All Speakers

2022 Speakers

Alberto Knie
Alberto is a legendary fishing authority and known to be a multi-species global fisherman and trophy striped bass angler. His peers gave his nickname “Crazy” due to the intensity of his fishing. He is also a world record (Striped Bass) line class holder and a regular contributor to various regional and national angling publications.
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He is also the founder and President of Tactical Anglers, Inc. – (Innovator and creator of the Tactical Anglers’ Power Clips and Smart Lures).  He is the creator of the popular braid to mono Alberto Knot.  His specialty is multi-species Trophy Hunting strategies.

Alberto’s appearance is sponsored by St Croix Rod Company.

 Additional credentials –

  • Written 15+ Book Forewords for notable authors
  • Speaker and co-hosted the very popular National Seminar Series
  • Premier Pro-Staff – Consultant / Ambassador for St.Croix Rods /  Penn Fishing / Abu Garcia and various manufactures.
  • Featured fishing personality for various broadcasting shows
  • Alberto can also be reached on Facebook and Instagram as Crazy Alberto Knie
Nick Honachefsky

Nick Honachefsky is the Host and Executive Producer of Saltwater Underground with Nick Honachefsky; airing on the Sportsman Channel and Waypoint TV. 

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Honachefsky’s 23 years in the sportfishing media industry have taken him through continuous editorial positions and contributions at Saltwater Sportsman, Marlin, FishTrack, Guy Harvey Magazine, Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, The Fisherman, On the Water Magazine. 

Featured as a fishing personality in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal, NBC News, Discovery Channel and HLN, Nick fishes the world’s waters extensively throughout the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico and the US, and calls the beautiful beaches of Lavallette along the Jersey Shore his home.  

Season 2 of Saltwater Underground with Nick Honachefsky airs now through the end of March on Sportsman Channel; Fridays 10:30 AM, Saturdays 4:30 PM and Sundays 4:30 PM.  

Follow him on Instagram @nickhonachefsky and Youtube at Saltwater Underground. www.saltwaterunderground.com 

Jim Freda
Jim Freda
Capt Jim Freda is a USCG licensed Captain and owner of Shore Catch Sportfishing out of Manasquan Inlet, NJ. He has been fishing the inshore and offshore waters of the Jersey Shore for 40 years targeting striped bass, bluefish, false albacore, bluefin, yellowfin, and mahi.
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Jim is on the National Elite Pro Staff for St. Croix Rods, and Pro Staff for Nomad Design Tackle, Spro, Gamakatsu, Tony Maja Products, Korkers, TAK Waterman, M. Fischer Plugs, and JP Lures. Jim is a highly respected charter captain, author, seminar speaker, and photographer. As a seminar speaker Jim has been featured as one of the celebrities on the Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series, one of the “Stars of the Show” at the Fly Fishing Show, the World Fishing and Outdoor Expo, the Saltwater Expo, and the Canyon Runner Offshore Seminar Series. His book, “Fishing the New Jersey Coast”, is a best seller on the market and has received the “New Jersey Center for the Book Award” as one of the most notable NJ books. He is also co-author of “Saltwater Fishing, A Tactical Approach”. Jim writes for Saltwater Sportsman, Big Game Journal, Fly Fisherman, Eastern Fly Fishing, The Fisherman Magazine, On the Water Magazine, and StriperSurf.com. Jim has weekly saltwater fishing columns that appear in The Bergen Record and Coast Star newspapers. Jim has also been a guest speaker at all the Trout Unlimited Clubs in NJ and Pa and a special guest speaker at the Bloomberg Network in NYC. Jim’s favorite fish to target is bluefin tuna getting them up on top by casting to them with topwater stickbaits and poppers. He loves being on the water with his 19 year old son Tommy who is his mate.
Frank Crescitelli
Capt. Frank has been fishing NY Harbor/NJ for over 35 years, and guiding for the last 17 years. Owner of Fin Chaser Charters, the area’s original full time Fly & Light Tackle guiding business.
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Franks passion for fishing is only matched by his dedication to protecting the resource, and is Chairman and Founder of The Fishermen’s Conservation Association (FCA). In 2008 Frank coupled with his product knowledge and marketing talents into his own tackle company, Guides Choice Tackle maker of “Guides Secret Professional Grade Fishing Gear.

