11.04.24 Get out and vote!

     It's an important day here in New Jersey as voters are set to cast their votes for New Jersey's next Governor. I hope you don't treat the gubernatorial election like you do with public comments to the ASMFC for striped bass. While your public comments may haven't done anything to steer the management boards vote, pulling the lever for one of the two above candidates surely will matter. 

     Your choices are Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill. You'll also be voting for the Lieutenant Governor spots on the under ticket James Gannon and Dale Caldwell respectfully. And depending on what county you reside in there's county, schools, and fire commissioners questions on the ballot as well. I dislike politics, and politicians, well at least what things have turned into. Years ago you voted for your guy or girl, and then supported the winner, albeit reluctantly at times. 

     Not these days. Not in the take my ball and go home spoiled children we have become. My favorite was my old neighbor's bumper sticker he proudly displayed when we lived in Red Bank. "Not My President" it read. Really? If you are a citizen of the United States then the person who holds the top spot IS your President. That's for Bush, Obama, Biden, or Trump. While I didn't vote for all of the above, I supported them and hoped God guided them in doing the best for the USA. At least respect the office. That's what we used to say in the fire department, respect the rank, if not the guy or girl. 

     The vitriol in today's politics, and just about everything, turns off many voters. And that distain for the process leads people to take a ho-hum approach to voting. That leaves many with a, "He f'in won?!, gut punch as the results roll in. That is followed up by pouty and disparaging comments made to the winner, even though no vote was cast by the person themselves. 

     New Jersey has historically been a blue (Democrat) state. As far as Presidential elections the Garden State voters haven't voted red since the 1980's. New Jersey's democratic voters are fortified by the many urban area's which generally vote democratic. Most of those larger cities are led my Democratic Mayors and leaders. Race and sex also play a big part in the elections as well. Blacks and Hispanic's tend to lean liberal, along with women, and Whites and males lean towards the conservative side. That's not steadfast, it's just historically how's things have gone. 

     It's funny to look at at how New Jerseyans have voted since 1993. In the late 1990's it was Republican Christie Todd- Whitman, then a field of field of red players in DiFransisco, Farmer, and Bennet, McGreevey and Codey, before Codey took the reigns before passing the baton to Jon Corzine through 2010, then Chris Christie for 8 years, and then Phil Murphy for the last eight. Basically it's a two and done and then switch to the other side. 

     So we'll see what happens today at the polls. Will New Jersey flip, as it has done, from a "blue state" to a "red state"? And what will that all really mean. Is anything going to really change? It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you are on we can probably agree on a few things. The cost of living in New Jersey, especially for seniors, is dam near unaffordable. Young adults can't get going, on their own, and get their own trains out of the station. The big pushes now are these new "Town Centers", or jazzed up apartment complexes where they charge $3,000 a month for rent. That'll get you a parking spot, a 20 x 30 pool, a small workout room, 

and a community center. But they'll never be able to save to get out of the rental market. Couple that with a car payment, or even just train and or bus tickets, and a dinner out or just Door Dash a couple times a week and they're done. 

     The traffic in the Garden State, it doesn't matter where you live or at what season you're driving in, it's nuts. We're overdeveloped and living on top of each other. Take Red Bank where I used to live. Forget it. Along the Jersey Shore, even mid-week outside of the summer tourist season, bumper to bumper. All of those people not only cause vehicular traffic but traffic with long waits at the necessities, like healthcare, food stores, DMV, and even for emergency services like police, fire, and EMS. 

     And then the costs of just about everything. That's not a Jersey thing but across the country. Blame the supply chain, blame the tariffs, blame the way consumers shop, it's just a fortune for everything these days. Two going to a diner for breakfast for dinner, easy $50, gas $3 a gallon, which is still a lot, the tolls, like $15.35 during the day with EZ-Pass, plus the Turnpike tolls, electric and oil, forget it, hundreds per month, and then the fun stuff, like cable, internet, 

and phones. Still have your 30 year-old on your plan, "Because it's cheaper", what would your grandparents say, want to switch to Roku, like we did, well you'll have to spend $100 a month for You Tube TV to see anything current or a sports game. We've been binge watching Law & Order from the 80's and 90's as we refuse to pay "cable" prices again. I haven't been able to watch an NFL game from start to finish in over a year. Well Amazon Prime's Thursday Night Football I can watch, but I can never stay awake that late. 

     And then you have to look at the big picture stuff. How your vote could affect things like national security, immigration, government spending, social security, and human rights. I'm not up on all of those things but they are important and I can't bitch about the state of things if I don't do my civil duty and vote. 

