain Kidd then sailed to the Red Sea, which is near Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Upon arriving in the Middle East, however, Kidd spared many French and pirate ships. Instead, he and his crew attacked and looted wealthy ships from different countries. When his crew attempted a mutiny, Captain Kidd killed one of his crewmembers. After the murder, the crew abandoned all other attempts at mutiny.

This piracy marked a turning point for Captain Kidd. Soon he began attacking ships regardless of their countries of origin, including French vessels and other pirate ships. He solidified his new reputation as a pirate by attacking the Indian ship Quediah Merchant, which carried silks, gold, spices, weapons, and other riches well beyond imagination.

Captain Kidd and his crew commandeered the Quediah Merchant and renamed it the Adventure Prize. They sailed to the Caribbean, and while docked in Port Royale, the captain realized that he was now considered a pirate. He also learned that the British were hunting him, so he bought a new ship and moved his loot onto it. Captain Kidd then sailed to New York City to try to clear his name.

During his voyage, Kidd docked several times along the New Jersey coastline, where he used his political connections and wealth to make sure no one turned him in to the authorities. Soon afterwards the captain sailed for Boston, and upon his arrival, the governor arrested him for piracy. He was sent to England, given a quick trial, convicted of piracy, and sentenced to death for his crimes. British authorities covered him with tar, chained him, and hung his body off a bridge over the Thames River in London where it stayed until it rotted away.

[captnemo]

The Keyport and Whales Creek connection



Probably the most famous and plausible burial site was just north of Sandy Hook near Whales (Wales) Creek, which today is the southeast border of Middlesex and Monmouth counties.

Just off the shoreline was a small island where some 17th century Spanish gold coins were found. This island became known as Money Island, and was located off the coast where Cliffwood Beach is today. It has long since disappeared under the eroding waters of the Raritan Bay, aided by extensive excavation over the centuries. Just inland from this location is a small body of water once called Duck Pond, but now known as Treasure Lake, where some additional gold coins were found.


What is not a legend, and cannot be disputed, was the existence of two gigantic elm trees, which were known as Kidd?s Rangers. One was at the mouth of Matawan Creek, in Keyport, and stood until the turn of this century. The other was located at Fox Hill, now known as Rose Hill. These trees, according to legend, acted as range markers to guide Kidd back to his buried gold, and Cliffwood Beach is centered between these two markers when sailing west from Long Island.


To this day, you can still see people occasionally searching for treasure at Cliffwood Beach using shovels and medal detectors. On occasion some tiny bits of gold and silver are sill found, but whether they are ancient or modern in age has not been determined.

http://weirdnj.com/stories/mystery-h.../captain-kidd/

[cowherder]

That is pretty cool. The next time I go to Sandy hook I will think of the pirates that might have walked those same areas. Interesting to hear about the possible buried pirate treasure in Keyport and Cliffwood Beach as well. I had never heard that. Thank you for sharing.

[buckethead]

Really interesting things you guys are posting. I used to fish up there a lot but things have changed and I fish it less. Nice to read the different stories though. Keep em coming.

[DarkSkies]

From the finchaser fishing hole thread...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...r-fishing-hole
The jetties and inlets were all they needed to catch some fish....
Many a night they would be out there for the duration.......

He and his pals also fished all up and down the Coast.....
Many NJ places included....among them Sandy Hook to Island Beach.

The following are some of the spots that some of these Old Farts have fished in their travels, at one time or another.....
You can see the old Sandy Hook long jetty, oceanside, in the bottom pic.

[ledhead36]

Video of some of the officers row houses and the surrounding coves


another one, heads up the audio is really lame

[baitstealer]

Was on the net today and found this, pirates creed-
I was born on the crest of a wave and rocked in the cradle of the deep. Me mother was a mermaid and me father was King Neptune. I can only sleep when bunked by a bulkhead. I'm a shipmate, matey, so I never swill me grog wit no lubber. I'll fight the devil himself to slip the noose 'n keep me secrets till me bones is in Davy Jone's locker. I's hard is is, I am, I are! When I spits I spit tar.

[storminsteve]

Cool vids thank you for sharing.

[Monty]

Wondering around out there at the Hook around 4:00 AM with a crazy friend and looked in here.... a few bats inside.