NJ Beach Hunting Buddy, Info and a Hello!

[Dengar]

Hello everyone,

I am fairly new to the forum, I have been lurking for some time but have not posted and am hoping to get some info and help.

Last summer I received my first water detector, a Tesoro Sand Shark. I only was out a few times last summer to hunt, had a great time but did not find much of value(No gold, silver or the like), I did get a bunch of coins though. In the fall of 2012 I hunted a few times as well but with same results.

Recently I got myself a wetsuit and a better scoop. I also picked up a few books and have been stealing some info here on the forums on how to better my water hunts. Now that I have some more time on my hands I am hoping to get out a lot more and get better finds.

I live in Hudson county NJ and got out this evening to Point Pleasant Beach(about an hours ride). Well it was pretty much sanded in, no cuts, holes or anything.....WAY too much sand on the beach. I hunted anyway but to no avail. I tried hard to get into the surf around low tide but the waves were just too much. I have been to this beach a few times before and never remember the waves this high. So after a little over an hour and a half there I packed up my things and decided to check out Belmar. Got there and saw a sign that the beach is off limits, most likely due to Sandy rebuilding. After that I drove up to Asbury Park but by this time it was pretty late and I decided to call it quits.

Does anyone consistently hunt these beaches with success? If so(or even if not), want to help someone learn the ropes and help read the beach better? I was thinking of getting out this week to Bradley Beach or one of the other beaches in the area. I do not want to go much further south yet since it is already an hours drive for me and I want to get more proficient before I do more traveling.

I am a 37 year old male that has been land detecting for over 15 years and now want to try something else. I hope you guys can help me out here since I love this hobby way too much and I do not like to give up. Thank you and hope to hear from you.

Dengar (ALF)

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[Sir Gala Clad]

Watch Surfdiggers videos.

 

[vpnavy]

Welcome aboard from the great state of Pennsylvania!

You might consider browsing Sub-Forums: New Jersey for information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state.

 

[njal]

Hello from another New Jerseyan.
If you have been dirt hunting for 15 years you know all the basics
already. When I look around on the forum's and see members that
have been hunting for 20 years + .I consider myself rookie ,I've been at it for 2 1/2 years.
I do know that all beaches with summer traffic will produce for you.

One very imperative tip I can give you is that if you find a goodie
on a beach, try and keep it to your self unless you want lots and lots of company
when you're hunting the new hot spot you found. What I'm saying is that if you
post a big gold chain and tell everyone you found it on XYZ beach. There will 20 plus hunters there
the next day.

I have never used the Tesoro Sand Shark, but I here it's a deep hitter.
It's a PI we have tons of Iron on our beaches. You have a wet suit so if you're venturing
out a ways in the water maybe less Iron?
Anyway always nice say hello to a fellow New Jerseyan from Hudson County.

Good luck out there and enjoy the journey and the hunt!

Al

 

[pulltabs]

Dude I'd be careful trying to enter the surf at point pleasant That surf is ripping most of the time.

 

[Dengar]

Sir Gala Clad - I have been watching his videos and I find them very motivating. Glad someone is finding something at the NJ beaches. I did notice that at low tide the south NJ beaches seem a little more calm then the ones here in Northern NJ ones. I am going to have to fine tune my hunting strategies. Last summer I did find a lot of junk jewelry and 2 junk watches. With a little effort I am sure I will get better.

vpnavy - Thanks for the push towards clubs, didn't even notice that NJ forum on here. I had a bad experience about 10 years ago with a club where it seemed I was not welcome. That club has since disbanded and maybe it is time for me to get to try my luck with one again.

njal - While I don't expect to be shouting out where I am hunting, I will of course be posting my good finds. I did make the mistake of hunting a park when I first starting metal detecting and telling some people I knew. I had found a bunch of silver coins and the next weekend I got out there I saw 4 more people. I won't make that mistake again.

pulltabs - It seems a lot of times I have been to PP Beach the tides were terrible in the spring and fall and in the summer it isn't that bad. I am going to try some of the other beaches in the area next time I go out.

Thanks so far for the advice everyone and I hope to get some good finds to post soon.

Dengar(ALF)

 

[Native Floridian]

Dengar, Jersey's beaches change in topography as you move north. From Brigantine south, the beaches are flatter with bars further off the beach. In some areas south of Brig, you can venture out a couple hundred feet and still not be water deep enough to pose a danger. From LBI north, things steepen up. The bars are located closer to the beach and in some areas are non existant. This causes the waves to break hard practically on the beach. And, on most days you aren't going to venture very far out before you are in water too deep to hunt. South Jersy beach condidtions are a world away from North Jersey. Caution is the watch word on all NJ beaches. Relative to other areas, much of SW Florida for instance, all of NJ is much rougher.

