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THE
Hudson River
Fishermen’s Association
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Did you know that back issues (2019 & 2020 only) 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.
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Greetings HRFA Members and Friends,
I hope that as of this writing, we find you all well and safe.
As the COVID-19 situation continues and the Elks Lodge is still closed, we will be conducting the December 8th HRFA General Meeting using ZOOM video teleconferencing.
I would like to express our thanks and appreciation to those that participated in the last video conference. We
had good attendance and I know that there was valuable information for all and everyone enjoyed swapping a few fishing stories. Thanks especially to our invited speaker John Kravchak, President of the Berkeley Striper Club, for his participation.
We were able to resume our November E-Board meetings at the Elks Lodge. However, we will be unable to conduct our December E-Board meeting for safety considerations. We look forward to January's E-Board meeting to review the last year and set our 2021 objectives.
The Fall fishing season has proven to be highly active. The trip reports have been exciting, many fish were caught, and many dinner tables delighted. Striped Bass, Blackfish and Black Sea Bass catch has been great. The weather has been cooperating, mild, for more enjoyable trips.
Unfortunately, the Elk's Lodge is still not opened to allow conducting the general meetings at this time. Thus, we will be unable to conduct one of the traditional activities, the HRFA Year End Auction. However, we will have another ZOOM video teleconference, as described above.
At this time, still, many of the HRFA activities continue to be suspended or postponed. As we are closely following the current safety and health recommendations on the COVID-19 and reassessing our planned activities.
2020 was a particularly challenging, COVID-19 year. We had to suspend or postpone many of our activities that we eagerly look forward to every year. Some of these like the Sportsmen, Outdoors, and Fishing shows, the Annual award Dinner, and the Auction, resulted in unrealized income that we depend on. I would like to thank these members and friends for the timely donations, but more is needed.
Even under these difficult times, we were able to conduct our Catfish Chaos and Striped Bass contests and the fishing contest was unaffected. Also, two major Youth Angler events were conducted. The two noteworthy events were the launching of the new www.THEHRFA.org website and the long-awaited sinking of the artificial reef, tugboat.
Sadly, this year we also lost valuable members Patricia Pawson and Fred Rung. We will always remember them fondly.
As we are approaching the Holidays season, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all our Members and Friends for the continuous support.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New 2021 Year
Be well and stay safe
Capt. Aram Setian
HRFA 2020 President
Fight for the Hudson
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Tuesday December 1st is GIVING TUESDAY please consider making a tax deductible charitable donation today, if you can, by clicking the logo. Or, purchase a $10 raffle ticket to win a Mad River Canoe.
Drawing will be at our December 8th General
Meeting via ZOOM teleconference.
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Support the HRFA with a $10 donation and you will be entered to win thistoday Mad River Canoe.
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we postponed the Annual Awards Dinner and the canoe raffle until a date yet to be determined in the Fall. So, tickets are still available for purchase.
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To get raffle tickets for a chance to win a beautiful Mad River Canoe in outstanding condition donated & autographed by naturalist Chris Letts contact Dan Harrison or Joe Albanese to get your raffle ticket(s).
To purchase tickets ($10 each) by check make it to "HRFA Canoe Raffle" and mail to HRFA, P.O. Box 421, Cresskill, NJ 07626.
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In this month's issue of River Views
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Read JCAA's position paper on the dredging of the shipping lanes leading into NY Harbor that forced closure of the false hook beaches at Gateway Nat'l Park, Sandy Hook, NJ for safety reasons.
Upcoming events are the return of the NJBBA's Presidents' Cup (Dec. 5) and the Hudson River Foundation's Ames Seminar (Dec. 7). Catch up on recently past events including the T-Pier fishing trip (Nov. 7) and the HRFA General Meeting (Nov. 10).
We share two FaceBook videos in the That's Entertainment section posted by Charlie's Bait N Tackle and the Berkeley Striper Club. The videos announce the winners of their catch & release tournaments. Spoiler alert - one of the winners is a member of the HRFA.
There's more . . .
Carl Bruger wraps up the year that will mercifully end soon and looks forward to 2021. Arnie Ulrich provides updates on members and the December club calendar. The month's photo gallery is all about surf fishing in Long Island (Chas. Spindelman & Son) and NJ. Pete Musse shares a simple haddock dish. Our Youth Angler Program plans to support Ridgefield Park's Earth Day tentatively scheduled for May 1, 2021. There are some new additions and upsets in our annual Fishing Contest.
