Rescheduled from a rainout, Sunday’s gathering at Barnegat Dock brought together local anglers, police officers, and a dozen species of fish and crabs for a day the whole community showed up for.
Rain pushed the date back a day, but it didn’t dampen the turnout. On Sunday, August 23, nearly 100 kids and their parents packed the municipal Barnegat Dock for the annual “Casting with a Cop” event, casting lines and crab traps alongside officers from the Barnegat Police Department.
The event, originally set for Saturday, was moved to Sunday morning after bad weather forced a last-minute reschedule. By 9 a.m., volunteers from a long list of local organizations had the dock set up and ready, and kids of every age were fishing and crabbing right alongside the officers assigned to work with them. Together they measured, scored, and held up their catches — about a dozen species of fish and crabs came over the rail that day, with plenty of smiles to go around.
“Casting with a Cop” is organized by the American Angler Fishing Club, Barnegat Bay Bait and Tackle, and the Barnegat Police Department, and was chaired this year by Brandy Hillegass of American Angler Fishing Club and Barnegat Bay Bait and Tackle.
Beyond the fishing, kids got their faces painted, walked through a Sea Tow vessel and a trailered U.S. Coast Guard boat, watched a Sea Tow drone demo, and got up close with a mounted horse courtesy of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department. All the fish and crabs that spent the day in the event’s holding pool were released at the end.
A wide network of local businesses and organizations pitched in to make the day happen, including:
- Home Depot — grilled hundreds of hot dogs for the crowd
- Rita’s Ice — kept everyone cool with Italian ice
- Fishbites — supplied the bait that put fish on every line
- Ocean County Sheriff’s Department — brought a mounted horse for the kids to meet
- Barnegat First Aid Squad — stood by throughout the event
- Ace Hardware — donated buckets for the young anglers
- Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office — shared safety information with families
- M&T Bank — handed out giveaways for the kids
- Captain Wabbit — set up a hand-washing station, soap included
- Sea Tow — brought a tow boat for kids to explore and flew a drone for the crowd
- U.S. Coast Guard — brought a trailered boat for a hands-on look
Organizers also thanked the many additional sponsors, small manufacturers, and individuals who donated cash, gear, and prizes to the event — too many to list individually, but every bit of support helped get the day on the water.
Most of all, organizers credited the volunteers, especially the American Angler Fishing Club members, who made “Casting with a Cop” happen.
Photos from the day are up on Facebook — search “Casting with a Cop” to see the full gallery. Planning for next year’s event is already underway, and organizers say anyone interested in helping out is welcome to get involved.