Capt Frank’s Professional Associations are: Raymarine Pro Ambassador, Buddy Davis & D&R Boats Fishing Team, Maui Jim Ambassador, Yeti & Cortland Line Pro. Temple Fork Outfitters, Daiwa & Optima Battery Pro Staff.

The “Fin Chasers” TV Show Season One now airing on Destination America, Pursuit Channel & Time Warner Cable Sports. Follow Capt. Frank, Wade Boggs & Team Fin Chaser as they chase World Records & fish tournaments on every single episode, it should be fun to watch.

As one of Franks Clients stated: “ The only bad thing about Frank guiding you, is that you don’t know who’s having more fun, you or him, but you’re the one paying!

Gene Quigley
Capt. Gene Quigley is the co-owner of Shore Catch Guide Service, the Northeast’s largest fly and light tackle guide service. Shore Catch has been in business for over 20 years as has a fleet of custom boats and 4×4 vehicles that take anglers from the surf to the offshore canyons.
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A native of the New Jersey shore, Gene has been fishing the inshore and offshore waters for over 35 years. Gene specializes in fishing for Bluefin Tuna and Trophy Striped Bass. Equally at home from the boat or in the surf, Capt Gene has put hundreds of anglers on their first trophy Striped Bass and Bluefin; and is one of a handful of anglers worldwide who have consistently landed Bluefin tuna over 100 lbs on fly tackle.

In 2013 Capt. Gene was voted one of the Top 50 Charter Captains In The World by Saltwater Sportsman Magazine and in 2010 was voted as one of the Top 100 Fishing Guides in North America by Field & Stream Magazine.

In addition to guiding, Gene is also a noted outdoor writer, photographer, and seminar speaker. He is on the editorial staff for Fly Fishing in Saltwaters Magazine, and contributes regularly to Saltwater Sportsman, Sportfishing, Fly Fisherman, The Fisherman, On The Water Magazine, New Jersey Angler, and was featured as one of North Americas Top 100 Guides by Field & Stream Magazine.

Gene is the co-author of Saltwater Fishing, A Tactical Approach and also contributes a weekly fishing column in the Hook, Line and Sinker section of the Asbury Park Press.

Gene sits on the national prostaff for St Croix Rod Company, Raymarine, AVET Reels, Cape Horn, Jones Brothers, Yamaha, Navionics, Mako Fly Reels, Aquaskinz, Rio Fly Lines, Gamakatsu, Spro, FINS Line, Patagonia, Hogy, Yeti Coolers, AFTCO, Costa Del Mar, STINGO-Fish, and Korkers.

Currently, Gene is the Chairman of the New Jersey Professional Fly & Light Tackle Guides Association and sits on the association’s national board of directors. He has been a featured angler on ESPN Outdoors, Versus, Outdoor Life Networks (OLN); Family Fishing Outdoors Show, PBS;Vacations On The Fly; television shows.

Outside of the fishing world, Capt Gene spends most of his time in the mountains or in the ocean. From Surfing to Skiing and Snowboarding; Gene has traveled all over the world in search of big waves, big mountains and big fish.

Paul Kross
Captain Paul “Butch” Kross has been fishing the nearshore and offshore waters of New Jersey since the early 60s. Butch started his charter boat career in 1979 on the first POPS TOY fishing out of Manasquan Inlet and has placed in many tournaments and continues to fish a board his 35 Bertram docked at Crystal Point Yacht Club.
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Captain Butch’s other passion has been fishing in Costa Rica on a yearly basis since the early 80’s. In the early 90’s Butch started assisting in coordinating groups of anglers to travel to the rich waters of Costa Rica. With his extreme knowledge of Los Suenos ,Jaco and Quepos Capt Butch has put anglers on the fishing trip of their dreams , whether it be offshore for Marlin,Sailfish and Tuna or nearshore for Grouper, Cubera Snapper or Roosters. Captain Butch can help with all aspects of your fishing trip including transportation and Lodging in Costa Rica and booking the best boats. You will find Captain Butch fishing and enjoying Los Suenos for a few months a year mostly during our winter which is the best weather window in Costa Rica offering Flat Seas, no wind, daily sunshine with a abundance of billfish and bottom fishing.
RJ and Cody Melton
Captains RJ and Cody Melton have been perfecting the art of fishing the New Jersey Canyons over the past 20 years. They worked on private vessels for 10 years and for the last 8 have been running a successful charter boat out of Manasquan NJ called Jersey Nutz.
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During their time they have been exposed to both new and old techniques and have combined them to develop a successful game plan to keep their customers on the fish and happy while being extremely competitive in some of the top tournaments on the East Coast. Jersey Nutz and crew have created quite a resume over the years with tournament wins and work with some of the top companies in the fishing industry. Jersey Nutz is now known as one of the top canyon boats in NJ producing consistent catches and happy customers.