     So I hope you go. I hope your guy or girl wins. And remember we're all in this together. At the end of the day we have to co-exist and look out for each other. We've become too polarized in everything these days and the misery and the attitudes we encounter everyday in public, at work, and even during things fun like fishing and events is nauseating. All you have to do is, or not, just follow your social media feeds to see how we're not acting like adults, good New Jerseyeans, and good Americans. 

So go vote, or shut up.

 

11.02.25 Show season opens with the IFTS in two weeks...

 

     The fall run hasn't even hit full swing yet and I'm talking the winter doldrum fly fishing related shows. Before I skewer the International Fly Tying Symposium (IFTS) let me talk about The Fly Fishing Show (TFFS). The year it kicks off in Marlborough. Massachusetts January 16, 17, & 18 and then hits the ti-state area and Edison January 23, 24, & 25. So put it on your calendar. I'd say book your rooms early to get the discounted rate, but remember, like we saw last year, breakfast is NOT 

included! You get $2 off the 20 something dollar bill for some okay get out the door eats. It was a shit show each morning during last year's The Fly Fishing Show watching as people handed over their "vouchers" only to be told breakfast wasn't part of the room rate. 

     Now the International Fly Tying Symposium. I'm going to try and be nice. Timing. Not good. It's the heat of the fall run and most working, like Monday through Friday, fly anglers will be looking to get into the bass blitz searching that weekend. On Sunday the Giants will be at home vs the Packers so you'll lose that crowd. Last year's attendance was, to me, weak. 

      Last year was the 33rd year that Chuck Furminsky has run the show. Hats off to him for getting it and TFFS started and doing it for decades now. Through thick and thin it comes and goes every year. Through venue changes, industry changes, and things like Covid it has survived. Hey nothing is like it used to be and that includes industry shows as well. But the truth is somethings need to change, or they need to fade out before it's just kicking a dead horse. And, in my opinion, the IFTS is on life support. 

     I hate to say remember when it was good, like really good. It may not have had the TFFS numbers, but it was solid and was a no-miss for many of the vendors and for seasoned and amateur fly tyers alike. It was the place where you could score good materials, meet the legends and professionals, and buy stuff you'd never take out of the package. I know because I have things sitting around my fly tying desk that I've never opened, but just needed to have. 

     There's nothing like running your fingers through materials in person and visiting BuzFly's and Flatwing's booths can really get your fly tying juices going. Couple that with the good picking through the bin booths and there was always a score to be had.

The Collins booth, 2009 IFTS

     And then there was the Collins and Keogh booths which always drew between 50 -125 dollars out of my pocket each November. If I wasn't on the inside of the show I'd be one of the first in line to get a shot at the bulk bins, knowing the show attendees already had the first pickings. 

     There's nothing like good advertising, social media , and an email blitz to get things hyped up. Months ago I started getting those on my various feeds. While they are good, they have to be honest. In one of this years emails the recipients are informed that, " This year's symposium promises to be the largest and most comprehensive in its 34-year history......". Wow, that's a big promise, one that I don't think can be delivered. 

     On the IFTS web page potential attendees were notified that Hareline won't be making the show this year, but Stockard Fly Fishing will be. I've heard the two- Joe's, Calcevechia, Saltwater Custom Flies, and Cordiero, Flatwing, will be sitting this one out. Brad at BuzFly better be up to his knees in bucktails because he'll be about the biggest materials-draw at the show. Will Keogh and AHREX show? I don't know. And will all the vice companies who've been in a male member measuring stick competition at all the shows for the last five years still try and see who's boss? We'll see. Last year they were there, I'm kinda thinking not so much moving forward. 

     For you to attend it's $20 bucks for the Saturday, and $30 for the weekend. If you don't stop to chat, last year I spent an hour with Bob Clouser, or pick though Brad's tails, you could do the room in an hour. But for the vendors it's a risk vs gain, return on investment, kind of business deal. It costs a lot in time and money to attend these shows. Commuting, lodging, eating, and then cutting Chuck in on the profits. If the interest, and more importantly the $$$$, isn't there then they won't be. A talented tier who's selling flies along fly tyer row, like legitimately not on the down-low, can turn a wheeled-in bin full of flies into a decent haul for the two-day event. 

     I always buy a fly or two, usually from a young kid showing off his wares. The above trio was at the Long Island Fly Fishing Expo a few years back. I stuffed a couple of their Flexo Crabs into my pocket and did well with them sight fishing on the Vineyard. 

    And remember when the IFTS was stacked with the best tiers from across the globe? Just think of the names that made the trek to the no-miss show over the years. I won't mention names as to not discredit those tiers that do the show each year, but there were some big names, and they draw attendees. Rightfully the IFTS advertises, at least this year, who will be there. 

