NJ Beach Summer Harvest

East Coaster

Steelhead
I always enjoy the posts about the beaches in the PNW and figured I was due to post some shots from my excursions here in NJ. I was tempted to open with a shot of a stripping basket cornucopia of picked-up trash à la @Stonedfish , but didn’t want to feed the stereotype about the state in which I’ve lived for the last 35 years or so.

I’ll start with some flora. In June, the native prickly pear cactus is in bloom:
Cactus Flower.jpg
They yield small fruits (ripening around now):
Cactus Fruit.jpg
They have a nice flavor, but are more trouble than they’re worth, although a local brewery actually uses the pads (nopales) in one of their beers: http://cartonbrewing.com/beers/dune-fruit/

Another native wild fruit is the beach plum (Prunus maritima). Last year, I easily collected enough to make a cobbler, but this year we had a prolonged drought and there were hardly any ripe fruits around. Here’s a couple I managed to find:
Beach Plums.jpg
As far as fish, my main target during summer is fluke, aka summer flounder, because they're more reliably found (whereas striped bass and decent-sized bluefish are more hit-or-miss). Caught a couple of keepers so far this season, and released lots of smaller ones:
Fluke.jpg
BTW, that is my entry in the PNWFF flounder derby 😊. They’re delicious with a light flour/egg/panko coating, oven fried (served with a side of local sweet corn, picked that day):
Fluke Dinner.jpg
We also have northern kingfish in the surf, which are a popular target for kids (and adults) fishing worms, clams or small bait strips. I had never caught one, until this one, which took a pink/white half-and-half that was about a third of its size:
Northern Kingfish.jpg
Based on what I’ve read on-line, it’s a rare catch on the fly, though I think a small root beer wooly bugger or a San Juan worm might produce well (especially when the surf is pretty flat). Since they’re supposed to be quite tasty, I may have to target them next year when conditions seem favorable.

While most beaches are crowded with swimmers and sunbathers during summer, if you’re willing to walk, you can find fairly empty stretches even on prime beach days (you can see the typical beach brigade at the point in the far background):
Empty Beach.jpg
After Labor Day, the crowds thin out, so I’m looking forward to much shorter walks to start my fishing for the rest of the year.
 

Stonedfish

Known Grizzler-hater of triploids, humpies & ND
Forum Supporter
Always cool to see what other parts of the country have to offer. Thanks for sharing.
SF
 

Kenneth Yong

Fishy Spam
Forum Supporter
Here's the thing.

For you guys, the East Coast seems like a whole other world, since New Jersey is what, 2,500 miles from Seattle.

Over here, from Rome on the west coast to Pescara on the east, I need to drive all of 130 miles. Hell, I could go to London, UK, from Rome, Italy, and still have travelled less than half the distance from Seattle to NJ. Talk about perspective!

Kenneth
 

SteelHeadDave

Broskioner
Forum Supporter
Like SF said, thanks for sharing a different perspective from the other coast. That’s super cool to see that prickly pear are native to NJ. We supposedly have some in WA state in the rain shadow areas north east of the Olympic mountains but I’ve never tried looking for them. Those beach plums look interesting too.
 

M_D

Top Notch Mediocre Flyfisher
Forum Supporter
I was a bomb tech back in the day and there was a guy from Camden in my Basic course. Between the stories he shared and the handful of layovers I've had in Newark, I've had absolutely no desire to visit New Jersey. From your post and pictures it's obvious (to me) there's much more to the state than I had conjured up in my head....Pretty cool....thanks for sharing.

Mike d
 

East Coaster

Steelhead
Thanks for the comments, everyone. @M_D , I was a little hesitant myself when I took a job here after college (I grew up in RI). Like almost anywhere, NJ has its problems (most densely populated state, and especially crowded in the NYC and Philly metro areas), but there are a lot of nice places to escape to. I live in the NW part of the state, which is technically in the foothills of the Appalachians, and although it's suburban we have had black bears, newborn fawns, fox kits, and all types of other small wildlife in our yard. While trout fishing, I've encountered otters, mink, rattlesnakes, and coyotes as well, none of which I would have imagined I'd find here before relocating. We don't have the spectacular beauty of the West (I especially like the mountainous backdrop to saltwater out there in the PNW), but thankfully, I discovered that it's not all concrete and pavement, as I had feared.

