Long Beach Island's "North End" has had its "Bait Shop Ups and Downs"...
but help is on the horizon!

By Bob Misak

The "Old Daze"

Long Beach Island has long been a mecca of the sport of inshore salt water fishing since the 1800’s, and for at least the last 50 or 60 years has been home to many much needed bait facilities, if you will. The clam and bunker demand along the east coast towns during spring and fall is very time sensitive and anglers will line up at the tackle shop doors during the height of the bass run to get at those freshly caught offerings. Many times, that bait is brought in from a local boat, while you're waiting! The shop owners on Long Beach Island have a well worked out plan, since it seems those tackle shops are placed evenly apart for convenience so it is usually only necessary to run a short distance for your needs.

As you come onto the island, there is a shop for those who are looking for a quick in and out. Then, you have the good old "Mom and Pop" shops. There’s Margaret O’Brien of Jingles covering the south end of the island. It seems Margaret has been on the island for an eternity. She is very well respected and loved by the “south-enders”. Margaret's late son Rick was a stand-up fisherman, who won both the 25th and the 50th Long Beach Island Surf Derby, a feat that I feel literally no man will repeat in coming tourneys.

Heading up the road to the north is the Captain’s Quarters. This was formerly Valerie Zak’s Oceanside Bait and Tackle, another shop that still caters to anyone fishing mid-island who needs a quick fix to get back out. Surf City Bait and Tackle is the next shop north of the bridge, and was owned and operated for many years by the legendary Bruce Hoagland. Bruce is a local surf sharpie who now has moved on to retirement but still has a hand in it with his own line of rigs. Surf City B&T's new proprietor Sue and her crew (consisting of Bob Massa and other knowledgeable surf fishing staff) are on hand as you head towards one of the beaches on the north side of the bridge.

"North End" Help has Arrived!

For eleven years, the north end of LBI had been home to Barnegat Light Bait and Tackle, a shop on the side street at Barnegat Light Deli near the commercial boat yard. A dispute to renew their lease couldn’t be resolved, and the shop sadly dissolved. But help is on the way! Last October, Bill Hietzmann had an idea to help get some bait back up on the "north end"...and "Bill’s Surf and Tackle" was born right on Long Beach Boulevard in Harvey Cedars. Bill's shop is a mere "cry out" from the infamous Coast Ave. and 14th Street sand bar, where so many hundreds of surf anglers honed their skills and beached 40’s and 50’s over the years.

I visited Bill over at his shop, and as I sat there, the local bunker boat came in with a load. Bill is serious about keeping his bait in every day or every other at least, and his shop is comfortable and warm with a chair to sit in, drinks on ice...the whole nine. I remember going out on the surf and coming back in after a northeast blow with heavy rains and big bass. I'd walk into Barnegat Light or Surf City and hang out, dry out, and “talk shop”. You were always welcome to use the bathroom to get a dry change of clothes on, (if you’re smart enough to have them with you). It made it a lot easier to go find one of the stores, grab a sandwich, get cozy and then go out and do it again on the next tide. As I spoke with Bill, I got the feeling that he was one of those shops... that he was one of the safe havens in the storm, especially if you live on the mainland and don’t care to keep running back and forth over the bridge.

The north end of Long Beach Island, long a mecca for surfcasters has been waiting for a solution to the bait and tackle dilemma since Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle closed shop.

Keeping it "real"...

It’s not just the “striper boom" shoes in spring and fall that strategically based shops on L.B.I. have to fill. There are a huge amount of marinas with a matching number of fishing boats in the area. Without question, the fluke fishing around Barnegat Inlet has always been some of the best on the East Coast. Minnows are in high demand with the local anglers, with bait like fresh spearing and spot are always being sought after as well. There is a huge blackfish spawn on the Barnegat Inlet jetty, Barnegat fishing docks and along the sod banks during the late spring and summer. It goes without saying that green crabs have to be available, since thousands of dozens of crabs are moved each week. This is only scratching the surface of the great fishing, as our weakfish run continues to improve year after year. Lately, we have seen blowfish and triggerfish being caught in large numbers year after year. The demand for fresh and frozen bait is high, as well as the demand for quality fishing equipment and terminal tackle. It is nice to know that Bill’s Surf and Tackle (along with the other shops on LBI!) will be there if you need them. Be sure to stop by, say "hi", and get dry! Good luck and great fishing.

Visit Bill's Bait & Tackle on Long Beach Island's North End when you head out to take part in some of the island's fine fishing. Bill's is there to fill the void left when Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle closed shop.