Irene Shmirene!!!  Thankfully Brigantine was spared the brunt of the hurricane with minimal damage. What a great job the Police, FD , and public works did to keep the Island safe and to make sure the ocean stayed as calm as it did so the fish would not be scared away. The ocean was dirty the first couple of days and it is starting to clean up and the fish are biting just like they were pre Irene. Although the water has been dirty we have been getting reports that the fish are starting to bite again. Mike had snapper blues and king fish up at the North end of the Island and the cove up closer to the jetty has been producing a lot of short flounder and snappers. We just need some thing to keep us busy until the stripers start to show up at the end of the month. Now for the BAD news..... September 12th they are going to start beach replenishment from the end of the seawall south to around 4th street North. The entrance to the North end will be closed Mon thru Saturday from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. You will be able to go up there before and after those times and that will continue for 5-6 weeks. That's the bad news, the GOOD news is that The Riptide Striper Derby will be starting September 9th and will run until the end of December to give us access to the front beaches for the Fall striper run. Now there may be some stipulations but it should all work out fine. Just like any good plan, it can always be modified. We will keep you updated on what is happening in the surf and on the water at www.RiptideBaitandTackle.com , on Twitter @Riptidebait , or Face Book @ Andrew S Grossman. Thanks and Keep on Fishin