12.30.25 The last episode of the year....

 

     I was starting to feel like I was lost. A few weeks back it was the push to finish up the semester, finish up the work outside on the house, and get ready for the holidays. With that now past I needed to find my mojo to keep my self busy and my production up. As far as the holidays I'll have to say the below pic was one of my favorites. 

    That's me, 57, and my siblings sisters Meg, 48,  and Jess, 39, and brother Ryan, 54.  After we took the above image my sister was playing with some AI paint a picture or something and the above is what came out. It's been a bit since we've all been together and I wish we did this once or twice a month, not once a year if we're lucky. Sooner then later we'll be dead and it will be too late. In the end the thing we all wish for is more time together, or at least we should.

     Yesterday I was planning on taking the drive to have breakfast with Juliet but she is under the weather. That would have put me away from home for most of the day. After we decided to take a rain check I went back home and put my work clothes on figuring I would continue or start or finish a project, or at least move some stuff around that would make me feel like I accomplished something. But of course the house had no problem in letting me know it had other plans for me.

     As I entered the family room something looked off and the sound of water dripping caught me off guard. Here we go again, another episode of The Old House Classic. Oh how I would love to pawn this house off to a crew from TOH or some other fixer-upper cable TV show. It's the perfect house for an influx of money and skilled craftsman, not some broke-ass more handicapped then handyman homeowner past his prime. 

     To say Theresa and I could star in a remake of the 1986 movie The Money Pit would be an understatement. Nothing in big old houses is simple and easy. When something goes awry it just leads to a plethora of other problems. Open up a wall for the plumbing and there's the old electric, or vice versa. It just never ends and it's starting to feel like this house, as beautiful as it is, might be a hard sell and not worth the $958,400 Zillow currently lists the market value at. 

     I did a quick search through a folder I had of images taken the day we did a walk through of the house before we made an offer in December 2017. Boy it looked good, that's before we came in and ghettoed it all out. Below is the shot of the room now with a small creek running through the joists.

     So after throwing down a tarp it was time to start removing the rain soaked moldings, ceiling, and walls. It's funny but for years I thought she was built in 1923 but during that search on Zillow it comes as being constructed in 1928. This year will be it's 98th birthday. 

     With a house that old things like moldings and fixtures can't be replaced, so they have to be carefully removed and restored. You could just toss them out but then it would mean replacing them with some cheap ass stuff from Home Depot or Lowe's. They don't make things like they used to, and that's probably why this house has stood the test of time. If you're in the know then you know how much things like wood are these days. Simple things like 3/4" round base moldings run .84 a foot, and that's for composite or finger joint moldings. Wood today isn't like the wood of yesterday. 

     As I pulled and exposed what layed underneath is was evident someone had been through this before. When we were in the running with other potential buyers back in 2017 we made our offer with the contingency of not having a home inspection, which Theresa reminds me was a mistake every time something goes sideways. My thinking was we could do one ourselves and no matter what was going on we weren't going to get the house less then the $400,000 we would wind up paying for it. 

     So why this event is alarming is this. It's a roof problem, and it's the middle of winter. More snow and rain will come so it doesn't pay to hang new sheetrock if the potential of more water intrusion exists. Boy how I wish it was September again. 

     Years ago, when I was in my early home-ownership prime, this house, and this problem, would be a challenge, and actually some fun. It seemed like skill, time, and money were more available back in my 20's and 30's. Trips to Home Depot were testosterone enhancers, now it's just a drag. And just picking up the phone to order a dumpster was like calling up for a pizza delivery. These days a 20-yard dumpster runs about $800 which is now a planned and scheduled expense a few moths out from when we need one. So there's a pile of "stuff" under a tarp in the driveway waiting for that metal box delivery. 

     Theresa makes the point that maybe we should just clean our shit out and sell the house "as is now". Cut the loses and move on. Surely it's just a matter of time before the next home improvement disaster hits or one of the 100 foot redwoods come crashing down somewhere on the property. It never ends with a This Old House. And I won't remind you that the house is heated to a balmy 60 degrees around the clock, no matter how many logs I put in that stupid 

wood stove we had installed a month ago. They'll be more on that later when I'm searching for something to blog about during the dead of winter. 