As always we hope you enjoy this month's issue. Please email comments, photos, articles, news and other things of interest to members to care of The Editor.
The Editor
River Views
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IMPORTANT NOTE: The full version of River Views is for members only. HRFA 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.
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Speaking of surf fishing and beach access ...
Please read the open letter from John Toth and George Browne at JCAA regarding the closure of the tip of Sandy Hook due the unsafe conditions created by dredging the shipping channels and pumping the sand onto the beach.
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JERSEY COAST ANGLERS ASSOCIATION
Working for The Saltwater Resource & Marine Anglers
1594 Lakewood Rd., Suite 13, Toms River, NJ 08755
Phone 732-506-6565 Fax 732-506-6975
Web Site http://www.jcaa.org
JERSEY COAST ANGLERS ASSOCIATION POSITION STATEMENT ON THE DREDGING RELATED CLOSURE OF THE FALSE HOOK AT SANDY HOOK, NJ
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 27, 2020
The False Hook area at Sandy Hook, NJ has been closed effective October 1st, 2020 for the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge sand from that location. This closure has completely cut off surf fishing access to the northern end of Sandy Hook just as Striped Bass, False Albacore, and Bluefish exit Raritan Bay on their southerly migration. In addition to fish leaving Raritan Bay, Striped Bass, False Albacore, and Bluefish are migrating south from the Hudson River, Long Island and New England. The unique geography and location of Sandy Hook places all of these fish close to shore and, coupled with the presence of large schools of migrating forage fish, makes the fall of the best times of the year to fish at Sandy Hook.
The Jersey Coast Anglers Association sees several problems with the closure and the way it is being managed.
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Anglers were only informed of this closure about a week before it was set to take effect on October 1st, but the dates of the closure were known well in advance of the announcement.
- The dredged area shown on the project maps released by Gateway National Recreation Area’s Sandy Hook Unit shows the site being dredged about 1/10th of a mile in length. The Army Corp of Engineers is closing one mile of beach for this project.
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The start date of the project is October 1st, but the closure announcement states that the project will not be completed until late December or early January.
- There is a concern that if the dredging project continues past mid-January it can affect the winter flounder spawn.
- Anglers, as well as other beach users, are already banned from the Northern Fishing Area at Sandy Hook for over 6 months to accommodate nesting birds. Adding a 3-month, closure after the nesting birds’ closure, denies beach users from using the beach for three quarters of the year. This leaves only the winter months for people to use the beach.
The following is the official position of the Jersey Coast Angler’s Association (JCAA) in relation to the current dredging project at the False Hook and the resultant area closure.
- In the future, adequate notice of beach closures must be given to all affected beach users at least 45 days in advance of the closure.
- Anglers have purchased annual nighttime fishing passes, but those permits are now devalued due to the closure.
- Fishing not only provides recreational opportunities for anglers but supports the local economy through bait and tackle shops, restaurants, hotels, and many other local business purchases.
- Anglers from out of the Monmouth County area, plan on fishing the False Hook in the fall and now must change their plans. These anglers may have made lodging reservations that they cannot change or cancel.
- Coupled with the Covid19 restrictions, the closure of the False Hook fishing access has further impacted local businesses at a time when they could have extended their season.
- The size of the closure area must be minimized to meet the needs of beach users while accommodating safety and security. The size of the current closure area is disproportionate to the actual work area.
- Three months appears to be a long timeline for dredging an area approximately one-tenth of a mile long. The Army Corp of Engineers needs to improve their management of this dredging project by:
- Moving future projects to be completed as late in the year as possible so as not to affect the prime fall fishing through beach closures, increased water turbidity, or disturbance of the nearshore environment.
- Minimizing the duration of any beach closure to this area so that the beach is reopened quickly.
- Scheduling their contractors so that the work is done without interruption and completed efficiently.
- The work can effectively be performed in late December or early January without interfering with the winter flounder spawning. Scheduling future dredging projects later in the year preserves the surf fishing while allowing anglers to have a better chance to catch fish.
- When scheduling this dredging project, The Army Corps of Engineers must consider the seasonal needs of beach users. Fishing access at Sandy Hook should be increased in compliance with Department of the Interior Secretary issued Secretarial Orders number 3347 and number 3356.
