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The New Jersey Angler Magazine hit newsstands
for the first time in March, 1996 as the South Jersey Angler.
At the time, the magazine’s content was primarily freshwater-oriented,
and catered heavily to the freshwater bass clubs in and around
the Vineland, NJ area. The magazine grew quickly, and by September,
1998 it was time to change the name and go statewide.
In September, 2002, the magazine was acquired by
then managing editor, Bill Donovan, and after a substantial redesign
and significant expansion of the magazine’s content and
distribution, its acceptance amongst the angling community reached
new levels. In fact, over the past three years, the magazine’s
circulation has more than doubled, and the New Jersey Angler brand
is now one of the most recognizable and respected in the region’s
marine marketplace.
October, 2005 marked the debut of The New Jersey
Angler Video Magazine, a TV show that fills a void in the
regional outdoor programming market. Essentially a mirror image
of the print publication, this program is the only national-quality
show to focus entirely on New Jersey fishing. Our staff firmly
believes that New Jersey offers some of the world’s best
fishing opportunities, and the goal of the New Jersey Angler
Video Magazine is to expose this fact to a community of
would-be anglers who may feel otherwise.
The New Jersey Angler Magazine is THE source
of saltwater and freshwater fishing and boating information for
Garden State anglers. Available by subscription and sold wherever
anglers gather across New Jersey and in adjacent states, the monthly
publication delivers a unique combination of technique and location-specific
information, reports on local people and events, coverage of fishery
management issues, quality photography and artwork, and fun and
interesting editorial from some of New Jersey’s most enthusiastic,
hard-fishing, and knowledgeable anglers.
Over and above its role as an information provider,
the New Jersey Angler Magazine plays a visible leadership
role in protecting the rights of recreational anglers and ensuring
the future viability of fishing by actively participating in the
fishery management process, aggressively fighting access problems
on the local level, and eagerly supporting other organizations
with similar interests.
The success of the New Jersey Angler Magazine has
to do not only with the quality of its print product, but also
with its ability to connect on a personal level with its readers
and advertisers. This, in conjunction with the aggressive, hard-core
fishing image of the magazine, as portrayed by its staff and reflected
in its product, helps to distinguish it from its competition in
the local and regional spaces.
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Bill Donovan acquired the New Jersey Angler in
September, 2002 after having been its managing editor for
several years prior. Donovan grew up fishing the backwaters
and oceanfront jetties around Cape May, New Jersey, though
his horizons have expanded to include almost every style
of fishing imaginable from the back bay flats out to the
canyons. He is one of the state’s best known and highly
respected anglers.
Donovan is the co-host of the New Jersey
Angler Video Magazine, and is also a popular seminar
speaker, spending a great deal of time lecturing at boat
and outdoor shows, club meetings and other events. “The
face-to-face aspect of my seminars and public appearances
is very important to me,” says Donovan. “I
really love doing personalized instruction, not only because
I enjoy teaching but because I always learn something
in the process.” He adds, “The best anglers
are those who acknowledge that they still have much to
learn.”
Donovan holds a seat on the ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Panel, is a Board Member of the Pennsylvania
Chapter of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, and is also a USCG-Certified
Captain. He resides in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania with his wife
Ellen and his children Billy and Nicholas, and maintains
a home in Wildwood, NJ, which serves as home base for many
of his angling endeavors. |
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Born in New York City, Curt Bobzin
moved with his family to Medford Lakes in Burlington County
at age six. This is where he was introduced to fishing at
the age of seven by a babysitter. He immediately became
hooked, and since that time he has fished up and down the
New Jersey coast and on almost every lake, river and pond
in the state.
Bobzin founded the Tidewater Bassmasters of
South Jersey in 1990, and fished competitively with that
team for over a decade. Although Bobzin spends a great deal
of time on many different waters throughout the state, his
true love is plying the waters of Delaware Bay and the lower
Delaware River. In fact, he is considered one of the region’s
foremost authorities on largemouth bass fishing in the tidal
Delaware.
Bobzin became involved with the New Jersey Angler back
in 1996, and he has been involved with the magazine longer
than any of its current staff. Certainly, Bobzin has had
much to do with the magazine’s success over the years.
Bobzin currently serves as the Second Vice
President of the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association
(M-DOWA), and has won several awards from within the organization
for excellence in craft, as well as for writings on conservation
and the environment. He resides in Mantua, NJ with his wife
Lynn and two daughters Elizabeth and Jennifer. |
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Darren Dorris has been the magazine’s
saltwater editor for the last 5 years, and has been writing
for the publication since 1998. He was introduced to fishing
at the age of 3, and has not looked back ever since. Dorris
enjoys fishing from the back bays to the canyons, but has
a special place in his heart for the “midrange pelagics”.
