E-11-24

REMINDER: In an effort to present the most up-t0-date information our monthly newsletter River Views will be emailed after the EBoard meeting. (The first Tuesday of every month.) This way it will also serve as a reminder of that month's meeting. (The second Tuesday of every month.)

NEXT GENERAL MEETING

November 12th

Meeting starts at 7:00 PM

Ridgefield Park Elks Lodge

21 Cedar St

Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660

SPEAKER: Arnie Ulrich

BIO: Arnie is a life time resident of New Jersey. Arnie started fishing and camping as a youngster at many New Jersey and Pennsylvania streams and lakes. He grew into crafting and repairing fishing rods and is active with salt water fishing.

He became a member of the Hudson River Fishermen's Association in 1973. He was past President of the Hudson River Fishermen's Association and current Membership Secretary of HRFA and NJOA. He is the HRFA representative to the Jersey Coast Anglers Assoc. and NJ Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. Arnie is a New Jersey HOFNOD Certified team leader and was honored as Jersey Coast Anglers Association Sports Person of The Year.

Arnie is comfortable fishing for anything from panfish to pollock, from New Jersey to Maine, harvesting and preparing those fish for the table. He is a resident of Bergen County, New Jersey.

Past winner of the HRFA's most prestigious Pete Barrett Award & then the Robert H. Boyle Lifetime Achievement Award.

 As Membership Director you need a continuing awareness of what is going on in your organization, as you have to field and funnel inquiries from a great variety of people and interests to the right place.

TITLE: Fishing for cod, pollack and haddock

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IMPORTANT NOTE: The full version of River Views is no longer just for members. If your emailed copy of River Views ends abruptly look for this quote "[Message clipped]  "View entire message" at the bottom of the page. Clicking there will open up the full issue.

Back issues of River Views, the monthly newsletter of the HRFA, are available for all to enjoy on our website? Click here, or the River Views banner, to go directly there and catch up on your reading.

Why Donate?

The HRFA is a 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization. We are an all volunteer organization. No member earns an income. Every penny donated goes to support our programs. Our Youth Angler Program continues to give people a chance to go fishing. We give scholarships to worthy college-bound high schoolers. The HRFA was the first group to find polluters of the Hudson River and hold them accountable. We continue our core mission to "Fight for the Hudson!" and promote sportfishing in the New York Bight to this very day.

From our Membership Chair

Arnie Ulrich updates the monthly calendar and more.

HRFA Members' Photo Gallery

Do you have a fishing story to tell? But no time to write it? Well, wasn't it Confucius who said, "A photo is worth a thousand words." Submit your photo to editorriverviews@thehrfa.org.

Social Media

We share a recent Instagram post and invitation to send photos etc. to our Social Media Chair Alex Spindelman: a.spindelman@gmail.com.

Environmental.

A Sept. 2023 article published in Chemical & Engineering News about the decommisioning of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant and release of tritium into the Hudson River: "As community concerns mount, scientists explore alternatives to dumping treated nuclear wastewater into rivers and oceans - finding disposal strategies that are safe and acceptable is key"

That's Entertainment

• A Tsunami SALTX II 3000 review
• Can the SaltX II Hang with the Van Staals?

Special Projects

The start of three (3) somethings BIG:

1. Building the Spectrum for Living Fishing Pier,
2. Saving the HRFA's patrol boat Riverkeeper,
3. Creating a permanent 'home' and museum for the HRFA.

The HRFA Lending Library

A complete listing of books available in our library, maintained by Michael Sardinas. Three new books donated. Check out the updated list.

2024 HRFA Annual Fishing Contest

What are you waiting for? Submit your catch.

Friends & Supporters of the HRFA

Registration by PayPal only!

Click HERE to register.

All are welcome!

Striped Bass Prizes

1st Place -- $100 value

2nd place –$50 value

3rd place – $25 value

Bluefish Prizes

1st Place – $75 value 

2nd place – $50 value

3rd place – $25 value

Got questions?

