VHFC meetings are held on the second Friday of each month from April through November. Doors will open at 6:45 with the meeting start time at 7:15 in the Manahawkin Community Center, 775 East Bay Ave, across from The Boat Shop, in Manahawkin, NJ. Meeting dates for 2025 are: April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, August 8, September 12, October 10 and November 14.
We have a guest speaker at each meeting to help educate our members on successful techniques to pursue local fish species; locations, methods, equipment and conditions are discussed. We also have speakers who may discuss other areas of interest to anglers including boat upkeep and maintenance, electronics, Barnegat Bay health and legislative / regulatory activity that affect anglers. We are currently working on the Speakers for 2025. As soon as the list of Speakers is solidified, it will be added. Until then, you can see the list of speakers for 2024. Go to the Pulldown Guest Speakers for 2025 under Events for the list of speakers and their biographies.
Following the guest speaker, various committees report out on their latest news followed by a general discussion from members of their most recent fishing successes / failures. Light refreshments are also provided.
Events for 2025:
Saltwater Seminar Series with George Poveromo: 1/25/25 at Resorts in Atlantic City. Tickets are for sale on line ($65). Several of us will be attending this seminar. For more information check out the Website Saltwater Seminar Series. Make sure you fill in “Village Harbour Fishing Club” in the Business Box when buying your tickets.
Sunshine Foundation Fishing Flea Market: 1/25/25 at Edward Thorton Little Egg Harbor Community Center. VHFC will be attending this event. If you are in the area, stop by our table and say hello. This is a great opportunity to bring anybody interested in joining the club to sign up and get entered in a raffle to win a free membership. The Flea Market runs from 8:00AM to 1:00PM. The community Center is located at 319 Cala Breeze Way, Little Egg Harbor.
Canyon Runner Offshore Seminar: Hosted by Canyon Runner Charters, this event is 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 Spring Bottom Fishing Trip – Last year we had a great outing with Captain Sam Rescigno on the Mary M IV for a bottom fishing trip. Numbers of Black Sea Bass & Ling were put on ice for some fantastic eating. This year the trip is booked for May 20, 2025. We will be fishing again on the Mary M IV. Details and sign up sheets will be available at the General Meeting in April. To sign up contact Phil Simon.
VHFC Inshore Slam: This is a new tournament for 2025. This tournament will be held 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 the Beach, Land, Dock. Designed to be a week long tournament, anglers can pick any two days to fish. More details will be reviewed at the April & May General Meetings.
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 is held on the Barnegat Light beaches and will be held on 6/6/25. Please consider volunteering to be a judge at this event. Contact Ed Valitutto to participate
VHFC Annual Fluke Tournament – The VHFC Fluke Tournament will be held on the Saturday July 12, 2025. 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. Make sure to sign up for this event at the General Meetings or contact: John Stuebing.
Tri Club Fluke Challenge – The tournament will be held on Saturday July 26, 2025 with the BBG on Sunday at the Forked River Tuna Club. 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 April, 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 April 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. In 2025 the trip will take place on August 19, 2025. We will again charter the Super Chic.
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 June General Meeting.
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. Again we had a full boat with lots of tasty bottom dwellers caught. The club provided the Coffee and Donuts. This year we will charter the same boat on October 1, 2025. 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!