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IT'S BAAAAACK . . .
December 5, 2020
Despite many (39) NJBBA member anglers participating, not one eligible fish was entered on November 8th at either of the four available locations. So, the tournament will be repeated on December 5th. As before, judges will be at four locations:
- Island Beach State Park (Register at Area 7 in the back parking lot),
- Brigantine (Register at North End Entrance. Brigantine 08203),
- Corson’s Inlet State Park (Register at County Hwy 619 Ocean City 08214) and
- LBI (Register at Surf City B & T Parking Lot 317 Long Beach Blvd, Surf City 08008)
Hopefully, the NJBBA Annual Meeting will Sunday February 7th at 9AM to be held at the New Egypt Elks Lodge 105 Lakewood Road, New Egypt, NJ 08533. Masks and Social Distancing Required (60 person max.). Meeting may be canceled if NJ Covid Laws change. (Check their website for updates)
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December 7th Ames Seminar
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EST A Whale of a Tale: Acoustic Monitoring in the Upper and Lower New York Bay Melinda Rekdahl, PhD., Ocean Giants Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Howard Rosenbaum, PhD., Director, Ocean Giants Program, Wildlife...
Read more
mailchi.mp
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Castle Point Pier Fishing Trip
November 7, 2020
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From L. to R.: Al White, Dirk van Everdingen, Boris Maltsev, Ken Schiels, Arnie Ulrich, Noah & Michael Sardinas |
On November 7th a group of HFRA members showed up bright and early along the lower Hudson River to fish at Castile Point Pier. (also known as the T pier) The Pier extends 125 feet into the river in the town of Hoboken.
The weather was perfect, a nice warm November day with an incoming tide. We had all the bait we would need to target the multiple species of fish that swim along the pier. Fresh bunker, green crabs, bloodworms, and clams.
It wasn’t long before HRFA members started hooking up. The first fish of the day was an oyster cracker. Then a striped bass.
Right around noon a school of bunker came through and hot on their tails where trophy size striped bass. Bunker were there one minute and gone the next. But one anger was able to take full advantage of the opportunity by using “the snag and drop technique” and landed a nice 35 pound bass!
The “T” pier fishing trip is always a fun day out with members, some good laughs and meeting a new anglers.The Hudson River is one of the most productive and diverse fisheries on the northern coast. And it’s no secret that the lower part of the Hudson River is the excellent location to catch a trophy striped bass.
GPS Address:: Castle Point Skatepark, 9 Castle Point Terrace, Hoboken, NJ 07030
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November 10th General Meeting |
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Be sure to check out the H.R.F.A. Events Calendar below for this month's member birthday notices, holidays and events.
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Follow the HRFA on Social Media
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Submit fishing photos & news of interest to Alex Spindelman.
Click on the logo to visit our Instagram pages.
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Do you have a favorite fishing related video(s) that you would like to share with members? If so, send them to [email protected]. PG rated only please. Okay, if you insist, maybe we can accept PG-13 too. But that's it. Okay, maybe ...
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The Editor of River Views finds these two FaceBook Live video posts VERY entertaining.
And why wouldn't he? :)
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Berkeley Striper Club VP Steve Perna announces winners of the Ponytail Mike Malek Memorial Tournament on FaceBook Live
https://fb.watch/24TghboW5e/
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Pete Kupper, of Charlie's Bait N Tackle, announces winners of his shop's Turkey Tournament on FaceBook Live
https://www.facebook.com/100000011547382/videos/3887752387901774/
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Carl's Column for October |
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Carl Bruger has been a writer for this newsletter educating and entertaining us who read River Views for a long time. Here is his latest gem. Perfectly timed to get you through these trying times of "social distancing" necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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CARL'S CORNER 2020 WRAP UP
By Carl Bruger
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To all the HRFA members and friends reading this missive I want to wish you all a HEALTHY and HAPPY 2021!
In general, 2020 was a nightmare year that will live in infamy, but being part optimist there were aspects we must draw hope from. I pray the Covid will be cowed by the several promising inoculations enabling our organization to get back to “monthly meetings as normal” plus more trips, events, auction, dinners, and gatherings that bond us closely.
