On Saturday August 3, 2024, the NJBBA met on the sands of Island Beach State Park near Fishermen’s Walkway for their first “Fluke Fest”. The free event included a fishing derby from 8:00AM-noon. That was followed by a BBQ and awards ceremony. About 25 registered members attended.

 The skies were cloudy in the morning.  Occasionally a warm westerly wind or cool breeze came in off the ocean. However, it was the prevailing southerly winds at 10-15mph that persisted for most of the day. The same direction the wind has blown consistently for most of the summer so far and which is being blamed for unseasonably cold ocean temperatures along the seashore that makes fluke fishing mediocre at best. Wave heights of 3-4’ were a tad on the high side with a strong littoral drift. High tide was about 8:30 AM.  So, by late morning, the receding tide left little fishable water.

 Only one 15.5” fluke was caught during the fishing derby. That fish, submitted by George Browne (# 5026), was 0.5” below the 16” minimum size limit acceptable in IBSP. So, George’s entry did not count. Joe Albanese’s (#5278) 18.5” keeper was not submitted because it was caught before 8:00AM. (He did make sure everyone got a good look at it though!) Ken Hollins (#23)& Gary Conk (#1585) encouraged him to check it in at a local tackle shop for the club’s annual fish pool. So, Joe did that too.

 Since there was not an allowable fluke entry everyone got a raffle ticket, and the numbers were pulled out of a hat. 1^st Place prize of a PENN Fierce Spinning Reel and Rod Combo went to Ian Paulick (#4991-A). 2^nd Place prize of a $25 gift card from the Hook House went to (NAME?). 3^rd Place prize of a utility tackle box went to (NAME?). Other prizes, donated by Pete Musse (#5451), included some fishing lures and a bunch of SPF multi-functional face scarfs. The trophies for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Place, provided by Gary Conk, were saved for a later date.

 The highlight of the day was the Bar-B-Que. Many chipped-in helping set up grills, tables, coolers, food trays, etc. Master Chef Pete Musse prepared his signature dish “Steamed Clams with White Wine sauce. He used clams he caught himself right from Barnegat Bay.  Of course, there was the traditional burgers and dogs hot off the charcoal grills. Sous Chef Ray Anderson worked side-by-side in their outdoor kitchen. Clean-up was also a community affair with many sticking around to help.

 In short, the gathering of friends and fluke fanatics enjoyed a great day on the beach in each other’s company.  Kudos to the event organizers, President Mark Dzindzio (#207) and Director Pete Musse, for a successful event.  One question remains . . . Will the Fluke Fest become an annual event?

Respectively, Joe Albanese