July, 1918 
FOREST AND STREAM 
405 
SOME FAVORITE NEARBY FISHING RESORTS 
FEW STATES OF THE UNION ARE MORE FAVORABLY LOCATED THAN NEW 
JERSEY WHICH FOR YEARS HAS BEEN FAMED FOR ITS INTEREST TO ANGLERS 
By LEONARD HULIT, Associate Editor of Forest and Stream 
P ERHAPS there are but few questions 
more frequently asked during the 
fishing season than “Where can I go 
for a prospect of a good day’s sport within 
a reasonable distance from the great cities 
of the East?” 
Were it true that once a “good fishing” 
ground always a “good fishing” ground, 
then the answer would have been given 
many years since; but the changing con¬ 
ditions bring about results which in their 
turn produce other results, and all form a 
mighty chain of facts which requires the 
active brain of man to understand its 
forging and the reason for its existence. 
I am writing now of our coast tidal 
waters and will try to make plain to the 
reader why once famous fishing grounds 
are no more so classed. There are but 
few states of the Union more favorably 
located as a fishing resort than is New 
Jersey. Surrounded on all sides by the 
great cities of other states, as well as pos¬ 
sessing many within its own borders, it 
has for a long time been recognized as 
second to none of the states in its inter¬ 
ests to the angler who has but a short 
period of time in which to enjoy his fa¬ 
vorite pastime or perhaps whose means 
are too limited to warrant his going to 
more distant fields. To the man of more 
leisure it is equally interesting as there are 
abundant stretches of water for the use of 
yacht or houseboat and fishing grounds in¬ 
numerable at his hand. 
That there is a marked diminution of 
our choice fishes in Jersey waters no longer 
remains a question. Thirty years ago 
there was a real plethora of many of coast¬ 
line fishes and they were to be had for the 
taking at most of the points along the en¬ 
tire state border. The Kill-von-Kull. 
Prince’s Bay and all the stretches of the 
Raritan were choice grounds for the an¬ 
gler as well as the commercial fisherman. 
The factories along the banks at the head¬ 
waters have contributed largely to the 
diminution of the runs of fish by discharg¬ 
ing their poisonous and ill smelling refuse 
into the waters; yet doubtless the great¬ 
est cause is the destructive methods of the 
purse seiners and the pound nets, which 
persistently set well into the inside waters 
and so serve to break up the runs of the 
gravid fish when endeavoring to reach 
their chosen spawning ground, as well as 
to gather in the fingerlings as they pass out 
in the autumn months. The same con¬ 
ditions obtain with many of the tidal wa¬ 
ters of the state and not to this state alone, 
but to many both north and south. 
To the south of these waters is the 
Shrewsbury river, the north branch of 
which reaching through Oceanic on to Red 
Bank, is to a great extent an unpolluted 
stream and the old time fishing is to be 
had on many of points. It is a very strong 
tideway and should never be ventured on 
without the assistance of one who is fa¬ 
miliar with such conditions. 
Beginning at Spermaceti Cove, which is 
well inside Sandy Hook up and around 
Highland Beach, good fishing can be had 
at the proper season. This is particularly 
true in the autumn months when at the 
latter place good striped bass fishing is 
to be had by trolling slowly with “blood¬ 
worm” and spinner. Much the same con¬ 
ditions prevail at the Seabright draw, but 
it is quite useless to make the endeavor 
unless a good boatman is in charge, as the 
tideway is very strong. Farther up the 
river at Oceanic, and in fact as far as Red 
Bank, the finest of weakfish are taken 
fishing at the edge of the channel ways 
with shedder crab bait. Night fishing is 
generally productive of the best results 
here as then the waters are clear of all 
sorts of craft and the fish are on the feed 
at such times. The gray light of the early 
morning is also good and will frequently 
be found to give more real sport than the 
entire balance of the day. Fishermen 
should not be misled, however, on this 
stream as what is known as the south 
Shrewsbury, which is merely an arm of 
the former, is shallow and contains no fish 
of interest to the average angler. 
F OLLOWING down the coast are many 
points where good fishing is to be had 
from the beach. At Long Branch a 
pier is maintained extending more than 
one thousand feet seaward. Here during 
the entire summer fish are taken in their 
proper season. It is a favorite resort for 
many people who cannot cast from the 
beach direct. Striped bass, weakfish, plaice, 
kingfish and croakers are the kinds usually 
taken and when the runs are on are usually 
plentiful. Elberon, Allenhurst and Deal 
Beach farther south are famous as striped 
bass grounds. Many of the largest ever 
taken have been secured at these points, 
but beach fishing only prevails and the 
surf casting is necessary to success. As- 
bury Park, as well as Ocean Grove, main¬ 
tain piers, but during the fishing season 
there are ordinarily such crowds around 
that but small comfort is to be had, par¬ 
ticularly when the fish are there. Accord¬ 
ingly the wise ones do not as a rule make 
„mch use of these piers. 
Shark river inlet is next along the line 
and furnishes a fine fishing basin on both 
sides; the north side at Avon being one 
of the best known points along the New 
Jersey coast. It is safe to say that for a 
period of at least forty years as many fish 
have been taken here as at any single re¬ 
sort along the shore. In the river proper 
conditions have materially changed from 
former years; where once deep channels 
prevailed now flats abound. This has been 
brought about by the many bridges thrown 
across the stream, and what is true of this 
river is true of many others. The rail¬ 
roads make a practise when placing new 
piling of sawing off the old ones at the 
water’s edge and allowing the ends to re¬ 
main in the bottom. This after many repe¬ 
titions forms a dam so that the sand which 
is carried in on the storm tides gathers 
there and is not removed by the less pow¬ 
erful ebb tides; thus the channels are 
blocked and the fishing grounds broken up. 
The basin to the south on the Belmar 
shore is also good fishing ground. A pier 
at Belmar is removed somewhat from the 
gathering crowds and gives annually better 
results than the ones to the north just men¬ 
tioned; being near to an inlet also adds 
somewhat to the prospects as the fish are 
attracted by the outflow of fresh water 
which is continually coming down. Along 
the entire Belmar front are innumerable 
cuts and eddies which produce good fish¬ 
ing, and many anglers spend their entire 
time there during the summer and autumn. 
South from here we get the Manas- 
quan river with its traditions as well 
as its fishing interests. Legends of 
Captain Kidd are rife along its banks and 
sources. It is a river in truth and not 
merely an arm of the sea, as many of 
the so-called rivers are. In the days of 
long ago there was a good channel extend¬ 
ing many miles inland and smuggling was 
carried on to an astonishing extent. Mer¬ 
chandise which never made returns to the 
custom houses was transferred at sea to 
coast schooners, and they in turn delivered 
it to the native dwellers of inland towns. 
These were apprised of the arrival of the 
craft, which when unloaded took on car¬ 
goes of cordwood or hollow iron-ware of 
which there was a large industry at the 
headwaters of the stream. These well 
authenticated facts still cast a glamor 
around the name and place. It is, how¬ 
ever, a fine fishing point and has a large 
colony built up along the beach near the 
inlet composed largely of fishing enthusi¬ 
asts. The channel of the river has to a 
great degree been affected by the bridges 
(continued on page 436) 