Contact Derby Organizer

Michael Sardinas:

vicepresident@thehrfa.org

(201) 232-5988

The Rules:

• Fish from the shore only. No boat or kayak fish allowed.
• Boundaries are any shoreline in Monmouth County. 
• Fishing starts at midnight and ends at noon. No early or late entries will be accepted. 
• Your unique 3-digit derby code will be emailed at midnight Nov 23 – (write 3-digit code on an index card)
• The photograph of your catch must have your unique derby number & ruler below the fish, with no portion of the ruler covered by the fish or anything else. Entries with fish covering rulers will not be accepted.
• A photograph of your catch is to be submitted by text to 201-232-5988. Please include your first and last name in the text
• The largest fish in length wins in each category – Striped Bass and Bluefish
• Time of entry will break any ties
• Must be present to receive prize – Gazebo - 2 Simon Lake Dr, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716
• REMEMBER, if fishing with bait, you MUST use a circle hook

We need to increase participation in our Youth Angler Program! The retirement of Wayne Geider as Chair and aging of our core group of volunteers puts our entire program at risk. We have so much we can do for others IF we only have people available and willing to pitch in whenever they can. If we are to succeed, we must make strengthening our team a key objective of 2025.

***PRESS RELEASE***

August 7, 2024

Englewood and Alpine Sections of Palisades Interstate Park to Close Due to Storm Damage. Palisades Interstate Park Commission

Alpine, NJ – The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) has announced that due to damage from intense runoff and flooding generated by heavy rain on August 6, 2024, sections of Palisades Interstate Park are closed. Affected areas include the Park’s Englewood and Alpine Recreation Areas, and Henry Hudson Drive between Englewood and Alpine. Ross Dock Picnic Area remains open for public use. PIPC expects to reopen the Alpine and Englewood Recreation Areas within a week. However, due to the severity of damage, the northern section of Henry Hudson Drive is likely to be closed for an extended period.

Contact: Matthew Shook shookm@pipc.org (845) 271-5768

Scott Havner & Stephanie Hess dominated the field in this year's Derby. Kudos to all the winners.

Lloyd Castillo with a mega sunfish.

but only managed to finish 3rd in that category.

Stephanie Hess finished 1st in the Lunker Crappie category.

Austin Havner with a big crappie

Twenty-two HRFA members were at the gala to accept a special recognition award from the Hackensack Riverkeeper. We were honored to receive their Legacy Partnership Award:

"A Legacy Partner is an organization or company that has worked with us and supported our work for many years, often from the beginning. The HRFA certainly qualifies on both counts - and more. As the force that created the first Riverkeeper program, Hackensack Riverkeeper would likely not exist without the pioneering - and continuing - work of the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association."

In accepting the award our Vice President Michael Sardinas mentioned that one of the BIG initiatives we are working together on currently is to raise money for the Spectrum for Living fishing pier.

HRFA Vice President Michael Sardinas accepting the award from Capt. Bill Sheehan

Scott Havner displaying the "Legacy Partnership" award

Dan & Sue Marfino

Scott Havner & Stephanie Hess

Raymond Cywinski (L) with Scott & Steph (again)

Two great couples - Tony & Susan Stellato (L) and Pete & Michelle Musse (R)

Two more great couples - Danny & Eileen Harrison (L) and Michael & Lydia Sardinas (R)

From L to R Tony DiModugno, Al White and HRFA Treasurer Capt. Aram Setian

FromL to R - Dan Blackley, Dave mercer, Janice Soto & Wayne Geider. That's Hackensack Riverkeeper's Jodi Jameson standing.

Dan & Eileen Harrison with Donna Blackley

Tony D with Al W

Lydia, Al, Michael, Scott & Stephanie

Aram Setian with Dan & Sue Marfino

Dan Blackley with Riverkeeper's Jodi Jamieson

Eileen Harrison with Pete & Michelle Musse

Capt Bill Sheehan with Michael and Aram.

Silent Auction winner Eileen Harrison

The HRFA "flipped the script" on Mr. Poseidon by copying the format of his weekly "Let's Talk Fishing" live stream. Only this time WE asked HIM all the questions. Including a few posed by his regular Sunday night listeners and followers on Social Media who joined the meeting by ZOOM. Bruce Jakob (President Montauk Surfcasters Association), Elliot (Beast River Fishing) , "Wormway" (moniker of a regular fan of Mr. P's), Dennis Kuntz (2nd Chance Tackle), Dave Etelman (aka Bayside Dave), William Legakis (aka Billy the Greek) and Bruce Bain (President Narragansett Surf Fishing Club) all called in (though not all could get through.)