Deane Lambros

Fishing from a young age before he could even walk. Captain Deane spent his time pursuing Inshore species till he made his first offshore canyon trip and has been addicted ever since. 

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Ever since that day he has become obsessed with chasing offshore large pelagic species – joining the Canyon Runner Team in the Winter of 2009. He earned his captain’s license at the age of 20 in the spring of 2010 and from 2010 to 2013 he filled the seat of 2nd Captain/1st Mate and filling in as captain whenever the opportunity arose.  In the spring of 2013 he took over as full-time captain of the 48 Canyon Runner running charters and commercial fishing.  Deane stays busy fishing the local New Jersey canyons all of summer long and travels to Cape cod in the fall for the Giant Bluefin tuna. He spends his winters fishing for bluefin tuna commercially North Carolina on the 48′ Canyon Runner and South Florida running the Canyon Runner Ritchie Howell 60′. 
 
Additionally, Deane has been an integral part of our team, coordinating and supervising all yard work done on both of the Canyon Runner boats. Deane has also penned several articles in various fishing publications and continues to speak at seminars on offshore fishing. In recent years Deane has been a very successful on the tournament scene both in the cockpit and on the Helm.

JIM HUTCHINSON

A Jersey Shore native, Jim Hutchinson, Jr. was hired in 2002 as managing editor of The Fisherman’s New Jersey edition, moving to New York in 2006 to take over as executive editor following the retirement of his mentor, Pete Barrett.

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Having covered saltwater fisheries issues extensively, Hutch left The Fisherman in 2009 for a six-year stint as managing director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, a national political organization dedicated to safeguarding the rights of saltwater anglers and the recreational fishing industry.  He returned to The Fisherman in early 2015 as New Jersey edition managing editor where he hopes to spend the rest of his writing career.  A lifelong hunter, angler, and freelance writer, he’s been actively involved in state organizations including New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, the Tuckerton Seaport Museum, and the Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Tournament, and also sits on the national advisory board for Gray FishTag Research.  When not at his desk, he can often be found on The Road (the name of his small center console he keeps in South Jersey) or surfcasting the beaches near his home in Brick, NJ. 

Tony Maja
At 41, Tony “Maja” Jr has been fishing for as long as he could walk, growing up fishing with striped bass trolling innovator Tony Maja, Sr. Tony Jr. started trolling for big bass at the age of 8 and worked closely with his father to help perfect the technique and products that have led to more than 60 “trophy bass” of 50 or more pounds by Tony Maja customers during the past 8 years. Tony’s seminar will be “Effectively Trolling up Trophy Striped Bass”.

Fred Gamboa

Capt Fred has been a Charter boat Captain for past 25 years. Specializing In multi species fishing from New Jersey to Florida/Bahamas. Currently on pro staff off major companies Contender, Yamaha, Shimano, and Owner. Capt Fred is very active on the Seminar circuit and has shot numerous TV shows on Sportsman Channel and the Outdoor Channel. 

Pete Sykes

Captain Pete of Parker Pete’s Fishing has been fishing the Atlantic Ocean most of his life. It started back when he was old enough to walk to the marina and fish off the docks.  From that early age, the little blond boy made a name for himself and starting to fish and work on the party boats of Shark River.  At that time everyone knew who little Pete was; a young boy with the work ethic of a grown man. 

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Fishing weekends and all summer when out of school, Pete became a well-talented fisherman and mate. His entire teenage and young adulthood was spent working on the ocean. Pete’s love for the water couldn’t keep him away. The salt runs through his veins. 