     Now I have a push to get this buttoned up before we head to Hilton Head in less than two weeks. Some, like a person with normal intelligence, would say, "Hey, why not cancel the Hilton Head trip and put that money towards the house?". Smart, yes. But Theresa got the week in HH for $400, and the round trip tickets for both of us were $273. At 57, with less time left then I have lived already, what will I reflect on when I'm taking my last breaths? That week away with my bestie in Hilton Head or that half-filled dumpster in the driveway? You gotta live today like it's your last, even ion there's water running through the ceiling. That will be there when we get back. 

12.29.25 New Jersey needs some water....

     According to the NJ DEP the state continues to be in a "Statewide Drought Warning". While we've had some rain and snow blanket the area in the last two weeks we're still dry compared to be where we should be. Near me the Delaware River has been running below mean river flow levels since the summer. Currently the river at Trenton is running just above 5,000 cfs. 

     This past fall New Jersey's fall trout stocking program had to be modified due to low water levels in the various streams and rivers which receive fish for the put and take fishery. 

     The low water flows have affected the supply of drinking water to people in and around Trenton. The Trenton Water Works has come under fire, again, for failing to be able to consistently deliver drinking water to its 225,000 people in the city and surrounding communities. For us, we don't rely on municipal water but well water supplied though a pump which supplies us well water. 

     Trenton Water Works is located on the banks of the Delaware River just above the Calhoun Street Bridge. It takes 6.5 billion gallons of water per day in ground and surface (river) water.  Of the water taken in and filtered and processed 27 million gallons of usable water are distributed to customers per day. As of late they've had a problem dealing with frazil ice due to the low river flows. Frazil ice is a slushy mix of ice crystals that inhibit flow into the plant. It's different than an ice dam caused by large sections of frozen water, or ice, which disrupts flow into the plant. 

     The Delaware River, and its flows, falls under the control of the Delaware River Basin Commission. The DRBC is made up by the four governors (NJ, NY, PA, DE), the Army Corp of Engineers, and the North Atlantic Division Engineer. The Delaware River and its reservoirs and tributaries feed drinking water for NYC and cities and towns down and along the Delaware River. 

     If you're a fly fisherman then you know all about flows and releases from the reservoirs at the top of the Delaware River. It's a balance of keeping enough water in the reservoirs, enough water heading downstream, and enough water in the system to sustain wildlife, like wild trout. One key indictor of how the system is doing is the Montague Target. 

     The minimum flow at Montague is 1,750 cfs. Currently the river is running at 3,910 cfs. If it hits the target the reservoirs have to release water into the system. If it dropped below then there wouldn't be sustainable levels downriver. Also, the salt line in the Delaware is normally around RM 65.

     If the salt line creeps up the river it can affect drinking water. The highest the salt line hit was RM 102 during the 1960's drought. That was around where the Schuylkill River empties into the Delaware just below Philadelphia. 

     I'm already counting down the days until March when the early spawning striped bass enter the river system. If recent history repeats itself we will see spring deluges of rain which blow out the river, followed by drought like conditions, with "normal" weather thrown in from time to time. These all-or-none weather events can't be good for migrating and spawning fish like shad, herring, and striped bass. Hopefully this year will be different and we will get snow in the highest regions which will allow for snow pack melt off which will feed the aquifers. Water from the ground is good for the river, and the fish, and the fisherman as well. 

12.24.25 Recruiters are digging deep....

 

     I was going through my 1,000 emails with my finger on the delete button when one caught my eye, "180,000 Tx Orthopedic NP". This email is from a headhunting company that often includes me in their mailing list. I shouldn't feel honored as it's just an email blast that is sent out fishing, literally, for talent that is looking for a change. 

     Let me be honest with you, healthcare sucks, no matter what side of the aisle you're on these days. That's not to say that so-and-so Doc, PA, NP, or nurse isn't good and in it for the right reason, but the system, from the waits, to the overcrowding, to being a number, to the insurance companies, well suck. 