    They published a list of "About 100 professional and amateur fly tiers- amongst the best the world has to offer...." as bait to drum up interest. Yes, a lot of good people on that list, but good amateurs don't increase bodies in the narrow aisles like the big guns do. 

     So what does this keyboard critic/ Danny downer think? Well, to be honest I thought last year was it. With Bobby's passing and the show struggling to meet the attendees needs, I thought it was time to gracefully whip finish the show. That's at least what we've known it to be, not saying, it couldn't be changed to meet expectations and with the times. So, Mr. Know It All, what would you do?

     I'd get rid of the "International" in the International Fly Tying Symposium. Having a few guys fly over each fall, mostly to fish blitzing bass from a boat, with the Shore Catch guys, isn't cutting it. I'd make it a local event. Kind of like the Long Island Fly Fishing Expo is doing. While the bigger The Fly Fishing Show may not be the place to be hyper try-state area focused, this show could be. Let's just take the encatchment area the IFTS serves. Let's say New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Any fly tiers or fly fishermen and women, and youngsters, from those states? Any good water? Any good species? From trout on the Upper Delaware to every stocky stream, to stripers, albies and bluefish in the salt, to smallmouths and snakeheads and panfish, we have it all. Target that crowd. 

     The show show be a beginners show. Cater to what this industry and this sport needs- new blood. Fly tying and fishing, like Bobby said, is all about teaching and sharing the experience and knowledge. Target those cross-overs looking to go from fresh to salt. Run beginner classes- affordable ones- to get people behind the vices. Yes, you could even run kids types seminars- yuk, but it's what we need. Have solid and local presentations to get the local interest brewing. If we want to learn about fly fishing in Ireland and Patagonia then we'll come back in January for TFFS. 

     It could also be a place that showcase the local clubs. There's Trout Unlimited with all kinds of chapters in the three states, other freshwater clubs, and saltwater clubs like Bayshore, Atlantic, Coastal, and Salty. Rather then just have them lining the walls and filling up space to look like the shows, especially TFFS, are bigger then they are, have them do presentations. How about a fly tying competition between them? I have to be honest I'm done with the club fly raffles. I know they make money for a good cause but they have much more to offer. Give them a chance, and the venue to show it, not just sitting there inviting people over for a raffle, or a mint or a 1/4 inch piece of a Snickers in a wrapper. Maybe running a hyper-local show like this may get the Moy's to unload their store, Tightlines, into Somerset, because it would be worth it for them. With Orvis Princeton closing there's not many Garden State shops left. 

     So, remember, the dinosaurs and daily newspapers went extinct. Sadly, the IFTS could face the same fate if they don't change. There's like 10 billion people within 100 miles of Somerset. Having 18 people in line to get in 5 minutes before the show opens isn't a good indicator of the 

show's relevance and interest. I will be there again in two weeks, mostly to keep abreast of things New Jersey and fly fishing, but also for chance encounters with friends, or even one of the legends, like I did with Clouser last year. I said it last year after the show. Years ago there would be a crowd around his booth all day long. The people that were there, I'm not talking bad, they

just didn't know who Bob Clouser was. I had him to myself for an hour at his booth during the late morning on Saturday. I left with something special that he gave me and that made my $20 admission fee well worth it. We'll see what this year's show brings. 

11.01.25 A tribute to Bob Popovics…

     It's been one year since Robert "Bob" Popovic's passed away. He was 75 years young. A month after he passed I asked Joe Carey if he could reach out to the family to see if I could go and photograph Bob's attic. It was in that space were so much of saltwater fly tying history was created. 

     My goal was to capture the space before things got moved around. I attempted to document just about every part of the rooms and hallway that made up the attic. The only room I missed was the bathroom. Just one picture would have completed it. 

     The attic is really like a museum exhibit. You could spend hours up there just looking and reading at everything Bob felt important enough to him to display. I didn't open any drawers, just took pictures of what was there to the naked eye. 

     I wasn't sure how to present them and I figured a blog post wouldn't do it justice. In my old life as a news photographer we used to use a program called Sound Slides. That would allow us to run a slide show with audio behind it. Since it's been a bit I wouldn't vent know how to do that these days. So I went with my best option which was iMovie, something I'm not all hat proficient in. 

After I created it I uploaded it to You Tube and you can see it there. I don't think the highest quality video uploads but I hope you enjoy it. You can also view it directly HERE. 

