What’s New

The Village Harbour Fishing Club will be adding some new events for 2025. We will also be continuing with all the “Good Stuff” from 2024. Here are the new events added for 2025:

Saltwater Seminar Series: Hosted by George Poveromo, this event was held at Resorts in Atlantic City on 1/25/25. George and Edie Poveromo were kind enough to donate two tickets to this event that we raffled off at the November General Meeting. Several of us attended this seminar and came away with some new tactics. The faculty was great and covered Inshore, Back Bay and offshore. They dialed in on Striper, Blackfish, Fluke and Tuna. Where, when and how were discussed. Our very own Phil Simon walked away with a new Rod & Reel as a door prize! We also met George and spent some time Nick Honachefski at the Party that followed the event at the Bass Pro Shop in Atlantic City. Good Time! Suggest you add this to your calendar for next year.

 

Canyon Runner Offshore Seminar: Hosted by Canyon Runner Charters, this event was held on 2/8/25 at Harrah’s in Atlantic City. Much more than just fishing in the Canyons. This is a must attend event for those who like to fish in that 20 to 40 mile range for Tuna, Mahi and all those bottom dwellers. Tickets are $125 but using the Village Harbour discount the tickets are $100! Use promotion code (coupon number) VillageHarbour20 when buying tickets on line.

VHFC Inshore Slam: This is a new tournament for 2025. This tournament will be held on May 12-18, 2025 and involve fishing for Fluke, Weakfish, Bluefish and Stripers. Anglers will earn points by weight for each species. The tournament is by Boat or Land but all fishing must take place from inside the inlets or from Beach, Land, Dock. Designed to be a week long tournament, anglers can pick any two days of that week to fish. More details will be reviewed at the April & May General Meetings. Contact John Stuebing to sign up – 609-294-8823.

VHFC Open: Another new tournament for 2025. Taking place around the end of August, anglers will earn points by weight for Fluke, Bluefish, Sea Bass and Blackfish. This will also be a week long tournament with anglers picking any two days to fish. Fishing can take place in all VHFC approved waters. More details will be reviewed at the April General Meeting.

2025 FOM Contests:  VHFC has added some new contests and categories to the FOM Contests. New for 2025, there will now be separate Surf, Boat and Offshore categories. New date windows have been added to species like Blackfish. The new Offshore Category has FOM contests for Bluefin, Yellowfin, Mahi and False Albacore. In total there is now over 40 FOM contests. Everyone has an opportunity to win those gift certificates. All of the FOM’s are under the “Results/Standing” Tab.

Returning from 2024:

Battle on the Beach – VHFC took over officiating the “Battle on the Beach” high school surf fishing tournament in 2019. The annual contest has students from Lacey Township High School, Barnegat High School, Southern Regional High School and Mates Academy (Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science) of Manahawkin competing for top bragging rights on the beach in Barnegat Light. The winning school gets their name engraved on a trophy that is displayed in the school’s lobby and a $1,000 scholarship donated by the LBI Surf Fishing Committee. The event will be held on the Barnegat Light beaches on June 6th. Please consider volunteering to be a judge at this event. Contact Ed Valitutto.

Picture of the Month – While we all enjoy the pictures submitted with fishing reports and pictures for the FOM entries, we are really missing out on sharing the fun we have with friends and family while fishing or just spending time on the water or at the shore. So, please, send in your favorite photos each month, and our expert panel of judges (including a professional photographer) will select the winner based on subject matter – fishing activities, fishing locales, sunsets, beaches, club activities, subjects and composition, proper exposure and focus. Emphasis should be on the fun of fishing and related activities

Winners and submissions will be posted on our website, and on our Facebook page and Instagram accounts. Winners get bragging rights and entry into a drawing at the November meeting for a $50.00 gift certificate. Send your photos to Phil Simon at sciman2@gmail.com  

VHFC Spring Fishing Trip – We had a great outing with Captain Sam Rescigno on the Mary M IV for a bottom fishing trip on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Numbers of Black Sea Bass & Ling were put on ice for some fantastic eating. Congratulations to pool winners Boston Bob Long (Sea Bass) and Jerry Nichols (Ling). Let’s repeat the fun on the October 8th Fall Trip.

