NJ Outdoor Women's League
Reelin’ OWLs at Chokecherry Beach
October 26, 2002
Reelin’ OWLs at Chokecherry Beach
October 26, 2002
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NJ Outdoor Women's League
Reelin’ OWLs at Chokecherry Beach October 26, 2002 |
       
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by Cathy Blumig More than one NJ OWL outing was cancelled because of weather in 2002, and fall surf fishing was one of those casualties. Originally scheduled for September 28th, a violent storm days before created a wild surf that would have overwhelmed beginners like us. Our leader, Dorothy Obropta, was forced to cancel. Surf angler extraordinaire, Dorothy teaches surf fishing for the "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" workshops, and is a well-known and highly respected angler along the Jersey coast. She would try to reschedule the outing. Word came that the day would be October 26th. Dorothy selected the beach by the Chokecherry parking lot At least nine OWLs were geared up to go, including my mother, Gloria, and sister, Linda (AKA the OWL refreshment committee). Even with this new date, moody-looking clouds threatened to dash our hopes again, but not enough this time. As we assembled in the parking lot, Dorothy had a sense of urgency about her as it approached two-hours before high tide, the magic fishing hours. Actually, two-hours either before or after high or low tide were good bets, she said, since fish tend to be most active during that time. But our bets were on this incoming tide, and it was important for us to get out there as soon as possible so we wouldn’t miss any action. |
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Dorothy pointed out that the wind was blowing from the southwest, a blessing she said, since that would help keep the ocean waves calm even with the questionable clouds looming overhead. On other trips, I had managed to get doused by waves when I wasn’t paying attention, so I decided to put on my husband’s waders to help keep dry. Though a tad big but manageable, I felt a little like Sponge Bob Square Pants as I waddled towards the shore. Dorothy helped rig our lines, distributed us along the beach, and showed us where to cast. If you were new to casting, you got a brief lesson on how a spinning reel works and how to cast more or less where you wanted. Dorothy had clams and peanut bunker as bait, both popular for catching the Holy Grail of Jersey coast angling, the Striped Bass. It was also good for bluefish and fluke, though the fluke season had closed in September. We could either hold the surf rods or set them in sand spikes (sections of PVC pipe that are cut with a slant on one end. The slanted end is pushed into the sand so the other end sticks out and serves as a rod holder). Since it frees your hands the sand spike is convenient, but it was important to keep a close eye on the rod. Otherwise a fish could strike and actually rip the spike and the rod out of the sand and pull them out to sea before you knew they were gone. While everyone else used bait, I decided to try artificial lures, but as fun as it was to cast them, it was clear that the bait anglers were the ones who would probably bring home more fish. One of the first OWLs to reel one in was Joyce Pinkava. She proudly strode down the beach with a beautiful 1½-lb. bluefish furiously thrashing on her line. Linda LoPresti got one, too, as did April Lippet. As Dorothy helped April unhook her catch, she called folks around to show them the business end of a bluefish. "Look at this," Dorothy said, pointing to the fish’s sharp teeth. "Don’t ever stick your finger in there," she warned, "they can bite your finger tip right off." Ouch! I’ll keep my fingers out of there! Catherine Roth landed a whopper fluke, but alas, although it exceeded the legal keeper length of 16½", the fluke season was closed! BUMMER! Back it went to the surf. Later in the afternoon, Li Chen caught a huge sea robin. Her first fish! Yeah, Li! Meanwhile, the Blumig contingent got skunked, the result of bad luck even in the face of expert instruction from Dorothy. No bother! We were having a wonderful time and learning so much we barely noticed. As evening drew in, we all had that warm sense of satisfaction that can only come from a shared experience in the outdoors enriched with action, learning, and the beauty of all things wild. Until next time!
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