Ya can't beat the value of "home cooked" Elks Lodge dinner!

Let's go baby! Let's go!

Not a "spot burn"

Mr. P with a nice bass caught at the Piermont Pier.

Who IS this guy?!

Mr. Poseidon when he was still just

Argyri (Eric) Stoumpos.

Argyri with a legitimate surf caught doormat fluke of 10 lbs.

The HRFA was there at Laurel Hill Park's fishing promenade to support the Hackensack Riverkeeper's "Kids Autumn Angling Adventure".

The Derby began at 9AM and ended at noon. YAP volunteers Scott Havner, Wayne Geider, Al White, Ken Schiels, Linda Havner, Marius Behr & Joe Albanese were on the scene to help get people fishing AND CATCHING. White perch, spot and oyster toad crackers were reeled in.

Phillip Fernandez's 8" white perch took 1st Place, followed by friends Emma Francisco and Dylan Hwang. The youngest angler, 3-year old Paris Culley, won a Zebco rod & reel combo. The following all won something too: Yvonne Restrepo (for her first fish ever), Adam Collado (for fishing hard all day and improving his casting technique) and HRFA member Yahya Abassi (for also never giving up). BTW, Yahya is in the lead for the HRFA's Annual Fishing Contest, Youth Division, with a 15.5" largemouth bass.

TOG TAKING TIPS and TECHNIQUES

By Carl Bruger

Blackfish season will begin in earnest when we hit mid-November. The challenge, allure, and excitement of hooking and landing these bulldozers of the deep departs from easy angling and delves into the effort, perseverance and strategy to catch such bait stealing battlers. Recalling seven decades of experience pursuing my favorite chowder fish I will share all I know about catching Mr. Greychin.       

Many a blackfish trip results in frustration. Over the years I have been on party boats and charters where every drop resulted in zipper mouthed responses. These boat wide skunkings were nobody’s fault, especially the frustrated captain who only wanted success for his fares, not grumpy folks leaving the boat with empty coolers and much lighter wallets.                                     

Blackfish feeding moods can turn on a dime and there are no “fish psychologists” who have yet delved into the moody pea brain of these bottom fish. Even a productive bite can be frustrating when a heavy feeding frenzy last year provided me with 42 undersized tog, with no keepers in the haul reaching the requisite 15 inches. A week earlier on my first trip to the Point Pleasant Canal I had been fortunate to nail a limit catch over the wall with blackfish to 18” filling my cooler for a winter’s worth of chowder.                                               

First off we need to discuss the bait of choice to entice our finicky feeders. My top ten picks will surprise none of the savvy readers of this column, but knowing that every one of these options has caught me fish should comfort you and provide the realization that something in this vast smorgasbord just might appeal to your target tog.                                                                                 

Number one is the bait store standby of green crab.Cut in half, sheared of legs, sans shell, the aromatic and enticing innards can be perfectly impaled on a # 1.0 Gamagatsu red hook or standard Virginia classic. Threaded through the leg holes you can hope that your hook set on the tog tug buries the barb in the liver lips of your quarry before it downs the offering and cleans the hook. A trick that helps buy an extra fraction of a second tangling those buck teeth is to jam a chunk of red or orange salmon sponge onto the hook shank up to the snell so it replicates the eggs found in female crabs. It looks natural and ups your hook-up percentage.                  

No matter what bait you use a day of blackfish angling requires plenty of it. Don’t miss valuable tide times with a second trip to the tackle shop due to the need for reinforcements on the bait front! My second choice for bait is also a crab species know as a white-legger. Sometimes hard to get or expensive there are days when tog demand only this delicacy. Hand gathered fiddlers and sand fleas are great options and often help the budget concise angler fill the larder.                                          

A relatively new element added to the options is the GULP crab-shaped baits that are tough to shred and carry an alluring scent that entices tog. Hook threaded squid tentacles or strips of the cephalopod are possible soft bait options along with clam strips, mussel guts and conch meat. Even blood worms, tape worms and sand worms can generate bites, but they last just a split second on the hooks and are an expensive option.                         

