by One of the original founders of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association and a legendary Point Pleasant Canal angler has passed on to heavenly waters at 82 after a fight against cancer. Joe held court at his Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant for many years and made better anglers of all who stopped by for coffee and fishing tales every morning.
His mounted striper of over 40 pounds in the shop was evidence of what was possible from shore in the canal long before I knew Joe. Though the canal has remained very productive, it’s no longer a spot to seek out the largest of stripers which Joe attributed to the abundance of bunkers in the ocean. Bunkers had been decimated by big seiners working with airplanes, and that made the canal attractive due to all the smaller fish always available to the largest predators. When the efforts of the JCAA and other groups brought about the a return to bunker abundance Joe figured that there was no need for the largest bass to leave the ocean.
I’ll have more about Joe in tomorrow’s blog.
Tight Lines 
RIP Joe! I spent quite a few hours listening to Joe and his regulars swapping fishing stories. Whenever I landed a nice fish, kept for the table, Joe wanted to see it and get a pic for the shop. He was a great sportsman and always had a smart bit of advice for whatever fish were running in the surf.
He will be missed!
SteveM
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