Though there were no boat reports, surfcasters scored with stripers and blues in many areas. The Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands won't be sailing into Tuesday's continuing strong NW winds, but will be fishing on Wednesday as well as the shortened Thanksgiving special. While surfcasters scored in many areas along the Shore, the most notable catch was a semi-tropical redfish (red drum) released by Vinny D'Anton of Wall on a snagged peanut bunker at Avon. He was releasing school stripers regularly when I arrived, including a 34-incher. D'Anton said poppers hadn't worked, but I had one on and made a cast that produced a 27-inch bass. Then some jumbo blues appeared, and I added two releases up to 33 inches on the pencil popper. Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park had lots of bass and blue weigh-ins. Jerry Lasko of Point Pleasant said he had stripers almost bumping into his boots during an early blitz there. Following is a release from the DEP that will be of interest to surfcasters:     CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION MARKS COMPLETION OF FLOOD-CONTROL CULVERT FOR MONMOUTH COUNTY'S WRECK POND PARTNERSHIP'S WORK IS PROTECTING PROPERTY AND IMPROVING ECOLOGY   (16/P111) TRENTON – The Department of Environmental Protection today joined with federal and local officials to mark the completion of a state-of-the-art flood-control culvert that will protect communities surrounding Monmouth County's Wreck Pond as part of the Christie Administration's comprehensive efforts to make New Jersey more resilient to storms and floods. "This project exemplifies Governor Christie's commitment to making New Jersey stronger and safer following the devastation from Superstorm Sandy," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said. "This culvert, in concert with ongoing ecological enhancements, will work with nature to protect hundreds of properties in Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Sea Girt from flooding that causes huge financial strain and disruption of lives." During today's dedication ceremony, DEP Deputy Commissioner David Glass was joined by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, Spring Lake Mayor Jennifer Naughton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New Jersey Field Supervisor Eric Schrading, American Littoral Society Executive Director Tim Dillingham and other officials associated with the project. "Spring Lake has been struggling with both serious flooding and deteriorating water quality in Wreck Pond for many years.  We are grateful for the thoughtful project assistance and critical funding that we received from all of the agencies involved," said Mayor Naughton. "It never would have been possible for our community to complete this work on our own." "The Wreck Pond project is a critical project for fish and wildlife in Monmouth County that will not only improve water quality, but will provide important migratory fish passage to the Wreck Pond watershed," the Fish and Wildlife Service's Schrading said.  "This project was only possible through the tremendous collaboration of local, state and federal partners, and the important work by the American Littoral Society.   It will be really special to see a successful run of river herring in Wreck Pond as a result of this project." "This project combines restoration of an important coastal environment with reducing the vulnerability of the local communities to future hazards," the American Littoral Society's Dillingham said. "It successfully demonstrates how restoring the coastal environment can help the shore bounce back from storms while improving daily life for people and wildlife in the surrounding area." "Having worked for many years to alleviate the flooding and environmental issues at Wreck Pond, we all know today represents a major turning point in our efforts to strengthen flood control," Rep. Smith said. "Truly it is a day for us all to celebrate. The completion of this specific project, key to the entire effort, is the result of a true partnership—a coordinated effort of federal, state, county, local and community agencies, and I am pleased to have been a part of this state-of-the-art solution." The Christie Administration launched the $7.4-million lake restoration project in July 2015, as a collaborative effort involving many partners. The cornerstone is the 600-foot-long concrete culvert restoring tidal flows between the ocean and the 73-acre pond. The pond's natural inlet was filled in during the 1930s. A pipe constructed at the time to connect the ocean and lake restricted tidal flows, exacerbating flooding and leading to degraded water quality. The Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering is conducting a second phase of dredging as part of the overall restoration project. This work is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Work on creating more than a mile of living shorelines and a sand berm planted with native vegetation will begin in the spring. The Administration is funding the project through a $3.85 million grant from the DEP's Flood Hazard Risk Reduction and Resiliency grant program and $608,000 from the DEP's Corporate Business Tax grant program. The U.S. Department of the Interior provided a $2 million grant and the borough of Spring Lake is providing $915,000.   The Sandy Hook-based American Littoral Society is administering the Department of Interior grant awarded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to pay for part of the culvert construction and a portion of berm construction. Students from Monmouth University are monitoring water quality and aquatic life in the lake as the project progresses.