     I'm sure each of us will remember Bob today on the first anniversary of his death. I'm think of him as well as his family, especially his wife and daughter. We're all better people for having known Bobby, and most of us know each other because of him. He, a good man, made sure to connect like minded and good people together. That was just another one of his many gifts, and talents. 

Enjoy and live each day like it's yours, or another person's last. You just never know.  

10.31.25 No Blitz-O-Ween this Halloween....

 

      Well the storms of this week have passed. The first two, the menhaden and then striped bass ASMFC meetings come and went leaving their paths of destruction. Although the menhaden outcomes bode better for the forage fish than the results for the striped bass. Then on Mischief Night, well day, the rains came coupled with some steady winds. And today we can expect stronger winds, which will surely topple trees rooted in the now soggy soil holds. There will be power outages. There will be homes and cars damaged, and people injured, or sadly killed. 

     As far as the striped bass after the blow? Who knows. Most say that before or after a blow the fish turn on as their inner instincts react to the drop in barometric pressure. They eat as that feeling of impending chaos, or doom, sets in. But it will be a wait and see, or go and see, game to see if all that bait, and I'm hearing the peanuts are stacked in the back, begin their journey out into the ocean. As always, if you don't go then you won't know. 

     The questions is did the blow kind of signal all those big fish to head south. I think it can truthful to say they really never hit the beaches, like they did in 2024. There will be the next round of fish, I'd like to say there's three big pushes. Will the next find the bait and camp out along the Long Island South Fork and southern beaches? Will they camp in the Bermuda like triangle, or Striped Bass Triangle, of the New York Bight for a while? That triangle I'll call the Rockaways down to Asbury Park back to Perth Amboy. 

     I hate to bring it up again but each yer I reflect on one of my best days of stripped bass fishing on foot. I had found the fish, was then joined by an army of anglers, and left when I couldn't get my shit together when the fish were in front of me. I left pouting, and the fish biting. I went and made a stop more south of where I had been and the Mother Lode of bass showed up chasing peanuts, weakfish, and butterfish on the beach. It was game on, and it lasted for a long while before it ended. 

     I caught and released 16 bass to 25 pounds that day with fish to 41 inches. It was a day I'll always remember and may never duplicate again. You can read about that outing, if you already haven't, HERE. 

     With all the rain we had I'd think the back of the Raritan is a hot mess and it'll take a few days for the beaches to settle down and clean up. Then we'll see if the temps have dropped and the bait has started moving. Then the big question is, will the bass show up to intercept? 

     The goal for any Jersey Shore angler should be to find them before the report and beach cam watchers get wind that the bass are on the beach. There's nothing like finding your own fish alone. That's hard if you don't go and put the time in. As I get older it becomes easier to find excuses on why not to go. That's lame. Yes, it's an hour to an hour an a half to the waters edge, and that sucks, but I'll never encounter the above if I always wait and negotiate if to go or not. 

     I spoke with my friend Mike Ferraro yesterday. He's a fellow Jones Brother's owner and takes the hour and forty five, and $200 trip, from eastern Pennsylvania to either the Raritan or Chesapeake several times each spring and fall. He's due for a day, after finding the skunk or a fish or two when he goes. At 81 he's a stud. For me at 57, I'm not. He's heading out Sunday to the Raritan. where I hope he has a day like Blitz-O-Ween 2014. 

10.29.25 Adam Nowalsky for President!!!!....

      I knew it was over in the first 15 minutes. The Maryland Charter Boat Association and the Delmarva Fisheries Association came out swinging. I wasn't there but the room was stacked. I could hear it in their voices. The came out strong about the economic impact any cuts would bring to their businesses, their families, their children, and future generations. And they were convincing. There were other speakers as well, Tom Fote brought up catfish, Ross Squire tried to turn the mood, but it was too late. The Chesapeake guys set the table for the finisher, none other than Adam Nowasky. New Jersey's Adam Nowalksy. He entered the game like Mariano Rivera and shut the game down. 

     By then the meeting was about two hours old. It was almost time for lunch. And then it wasn't. Nowalksy dropped a Status Quo bomb that was more of a magnet than an incendiary device. It attracted people to it. Kind of like a bug light. Now let me say this of Nowalsky. I only met him once. Have heard him more times than I care to. I oppose just about everything he says. I think he's shady. But, to give credit where credit is due, boy is he good. I don't know what magical powers he has but he puts the malook on people in those fisheries management meetings. 

     If Nowalksy is your ride or die, then you're in good hands. Rob a bank with him, he wouldn't budge. Need to bury a body, "I'll grab the shovel". Any of you guys or girls thinking of cheating on your spouse, call Nowalsky when you get caught. He'll convince the wounded it never happened, even if they walked in on it. He's that good. But I want to vomit when I hear that slow almost condescending voice of his. He may the best guy, when I speak of him in it's his role as ongoing proxy for Senator Vin Gopal. 

