Anglers looking to get out and do some spring striped bass fishing in the suds will notice the storm and the location have just one thing in common: their name. Sandy caused more than $35 million in damage at Sandy Hook but park supervisors say a good portion of the popular recreation area will reopen May 1. More than half the park will open oon the first Wednesday in May when patrons will be able to fish, ride bikes, walk trails and engage in other activities that don’t involve sunbathing. Did I mention fish? Progress is being made across the state as access is slowly coming back. Three beaches will be cordoned off and won’t open until Memorial Day weekend. The parks three other beaches are expected to open sometime later this summer.
Repair and recovery of the peninsula and its prime stretch of surf fishing sand was predicated upon passage of the $60 billion federal aid package. Luckily $18 million will go for building repair at Sandy Hook, $5 million for trails and beaches, $3 million for utilities, $2 million for equipment and $7 million for roads, park officials said. “Sandy Hook is a major engine for jobs and the local economy,” said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D) after a tour of the recreation area. “So the fact that it’s coming back quickly means a lot.”
The park’s waste water treatment plant was key to determining which beaches would open right away and which would take longer. Crews are bringing the plant back up to full operation slowly, including elevating some of its mechanical structures out of the flood zone. Because of that, only Area B, North Beach and the clothing optional Gunnison Beach will be ready by Memorial Day weekend.
Construction to repair the seven-mile path will begin at the tip of the peninsula, at Fort Hancock, and fan out toward the park entrance. Some of the path should be completed by May 1, but the entrance will be without its wide concrete path and light poles.
With three beaches closed early on, Sandy Hook will limit its usual 5,000 vehicle capacity to 2,500. Park officials want to talk with ferry operators, who bring visitors from Weehawken and New York City, to see if they can work out temporary alternate transportation arrangements for motorists to avoid overcrowding.
All this comes on the heels of the re-opening of most of Island Beach State Park and answers the question of “Where can I surf fish?” Surf anglers will still have a long walk, since beach buggies are not permitted at Sandy Hook, but that is one of the things that makes this surf fishing destination special. Good old fashioned leg power is required to get to the false hook at the tip and, after a long, arduous winter, there are plenty of people ready to stretch their legs and do just that once the striped bass show up in force.
