Over half of the fishing days for the 2025 LBI Surf Fishing Classic have passed, but many hardy individuals are still hitting the beaches. November marks the time when the striped bass migration arrives, and surf fishing frenzy really begins.
When this storied fishing tournament began back in the early 1950’s as the LBI Striped Bass Derby, striped bass ruled the roost as targets. Over the years other species have been added as targets, and many anglers have managed to cash in.
Bluefish and weakfish have been targets at times, and recently blackfish, redfish, and kingfish have been money winners. This current year, summer flounder made their first appearance, helping cause an earlier start of the contest to August 30. This brought an influx of fluke to the weigh-in scales as well as more kingfish.
Now back to those striped bass. Stripers are more available during the low-light hours. This means anglers hit the beaches at all hours of the day and night. Needless to say, it takes a special kind of angler to brave November’s low temperatures when artificial lights are necessary to see.
Striped bass come close to the beaches to feed when there is strong wave action stirring up their intended prey. A nor’easter with its high winds roiling the waves can be a good time to hook up with a linesider. However, it takes a special breed to brave the waves and 20mph northeast winds and cast out into the water. But believe me, there are plenty of these types on the beaches of Long Beach Island.
As of Sunday, October 26, 170 entries had been weighed into the Classic. A goodly number of prizes have already been claimed by lucky anglers, but with over a month of fishing left until the Classic close on November 30, there are still many up for grabs.
The grand prize for the largest summer flounder went to Bob Morano with his 5.67-inch fish. Since the New Jersey fluke season closed on September 25, that award is set in concrete. A total of 26 flounder were checked in.
Since kingfish are a warm water fish, the chances are particularly good that Craig Vollmer has clinched the top prize for kingfish with his 1.16-pounder. A total of 38 kingfish were entered in the contest, but none since October 9.
Now on to the top prizes that are still up for grabs. In the last few weeks, tautog have been a top item with all being caught in the waters adjacent to Barnegat Inlet. There are 59 blackfish entries in the Classic with Alex D’Augustino leading with the 5.70-pound fish he landed on October 18.
Bluefish have been making sporadic appearances in the surf with a total of 29 entered in the Classic thus far. A 4.34-pound chopper caught by Mike Kelmanm currently leads, but there may be bigger blues in the area.
Now on to the bass. Emmett Fitzgerald still holds the lead with the 10.60 pounder he caught back on September 22. With those big stripers coming down from the north, that top fish could change. There have been no entries thus far in the Surf Master Catch and Release category. This is the chance to land a lunker bass, take a picture, release it safely, and earn a prize.
With over a month left in the Classic, it is not too late to register. There are three official registration stations on Long Beach Island including Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom, Surf City Bait and Tackle, and Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven. All are also weigh-in sites.
Information concerning the rules, registration, and current category leaders is also available online at http://www.lbift.com.