     So he blew it up. Status Quo, WITH, the formulation of a kumbiya panel "of good people", who will put out a white paper, in like three years, looking in depth as to what is all wrong and what we can do, together, as one big striped bass killing family. I again, wanted to puke. The "Work group" will do this AFTER the 2027 benchmark assessment. Remember, the last one was done in 2024. And since then the ASMFC has kicked the can down the road, and guess what, they did it again. 

     I knew it was all over when I heard the speakers with that Southern drawl thanking Nowalksy. The fix was in. This wasn't a surprise, it was probably decided, and already known, way before this meeting. If this was an old school union meeting or convention Nowalksy would have opened up his hotel room door and found a nice bottle of whiskey and two of Delaware's most sought after call girls. I at least hope they treated him to a rockfish dinner before he headed back to Jersey. 

     Kudos to Massachusetts own Nicola Meserve. She came back with and amendment (above) to Nowalksy's ammendemt saying keep the Work Group B.S., but let's go with that 12% reduction. Is was a chance to do SOMETHING to stop the bleeding. Well that went to vote and didn't pass. 5-11. Nowalsky's then went to vote and passed, 13-3. Status Quo, or no changes to the regulations, for 2026. 

     Well the victory went to the other side, and there were sides. This was purely commercial vs recreational. And the commercial, and the for-hires, won. What is a positive is that, like I have been saying, and am on record at the PA Public Hearing, is that commercials should include the for-hire industry, and wait till their numbers cross the aisle with them. That's every head and charter boat out there. Watch what you wish for. 

     So who lost? Well the striped bass did in a big way. Just because every fish the boat guys are getting are over 40 inches doesn't mean the entire picture is bright. The YOY indexes are set and have been for years. There may be big fish out there but what about the small ones? The ASMFC, which I loathe, is in the business, they should get out of, fisheries management. They can't chase the guy down in Maryland pouring Scotts fertilizer on his bayfront lawn. Their idea of reductions, is a good one. Less dead fish hopefully will mean more fish. 

     That argument of owning a charter operation and it's your right, well easy. My first boss in photography was my friend Carl at the Red Bank Register. When that closed he moved to The News Tribune. When that went belly up....he went to school and changed careers. At 40! Things don't last forever. Adapt and overcome. Maybe charter captaining isn't sustainable. How's those daily print newspapers doing these days? 

     Well the winners. Nowalksy, for one. I feel like a kid who's on the losing Little League team and your mom is telling you to go congratulate the winners. I hate to do it, but give credit where it's due. The commercial and for-hire sectors, soon to be glommed together, win. They have another year to hammer down on the 2018 year class of fish now.....enjoy that one for the table. And New Jersey as well, they keep their Bonus Tag Program. 

     And then there's Emilie Franke. She runs the ship. Went to every public meeting. She even tried early on to discuss what the overall vibe was from the public. Let's me honest, and now I'll agree, nobody give a f%$k about you or your dumb speech, email, or from letter. If she came in thinking that 12% would be on the table and the discussions would be on how to meet it, well, she must have been very disappointed. Her job was easy today. It was a landslide victory before lunch. 

     On October 6th I penned a post about 'Just Say No to Status Quo". I told my buds not to worry about No-Target, and yes there may be some days that are close, but the real threat to conservation is Status Quo. I had to say I saw it coming, but I did. The Dark Side has been working this for months. And who's to blame? Well the ASMFC is. Most of their data came from NOAA's MRIP volunteer FES survey's, which are about as scientific as asking people in church if they farted today. Once you make that the backbone of your argument, and sniff out the possibility that mortality is way les then expected, and raise doubt in people's minds, then you find yourself taking roll call for a Status Quo, which passed. 

     People are celebrating. I really don't know why. We can't measure predation, or natural causes, or environmental factors, but we know they all exist. What we should be celebrating were the adults in the room who made the hard decisions, and sacrifices, for the striped bass, and the people who enjoy to fish for, and even eat them. We were looking for a pause in the action to allow the bass to catch up. What we're doing now isn't sustainable, especially for the fish. 

   

10.29.25 Here we go....

 

10.28.25 Boy, yesterday's post set the (one for the) table....

     This guy should be smiling. He may be disappointed, but he is happy with his catch. Like I said yesterday, shit happens. What I also said in yesterday's post was how fragile a fishes gills are. It's like slicing through an artery in your arm or neck. 