     Being on the patient and provider side I see if both ways. One thing that I can say, if you are a patient and aren't in the know or don't have an advocate on your side, you can just become a number with no one directing you to proper treatment. Most patients are trusting, and they take what they're told as gold, even if it's from a borderline provider looking to discharge a patient or send them off to another provider. For inpatients, that could mean you being caught up in the quagmire of being sent to "rehab", which these days is a mask for spending time in a long term care facility which offers "rehabilitation" in addition to nursing home type services. We're in a time of "Get em' in and get em' out".

     Retention is a big problem in healthcare, especially with nurses. Nurses with decades long experience are looking to either leave the bedside or retire altogether. Nursing has morphed from patient-focused to computer-focused care. Nurses have become case managers and computer feeders, rather than spending most of their shifts with patients, it's "feeding" the computer either at the nurses station or on that "COW", which is a computer on wheels. I tell people I love being a nurse, but nursing, these days, just plain sucks. 

     So not only do I get emails often for nursing jobs I also get the advanced practice jobs as well. Travel jobs pay big bucks if you're in the position to travel. But you have to be flexible and on top of your game for you to be successful. I know nurses that take travel assignments around the calendar year based on the weather alone. Thirteen weeks here, then there, and then back. 

     So in the latest CI Group email I opened I saw a new angle they were throwing at me, or at least out there. "....located in the "Bass Fishing Capital of Texas" was in the email which was just a worm dangled off a hook. And what interested me was how does this company know I like to fish, and are a nurse practitioner? Now sending this to someone who is a golfer or surfer or a hiker wouldn't increase their chance of snagging new talent. Somehow, there must n algorithm or some type of AI that "knows" what a prospective provider is into? 

     My fisherwoman, well recruiter, Sheryl Patel, sent me her calendar for me to pick a 15-minute time slot to discuss this exciting opportunity. Of course I would have a list of questions in addition to discussing the $180,000 annual salary. Like do they have access to private waters, does the company have access to boats, and are there good fly fishing opportunities down there? Truth be told, I'm not even a good candidate as I am not an orthopedic NP, but a psychiatric-mental health one which carries a different scope of practice. You wouldn't want some one who treats schizophrenia or bipolar disorder treating you for a post-op hip or knee replacement. 

     So I looked at other emails they have sent me. The one below popped up from Alaska. "140,000 + depending on experience and production incentives". Production incentives? What does that mean? Oh, it means cramming in as many patients into a day as you can. Been there, done that, no thank you. 

     This job wouldn't be your "Let's start you on some Prozac and see you in a couple of weeks". Alaska ranks high in alcohol and drug dependence when compared to our other 50 states. And addiction and mental health go hand in hand so the prospective candidate would have a

schedule full of patients with addiction related needs. "Ketamine experience a plus", which is a treatment modality used for treatment resistant depression. Basically, but not downplaying it, patients come in for "sessions" where they "trip", like hallucinate, which improves their mood. Again, not my thing. 

     But they did dangle an interesting worm with the job description, a "Hunter and fisherman's paradise with spectacular salmon and halibut fishing on beautiful lakes and rivers". Do they know how hard it is to get a fly down to those bottom dwellers? But it can be done.

     My experience using sinking lines has maxed me out to a 450 gr. sinking line. Over there, or up there, wherever Alaska is, calls for 700 gr sinking lines. I think I'll stick to tossing crab flies in the troughs using intermediate lines when searching for those flatfish here in New Jersey. But the chance to land a 250-pound halibut on the fly does sound interesting.

     In order for Ms. Patel to pique my interest in advanced practice nursing jobs across the United States she should spend more time on this blog. Doesn't she know we're honing in on South Carolina? A quick search on Indeed brought up a few possibilities.

      The one thing that's missing from the Indeed job bait is the fishing in and around Hilton Head. No mention of redfish, tarpon, jacks, or sheepshead. But what's good to know is there are some solid paying jobs down there if, rather when, we make the move. When I was talking to Billy Hoblitzell about relocating he emphatically recommended that "Make sure you rent down there before you buy". I've talked with many people whop thought the grass was greener somewhere else only to return to they natal states.

     I could also take my nursing professor title on the road. I see opportunities at the University of South Carolina in their baccalaureate nursing degree program. I liked the nice little $50 an hour nursing tutor job which would give me the flexibility to stay in the game without the rigors of full-time professorship. There's also opportunities at the Technical College of the Lowcountry which offers associates degree nursing programs. Now that's in my wheelhouse. 