A trick to hold these soft baits on the hook is to wind them on with the stretchy stuff called magic thread. I also use it when I tie salmon egg sacks for Lake Ontario angling for kings, coho and steelhead. It can tangle tog teeth and prevent easy hook striping so you up your odds of hook penetration again.                                     

Other factors that affect your success include the sinker weight used and the shape of the lead. I prefer river sinkers, than bank options with the weight getting upped in each as the speed of the tide increases. You just want to hold bottom where the fish are feeding. I also paint my sinkers red, orange or yellow and stick to the color that elicited the most strikes on the nearby hook.               

The use of jigs has become a superb tog taker and this scribe advocates their use when fishing from small boats where you can exercise perfect maneuvers to entice blackfish bites. Match the jig weight to the current and also the size of the fish that are running. Colors with red and orange and green have served me best. Off shore it’s easy to hang up and lose rigs. You are not fishing for blackfish if you are not losing rigs over the course of a day’s fishing. Go get-em because next month I will again share my blackfish chowder recipe that will get you through the toughest winters ever! 

We need to pass A-4816. This is an NJ Assembly bill that prohibits towns from requiring beach tags/badges for surfers and fishermen to access the beach to fish and surf below the mean high tide line.

The bill will provide a consistent public access policy for anglers in all tidal waters.

You are being asked to send an email or make a phone call to your state assembly representatives.

You can find the legislative district you live in by clicking on the link below.

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/district-map  

·    This is an interactive map of all NJ legislative Districts. 

·      Enter your address to find the district you live in. 

·      A location pin will appear on the map to show your district. 

·    Click on the pin for your district details including phone number, email link, or mailing address contact your assembly representative. 

If you decide to send a letter or email, you can use the text below. You can also use it as a script for your phone call.

A bill that has been introduced in the NJ Assembly that would prohibit the requirement for beach tags for anglers and surfers to access the area below the high tideline for the exclusive purpose of fishing or surfing. The bill is A-4816. We need your support to get this bill passed. 

As a constituent and a saltwater angler, I am asking you to:

1.        Support the passage of A-4816

2.        Sign-on as a co-sponsor of the bill

This bill has no significant cost to any municipality and would clarify the application of the public trust doctrine as it relates to fishing and surfing.

New HRFA members Jeremy Bosso, Buchanan NY, James Hamilton, Pleasantville, NY, and are new HRFA members. 2025 cards are on their way.

What?? We still have 36 HRFA members that haven’t paid 2024 Dues!! Do you have your 2024 or 2025 membership card? Our current membership is at 159 HRFA members. The HRFA does not run on wind pudding and air pie!

HRFA Membership Information. If you don't have a 2024 or lifetime member card you are losing out on great HRFA member benefits.

Pay your dues. Get your 2024 and 2025 membership card.

The generous grace period ends renewals on March 31st. Those not renewed are on the stale list and are removed from the membership rolls. Note , If you do not have a 2024 or life time membership card , you are not a HRFA member.

For those people who join(ed) the HRFA in October (or later) of a given year, their new or renewal membership also is covered for the following new year. There is also a generous grace period (3 months) for those who are unable to update their membership in January, however paying your dues late puts a strain on the records maintenance and consequently the ability of the executive board’s planning of activities and events.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or want to help (time, skills, or financially) on any particular club projects or events, feel free to email me, Arnie Ulrich (kavester@aol.com) or call me at 1-201-304-4691.

Our Membership Chair, Arnie Ulrich, had a fine days of fishing the first week of September aboard the Bunny Clark.

Our Scholarship Director , Jerry Crean, made a trip to Narragansett, Rhode Island. On Thursday afternoon he was on the beach enjoying a cigar and bourbon with a friend. They fished Friday & Saturday and still made it home for 8:30AM mass back home in New Jersey.

The following week Jerry was on board the XTC where they enjoyed a great day fishing for tautog and whatever else swam along.

Third week of September Scott Havner and his son Austin caught a mess of walleye.

A Tsunami SALTX II 3000 review

Can the SaltX II Hang with the Van Staals?