     This whole post here came from the Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle Fishing Club page. While you know I hate using other's people's content to make content, this was so timely I just had to. It tells a story. Two buds out in the dark on a relatively chilly night hardcoring it during the beginning of the fall run. 

     He had a single hook on his plug. He was doing everything he could to give a striped bass a fighting chance after being caught. His intentions were to practice responsible catch and release fishing. And if he was planning on taking a slot fish home for dinner, then good for him. But he wasn't. 

     This is what many people think makes up the 9% catch and release mortality figure that we've, or they'd, used for decades. That 9% of the striped bass caught and released died. That 9%, well 8%, number came from a study done, and then published, in 1996 by Diodati & Richards. It was groundbreaking for its time and was the standard bearer of all things bad with catch and release fishing. Although there were truths behind the study, like J- hooks and circle hooks, and where 

the fish was hooked and the conditions it was released into, it was a bit hard to generalize every kind of C & R angler as a 9% killer. When guys stand up in the meetings or say to the ASMFC, "Hey, where did you get that number?", well here it is. And you can read that paper, above, HERE. 

     Other studies have been done to see how striped bass fare after being caught, mostly on bait and with earlier J- hooks which are not legal anymore, at least for bait fishing for striped bass. In Maryland they would catch a bunch of fish, collect the data and then transport the fish to a net pen and wait. 

     Of the fish that died, in the Maryland study, 75% died within the first six hours, and the remaining within 24 hours. It came down to hooking mortality, like the guy's fish on the top, and then there's angling stress, which we are all guilty of, especially anglers that like to cast 1,500 feet into current, and then drag the fish, well flog them, up river, or up to the boat, only to swim away strong for the 10 minutes they're out of the water, before they die within 24 hours. You can read the Maryland stuff,  HERE. 

     In 2012 John Tiedemman from Monmouth University released his paper on catch and release practices for striped bass. He too referenced the Diodati and Richard's study

(1996) and the Bettoli and Osborne study (2011). That later study was conducted in the Tims Ford Reservoir in Tennessee and tracked, by transmitter, striped bass that were caught and released. This study looked at fishing method, temperatures in release conditions, and the fishes ability to maintain equilibrium, and or their ability to regulate their air bladder. So they swam away strong, only to wind belly up within 24 hours.  You can see a video of Tiedemann and his panel discussing best C & R practices, HERE. You might know a few names like Tabory, Popovics, and Lynch who join the panel. 

     So that brings us to some more news. I got notice of a new American Saltwater Guides Association post, HERE. In it is discusses the release of the study done by the Massachusetts DMF, who has been in the forefront of this dating back to Diodati in 1996. They have caught striped bass, tagged them, some with acoustic tags, and tracked them. They've also included citizen reporting which brought the number of fish in the study to 8,300, quite a large pool to study. 

     In the end there's a good chance the 9% C & R mortality rate is half of that, somewhere around 4.6%. And those using artificials and flies, WITH SINGLE HOOKS, even lower around 2%. I had to italicize that or else my neanderthal plug throwing pals wouldn't let me hear the end of it. 

     So what does that all mean? It means, well nothing. Is it good that the number MAY be lower, absolutely. Can we all do better, yes. Is it a little fishy that this comes out a day before the ASMFC meeting tomorrow. Where No-Target and No-Harvest on are the proverbial table? Kinda. What is interesting is how things, like studies and data, get released kind of leaning to Status Quo (Do nothing) or No-Harvest (See it's only 4.6%). I'm telling you, it's all about money and politics, with a little bit about the actual fish. 

     And it's a shame that the guy who posted it had to write a disclaimer along with it. Not only was it written, it was written in CAPS. It does just go to show there's times when, "Nothing I could do...", is what it comes down to. Fishing is a sport, and there's winners and losers, and sometimes the striped bass lose. 

We'll see what happens tomorrow starting at 945. Gonna be a long day. 

10.27.25 "Swam away strong...."

 

     I saw a recent picture of a happy angler with a, well, ugly ass fish. This poor baby. I wonder what its survival story is. Was it born like that? I don't think so. Was is the result of being tempted and falling for a single hook barbless Beast Fleye? Um no. Possibly a bunker chunk that bounced along the bottom on a 8/0 circle hook? Probably not. Maybe it was a livie on a 

snagging hook when snag and drop was legal? Maybe. Could, and I say could, it have been when it fell for a big double treble hooked metal lip tossed along the outside of a bunker pod in 2021? Maybe. 

     Now, to be square. I am an angler just like all of the above. I do do my best to reduce stress and mortality when it comes to striped bass. Do I do things perfectly, absolutely not. Do I make sure I have all the barbs pushed down on my hooks, yes. Do I still add to mortality, or F as they say, no doubt. 

