“Small is mighty” is most apropos describing the .7-square mile Townsends Inlet Reef, tied with Garden State South for the most diminutive of structure spreads on the New Jersey Bureau of Marine Fisheries’ roster of 17 artificial reef sites. It’s located 3.8 nautical miles from Townsends Inlet separating Sea Isle and Avalon, and has a 45- to 65-foot clearance. It’s sandwiched between the 1.4-square-mile Ocean City Reef to the north and the 3.2-square-mile Wildwood Reef to the south.
Formed in 2005, Townsends has received 57 deployments to date, including 28 deployments of dredge rock averaging 3,000 tons apiece since 2017. These were double and tripled in height and form over 12 individual mountains which have proven to be magnum magnets for the likes of sea bass, blackfish and fluke as well as transient stripers, blues, and weakfish that are attracted by the swarms of forage in and around the chunks of rocks. Cadillac croakers have been known to bend rods there as well.
“It (Townsends) packs a punch, that’s for sure,” said New Jersey’s artificial reef coordinator Peter Clarke. “It’s a quintessential New Jersey reef in that it’s within easy reach of the smaller boats, is packed with a variety of material, and is loaded with fish depending on the season,” said Clarke, adding “You can’t go wrong fishing Townsends.”
Clarke’s enthusiasm is palpable and is echoed by many, yours truly included, having enjoyed numerous sorties there over the years with Capt. Al Crudele III from Sea Isle, with catches that included all of the above and also a double-digit cobia that waxed a bucktail/pork rind eel combo meant for one of the jumbo fluke prowling the stones. Indeed, even visiting summer exotics find Townsends the place for a reliable repast, and this is one amazing big trigger pull from mid-summer into October.
The amount of the deployment materials is remarkable considering the small size of the reef area. To be sure, this miniscule patch of inshore Atlantic is more than about mountains of dredge rock. There are 10 ships and barges strategically located throughout the spread, with reef ball areas comprising the bulk of the remaining structure.
The importance of reef balls cannot be overstated, not only because of the fish-attracting qualities but also the fact that they can be ordered, sized and cut as per need. “With the reef balls, we don’t have to wait for materials such as tugs, ships, barges, tanks, and what have you to be donated and then have to go through the entire process of cleaning, inspection and approval before deploying,” said Clarke, explaining how the reef ball sites on the reef can be planned, the balls ordered, made and then deployed.
“What’s more, they are great at attracting and holding all kinds of invertebrates and fish. They are a win-win when it comes to reef deployment,” he added,
So productive are reef balls on the Townsends Inlet site, and the relative ease of deployment, that Cameron Koshland from Boulevard Bait & Tackle in Ocean View – a huge fan of the artificial reef program in South Jersey – together with Randy Roash from the Strathmere Fishing & Environmental Club (SFEC), raised the $12,000 to deploy a dozen on the reef’s southwestern side earlier this year.
“I’ve always wanted to do this. With the great help provided by Randy and the SFEC and the generosity of the donors, we made it happen,” said Koshland, adding “We’re already working on future deployments. Anyone that wants to get involved, stop in.”
Townsends can be counted on to provide good to excellent shots at fluke, and as per Crudele, attention to the subtle contours throughout the site can pay doormat dividends. Live spot and peanuts are especially deadly. Ditto a bucktail mated to a 6-inch Gulp Grub or a strip of mackerel or bluefish; it’s green crabs and white leggers for the tog on jigs or rigs, and fresh clam and/or jigs for the sea bass.
Set a course for 39° 06.703’N / 74° 37.494’W for the NW corner of “TI” and find a plethora of specific numbers inside the reef complex at www.njfishandwildlife.com; just steer your way to the saltwater fishing/artificial reef program of the website for additional details.