     Whatever the future holds I'm thankful to have a nursing license in hand. That license offers the holder a wide variety of opportunities in various settings across the United States. I'll keep my eyes open for career opportunities down in South Carolina, specifically for those that mention the the area around Hilton Head the "Redfish Fishing Capital of South Carolina". 

12.23.25 What advice would I give that kid today? ...

 

     While searching through my iCloud archives I found this old picture. It was probably taken by my Mom around 1979. I would have been 11, my brother 6, and my sister 2. That was 46 years ago. What a long, strange trip it's been. 

     The image shows us on the steps in our house in Millstone. My parents build that house in 1974 when Millstone was still old farms and there were no borders. It was a youth filled with fishing and motor and BMX bikes. From Millstone I would commute to Freehold for grammar school at St. Rose of Lima and then to Red Bank Catholic for high school. The later 45 mile one-way commute to school was a hum dinger, it basically sucked, and kept me out of loop of any circle of friends, at least for my first two years. 

     After my parents split my Mom moved to River Plaza which was good not only for my sleep but also for my social life. It was during the later part of my high school years that I developed a love of photography and got my first real job working at The Register, a daily newspaper, located in Shrewsbury. 

     After high school I headed off to Seton Hall to major in journalism. That lasted one semester, but not before I pledged Sigma Pi and met a Newark firefighter who invited me down to the firehouse. After about 10 minutes after walking in the front door I new what my calling was. I remember telling my Mom, and her reply was less than impressed because I had dreams of being a paleontologist when I was a kid, so this was just another career calling.

     I moved back home and joined the Middletown Fire Department while taking classes at Brookdale Community College, for why I don't know. But the funny thing is those few credits actually helped me in my later years. I had always worked for my father's construction company starting during the summers in high school and in 1987 I got my ironworkers union book as I developed a plan to test for the Newark Fire Department. 

     Part of that would include having to move to Newark to meet the residency requirement. I moved to Warren Street in Newark sharing an apartment with a bunch of guys. I remember the rent was $156 a month, for all of us. Sadly, right as I was moving in, the landlords and owners of the building were murdered on the third floor. But it was a good spot, one we kept for years until the family sold the building. It was close to work for me as most of my father's projects were in North Jersey, I was in Newark which met the residency requirement, and close to the physical exam practice center which was down in the Ironbound. 

     I was lucky to get on the Newark Fire Department. I was ranked #41 and they hired to #42. After my class they threw out the list because the U.S Justice Department didn't like the racial make-up of it after #42. But I was on, and those were the best years of my life. In addition to working at the NFD I was also working at University Hospital EMS which sparked the medical side of me which exists today. After a few years I was burned out and needed to do something other then EMT and BLS work. It was either become a paramedic, PA, or an RN. So I went to Essex County College and the rest is history.

     I left Newark and bought houses just about everywhere I landed. Verona, West Orange, Red Bank, Middletown, Ocean Township, back to Red Bank, and finally Titusville. After I retired from the fire department I went back to my original calling, chasing news as a photojournalist. I jumped back and forth working for the big papers spending most time putting in shifts for The New York Post doing everything I could to beat the other photographers, especially from The New York Daily News. I would go one to co-own a photo agency, Agency New Jersey, which supplied news images from around New Jersey. We even had an office on Press Row in the Statehouse. 

      When the newspaper industry went to shit in the last 2000's I made the move to my other passion, fly fishing. I started The Average Angler and soon thereafter got my NY State Guide license and Captain's license. But trying to be a full-time guide is hard, almost a delusion. Full-time meaning you don't have another source of income. No family fortune, no wife's income, no pension, just guiding 365 days a year. Well I can tell you giving talks to clubs for $150 a few times in January and February doesn't meet the monthly nut. Add to that the cost of doing business, and I realized I was just supporting a habit, not a family. People out there do it so maybe I just wasn't good enough. 

     Along the way there were three marriages and seven kids. For a guy who's goal in life was to never get divorced...well, there you go. Of course losing Ryan was a big hit. They say you never should have to bury a child. But really, that statement only is correct if you think only old folks die. While I cherish the memories of being a Dad when the kids were small, it's good to see them when they're rolling into adulthood. Now those kids are going on 21 through 34. To this point I'm not a Grandfather. That will be a first for me when and if it comes. 

