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Sorry, registration closed! If ya have a really good excuse and you are still interested...we can possibly work something out for the next couple days...fire me an email at tims@stripersonline.com ...doctors note might help ;^)

Some lodging options for you distant flingers!

With the Fling fast approaching, the questions are coming...... we'll address them here:

Question: Hey, just what the heck is "Da' Fling"?

Answer: Funny you should ask! The Spring Fling is a concept that many of us on-line cyber fishermen have visualized for over a year. We've all gotten to know one another through reading many posts of each other's and have long since seen the need for an official "meeting"....preferably in a fishing environment. Many have talked about it for years...many have made empty promises...we are planning to deliver...big time! The Spring Fling is going to be a gathering of between 75-100 surf fishermen who we've all gotten to know in the past year and a half. We will meet on a Friday night in May, shake some hands, and then split up in "teams" to temp the fateful waters of the fabled Belmar to Manasquan stretch of surf! 

Question: Ok...but when and where is it going to be?

Answer: Alrighty...a lil slow are ya? ;^) It will be held on May 19th, starting at an as of yet undetermined time...probably around 8pm...but there will likely be people showing up at all sorts of times prior to the official beginning of the Fling...so we'll be meeting on the beach in Spring Lake! The precise location has yet to be exactly determined...but it will be about midway into Spring Lake, parking right along the boardwalk, so we'll be easy to spot! I'll let ya in on the exact spot when we get it nailed down! There will probably be folks gathering as early as 4 or 5pm...so that's why we figured on gathering at the waters edge...kind of appropriate we figure.

Question: Hmmm...May 19th...Belmar-Manasquan stretch...what kinda stuff should I bring?

Answer: Excellent question! It's really up to you, the beaches in this area are pretty tame, short jetties all over the place, but most are not accessible from land anymore, they were sadly hacked apart by the beach restoration projects that just finished sweeping through our area :( So, you'll be likely fishing calm waters...maybe 1-3 foot waves, no outer bar...holes and small bars all over the place. Some jetties are accessible, bring Korkers if you plan on doing some rock climbing...we don't want any busted skulls! Tackle should be somewhat light, no real need for 11 foot sticks that hurl kitten sized bait a quarter mile here...most of the artificials you'll need are an ounce or less. Bring fly gear if that's your gig, good fly stuff here! Light spinning gear is my preference (when I'm not in fly guy mode!) To me, that's a 8 1/2' Loomis spinning rod, a Sustain 4000 reel, 30# braid, and 20# fluoro leaders. I'll throw 5" Mambos, 4 1/2" Mega Baits, 6" Bombers, 1 oz Lex Lures, jigs up to an ounce, and I always use a teaser that time of year.  It will be exactly the same moon phase and month during which Dubs caught his 30# striper on a small 1/0 teaser...and in the exact location we'll be fishing! For conventional gear, I'd bring something in the mid range, 9ft for me, conventional reel with 35-65# braid (15-20# mono), and with it I'll throw bigger jigs, bigger swimmers, and rigged eels! If it's rough/windy, a 10 foot spinner might be in order...for driving 1oz and up wooden swimmers, needlefish, jigs, and such into the wind.  Fly gear...9-11wt, preferably floating line or intermediate, not much deep water here at all, most of what you'll reach with fly gear will be less than 5 feet! Poppers, Silicone Spearing, deceivers, clousers, half and halfs, snake flies, and slab flies will be my preferred flies!  Basically, bring whatever ya want! The waters not deep, there's no current, and the fish are often within 100 feet!

Question: Sounds pretty simple so far....but what about bait?

Answer: Here you are on your own! All I can tell ya is that last May, there were herring around (don't see them at night...but the fish must know where they are!), small sand eels, spearing (whitebait), and always bottom stuff like crabs and clams. Most folks here will use clams in May...but there's no reason why fresh bunker or herring wouldn't work. You won't likely need sinkers over 6oz...if it's really rough, 8oz...but in general, even 4oz will hold here. This is not my area of expertise...I don't like drowning baits...but I have been known to do it when necessary...the only way I'll be drowning bait during the Fling is if it's just too rough to fish any other way! If you don't bring your own bait, there's a bunch of local shops that are open till around 8pm...so you'll be able to score some bait if ya get down before that! I'll put up some phone numbers and addresses of some shops in the near future...they are directly on the way, so you won't have to go all over the place trying to score some fish parts!

Question: Alright....sounds pretty good so far, but where am I gonna sleep? I'm driving a long way and I don't think a nap in the truck is gonna cut it!