Conditions also dictate when you can hunt. NJ beaches are subject to a very strong undertow. So, pick your days.



Lastly, there are several active Jersey shore FB groups. Great resource along with some great people. PM me if you are interested.

The Sand Shark is a great machine. I'm sure you will do well with it!!!

 

[Ace350]

Dengar,
Welcome to the forum.
Yup the beaches are sanded in around here, either naturally or man made with bulldozers.
Just to let you know. You can't go much further south on the beaches from Point Pleasant all the way down to Seaside Park.
They are still closed and patrolled by police from the storm damage from Hurricane Sandy.
Maybe I'll see ya out there when they open them.
Happy hunting.
Ace

 

[Dengar]

Native Floridian - Yeah, the beaches here are weird. I haven't had many problems during the early fall and summer months, all other times though it seems hectic. May also be that their are people in the water and I am not as "scared" to just get in there and detect.

Ace350 - Going to try and get down there in the next few days. Do you know if you are allowed to detect while they are doing their bulldozing and beach replenishment? I didn't have a problem last week because I went in the evening but I plan on going earlier next time around.

Dengar (ALF)

 

[Ace350]

I know for a fact that Mantaloking has police patrolling the beach on quads and kicking people off the beach. The State police will ticket you if you are parked by the beach without a residential
parking sticker.
I know you are not supposed to be on the other beaches all the way down to the end of Seaside Park. I can't give you any better info than that.
I haven't even attempted to go down there. I just drove by and saw the signs and I talked to a cop in Mantaloking about it.
The other beaches besides Mantaloking may be accessible easier but done at the risk of being ticketed. If you go, look for signs. If you can't go on the beach there will be a sign at the beach entrance.
Some beaches north of Point Pleasant are open.
You have to drive by and see. Which one are and which ones aren't open for access.

 

[63bkpkr]

I knew a fellow in Northern California who would photograph the beach's when they were in high sand conditions. He would have the pictures with him when he came back to detect and would go to the spots where the it was obvious there was less sand than in the pictures. FYI..................63bkpkr

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

Beaches here in central Jersey have been changed for the worse since Hurricane Sandy. Like posted above the bulldozers have moved sand all about the beaches sometimes its good but most of the time its bad! What NJAL alluded too is kinda correct but not in that way. You can feel free to post you found a 50,000 dollar ring on which ever beach you found it. These type of finds only happening once in a life time. Because you found one doesn't mean there are more. Who in their right mind thinks a dozen 50k rings were lost on one beach or even two.Anyone thinking that is just plain stupid.(Not you AL. Buddy!) What is more relevant is you found 300 coins in one day at a single beach this truly eludes to sand movement and everyone would flock to that location! And don't be surprised to find 20 or more hunters each time you visit the beach this has become the summer norm. And if you think 3am will be any different you would be wrong. Its not unusual to see 5 or 10 hunters out in the middle of the night these days. It will be a very different hunt this year and I think we will hear a lot of crying as to the lack of finds. I have heard several beaches are not going to open more than just a few blocks rather than the entire beach this season.We will just have to wait and see!
BCNJ

 

[Dengar]

I have started calling beaches and town halls about access to get a better idea of where I can and can't go. So far it is a lot easier to call than it is to drive down there and hope. Lots of the beaches are doing replenishment and some are open for walking and MDing. One woman actually told me, "As long as you take the garbage off the beach as well you can, just stay alert and don't get in the way of the workers". I did get a few, "No beach access until memorial day weekend" answers. I am hoping to get out swinging tomorrow or Saturday. Thanks for all the info guys.

Dengar (ALF)

 

[Ace350]

You can also look on the beach towns website. Some of them tell if there is beach access.

By the way Dengar, which towns did you call that said you could hunt on their beach?
If there is anything close by, maybe I'll take a ride and go out there for a few swings.

 

[Dengar]

Ace350 - Point Pleasant said it was ok. Seaside and Belmar both said they are closed, Seaside until most likely Memorial Day, Belmar said until further notice.

 

[Ace350]

Thanks for the info Dengar.
Sounds like not much has changed as far as beach access in the past few months.

 

[Dengar]

I did call but received no answer from Bradley Beach, Avon and Asbury Park.

 

[sketch008]

I've been to Asbury Park a few times already, no problems there.

 

[Dengar]

Thanks for all the info guys, I have been busier than I thought I would be the past week and hope to get out this week or coming weekend.

Dengar (ALF)