     So during my mid-40's after realizing that guiding full-time was a pipe dream, I returned to nursing. Having that license, any license for that matter, is a life-long pass to earn a living. It's like having a trade, one thing I would recommend to most young folks out there today, both male and female. When I got back in my license was backed by my to-year degree from Essex County College. In order to grow I had to return to school. So between Felician, Monmouth, and a stint in Villanova Universities I made it through the start of my DNP. 

     I went from working as a psychiatric mental health nurse to a nurse practitioner and we opened up The Psychiatric Practitioner just before COVID hit. It was four years of a nightmare, not the helping people part, but trying to run a business. Let's just say we're not good at bookkeeping, and reports, and taxes. 

     Having a business in healthcare, to me, is like owning a boat. The happiest day is when you buy one, and the second is when you sell it. So I made the jump to teaching, and I returned to Essex County College, my home. For four years I did that commute. It killed me. Not only the commute but some kinky-flinky shit in the nursing department. So I made the jump down to Capital Health in Trenton. So far, so good, but it's no Essex. 

     So here I sit, nearly 58, in a big old house, with a big old truck, with a ... ... wife, kidding, and all the things that so many of us have. Too big a mortgage, school loans, car loans, the mounting monthly bills, and just going through the daily routines to remain "happy". I have seen my peers, from grammar school through the fire department and even nursing, make the move, retiring and moving, to enjoy the last years they have while they are viable. Waiting to retire and move is rolling the dice because you never know what your body or mind has in store for us. But it takes work, and guts, to make a big change. We tell our kids all the time, "Don't settle", but do we heed our own advice?

     Imagine a life, somewhere, where you live at or beneath your means. No big bills. No need to have others prepare you food several times a week because it does more for your mind and ego than your stomach. No need to remain sucked into social media or the politics and the bullshit that comes along with it. No daily routines of going to job you no longer like, or with people that aren't in your inner circle. Now the grass is always greener, of course, and one would have to be totally honest with themselves, and their partner, to end the insanity. And that's where a lot of people get stuck. Their decades-long partner isn't their ride or die. The risk is making the move, setting up shop, and realizing that you can stand that person only in the context of what you've shared together for years, not in creating something new. 

     So what would I tell that goof on the stairs? I really don't know. "Be happy", yeah that's easy. All of the mistakes and things I would take back today were done because I thought they would make me happy at that time. Hindsight is 20/20. Buy a house in these times? I might caution them on that. Get the hell out of New Jersey? Yeah, maybe, this state is not the same state I grew up in. Travel? I was never a traveler and the kids these days jump on planes like I jumped on the Parkway. Marriage? 

     What I would like to tell them is to not get a cell phone, stay off of social media, don't pick a side in every aspect of life, and to just "Be happy". I would tell him to always remember family, first, even before spouses and friends. In the end they're usually the ones standing next to you when life's shit hits the fan. In the end, and after I'm dead, they'll have their own story to tell, and different advice they'd would tell their younger self if they could. 

     This year I think my siblings and I will be together for Christmas and I'm going to make it a point to re-create that photo, just for old times sake. 

12.21.25 So where are the striped bass now?

 

     It's December 21st and, for the most part, striped bass fishing along New Jersey is just about done. There may be a school or two still making their way south down around the southern tip of New Jersey but most have moved on. While the annual spring and fall migrations may be predictable this year was an anomaly along the Jersey Shore. Yes, off the beaches the boat guys had early success, but the beach hugging migration and bait drawing in bass just didn't materialize. 

    Each year there's certain locations that are just go-to spots. Early on the staging areas before the spawning runs draw not only bass but anglers as well. Those can be near the three big spawning rivers, like those around the Chesapeake, Delaware, and Hudson Rivers. After that the move is north, up into New England during the summer months. In the fall it's Long Island and the Jersey Shore. And then in the winter it's in and outside of the Chesapeake Bay. 

     While the forums, social media, and tackle store postings and reports from New Jersey and parts north have been quiet, those down in the Chesapeake area are alive as that is where the bulk of the striped bass are now. It's winter for most, but those down in Maryland and Virginia are now into the end, or start, of their big fish catch and release season. 