VHFC Annual Fluke Tournament – The VHFC Fluke Tournament will be held on the Saturday in July following the Friday club meeting. For 2024, it will be held on July 13th with the 14th as a rain date. Entry fee is $20 per angler with all monies returned in prizes. Following the contest, VHFC hosts a picnic / BBQ at the Mill Creek Pavilion for entrants and their guests. Please fill out the form VHFC Fluke Tournament and send it with your check to VHFC, PO Box 1026, Manahawkin, NJ 08050.

Tri Club Fluke Challenge – Held at the end of July with fishing on Saturday and a Picnic on Sunday  This is a tournament between Village Harbour, Fish Hawks and Forked River Tuna Club. Details below:

• There is no entry fee for this Tournament but only active Members of each Club are eligible. The Tournament is sponsored by Creekside Outfitters.
• Anglers can bring Family and/or Friends to the Picnic. The Picnic will be held at the Forked River Tuna Club facility. There is both indoor and outdoor seating available and there will be a cash bar. The cost of the Picnic is $5.00 per person. Kids under 12 are free. The Picnic gets started at 1:00PM.
• All Fluke must be weighed in at Creekside Outfitters in Waretown. The top 10 Fluke for each Fishing Club will be counted toward the Club Championship. There will also be individual awards (Gift Certificates to Creek Side Outfitters) for the Largest Fluke: $100, 2nd Place: $50, 3rd – 6th Place: $25.  You must be at the Picnic to receive a prize.
• There will be a sign up sheet at the May, June and July Meetings. You can also send a e-mail to stuebs@comcast.net (John Stuebing) if you would like to sign up for the Tournament. Please indicate the number of people you will be bringing to the Picnic. We will start collecting the $5.00 for the Picnic at the May Meeting.
• The winning Club will be presented a Trophy at the Picnic!

VHFC Ocean Fluke Trip – In 2024 we chartered the Super Chic and had close to 30 anglers enjoying a day of Fluking on the Artificial Reefs. The club provided Coffee and Donuts and the captain provided a decent day of fishing. A good time was had by all!

VHFC Dinner – No date has been chosen yet but VHFC will have a dinner in the fall. The last several dinners were held at Kostas Grill in Tuckerton and were enjoyed by all attendees. Always a great time and a good excuse for members and friends to gather for some fun! Guests pay for their own meals with VHFC providing appetizers and wine.   Further details for the 2025 event will be provided when available.

VHFC Fall Fishing Trip – In 2024 we chartered with Captain Sam Rescigno on the Mary M IV for a bottom fishing trip on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. Again we had a full boat with lots of tasty bottom dwellers caught. The club provided the Coffee and Donuts. Great opportunity to get fillets for the freezer!

VHFC Surf Tournament –  This tournament was started in 2024 and was a big success. Hosted and managed by our very own “Bayside Dave” members competed by fishing from the Beach, Land or Docks of LBI. Held on a Saturday in November with a BBQ that follows a day of fishing at Surf City Bait & Tackle. Timing for the 2025 event will be determined by our July General Meeting. Don’t miss this event!

VHFC T Shirts, Hats and Stickers – New T Shirts will be available for purchase later this year. Look for the order form in our Newsletter or order at any club meeting. Sizes range from XS (Extra Small) to 6XL and are available in many different colors. Shirts come in Short Sleeves, Long sleeves and hoodies. All feature UPF 50 Sun Protection. White is shown in the photo. VHFC has a 12 shirt minimum order so please let the club know if you are interested. Prices range from $30 – $35. Hats are also available for $20.