Just like prior years, to get an honest head count of people committed to attend, there's a $10/person registration fee. This year, it's payable only by personal check, money order or as an addition to an order placed online.

Some lodging options for you distant flingers!

With the Fling fast approaching, the questions are coming!

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

Answer: Funny you should ask! The "Fling" is StripersOnline lingo for a part social, part fishing gathering. We've all gotten to know one another through reading many posts and have found the "Fling" to be a wonderful way of putting faces with names....preferably in a fishing environment. Others have talked about these type of gatherings online for years...many have made empty promises...SOL delivers!  This Spring Fling, the fourth annual Spring Fling and technically about the twentieth "Fling" in a never ending and always growing series of "Flings" is going to be a gathering of between 50-100 surf fishermen. We will meet on Friday 5/30 around 4pm for the first portion of the Fling...and again, Saturday 5/31 anytime after 2pm for the second portion of the Fling. We'll shake some hands and generally spend some time just hanging out, shooting the breeze and stuffing our faces. At some point, as of yet undetermined, we will then split up in "teams" to temp the fateful waters of the fabled Belmar to Manasquan stretch of surf! The point of the "teams" is not so much to compete, but more to be certain that visiting anglers unfamiliar with these waters will be "teamed" up with at least one "local" who knows these waters. This way everyone can expect to get the inside scoop on the areas that we will be fishing!

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

Answer: Alrighty...a lil slow are ya? It will be held on May 30th and 31st. We're going to try a sort of 2 day affair this time so that the folks that can't commit to a long Saturday night can still make it. Friday night will be a much looser version of Saturday :-) We'll be meeting on Friday around 4pm...we're not even certain there will be a serious BBQ effort on Friday, but we'll play that by ear. Then Friday night, those that would like to will go fishing. Saturday is the "official" gathering. There will likely be people showing up at all sorts of times...so we'll be hanging out at the meeting area, eating and socializing! The location of the meetings is Macleary Park right on Shark River - on Highway 35 in Belmar. Most likely, they'll be people at the Fling even from the prior nights fishing...sometimes you just can't keep these guys off the water! We'll make sure there are good instructions printed out to get folks from the park to the water - cause some people are going to want to chat while others are going to want to fish - and vice versa ;-)

Question: Hmmm...May 30th-31st...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 baits a quarter mile here...most of the artificials you'll need are an ounce or less. PLEASE WATCH THE WEATHER: The first year, we had 30kt NE winds for the 24 hours prior to the Fling, sadly the waters built to a degree that the light stuff was useless in the surf! It was one of those extremely rare times that the 11 foot sticks capable of hurling kitten sized baits would have been a big help! Bring fly gear if that's your gig, good fly fishing opportunities available here! Light spinning gear is my preference (when I'm not in fly guy mode!) Lately that's been an 8 1/2' custom Lamiglas, TiCA Libra 4000, 10# Fireline, 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. 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 the preferred flies!  Basically, bring whatever ya want! The waters not deep, there's no current, and the fish are often within 50 feet! This list is just some recommendations, bring whatever tackle you feel comfortable with. If the wind is or has been screaming bloody murder for a while, there is the chance that something capable of throwing 6-8oz and a clam might be necessary. Which works out ok for me cause I built just the rod last year for those kinds of occurrences - a nice 4M fiberglass Lami :-) This is a fairly rare occurrence, but as previous year's Flingers can attest to, it does happen!

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! 
**PLEASE NOTE: Like years past, we'll do what we can to procure a couple bushels of clams...just in case ;)

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 sort of assimilated 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! The teams aren't really for competition sake, but more to put someone with local knowledge in each group - a little friendly competition is always welcome :-)

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

Answer: Well, we're gonna take some lessons from the Fall Flings and we're gonna feed you :-) There will be grub being burned Saturday afternoon at the meeting location - including but not limited to burgers, hot dogs...possibly bratwurst!?! ;-) We're gonna need a couple volunteers for the food mission - all expenditures for the grub will be reimbursed from the funds collected for the Fling...it's just that we're gonna need someone else to do the leg work.

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 - you'll be on Highway 138. Take it 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 want Hwy 35 north. Which means you'll follow 138 straight as it ends...this will loop you around until you are on Hwy 35 north. Go through the traffic light you'll be immediately facing - and about 1 mile up on the left, you'll see parking and tennis courts and Shark River - that's the place, you made it!! You, my friend, are at the Fling! If pictures and maps are your thing, here's a map - Macleary Park Directions (Please note: You can zoom in or out on this map to see more or less detail!)

If you're coming from the south, depending on where to the south you are coming from, you'll either follow the NJ 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 you can get on the Garden State Parkway easier than the NJ Turnpike, then follow parkway north to exit 98 - then follow the instructions above :-)

**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!***