Time always seems to drag when looking forward to something pleasant. Such was the case in recent weeks anticipating the fall fishing action in the Long Beach Island area waters and the historic Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic.

Amazingly, October has arrived. We have already completed the first week of Classic action, and what a fish catching week it has been. A total of 33 fish have already been checked in.

The week of October 7 through the 14 th was not exactly true fall type weather but had anglers fishing the beach in short sleeves. There might not have been hungry schools of striped bass crashing pods of bait in the breakers, but a goodly number of fish have been weighed in, and prizes awarded. At last count, there were 7 striped bass entered, 14 kingfish, and 12 tautog.

The 69 th annual edition of the shore-based contest still has another eight weeks of competition to go until its completion on Sunday, December 10. If the remaining weeks are as productive as the first week has been, this should be a banner year.

A quick look at the leader board shows Steve Taylor leading the pack in the striped bass division with a fish tipping the scale at 10.94-pounds. Steve caught the fish in the Loveladies surf on fresh mullet. William Roth tops the kingfish grouping with his 1.22-pound fish caught on the first day of the Classic in Beach Haven on a bloodworm.

As is customary, all the tautog entries have been caught in Barnegat Light. Matthew Merlin currently holds the lead there with his fish weighing in at 4.80-pounds which fell for a green crab.

A total of 14 kingfish have already been entered in the Classic with successful catches being noted from Holgate north to Barnegat Light with Holgate and Surf City very productive thus far. Both fresh bloodworms and artificial worms such as Fish Bytes have been hot baits so far.

Of special note in the kingfish category has been the success story of the Shapiro family. The entire Shapiro family has checked in kingfish to Jingles Bait and Tackle. In addition to parents Matt and Alison reeling in fish, youngsters Partick and Charlotte Shapiro currently are in first and second places in the youth category for kingfish. These fish were caught in Holgate.

Thus far, no bluefish or redfish have shown their colors to anglers, but it is still early in the tournament.

Although exact numbers of fish entered in recent years are not available to compare with the current entries, it is safe to say that kingfish and tautog are running ahead, with striped bass numbers showing a significant increase after just one week.

One new aspect to the contest in 2023 has been the addition of the Surf Master “Catch and Release” award. This will be awarded for the largest overall striped bass landed and released determined by total length. Since the entrants for this prize will be fish measuring over the legal maximum of 31-inches, a special procedure is necessary for this “bragging rights” award.

A picture of the fish is necessary before the bass is safely released. Included in the picture must be a measuring device clearly showing the size of the fish and the Classic badge or number. Once again, the Classic has daily, weekly, 3-week segment, and grand prizes for striped bass, kingfish, and bluefish. There are prizes in each 3-week segment for the largest tautog and red drum weighed in.

All contestants must be registered before competing in the contest. Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven, Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom, and Surf City Bait and Tackle in Surf City are the official weigh-in sites. Registration and regulations are available at all three locations.