Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote, “In the woods is perpetual youth.” In his essay entitled Nature, Emerson explains how we as adults, “at what period soever of life,” will always be children when in the natural world, in the woods or ostensibly along the water.
Over the summer we’ve received dozens and dozens of reader photos, perhaps more like a hundred. Suffice to say, I’ve received so many that I’ll be hard-pressed to get them all printed on the pages of The Fisherman Magazine this season. But I will do my best, I assure you.
As we usher in the second half of the 2026 summer, I wanted to share a few images of the next generation, the young anglers of the New Jersey, Delaware Bay region who’ve learned at an early age of the wonders of nature and the youthful perpetuity it will assuredly bring.
A lifetime of faith, inspiration and reason begins here.
“I have started taking my nephew Camden ‘The Man’ Duffy from Cedar Grove, NJ fishing and not only is he a natural at it, but he is hooked,” said Joe Casale after a trip to the “Mudhole” in Nutley.Miles on the left (age 3-1/2) got the first cranks on his first bass, and dad brought it home, ultimately sanding this Island Beach striper for a couple of quick pics before releasing it to get bigger, and – as Robert Barranger explained – to “make another kids day!”“First keeper of the year,” said Frankie Beckett of 11-year-old Angela Beckett on June 30. “Lots of tiny fish out there but she had some fun on some ultra-light tackle and got herself a keeper,” Beckett added.Camryn Piekarz (age 14) from Waldwick fished on the Big Jamaica on Father’s Day with her dad Anthony and Poppa Edward on her first fishing trip for sea bass. Camryn even pulled a nice winter flounder from the deep!Izzy Novelli sent this photo of 11-year-old Rocco with his impressive bass catch in Manahawkin in late June. “We didn’t weigh it, we wanted to release it immediately, but it was definitely between 5 and 6 pounds,” added Izzy.Fiona Lewandowski (age 12) caught this fluke behind Sea Isle on her annual Father’s Day trip with dad Eric aboard a rental boat from Bay Breeze (formerly Larsens). Fiona got this 22-1/2-incher on the top of the outgoing using a 3/8-inch bucktail tipped with Gulp.