     So what happens? Well, find the bait, and you'll find the bass. The bunker, what's left of them, both big and small, can be found from the entrance of the bay down near Cape Charles, Va, up to Kent Island near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland. That's about 125 miles of a stretch. But it's go time down there.

      One such charter captain that pops up on my Facebook feeds is Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters. I don't read him to try and figure out where he's fishing, but more to understand when and where the striped bass are. And again, while for most of us we're already waiting for spring, the anglers down there are in their glory when the weather cooperates. 

     Captain Clough is still reporting that the bass, with water temps around the mid-40's, are still active up top and finding bird action can alert anglers to where the fish are. 

     The bigger fish can be found down low, which would make fly fishing for them more difficult. But screen shots from the electronics show bait with bass in pursuit. Those types of 

conditions would call for dropping rubbers, jigs, and metal. I can say that trying to get a sinking line down into the strike zones at 40 plus feet, in the cold, isn't easy, and definitely not fun. But that's where the fish are.  

     Why are the striped bass in the CB? Again I'm no expert, but I would think it's spring pre-spawn staging. Yes, they're eating, probably fattening up before they become sluggish during the dead of winter, but their internal spawning clocks are ticking, and go-time for them to move into their natal rivers is only 90 days away. 

     Over the last few years I've ventured down in late February or early March to see if I could find some of those pre-spawn bass in the tributaries off the Chesapeake Bay. Some may say, "Leave them alone", but I can tell you an angler with a fly rod in waders poses no threat to those big female striped bass. With a half a dozen trips under my belt I can admit I haven't had a touch on my fly, which are usually larger herring type patterns. 

     But currently back in New Jersey there are some die-hards that are still fishing, and catching. Yes, there are still striped bass in and around New Jersey. You can find them in the deeper channels and tucked up in the back of the various bays. One such body of water that holds wintering over striped bass is the Barnegat Bay. I won't tell you where on the 75 square mile body of water they are, but it's pretty much well known. 

     Years ago the spot was the water that ran in and out, well mostly out, of the Oyster Creek. The Oyster Creek Generating Station was the first nuclear plant in the United States that opened up in 1969. I'm not scientist, but I think basically cold water came in one way and warm water came out the other. Water was used to cool the plant, and the discharge water was tens of degrees warmer than the waters of the Barnegat Bay. 

     With the back bays and rivers closed for targeting striped bass from January 1 through March 1 it was a place I would usually go to to start my fishing year. Like my trips to the Chesapeake, in the handful of times I visited Oyster Creek I came up blank. 

     The plant closed in 2018 so that late and early season fishery there shut down. Similar places like that were in Trenton and Jersey City. But parts of the Barnegat Bay still have those holdover bass. The fish below was caught this past week in one such spot. 

     I have fished that spot before and can tell you that on a right tide, with a longer fly rod cast, you can fish the drop-off where the bass are holding. But, if you go now, or after March 1st, of course in New Jersey, you'll have company, and lots of it, always. Find the bait, or the bass, in New Jersey, and you'll find some anglers. 

     Above is a pic from the same location on the same day the above fish was caught. It looks like the Salmon River or your local stockie trout stream on opening day. If you're still in the want of catching striped bass then you can get in line and fish right to left or left to right depending on the tide, or grab a buddy and head south to the Chesapeake Bay. If that is an option look up Captain Clough, he seems to be in the know and gets it done during the winter months. That's if you can handle to cold. You can find him on Facebook, HERE, or at (443) 786- 5266. 

12.19.25 Definitely not a fishing trip. well maybe just a bit...

     Over the past few weeks Lauren and I have been plotting out what we may do for Theresa's big 60th birthday coming up in January. It was a toss up between a smaller family gathering or a big shindig inviting everyone she knows. Then it was the venue, spend the money and have it somewhere else, or run around like a madman over the next month tying up unfinished projects so she's not embarrassed having people over in my ever evolving episode of This Old House. 

     Out of the blue she came to me and said, "Look, I can get a place (for a week) in Hilton Head around our birthdays for $400". Mmmmm. Hilton Head. Retirement destination. Warmer weather. REDFISH!! So after explaining to her what we were conjuring up she opted for a destination birthday celebration for her 60th and my 58th. No doubt one big reason she leaned to travel is to escape the cold, and the big old cold house we reside in. 

