WCEC Storming Back Stories: Surf Side Bait & Tackle Knows That in Time, the Oceans and the Fish Will Return

“It’s been a slow comeback,” says Jack Monteiro, owner of Surf Side Bait & Tackle in Long Branch for the past seven years.   Monteiro, who has been fishing since he was a teenager, has seen a dramatic change at the Jersey Shore, the fishing industry and how Hurricane Sandy severely changed the ocean landscape.  

His bait and tackle store is stocked with fishing poles, live bait and dozens of his customers holding fish they caught in the local waters.   Long Branch and the nearby towns are a very popular hot spot for fishing.  Nearby Pier Village, which opened a few years ago, is billed as New Jersey's most luxurious, oceanfront shopping and dining destination and has helped spur new business into Long Branch.   

“People from New York, Philadelphia and Staten Island come to Long Branch for the beaches as it is in close proximity and the town has done a terrific job of building new condos and hotels and promoting tourism,” he adds.  

His quaint bait store did not encounter any physical damage from Hurricane Sandy and had less than $2,000 in lost inventory to replace.    He was lucky that the flooding did not damage his retail business, like so many others nearby.   “I was spared and grateful.  But this area has suffered and tourism is slow.  It is recovering and it will take time,” says Monteiro.  

All around Pier Village, parts of the boardwalk were destroyed and plenty of beachfront property was damaged.  

“I depend on recreational fishing and tourists.  The people just are not here, like they were in past summers.”  Even though he is trying to keep an optimistic outlook, he applauds the town of Long Branch for working so diligently and fast to restore the sections of the boardwalk that were damaged.   They worked at record speed and getting businesses back and open was their number one priority.   

Interestingly, three days before Sandy ravaged the Shore, he had three of the busiest days of the year.  “There was a run on stripe bass and it was insanely busy.  I sold out.  Then the storm struck and the store has been slower than normal.”

Monteiro is open year-round and during the slower winter months, such as January and February, he sells a lot of gift certificates and smaller merchandise.  His income very greatly depends on summer tourists.   This year because of Sandy, the fishing landscape changed.  Normally busy in the spring, the shop was slow and sales were off by 60%.  The ocean, nearby lakes and waterways were affected by the storm because of the changes in water temperatures and the ocean turmoil and, as a result, the fish disappeared.  

He is hoping for a great fall, especially late September when the stripe bass are flooding the oceans.  It is that time of year when guys - who just want to relax and take a day off from their hectic life - go fishing and catch a bass.  

Even though the summer has been off, Monteiro knows that in time, the oceans and the fish will be back.

To learn more about this business and others affected by the storm, please visit http://bit.ly/19EYgjm. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the WCEC’s “We’re Storming Back” Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Program provides free workshops, training, and resources to New Jersey businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy to help them to recover and thrive. 

About The WCEC

The WCEC, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit corporation, is a U. S. Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Center.  The WCEC provides the tools for individuals to successfully own, operate and grow their small businesses, thereby investing financially, intellectually and emotionally in their communities. The WCEC provides more than 150 classes, seminars and individual consulting sessions each year for more than 5,000 participants. For more information please visit www.wcecnj.org/.

Surf Side Bait & Tackle

200 Ocean Avenue

Long Branch, NJ

732-222-4436

surfsidebaitandtackle.com