The New Jersey Boat Sale & Expo sails into the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center from Thursday, February 18th through Sunday, February 21st. The show opens Thursday and Friday at noon with a full lineup of informative fishing seminars kicking off both days at 2 p.m. and presented by the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).
The Fisherman’s Jim Hutchinson, Jr. gets it started on Thursday afternoon with a talk on Bunker Busting Spring Stripers, with a special electronics presentation by Aaron Held of Octopus Yachts at 3:30. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, Capt. Rick Woerner of Carnivore Sport Fishing reveals his secrets to bucktailing doormat fluke.
On Friday, February 19th at 2 p.m., join NJFishing.com’s Gerry Zagorski for a strategic focus on fishing the Right Place & Right Time, while Navionics/Fin Chasers pro Capt. Anthony Grassi hits the stage at 3:30 p.m. on Friday for a unique look at using your mobile devices to find more fish this season!
On Friday night at 5 p.m., Olaf Jensen, Assistant Professor with the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University will detail his work to kick off this spring in a two-year research effort to investigate the presence of juvenile striped bass in Great Egg Harbor, Mullica River and Great Bay, and along the Navesink and Raritan Rivers.
“Using microchemistry techniques on the otoliths, also known as fish ear bones, of juvenile striped bass captured in these estuaries his team plans to identify when they entered the estuary, determine if they originated locally or from one of the larger regional estuaries such as the Chesapeake, Delaware, or Hudson and compare growth rates of juvenile striped bass that remain in the estuary they were born in to those that migrate to a different estuary,” said Mike Danko of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium which is providing the research funding.
“The results of the project will provide fishery managers with an understanding how small estuaries contribute to the overall stock of striped bass,” said Danko, adding that the Friday night discussion will inform anglers how they can contribute to help make this project successful.
The Saturday lineup gets underway at 11 am with RFA’s Gary Caputi spotlighting Light Tackle Black Sea Bass action for the upcoming season. At noon, join Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete Charters of Belmar and his seminar on Faking Out Doormat Fluke with the Bucktail Boys! At 1:30 p.m., longtime Fisherman contributor Capt. Gene Nigro of Phantom Sportfishing in Highlands will discuss everything related to striped bass trolling, including umbrellas, plugs and bunker spoons.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, meeting IGFA record holder Ken Westerfeld and learn a few of his secrets to consistently scoring monster blackfish along the coast. Then at 4 p.m., the New Jersey Boat Sale & Expo staff move the chairs out of the way to allow Capt. Frank Crescitelli to show seminar attendees how to throw the cast net. Whether livelining adult bunker for striped bass, or feeding peanuts to crashing bluefin tuna, learning to master the cast-net with the host of Fin Chasers TV is the first step to a successful day on the water.
On Sunday at 11 a.m., Stanley Gola of S&S Bucktails will kick off his hour-long seminar with a spotlight on jigging blackfish, and will lead you through the surf and boat season with a tactical look at utilizing the best bucktail for any situation. At noon, head south to Ol’ Barney and hit the Barnegat Bay Light Tackle Grand Slam with Capt. Alex Majewski of Lighthouse Sportfishing.
Finally, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the RFA will hold their year-long Contender and Yamaha raffle. Tickets are on sale all week at the RFA booth, but the official drawing will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 21st. See the Contender and Yamaha outside the event location on your way into the ticket window.
The cost for show entry is $8 for adults, kids 16 and under are free. Show hours are noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Expo Center is at 97 Sunfield Avenue in Edison, NJ. For more details, go to www.jerseyboatexpo.com.
