"We're not here to reinvent we're here to continue it." That line comes from the Dumont family, in a spring post on the Surf City Bait & Tackle website announcing that they had taken over the shop at 317 Long Beach Boulevard. The same post lists what they promised in plain terms: fresh bait, stocked shelves, honest advice, and "a place that feels like home."
This fall puts that promise to work. The shop is one of only three official weigh stations for the 72nd Annual Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic, which runs through November 29, 2026. The Classic's prize calendar saves most of its striped bass dates for November, and its rules turn on a strict 6 p.m. clock. For anglers in Surf City, the most important stretch of the season ends at a counter on the Boulevard that has just started its first fall under new owners.
A Scale With an Eighty-Year Counter
The shop calls itself the oldest bait and tackle shop on Long Beach Island that has stayed open continuously, selling bait and gear for fishing and crabbing since the late 1930s. It was once Bruce and Pat's Bait and Tackle, and before that Sandy's.
In a notice dated February 20, 2026, the previous owners confirmed that the business and the property had been sold after 25 years in their family. They said the buyers intended to keep it running "pretty much 'as is'" under the same name and in the same line of business. The SandPaper reported in March that the Santaguida family had handed the shop to Fred Dumont and family, who said they were "truly honored to carry on what's been built here over the years."
The Dumonts' post explains why the shop matters to them personally. They wrote that it is where their boys learned to fish, "how to talk to adults, how to shake a hand and say thank you." That kind of continuity counts in a tournament that started in 1954 and calls itself one of the oldest surfcasting tournaments in the country.
The Calendar Leans Toward November
The Classic awards daily, weekly, and season-long prizes across seven species. Its special daily awards, though, show where the season is pointed. The brochure lists six dates, and the September 1 fluke and October 12 bluefish awards have passed. Four are still ahead. The first is a tautog award, and the last three are all for striped bass.
| Date | Special daily award | Dedication or sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | $100, largest tautog | Courtesy of Surf City Bait & Tackle |
| Wednesday, Nov. 11 | $100, largest striped bass | Honoring our Veterans |
| Monday, Nov. 16 | $100, largest striped bass | In honor of Frank Panzone |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | $100, largest striped bass | In honor of Bruce Hoagland |
| Sunday, Nov. 29 | Final day; weigh-in closes at 6 p.m. |
Halloween belongs to the Surf City shop, which sponsors the tautog prize that day. October 31 also falls on a Saturday this year, and the brochure gives a $100 gift card from Fisherman's Headquarters for the heaviest bass every Saturday. The last bass award lands on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. If nobody scores a fish on a special day, the prize rolls over to the next day until someone wins it.
The season-long prizes keep the stakes up through the end. Both the largest striped bass and the largest bluefish carry $500 grand prizes. A separate $500 Grand Slam goes to the angler who weighs in at least four of the seven eligible species: striped bass, bluefish, kingfish, tautog, fluke, red drum, and weakfish.
The Fisherman's Headquarters report from October 1, 2026 put the surf at 64.7 degrees after a storm and said striped bass chances typically improve by mid-October. By October 19, the Classic's live results log showed 82 entries, including mid-October kingfish and weakfish recorded with Surf City as the catch location.
Why the 6 P.M. Clock Makes the Scale Matter
The rules put limits on time and place that matter most on a special day. According to the 2026 Rules & Prizes brochure, a fish gets entered like this:
- It has to be weighed at one of three official stations: Fisherman's Headquarters at 280 W. 9th St. in Ship Bottom, Jingles Bait & Tackle at 1214 Long Beach Blvd. in Beach Haven, or Surf City Bait & Tackle at 317 Long Beach Blvd.
- It has to be weighed within 24 hours of the catch, and only during that station's posted hours.
- Each tournament day runs from 6:00:01 p.m. to 6:00:00 p.m. the next day. A fish counts for the day it is weighed, which may not be the day it was caught.
- The angler weighs the fish personally and certifies the time and the town of the catch. The brochure says vague answers such as "North End" or "South End" are not accepted.
For a special daily award, the window is even tighter. The fish has to be caught after 6 p.m. on the day before and weighed before 6 p.m. on the bonus date. So a Thanksgiving bass has to come out of the water after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, and reach a scale before 6 p.m. on Thursday. On November 29, the brochure warns, anglers "must leave the surf in time to weigh their entries before 6 PM deadline."
Each station sets its own hours, which is why the location of the nearest scale matters. The shop's website says its hours can change because of weather, staffing, or unexpected events. It also says the shop sometimes opens before posted hours, and "if the lights are on and the OPEN signs lit up, come on in." On a holiday or the closing Sunday, the reliable step is to call the counter at (609) 494-2333 before heading out.
What the Counter Stocks for the Run
The shop's bait list is long but depends on supply: green crabs, sand fleas, surf clams, fresh bunker, mullet, bloodworms, sandworms, live minnows, squid, and an assortment of frozen bait. The shop asks customers to call ahead and check what's in. It also carries rigs from Surf & Bay Rig Co., which are made in Surf City. The Classic's brochure also includes a note about hooks: when targeting striped bass with natural bait like bunker, clams, or worms, it says non-offset hooks are required by law. Anglers can confirm the current rule with New Jersey Fish and Wildlife.
Getting in is simple. General registration costs $40 and youth registration for ages 17 and under costs $20. Anglers have to register before they fish and weigh in, and the Classic accepts catches from LBI's shores, ocean, inlet, bay, and jetties, but not from boats. For anglers who would rather release a big bass than carry it to a scale, the Surf Master division scores striped bass of at least 36 inches by photo. Submissions need the fish, the measuring device, and the angler's registration number in the frame. The shop's site also links to New Jersey's free Saltwater Recreational Registry Program, which it describes as mandatory.
The Beach in Its Off-Season Setting
Surf City's own beach information page lists a few rules that shape a November evening on the sand:
- Dogs are allowed on the beach on a leash with their owners from October 1 through April 30.
- Beach buggy permits are available from September to May through the Surf City Police Department.
- During guarded hours, the designated fishing beaches are between North 23rd and North 25th streets.
That page is the borough's word on these rules, and anyone with a question about a permit or a specific beach should go straight to the borough or the police department. Like everything here, this is general information and not legal advice.
The Boulevard keeps a November calendar beyond the surf, too. The Surf City Volunteer Fire Company at 713 Long Beach Blvd. lists Fall Purse Bag Bingo at the firehouse on Saturday, November 14, from 4:30 to 9 p.m., and SCWA November Game Day on Tuesday, November 17, from noon to 4 p.m., according to its events page. Both fall between the Veterans Day and Thanksgiving bass awards. The Classic ends 12 days after Game Day, when the last fish of the 2026 season gets weighed before 6 p.m. on November 29.
If the Classic has you thinking about life on this stretch of the island well past Labor Day, I'm glad to talk through what the off-season looks like from a home in Surf City. Paula E Brennan is happy to be a local resource whenever you're ready. Let's Connect.
