Kean's bill, S-336, was approved by the Senate Environment Committee Feb. 21 and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. Kean hopes passage will occur before the summer recess.

Kean has sent a letter to Sen. President Richard Codey urging him to post the measure for a vote as soon as possible.

"For too long, commercial fishermen have made it nearly impossible for recreational anglers to fish artificial reefs,'' Kean said. "If the Legislature does not act quickly, recreational fishermen will face another summer of having little or no access to New Jersey's artificial reefs.''

Kean's legislation would prohibit any fishing gear other than rod and reel, hand line, spear or recreational gig from being used within 100 feet of an artificial reef. New Jersey has a network of 15 artificial reefs along the coast.

The "Take Back Our Reefs'' rally will be held at the Taylor Pavilion in Belmar. The affair will also include an update on the science and politics in the campaign being led by the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund.

"This rally will help demonstrate that recreational fishermen are not going to stand idly by while their right to fish comes under attack,'' Kean said.

Capt. Pete Grimbilas of Reef Rescue said his organization and the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance applaud the decision of Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, and David Chanda, director of the division, for their decision to support the legislation.

Grimbilas said he hoped the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will hear the companion bill to Kean's measure, A-1519, soon. During last year's session of the state Legislature, a similar bill was passed unanimously by the Senate, but never posted for a vote in the Assembly.

"The gear conflict between hook and line anglers and fish-lobster trappers was brought to the attention of the state's reef program last spring by anglers and diving communities,'' Grimbilas said.

"For over 20 years, Wallop-Breaux Federal Aid to Sportfish Restoration funds, derived from an excise tax on recreational fishing tackle, have been used to cover the costs of administering the reef program by the Division of Fish and Wildlife,'' Grimbilas pointed out. "Federal law mandates that Wallop-Breaux funds be solely used for the benefit of recreational fisheries.''

The Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund has made tremendous progress toward saving the fluke fishery, and anglers, especially those who contributed to the fund, should be heartened to hear June 24 the results of efforts so far.

The National Marine Fisheries Service's Summer Flounder Stock Assessment Workshop will be held Monday in Woods Hole, Mass. This is the meeting at which the top summer flounder biologists in the business will air their thoughts.

The Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund has put enormous time and energy into an effort to get the most from anglers' donations to the cause, and Raymond D. Bogan, Point Pleasant Beach lawyer and one of the key players, said he is optimistic.

Bogan has been in close touch with Dr. Mark Maunder who leads the scientific effort for SSFFF, and he is impressed with the models, concepts and analysis that this leading scientist will present at the workshop.

Greg Hueth, one of the co-founders of SSFFF, said no one can predict what NMFS will do, but he believes that the service will not shut the fishery down in 2009 as seemed almost inevitable six months ago.

Hueth said the striped bass fishing he witnessed anywhere from Asbury Park to Takanassee as he was driving north to work Friday was incredible with boaters and surf anglers into the fish.

Capt. Scott Kulaszewski, skipper of Jody DiStasio's XTC out of Belmar Marine Basin, said the fishing might well have been the best of the run so far.

"We had been getting them better in the afternoon, but they bit all day,'' he said. "Wednesday we had Jim and Deborah Schultz, Shrewsbury, and their son, Jake, and Bob Callendrillo, Eatontown, out and we had six bass to 33 pounds.''

John Geiser is a columnist for the Asbury Park Press