NJ shore Memories and Old-time fishermen from the past...

[DarkSkies]

Met him the other day before I hit the beach, he was coming off. We compared fishin notes, and got into an extended conversation about the old times he remembers.

He's a big guy with a booming voice, thankfully not as loud as I am. He's been fishiin for 43 years.

He has no use for the internet, but in respect for anyone who knows him, I'm not using his full name. I still had a great time listening to the stories. I probably should focus more on fishin at times, but these stories people tell me seem just as important. You only get one chance to hear them, and I like bringing them to you people. Some of the stories:

***



Long Branch fishing pier:
He remembers fishing that as a kid, and the whiting they used to catch by the bushel in December. They called them "frostfish".

Sandy Hook Big bass in December:
He remembers back in the 70's, they caught big bass up to 40# in the month of December as they came in to the bay and channels to feed on the herring that were stacked up there.

Sandy Hook working the rip with eels and bucktails:
He and a bunch of other guys used to "work the rip" with eels or bucktails. They would all start in a line, one after the other, and give the bucktail or eel a huge toss so it would float along in deep water. Then they would walk it down the beach to keep it in the strike zone for the longest possible time. A few secs after one guy threw out, another guy in line started, and they all followed each other down the beach without getting tangled. A lot of big bass were caught this way. Of course, everyone was more willing to cooperate back then. I can't imagine one single group of 20 guys being able to do this today at the Hook without

Sandy Hook, when the "Hook" was a Real Hook:
Over 20 years ago, you could go to the last parking lot, walk out to the left, and there was an isolated "Tip" that extended out such that casting only a few feet out would put you into a 30' deep channel. Guys would converge in this spot and catch striped bas, fluke, and weakfish in the MIDDLE of the day in August! And BIG bass from here at night.

Of course, the tip was washed away by storms and not replaced. Many guys now refer to the area now marked by the range buoys as "The Hook" when in fact it's the "False Hook". The Original Hook is gone forever, but the memories live on in the minds and stories of the guys who fished there.

Catching a 20# bluefish, and making Art Giglio laugh:
He caught a 20# bluefish one summer in Sea Bright. No matter how you look at it, a 20# bluefish could be considered a trophy, pound for pound they fight harder than bass. But he was angry! He bought that bluefish into the old Giglio's B&T to get weighed. He was in such a mood that he remembers Art Giglio laughing at him, asking why he was so mad? Are thought it was a great catch. Big D didn't. Now, years later, he realizes it was one of the biggest bluefish he ever caught.

The state of fishing today:
He said every year they change the regs so more things are restricted. He's sick of it.

The state of Angler committment today:
He said that most guys don't want to work to catch fish. They want to go to the beach, snag a bunker, and in 5 minutes be hauling a trophy fish up on the sand. He and the guys he fished with all put their time in, and he kind of resents the new "internet fisherman".

[DarkSkies]

Angelo is a hell of a character, and an even greater inspiration. I met him the other day. He's 69, and has been fishing for 62 years, since he was 7.

The way he fishes is very unorthodox, but because of his handicap it's the most logical way for him to do it. I don't consider him handicapped, and neither would you if you saw him out there, fishing in his chair, not from a pier, or the sand, but in the wash!!!

[DarkSkies]

Here's some background info on him, along with a video I shot of him fishing in the surf. I got choked up a little filming this, and the winds were blowin 20mph, so the sound quality might have suffered a bit.

[DarkSkies]

Some more video, I'll fill in the rest later...












People might like to know that before I shot this, Papa Angelo came to the beach every day, and hadn't had a fish in 2 weeks. Here he missed a strike as he's talking to me!!!

I felt bad, and let him go back to fishin after that. I'm glad to report that I don't have the killie curse as he got 2 bass after I left, and 2 bass early this morning, casting from that chair. Ya done good, Angelo!!

[DarkSkies]

Mantoloking early 1900s

[DarkSkies]

Joe is 84 and has been fishin for 74 years! He got quite a few bass today, and only left when the action slowed down. They were small for the most part. He joked that one was so small he could have brought it home for his fishtank.