@SteelHeadDave, I was surprised too that there was native cactus here, but then I learned that it's found up the coast as far as Mass. I never saw any when I lived in RI. I do remember beach plums though - one of my aunts used to make a beach plum jelly. Was glad to find some on my own here.

Not a pic from the beach, but a bear that walked through our yard and down our neighbor's driveway:

Bear 2 - Copy.jpg
 

claude

Smolt
Forum Supporter
Like SF said, thanks for sharing a different perspective from the other coast. That’s super cool to see that prickly pear are native to NJ. We supposedly have some in WA state in the rain shadow areas north east of the Olympic mountains but I’ve never tried looking for them. Those beach plums look interesting too.
I was surprised also at the prickly pear. It's amazing how often/where you find it out here in the West but I never thought of it as being in the East.
Definitely cool.
 

M_D

Top Notch Mediocre Flyfisher
Forum Supporter
Thanks for the comments, everyone. @M_D , I was a little hesitant myself when I took a job here after college (I grew up in RI). Like almost anywhere, NJ has its problems (most densely populated state, and especially crowded in the NYC and Philly metro areas), but there are a lot of nice places to escape to. I live in the NW part of the state, which is technically in the foothills of the Appalachians, and although it's suburban we have had black bears, newborn fawns, fox kits, and all types of other small wildlife in our yard. While trout fishing, I've encountered otters, mink, rattlesnakes, and coyotes as well, none of which I would have imagined I'd find here before relocating. We don't have the spectacular beauty of the West (I especially like the mountainous backdrop to saltwater out there in the PNW), but thankfully, I discovered that it's not all concrete and pavement, as I had feared.

@SteelHeadDave, I was surprised too that there was native cactus here, but then I learned that it's found up the coast as far as Mass. I never saw any when I lived in RI. I do remember beach plums though - one of my aunts used to make a beach plum jelly. Was glad to find some on my own here.

Not a pic from the beach, but a bear that walked through our yard and down our neighbor's driveway:

View attachment 32204
How cool is that! You ought to post more pics and/or trip reports. (I'm a firm believer backyard/area trips are just as post worthy as epic/excursion trips...and perhaps more so).....although if ya do, you'll run the risk of drawing still more people to the state. ;)

Mike d
 

Wadin' Boot

Badly tied flies, mediocre content
Forum Supporter
When they pump that new jersey barrier island sand back on those beaches in Spring, a friend of mine and his daughter check it out and have come back with many fossilized shark teeth including megalodon teeth! Plus he regularly catches keeper stripers and solid bluefish May, October, November
 

East Coaster

Steelhead
@Wadin' Boot, that's cool that they find fossils in the pumped sand. I don't have much of a history of saltwater fishing here, but most of the long-time anglers blame the beach replenishment for a decline in catches due to the lack of soft structure and disrupted sea floor ecosystem (loss of surf clams and calico crabs, for example). It's a hot topic on the local discussion board.

Anyhow, thought I'd add my latest (and last) beach harvest for this summer, given that fall starts on Thursday. Hit the beach yesterday and was treated to a blitz of bluefish and hickory shad. The blues were between about a half pound to two pounds, perfect size for the grill:

Bluefish3.jpg
Lots of people find bluefish "too fishy" tasting, but I think this sized fish (not too big), when bled and iced quickly, have a relatively mild flavor, enhanced by a little smokiness from grilling:Bluefish Grilled.jpg
A little cilantro vinaigrette (cilantro, lime juice, rice vinegar, oil) complements it well.

Didn't take a photo of the hickory shad I caught (gotta keep fishing when there's a blitz), but they are fun to catch. They're sometimes referred to here as "Jersey tarpon" because of the resemblance and shared tendency to jump several times during the fight. They're nowhere near the same size, though. I caught a decent one, which probably was close to 18 inches or so.

As we transition into fall, I'm hoping to have a shot at an albie (false albacore), before the fall striper run, which really heats up in Nov.
 
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