ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK – Boy those beach buggy guys and gals sure are busy! They fish all day, fish all night, run fishing clinics on the beach, take veterans out for a day of fishing, put up snow fencing to aid in dune restoration, buggy lug volunteers during beach grass planting weekends, and if that isn’t enough next up on their agenda is the 20th Annual Children’s Surf Fishing Tournament.
The free event sponsored by the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association takes place Saturday, Sept. 7 with registration from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Ocean Beach Bathing Area #1.
This tournament offers instructional tables where young anglers can learn skills essential to catching big fish from the surf, including knot tying, casting, identifying species, safe and proper handling of fish, and what artificial lures are best.
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Three different age groups – ages 8 and younger, 9-12, 13-16 – allow children to fish competitively, according to tournament chairman Tim Burden, who describes the tournament in the NJBBA’s June 2013 newsletter.
All children who register receive a raffle ticket that gives them a choice of prizes when their ticket number is called, he said.
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Fishing in the surf takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Areas #7 to #23. No fishing is allowed in the bathing areas south of #23 to the jetty. Hot dogs and beverages are served from 1 to 3 p.m., while judges are weighing in and totaling the catches. An awards ceremony follows with trophies and prizes.
Visit www.njbba.org for more information about the event.
Stop by and say hi to the Beach Buggy Association on Sunday, Sept. 8 because they will also be at the 16th Annual Island Beach State Park Beach Plum Festival, which takes place rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
See, told you they are a busy bunch!