Phil Howarth

Since his Honeymoon in 1994, Capt Phil visited the Cape with his family every year till finally washing ashore in 2012. Owner of the Goose Hummock and Captain of the Yoshki.com3, a 44’ Contender fishing machine, Capt Phil is a passionate fisherman who fishes Freshwater through to chasing Tuna as far as the Canyons.

Presentation

Intro to Tuna Fishing

Well, we all have to start somewhere ( I did 10 years ago!) . And now as a self confessed Tuna addict, Capt Phil will explain the rules, regulations and reporting requirements surrounding Tuna Fishing which can appear to be a minefield. We will discuss how to equip your boat with the right fishing and safety equipment and finally give some tips as to how to catch this majestic species.

Patrick Sebile

Patrick Sebile needs very little introduction and has held around 370 records (World, European & nationals), written 7 books and 800+ articles, appeared on 200+ TV shows and as many magazine front covers, Fished 71 countries and caught 783 fish species to date – always looking for a new one!!, his rods won 5 times the surf casting world championship, and last but not least he received 24 industry awards for his creations, the most for any designer in the history of fishing tackle.

Presentation

Casting far from shore and the dynamics behind true long distance lures

There’s no magic, and what makes some lures reach farther distance than others is a mix between their conception, their balance, and also to a certain extent to the gear used to throw them into the surf with the goal of reaching that little bit further than others anglers around them. 

Patrick aims to help anglers understand some physics that translates in better fishing results, whether you want to use some of his lures or others, and talk about the results this helps to reach in terms of catches.

Eric Kerber

For Captain Eric Kerber, fishing is not a pastime it’s not a hobby, fishing is life, and not just because it’s also his job. When Kerber isn’t running a charter trip, he’s out fishing for fun. When the reports are terrible, he’s out scouting, trying to make his own report. When an angry ocean won’t let him break the inlet, he’s rigging tuna lures, sharpening plug hooks and getting ready for the next trip. It’s this drive, passion, and tenacity that have earned him one of the most loyal followings among charter captains in New Jersey

Presentation

Trolling for Tuna

Captain Eric will cover important topics such as:

  • Rigging your boat in preparation of trolling
  • Which rods and reels to use and why
  • What to put in your spread, Bars, chains, Lures, Ballyhoo etc
  • How to set your spread and fish it to its optimum potential

Chris Lido

Chris Lido has been an outdoor journalist, educator, fishing guide and instructor for over 25 years. After long-tenured experiences at the Asbury Park Press, The Fisherman, The New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, The Roving Nature Center, Shannon’s Fly Tackle and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife he joins the historic Bogan Family as a crew and public relations specialist with The Gambler Party Boat out of Point Pleasant N.J.

Alan Lee

Capt. Alan Lee is a USCG-licensed Captain (OUPV). He is the owner and frequent operator of the Mushin, currently a Henriques 44-foot sport fisher in Point Pleasant, NJ. He has fished for over 50 years from freshwater panfish to blue marlin, and most everything in between. He has fished all along the Jersey Coast for many decades, and enjoys pursuing all species of saltwater fish.

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His specialties include mid-range and offshore/canyon fishing for tuna, tilefish, and marlin; and inshore fishing for bottom fish such as cod and sea bass. Capt. Alan is among a select few who serve as SHIMANO FISHING TACKLE ProStaff, as well as representing other brands such as PowerPro, Sterling Tackle, G. Loomis, Costa, MaddMantis, Chatter Lures, and Old Man’s Tackle Box. Capt. Alan has appeared in many print, radio, and television fishing programs locally and nationally, and enjoys sharing his passion and experience of fishing. Capt. Alan has frequently placed in many offshore big-game tournaments.

Vinny Vetere
Capt. Vinny Vetere has been fishing the lower New York Harbor for over 50 years. He has demonstrated his knowledge of our local waters by winning major fishing tournaments and coming in first place in the Pabst Blue Ribbon, Manhattan Cup and the OTW Striper Cup contests.
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He runs a successful charter boat business out of Staten Island NY and only fishes and targets monster Striped Bass. His boat “Katfish” was self-designed and built in New Jersey. His motto, “No Fish, No Fare, No Fooling” is something he takes to heart. His tackle company (TGT Tackle) makes the finest Bunker spoons, all hand crafted and manufactured in the USA. His design of his HoJo , (custom Hand Hade MoJos) took the fishing community by storm in 2014.

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