Species such as tuna, sharks, bonita and the like are really
what get Darren fired up! He is often spotted on the Barnegat
Bay in his 19-foot blue-hulled polar, or plying the ocean
on his 29-foot Pheonix twin diesel sportfisherman, the Blue
Heron.
Dorris is a popular seminar speaker, and is
now the co-host of the New Jersey Angler Video Magazine.
He teaches several fishing classes at area high schools
and for the State of New Jersey, and is an advisor to the
60-member fishing club at Southern Regional High School
in Manahawkin. Dorris is a member of the Outdoor Writers
Association of America (OWAA) and resides in Medford, NJ. |
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Gabriel Hnat has been fishing New Jersey waters
since childhood. As a young boy, Hnat caught his first fish,
a largemouth bass, on a little Rebel minnow, and he’s
been intrigued with artificial lures ever since. Hnat is
now one of the region’s leading authorities on artificials,
and frequently consults with manufacturers with respect
to new designs and market preferences.
Hnat has been writing for the New Jersey
Angler since 2001, and has been on the magazine’s
editorial staff since January, 2003. He now authors the
monthly “Product Profiles” column and contributes
to many articles and sections in the magazine each month.
Hnat resides in Philadelphia, PA with his wife Lisa
and children Marlena and Jack. |
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Lynn Bobzin manages what is perhaps the most
time consuming and thankless aspect of the magazine business – distribution.
Bobzin and her team distribute thousands of magazines to
newsstands, tackle shops, and other marine-related business
throughout the region. She also fulfills the role of advertising
representative, and manages many of the magazine’s
advertising accounts.
Bobzin is an experienced and talented angler,
a fact that undoubtedly has to do with the fact that she
is the wife of managing editor, Curt Bobzin. While Lynn
credits much of her fishing prowess to the knowledge she
has gained from her husband, she never hesitates to let
people know when she out-fishes him, which is more often
than Curt would like to admit. |
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Rich Disbrow has been on the New Jersey Angler staff
since 2001. Disbrow served as the magazine’s publisher
for over a year, before leaving to pursue other opportunities.
However, he remains on the staff on a part-time basis, where
he manages many advertising accounts and contributes to
many of the magazine’s events and functions.
Disbrow resides in Egg Harbor Township, NJ,
where he enjoys passing his love of fishing on to his son
Dave. |
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Bob "J" has been a New Jersey angler
longer than he can remember. In fact, when he was still
an infant his father held him in one arm and a trout
rod in the other. His dad, now deceased, loved to take
him fishing and is remembered fondly. In addition to
writing for the New Jersey Angler, Bob has also
written for other fishing publications, authored "Fishing
with Bob J." for two years for the Shoreview News,
and teaches fishing classes at Brookdale Community College
and the Township of Ocean. A staunch believer in catch
and release, Bob loves to ply the surf for stripers and
albies with flies and plugs, as well as lakes and streams
for bass and trout. Now 39 years of age, Bob resides
in Ocean, NJ with his Fiance', Nancy, and their three cats. |
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Harvey Yenkinson is a veterinarian by profession with a
special interest in marine ecological systems. A saltwater
angler all his life, Capt. Harv has devoted many hours to
studying the marine habitat and its hierarchy of bait and
predator species, and has written numerous articles on stripers,
drum, fluke, tuna, and sharks. Capt Harv has been fishing
the Cape May waters since 1970, and currently runs charters
on his boat Vetcraft. Harvey is also active in
protecting the rights of recreational fishermen. He is a
member of many recreational fishing groups and is the chairman
of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Recreational Fishing
Alliance. |
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Allen Riley of South Plainfield, NJ has fished
the Jersey Shore for most of his adult life. Retired
from the Carteret Public School system where he had a 35-year
career as a classroom teacher and district supervisor, his
current specialty is fishing the North Jersey surf in the
Sandy Hook to Sea Bright area. False albacore and
striped bass are his favorite species.
Riley began contributing surf features to The
New Jersey Anglerin 2003, and was
named a field editor in 2004. He has been published
over 125 times in a variety of regional outdoor magazines
and newspapers.
Riley is on the Pro Team of Gibbs/Nortac,
Canada’s largest fishing lure manufacturer. |
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