Nonetheless, he had action, and a fun filled day.
Some info:

He lived in NJ all his life. Back when he was a kid he used to fish in the rivers and tributaries whenever he could. The Rahway river was a favorite place kids to fish and swim back then.

Imagine, swimming in the Rahway river? It's amazing how times have changed.

First fish:
Sunnies and trout.

Biggest fish:
At 21 he caught tuna at the Mud Hole, anywhere from 650-800 lbs!

It used to be $150 for a 6 man charter, and they would take you up to 50 miles offshore for that price. You could catch all the tuna you wanted as they came inshore in the fall to feast on the whiting and ling from Aug to Sept.

He started fishing for striped bass 15 years ago when he couldn't play golf any more, and hasn't looked back since.




Military Service:
He enlisted in the Navy in Sr year of high school, leaving early to join. He was a first class Bosun's mate, and traveled with the Navy to Africa and Sicily.

He saw action in WWII against the Germans, hurting and partially crippling his back on Omaha beach during a gasoline delivery to his troops.

He got a Purple Heart and a WWII medal with 4 stars. He doesn't want too much fanfare for it, though. He says back then, guys just did what they needed to do to keep their fellow soldiers alive.

Wow.

Work and life after the War:
After WWII, he got work as a Mate on a party boat out of Point Pleasant, the 2 Sisters.


Most unusual catch:
He had some fun fishin times and stories there to tell me. One of them was when they were fishin for giant bluefin tuna. He went to grab the leader, and what they thought was a tuna turned to be a mako shark over 300#. The shark leapt up and almost bit his head off!

The Capn shot the shark with a gun, and gave it to Joe. He sold it at the market.

His take on the status of fishing today?
"More people fishing, less big fish!'


Favorite place to fish?
"Sandy Hook, because I have a bad leg & back, and can't walk too far.'

So if ya see Joe in the surf, casting and fishin, please give him plenty of space, don't crowd him, and thank him for his service to our county if ya want.

It was nice meeting you Joe!

[DarkSkies]

Joe's surf bag. Tape gives it character.



Joe with the custom rod he built over 40 years ago and still uses today.

[surfwalker]

Thanks for the stories and pics, they are priceless.

Happy Trails

[Monty]

Great thread, thank you for sharing.

[cowherder]

Some more video, I'll fill in the rest later...












People might like to know that before I shot this, Angelo came to the beach every day, and hadn't had a fish in 2 weeks. Here he missed a strike as he's talking to me!!!

I felt bad, and let him go back to fishin after that. I'm glad to report that I don't have the killie curse as he got 2 bass after I left, and 2 bass early this morning, casting from that chair. Ya done good, Angelo!!

Dark I saw that guy last week, you're right he puts the chair right in the water, I asked him if he was worried if he would get washed away and he said he does it all the time. I'm glad he caught fish, great videos'

[jigfreak]

long ago, does anyone remember Stevens B&T in Long Branch?

[stripercrazy]

Here's some background info on him, along with a video I shot of him fishing in the surf. I got choked up a little filming this, and the winds were blowin 20mph, so the sound quality might have suffered a bit.

It's amazing how you are out there at the right time to film these. Great story!

[DarkSkies]

I have couple good memories of being invited to his house near the beach when we were kids. We caught a few striped bass and some bluefish back then. It was chiefly a bait and wait kind of thing, but it was exciting.

Sometimes we caught, sometimes we didn't. That's fishin.

I think it was the first place I got a striper, short, but still I was happy. I remember reeling it in, and how that bass fought! To me it was a start of the saltwater addiction.

I didn't get into the salt fully until years later because there were so few opportunities for us kids to get down there. We fished the hell out of every freshwater place I could ride my bike to instead.

I'm grateful for the times they did invite us down, and I was reminded of those memories 3 weeks ago when I went to visit him.

All the boys in his family fished, and sometimes the girls, but it was mostly a guy thing. They would be out there several times a week, bait fishing at the right time and tide, and I heard some good stories of bigger bass caught over the years.