Most of you know my wife, Pat and I now live up on Lake Ontario from April through November and are enjoying retired life on the lake with all the hiking,
wineries, birding, and of course the most fabulous fishing that anyone could ask for. It was great to have visits from Scott Havner, Wayne Geider and Al Miller this year, but Covid distancing precluded so many others from coming up and enjoying the awesome angling. We missed you!
We restored our flood damaged property and raised most of it by two or three feet so we can withstand the equal of the floods that have already hit Ontario.
None of this hurt the angling opportunities. In fact it probably made fishing better because many thousands of
angling hours were lost in the flood year plus less people have boats now and are fishing less so there are more fish growing and are in the water available to be caught!
The Pro Bass tournaments held each year on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario have shown folks record catch and release small mouth bass up to the
record eight pounds with winning totals near 100 pounds! The invasive goby has been a favorite fattening food morsel for the monster bronze backs that the pros
and amateurs alike were hauling in for the cameras. Lures that replicated this tiny food fish obviously tricked many of the fish that were put on the weigh scales.
The salmon season proved to be fantastic for most of those who timed their arrivals to the rains and runs. The summer drought made the early run totally concentrated on the big rivers; the Salmon, Niagara, Genesee, Oswego, and Black. I eschew the chaos of “salmon
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fever” maniacs with no masks or regard for social distancing because the wall to wall fishing scene is not fun when you merely have to wait for the October rains to fill the small tributaries. That enables the peaceful anglers to fly fish and light tackle spin to their heart’s content. I landed 35 kings this year (only 28 last
year). Many Chinooks were released even when they were legally hooked because I had my limit already (3 per day). At least four fish were over forty inches and
thirty pounds including one female that took an orange nurple on my fly rod and battled a half hour on Mill Creek. I slid her back to keep spawning so I could
collapse at stream-side and have a coffee and protein bar.
I look with eager anticipation at the last HRFA function organized by Scot Havner, the Steelhead trip to the Niagara this December. This event is a chosen frozen
trek that two years back cost me the tip of a large toe in exchange for some of the best steelheading ever! I’ve got 9 1/2 toes to trade for even more great angling! If there are openings call him up and see if you can still join us.
The “keeping” Blackfish season is on with the limit of five at 15 inches in NJ. I got skunked with Wayne Geider on the Canal without a nibble even using white leggers, so we figure the tog are headed out to sea on the rocks and wrecks. Traditional rigs or the right weight jig for the tide strength should connect you if they are biting.
I’m so sorry we can’t have the traditional December HRFA auction this year. I still have hundreds of rods and reels in the “asylum” in my cellar, more in the garage, and a frightening total up at the lake as well! Then there are thousands of lures in hundreds of boxes in each location that are crying for new homes. I only got to give away about another 100+ rods and reels this year with the most pleasure coming from folks getting salmon outfits and several catching their first keeper
salmon soon after. They are “hooked for life”!
A fascinating fishing bird behavior story was shared by Arnie Ulrich when he stopped by my home recently. Some astute avian species figured out it could
pick up pieces of roll and bread crumbs and drop them on the water to attract fish. When the hapless quarry gathered for the “free” meal, they became the dinner, as the fisherman bird swooped down and nailed his “catch”! I’ll never call someone a “birdbrain” again after
that anecdote.
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From our Membership Chair |
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HRFA Members stuff
HRFA free money (split 50/50) and the HRFA meeting.
Currently there is $34.00 HRFA free dollars sitting in the jar for the next HRFA Meeting, whenever that will be.
There are no new HRFA members this month. Don't forget Thre are plenty of school Stripers back in our local Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. The go to lure is the Storm Wild Eye.
Arnie Ulrich
Membership Chair
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HRFA Membership Information
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 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 ([email protected]) or call me at 1-201-304-4691.
Membership dues are renewed annually at the beginning of each year.
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Fishing Licenses and Saltwater Registry for NJ & NY, Hudson River Regulations, etc.
Click on the buttons below for the:
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NOTE: To order your NY State Fishing License by phone call 866-933-2257 |
NOTE: To get the New York Saltwater Registry you must first register for a free Citizen Access account, then log in and Buy Sporting License(s) (the Saltwater license is free) |
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Have a photograph and/or fishing story you would like to share with the club? If so, we'd love to hear from you. After all, no one wants to see the same members over and over again. Email it to [email protected] and we will do our very best to squeeze it into an upcoming issue of River Views.
