By SUZANNE MARINO
Staff Writer

LONGPORT – The water is just starting to warm up, and according to Don Yeskey of Somers Point and Willie Prugger of Margate, it is just about time for the stripers to start running up the inlet.

The two anglers were on the Longport Bridge Tuesday night with their lines in, ready to nab any should they start to run.

But time is of the essence, as the fishermen have only until midnight Wednesday, April 30 to catch what they can from their favorite fishing spot.

That’s when the ban on fishing from the bridge goes back into full effect. The Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders halted fishing from the bridge in September of last year, citing safety as the main reason for ending the 45-year fishing tradition. After an outcry from the fishing community, the freeholders decided to allow nighttime fishing during the off-season.

“There is nothing like this spot anywhere around,” Yeskey said. “When the tide comes in – and the structure here – there is no place that can match this location.”

Yeskey, who said that a lot of the younger fishermen call him “Pops,” said he pulled up a 33-pound striper last spring from the bridge the same night another man pulled up a 42-pound fish.

Prugger said he also fishes from the pier near the Ocean City-Longport Bridge but admitted that the Longport Bridge is a spot like no other.

“I don’t like the height so much. I like to be closer to the fish when I am bringing it in, but this is a very good place to fish,” said Prugger.

The two were joined by another fishing buddy who identified himself only as “The Cat Man” from Somers Point.

“I am relatively new to the sport, and it is a sport. It is our preferred sport, and we enjoy a place like this to practice our sport,” he said.

Though there were only three men fishing on the bridge Tuesday, collectively they had about a dozen fishing rods they tended to. Their bait, knives and tackle boxes were all Rube Goldberged into some version of a compact transport system that allows everything they need to be wheeled onto and later off of the bridge.

“They said we left it a mess up here. We never left it a mess,” Yeskey said.

“A couple of guys might throw stuff, but the regulars tell them to clean up. Why would we want to mess this up?” he asked, waving his hand at the panorama before them on the bridge.

“Pretty much the regulars police the area,” said Prugger. “We tell the young guys to clean up after themselves.”

The Cat Man was feeling a bit pragmatic as his opportunities to fish from the bridge wind down.

“We have a double-edged status quo. The folks who don’t want us up here, don’t even understand why we like to come here. To them, whatever they want is more important than what we want. This is part of life at the shore,” he said. “People come by and see us fishing, and it reminds them of all the things they are able to do.”

Prugger agreed.

“People like to see us up here; it is part of what makes life at the shore different because there is something for everyone. Just because those people don’t want to see us up here does not mean we should not be able to be here fishing,” he said, referring to the residents of nearby Seaview Harbor.

“This is what I like to do. This is my recreation. I don’t hang out in bars, I don’t gamble. But I like to come here and talk to the guys, relax and fish,” he said.

The fishermen swapped tales about big fish, what kind of bait is best and how to drop a line without losing the lure.

“I have 100 pounds of lead somewhere under this bridge,” Yeskey joked. “I lose a couple every time I come.”

The Cat Man was happy as he cast and brought it back in with the artificial lure still intact.

“Well, I won that battle, but who knows about the next time,” he said.

The fishermen have been able to fish 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. since October. No fishing will be allowed May 1 through 6 p.m. Oct. 1, unless the fishermen can to convince the freeholders to issue some sort of reprieve.

Yeskey said he plans to  start going to the freeholder meetings again so he can understand what the next step is for the bridge.

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