He loved to go to the beach, just to be there. He worked hard all his life, demanding physical labor, to give his family and others the opportunities he never had when they grew up in the Depression. He paid the college tuition for my Dad, and his other brother. Now he can't walk well, and can't fish. I'm trying to share more fishin stories with him.

He was the rock of the family, never complaining, never griping. If he had something negative to say about someone, he kept it to himself. He generously helped everyone in the family, and never needed a pat on the back for it. In fact, I only found out that he paid for others to go to school because we were on the subject.

He's a man a lot of people looked up to, but who was never comfortable with that, He was happier being humble and just doing his thing to make a good life for his family. I admire and respect that.












His early fishing memories of the Norma K:

"Norma K used to be one of my favorite boats. I've been on Bogan's boats and all the others. Nothing against them, they are all good boats. The NormaK always stood out in my mind, though. We felt she was the cleanest. The mates scrubbed her down every day just like on the other boats, but it was a little different, they always seemed to pay more attention.

It was like the Capn trained them exactly how he wanted it, and they followed it to the letter each time. They also put some kind of car wax on the boat for the weekends, which meant it always looked good. It was a good boat to go out on.

Capt Ken Keller, we used to go with him when it was the old Norma K I. That was his first Norma, an old tub, but he would go all over to get us some fish. And catch we did, we used to get sacks of whiting in the winter, those were the days!

Then he had a boat built in Louisiana, which was the Norma K II. It was fast and new, great to fish on. Heated handrails were the latest. Before that you went out and suffered, and no one complained like these kids today. We didn't care what we had to do or go out in, if the fish were biting and the seas were navigable, we went fishing.

He had a good Capn, **** Hauser, Eventually **** left to open a B&T. I think it was on Channel drive in Point Pleasant, right by the inlet. All the mates and Capns were great, worked hard, and made those boats a good place to fish."

[captnemo]

My Dad used to go on the first NormaK and told me the stories as well. They would use the burlap potato sacks tied to the handrails, and fill them with winter whiting. When the whiting were around thew would fill the sacks. Then the Russian trawlers came and wiped them out, and we have basically a tiny fishery for them today compared what it used to be. Great thread, thanks for sharing.

[bababooey]

I fished on the NormaKII with my grandfather. He liked to take me whiting fishing because it was fun and easy fish for a kid to catch. I think he also liked to have me around so I could carry the fish at the end of the day. I would love to be able to go turn the clock one day and fish with gramps again. Great times, brings me back, thanks.

[DarkSkies]

As related by Finchaser:


Fishing on the party boats, NJ and LI:

NJ fishing:
"We fished on the fastest of the NJ party boats at that time in the 60's and early 70's, the Superspray.
And the Buccaneer, which was later declared unfit for commercial use and sank at the dock.

There were no "heated handrails" back then. You suffered, and didn't complain about it.

Miss TakeII - first jigging trip.
Capt Whitey Morenz brought us as guinea pigs on his first jigging trip - before that they always used bait for bass and blues. He was trying out these new metal jigs, which later came to be known as diamond jigs or Avas.

We were the first fishermen in NJ to use those jigs, and also the "Bingle bananas"

Also went on Bogan's boats, have been fishing on Bogan's boats for 55 years.

Codfish in NJ:
Codfish used to be plentiful in NJ until the commercial draggers wiped them out. We used to catch them at the 1 mile marker out of Point Pleasant, Cholera Banks, Klondike, and Manasquan Ridge. No need to go to the 30 mile wrecks, as soon as it got cold, they were out there.

My father took me on a codfish trip in Feb when I was 6 years old. If I said something about how cold it was, he said:
'You want to be a man, don't ***** about the cold!' "

[plugcrazy]

Here's a pic of Capt. Morenz

[jigfreak]

old atlantic city

[cracklepopper]

Historic Mantoloking pics. I can't imagine living at a time when the streets were unpaved like this.
http://www.jerseyshorevacation.com/M...kingImages.htm

[paco33]

barnegat and old beach pics