Answer: Another excellent question! There are many places to sleep around here...some are even public! ;^) I am working on some arrangements with some local places to rest...I will have the details up on here before next weekend! As for camping, the only place I know of is 10 miles west of here, Allaire State Park, Monmouth County Park System. I'd invite you all to sack out on my couch...but I doubt we could get more than a dozen folks on it (LARGE couch!)

Question:  So....I'm gettin' the picture now! I heard this was going to be some kind of competition or something...what's that all about?

Answer: Hang on, are you sure you got all the other stuff down now? ;^)  OK...let's move on then. It's not really a tournament, it's not really a competition....it's a friendly, team oriented fishing situation! (pretty good, huh?) Teams will be chosen from the folks at the Fling. Each team will be led or captained by a "local"...not just someone who lives around here, but someone who fishes these same areas and has passed the in depth scrutiny of our StripersOnline Local finding testing! So...we'll have about 12-15 teams...it will be decided by the total number of folks who make the Fling...I'd like to have teams of 4, including the captain. We're expecting at least 50 folks...more likely 75 or more! I think we'll end up running out of locals if we're not careful! Might have to make the "locals" test a lil easier! So...ideally, we'll have 15 teams or so, 4 folks per team, each one led by a local who knows "stuff" about the area we'll be fishing. 

Question: Yea, that's how the teams will be made....but if this is a "team oriented fishing situation", how will the winners be decided? Don't tell me we gotta kill all these fish?!?!

Answer: Valid point...one which much has been discussed...I guess I'll make some "executive" decisions right now to answer this question. If I'm not mistaken, JohnB gets the credit for at least the concept of the scoring...if it wasn't JohnB, my apologies to whomever it was! We'll keep score...and since we are all buds anyway, we'll do it strictly on the honor system, so long as you have at least one witness ;^) Scoring will be 1 point for a short striper (under 28"...we're not acknowledging the "slot" that will be imposed by then!), 3 points for a legal sized fish (28" and over) with an additional point for each inch over 28". Bluefish deduct 5 points and throw your rod in the water....wait...scratch that, wrong rules.  We may add bluefish and weakfish in here, just to make it interesting, but that remains to be seen! There are a few different ways the winning team and the winning person can be acknowledged....but few will compare to the fame, glory, and bragging rights that person will capture! Even money or gold doubloons would pale in comparison to the year long bragging rights....photo ops, maybe even a modeling contract! There's that...and there's also going to be "stuff"....not sure how much stuff or how to award the things that the sponsors are going to send us...but we'll figure it out! 

Question:  Cool...fame, glory, and stuff! I heard something about food...what about the food?

Answer: Food...good topic I'm sure many will agree! So far, we've pretty much bagged the cook out idea and our looking for a local diner that is capable (strong fencing indoors) of handling a dirty, stinky, and tired bunch of all night Flingers! The bait shops at the moment look to be our best bet ;^) Actually, there's a nice diner very local that will likely be the site our Fling Buffet Stuff-yer-Faceathon! I'm pretty sure the $10 registration fee will cover our buffet breakfast...if not, we'll work it out somehow (rolls of pennies and nickels likely). You might consider bringing a change of at least your shirt before they let us anywhere inside after what we're gonna do to the fishes all night long!

Question: Good...I like food!  Now all I need is directions and I'm good to go!

Answer: Ah, this one's easy! One good thing about this area, it's very easy to get to! If you're coming from the north, you'll eventually end up on the Garden State Parkinglot...er, Parkway. You can get to the GSP from the NJ Turnpike by getting off at exit 11, it might say something like "Garden State Parkway, Shore Points". Make sure when you hit the parkway, head south! Follow the GSP to exit 98....head east from here. Follow that road (Highway 138) east all the way till to the point where it basically splits as it ends (about 5 miles from the Parkway), there will be signs there for Highway 35.....you'll head off to the right and follow Hwy. 35 South.....only to the first light...then you go left (east again) and follow it till it ends at the Atlantic Ocean (clearly visible on most quality maps!)  Now go right....as you pass through two big dark brick structures that surround the road (known locally as "The Gates") you'll have just entered Spring Lake (nice town!). Keep going straight on Ocean Ave until you see a giant (closed) hotel on the right, The Essex & Sussex Hotel. Park on the street...facing the ocean...get out and smell that sweet salty air! You made it!! You, my friend, are at the Fling!

If you're coming from the south, you'll follow the turnpike north to exit 7A....this will put you on the same road (I195 East that changes names to Hwy. 138 East when you get closer!) as described above! Except you'll have to go 30 miles east instead of the 5 miles the folks coming from the north had to drive! Otherwise, same instructions!

**If there are any issues that my (imaginary) interview did not cover, please let me know and I'll hunt this guy down again and get him to ask me!***