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Both the HRFA November General Meeting and that month's issue of River Views covered surf fishing the fall migration & competing in local tournaments. Well, that's exactly what some of us were doing since then. Here are some of the recent photos we received. |
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From L. to R.: Stephanie Hess, Timothy Burden, Scott Havner, Joe Albanese and Pete Kupper at Charlie's Bait N Tackle, Normandy Beach, NJ. |
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Haddock in a Hurry
Pete Musse
Lay haddock fillets atop a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with lemon juice & olive oil. Season further with a little salt and pepper. Layer asparagus spears, red Bermuda onions and pats of butter on top. Wrap in the foil and bake until done.
That's all folks.
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Calendar | Hudson River Fishermen's Association
Our calendar system is currently being developed. Please check out the most recent River Views newsletter for for our upcoming events.
Read more
thehrfa.org
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ASAC Fall 2020 Tournaments Cancelled |
JOIN THE HRFA SURF FISHING TEAM
The HRFA Surf Fishing Team is now forming to compete in the ASAC tournaments anticipated to return in Spring 2021.
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H.R.F.A. Youth Angler Program |
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Youth Angler Program
By Wayne Geider
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Ridgefield Park Earth Day 2021
Currently, due to the CV19 pandemic, there are no planned outings. However, the Ridgefield Park Environmental Commission has set a tentative date of May 1st, 2021, for it’s next Earth Day celebration. If COVID is under control by then, and they have state and local approvals to proceed, the HRFA will conduct a fishing derby for kids at the event.
Want to volunteer?
Just call Youth Angler Program Chair Wayne Geider at
(201) 384-8046.
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H.R.F.A. Merchandise
Newly redesigned HRFA baseball caps are now available. Pick one up at the next monthly meeting. Or, click on the photo to order yours today. Wear it proudly!
Other apparel with our logo are also available. Like this handsomely designed and practical UPF shirt. Wear it proudly when fishing and save a little on the sunscreen too. For members only. Ask Ivan Garcia for one.
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The Pride of the H.R.F.A. |
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Project to Save our Historical Heritage |
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Due to the restrictions imposed on our lives by the CV19 pandemic our plans are on hold. We hope and pray that in the Spring of 2021 volunteers may start working to refurbish Riverkeeper to her former days of glory when she was the world's first and only riverkeeper vessel. To offer your time and talents contact Dan Harrison at [email protected].
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2020 Fishing Contest Leader Boards
(only listing 1st, 2nd & 3rd place)
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The HRFA hosts an annual fishing contest which runs from January through December and is open to all HRFA members. You have 30 days from the day you catch a fish to send in your entries. So, the deadline for submissions is January. As a member of the HRFA you and your immediate family are eligible to enter fish in any of our categories. Various divisions are available for prizes presented at our Annual Awards Dinner in March of the following year. Website updated daily. River Views newsletter updates below are done around the first the month. * indicates a new club record.
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Striped Bass Released
Caught From Boat
(leaders determined by length)
Rick Englesbe 50.5"
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Striped Bass Kept
Caught From Boat
(leaders determined by weight)
Wai Lui 42"
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Striped Bass Released
Caught From Shoreline
(leaders determined by length)
Carl Hartmann 41"
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Striped Bass Kept
Caught From Shoreline
(leaders determined by weight)
Charlie Spindelman 20lbs 8oz
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Bluefish
Alex Spindelman 4lbs 5oz
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Flounder
Butch Pawson 1lb 7oz
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Fluke
Rick Englesbe 9lbs 0oz
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Blackfish
Wayne Geider 6lbs 4oz
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Black Sea Bass
Wayne Geider 4lbs 8oz
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Scup (Porgy)
Al Miller 3lbs 3oz
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Open Category
Salt Water
Halibut
Joseph Marchese 36lbs
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Catfish
Carl Hartmann 12lbs 8oz
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Trout - Local
Scott Havner 3lbs 14oz
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Trout - Great Lakes
No Entries
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Smallmouth Bass
No Entries
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Largemouth Bass
Austin Havner 6lbs 10oz
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Salmon
Todd Smith 21lbs 13oz
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YOUTH ANGLER DIVISION
No Entries
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Open Category
Fresh Water
Northern Pike
Capt Aram Setian 6lbs 8oz
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Partial list of Friends & Supporters of the HRFA
(Click on any image below to visit their website.)
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