     January in Hilton Head, which is their winter season, is similar to our fall here in New Jersey. Water temps range from the 40-50's and the fish, mostly redfish, swim in larger schools and prefer warmer shallow creeks and mudflats. There's also big bulls reportedly off in the inshore waters but that would require a boat, so some type of charter for hire. For me that would mean 

reaching out to guide Marc Nutting of LoCo Fly Charters, above, who I've fished with before. But, this is NOT a fishing trip. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

     But how can it NOT be a fishing trip. Marriot's Barony Beach Club is located on the beach and within a short drive to all kinds of creeks and channels, and that's where the fish like to 

prowl during the cooler, not cold, winter months. During our past trips we've stayed at Marriot's Harbor Point which is at Shelter Cove on Broad Creek. The two times we've went it was about 

1,000 degrees and while I put the time in I was only able to land a small, like real small, puppy drum. It wasn't until my friend Neil and I hired Marc to take us out did I find real good tailing reds 

and land a few respectable fish. That trip was one where you had to leave in the dark because by 9 am it was a million degrees and the fish were hunkered down trying to escape the heat. While my favorite way to fish for striped bass is sight fishing I have to say I might enjoy the way 

redfish act when in skinny water just a tad better. Tailing striped bass and bluefish? Yes, that happens from time to time, but it seems to be the go-to way redfish like to hunt and eat.

     I did some research browsing the internet looking to see how fishing in Hilton Head is in January. Of course the charter operations and guides talk of possible great fishing, not that they're lying, but I was looking more for the DIY take on things. 

     

     I read that smaller reds in the 2-12 pound range, fine by me, are typical in the creeks, the big reds are found 5-15 miles off the beach. What is appealing by not fishing when it's like Africa hot is the water quality and visibility. When I fished it was the high summer season and the water was full of algae type stuff and almost had a chalky appearance to it. They say the water during the winter months is gin clear which is better for sight fishing. 

     So it'll just be a few weeks before we either load up the car and head south or spend a few hundred for airplane tickets plus another couple of hundies for a rental car.  It's a brutal 11-1/2 

hour drive covering 745 miles. You think you're saving money by driving but when you add up the gas, tolls, meals, and the udder aggravation....it seems worth the money to sit like a sardine for the 2-1/2 hour flight. The ONLY problem is, what about my Orvis PRO waders? They're big and bulky and won't fit in a carry-on. Maybe I could just hold them as my personal item? 

    I'm thinking if we fly I'll just head over to WalMart and pick up a cheap pair of waders and then just leave them down there for next guy. Or I could just have them shipped to the Barony Resort. But if I go for the extra $80 bucks for a checked bag....alright left me stop. Remember...NOT a fishing trip.

     If I were smart I'd be looking at how to book a day for Theresa at Moor Day Spa in Hilton Head. She's been there before and I know would like to return. Well maybe not for a day but at least a couple of hours that could be a drop off and go fish day. 

     The only problem with that is these packages max out at about 2-1/2 hours, which is less than half a tide. At $400 plus that makes for an expensive and quick fishing outing. Maybe I'll just pick up a used foot bath at the local Goodwill and do her myself. 

     So with the semester ending yesterday and with a return to work date of January 23rd I have some time to figure this trip out. Drive or fly is the big decision, and I'm leaning to the later. Then it will be what gear I can take or not for some DIY'ing it around the island. I'll reach out to Chuck "Hyman" Manny since he spends a lot of time down on Hilton Head and is just as good a fisherman down there as he is here. And of course while we're there we'll hit Latitude

 Margaritaville where Theresa will no doubtedly tell me it's time to sell the house in New Jersey and head south. I can't imagine living in a house that's 100 months old rather than 100 years old. I can't imagine calling a place like below home. 

     It was June 30th, 2024 where we said we were on a two-year exodus plan from New Jersey. With about seven months from that prediction it looks like we might be dragging our feet a bit. Maybe the trip down in a few weeks will re-energize us and just take the big step of moving on before we get trapped here in New Jersey forever.