     During this spring on one of my PETA-perfect outings I was into some fish that were on herring. Herring are just perfect. Long, slender, and I'm sure tasty. Kind of like an oyster to a human, one slurp, and the whole thing is down the hatch. So I was throwing my Squimpish herring flies on big AHREX 5/0 Clouser hooks, which I prefer over the Popovic's hooks. It was basically swinging flies into the holds and that's when I went tight. 

     It was a nice 30 inch fish similar to what I was catching. As I turned my rod towards land to bring the fish out of bigger water, I noticed the blood trail coming off it. Let's just say by the time I removed the hook from the gill rakers and gills it had just about exsanquinated, or bled out. I watched it basically seize as it went down the river after it's "Swam away strong" release. It was a fish I should have kept for the table. 

     It's not like humans are the only ones that like to target striped bass. Birds, other fishes, like catfish early on, sharks later on, and big mammals like seals love to chew on striped bass. 

     We've all seen the talon and bite marks left from those near misses. Sometimes they heal over nicely, other times you want to hit the fish over the head with a Billy club and put it out of its misery. But rarely do other animals cause those mandible (mouth) injuries like fishermen do. 

     

     The striped bass has some interesting mouth structure. It's designed for survival. It's designed to augment the way it eats. That was all in a post a few weeks ago. Its upper lip is fixed, its power to inhale comes from its lower lip, or jaw, or mandible. If you've ever lipped a striped bass is the movable part. in it's coordinated attack on prey the lower mandible works in conjunction with it's outer gill plate to create a vacuum, or suction, which inhales prey. That goes along with its powerful and large caudal fin which gives them their ambush capabilities. 

     Our fish above has lost half of that ability. It's like trying to down a Guinness after a stroke. But somehow it has managed to heal, and continue to eat, after injury. But like the striped bass that I killed this year the goods are in the back of the mouth. That's the area where the blood rich gills allow the striped bass to breathe. Basically it's their lungs. 

   

     While striped bass don't have sharp teeth their mouths have patches of tiny teeth. If you've ever been into one of those numbers days that what's causes that sought after "Bass Thumb". Those help hold the prey and direct it down the gullet. The gill rakers, shown above, are there to help direct food down and protect the oxygen rich gills. If something is too large or a perceived threat to the gills it can be expelled. And then there's the gills.

     Damage from fishing hooks, bait holders, plugs, and flies not only comes in through the mouth. It's those errant tail hooks that cause damage to the gill plates and gills them selves from the outside. Have you ever been next to someone trying to unhook their favorite plug through the gills? Yeah, you can bury that fish in the sand. Yes, I'm beating up on those plug throwers again. 

     So as you sit there in your office checking out social media 100 times a day, or the beach cams, take a look and see where those hooks are in the pics. Besides positioning themselves to alleviate spot burning, anglers are cradling the fish, thank God, and removing the "baits" so they won't get skewered on social media. But that doesn't work for the ones that want to show who's plug they're throwing. It wouldn't help booster their Pro-staff ratings. 

     And remember, before things heat up this fall, make sure you have a long needle nose pliers, or better hemostats, in your bag to assist with those beach surgeries you might have to perform. Those rusted Klein pliers aren't going to do it. Go knock off the rust and hit them with some WD-40 if you're too cheap to buy a new pair. 

     Basically, we all have to do better. We're two days away from yet another 'Big Day" for striped bass. The ASMFC meets on Wednesday and it's going to be a nail biter. No- Target or No- Harvest, that's not even the big shit. The question is will it be "Status Quo", that's the threat. Because what we are doing now, as far as commercial and recreational harvesting, along with catch and release mortality isn't working. stay tuned. I'll be on that meeting for sure. 

10.25.25 Let's see what the weekend brings...

 

     It's dead calm on the northern beaches in New Jersey. I know the same can't be said in the marinas in and around Sandy Hook and the Raritan Bay. Let me also include the Shark River and Manasquan River marinas as well. All this week those stuck at work or at home will now get their shot at those jumbo sized bass that have made their first push south. But what can they expect? 

     It went from nuts to slow yesterday as the fish, well those that were still around, had lockjaw. There were albies to be had but who wants them when the bass have arrived. Right now as I write the first boats are headed out, some with radar, some not, trying to make that turn to see the birds working against that first morning light. The first guys get the shot, then the boat traffic arrives and screws things up. And there will be boat traffic trust me. 

     I really don't care what the boat anglers do, I'm mores interested in continuing to learn the migration times and patterns, and if and when it includes bait and bass along the beach. It would be cool to have live-action tagging done to see where those 40 and 50 inch fish, that were caught on the first push, have gone. Do they chew and screw or stick around because the bait is here? Remember, their end goal is south so it's either an inner genetic signal that tells them to go south, or their need to "fatten" up before the trip, or do they actually think about it, in regards to staying or going. 

     If those fish did leave already, and they can travel between 16-25 miles per day, four days could put them 70- 100 miles south of Sandy Hook. But that would have meant that IBSP, Atlantic City, and Cape May would have seen some fish by now. Yes, there's been a fish or two caught down that way, but not big pushes. 

     This is the season where we'll see the first law-breakers who are "fishing dirty" cross over that 3-mile line and fish in the EEZ, those federal waters that extend 3 miles off the beach to 200 miles. Three miles off the sand gives you 15,840 feet to fish, but when the birds are way off, the boats will follow. It's tempting. It's easy to forget. I've done it. I can remember looking down at my electronics, with plenty of other boats around me and saying, "Oh shit, we're four miles off". But for some it's that insatiable need, or, "It's my only day", to get on fish, and these days big fish. 

     I'll be spending the weekend at home, trying to get things battened down before winter comes. This week we have a big event going on. We actually purchased a new wood burning stove and professionals are coming g to install it. I had purchased one on Facebook Marketplace, we learned it was cracked, and was in the search for the vent piping to do it myself, before I woke up, with Theresa's help, and decided to have it done correctly, not half-ass like I would have done. But Monday may be the day for me. It'll be after the weekend crowds leave and another day of cooler temps which may get things going on the beaches. 

10.24.25 This is not your Dad's 2011 sand eel bite....

 

     I don't mean to be a Danny-downer but here it goes. "Ah, the sand eels are here". But are they really? Just in time for the first push of big migratory striped bass we have sand eels on the table. Sand eels? In October? Oh, that's not good. At least for the shore based fly rodders. 

     Sand eels, or sand lances, are baits that we love to see. Either the clouds of tiny ones in June on Martha's Vineyard or on Block Island or the larger ones we see late in the fall and early winter along the Jersey Shore. Perfect striped bass snacks that are easy to replicate with flies and easily thrown with the fly rod. Again, forget the boats. Drive around, look for birds, 

find bass on top, or take a peak at the screen to find them deep with bass in and around them. But standing on the beach in October waiting for them to be pushed in? Good luck with that. 

     These days there are bunker around. Adults out front and peanuts in the back. The Raritan Bay has bunker, and bass, on them along the Jersey and New York sides. At times the bunker are being sprayed out of the water which can make locating bass that much easier. But those are bunker, and the push out front hasn't began yet. And we'll see when and where they begin their beach-hugging migration south. 

     Take a quick peak at your favorite social media platform these days and the plethora of photos of 30, 40, and 50 inch striped bass is easy to find. There's a good mix of fish out 

there now and it can be easy pickens for the Captain and crew when they find them. The only problem is, and you'll definitely see it this weekend, is the boat hatch that will occur and surely make finding them unbothered difficult. But let's go back to the beach.

     Sand eels are burrowers. They spend most of their time vertically in the sand but do travel in clouds from place top place. Striped bass can either catch up with them in transit, or root them out from the sand. When the sand eels are on the beach it can bring in the bass and bring out the fishermen. We saw this in 2011 in ISBP. That's more of a later thing, these early sand eels stay off, way out of range of the Ava's with teaser throwing spin fishermen, and for the fly rodder....well forget it. 

     When it gets cold, and late, we find the push of "normal" sized striped bass travel down the beach chasing white bait, peanut bunker, and sand eels. That's when those football shaped 30 inch fish bring out the kid in all of us. But that's not happening now, or at least not yet. 

     In 2011, and other good sand eel years, they stayed for weeks. And then either they move, or the bass continue on their journey south and we are left waiting for that next push of fish, or a new bait to move, drawing bass into the beach. But remember, the beaches and the structure on the beaches has changed. There's no ecosystem there anymore. The sand, or whatever you call it, was taken from deep donor sites offshore and pumped onto the beach, and not every swimming critter likes to call that home. That's why in the fall everything is on the move. Three days ago it was lights out boat fishing, yesterday it was a grind. 

     So what to do? Well, go fish. But if you're thinking you're going to do that long walk to the False Hook or to the end of the North Jetty and find big bass rolling on sand eels within 500 feet of the beach? Well, I don't think so. Will a guy with an 11 foot rod throwing metal or a needle with a teaser attached catch a 40 inch fish? Yes, they will. But if you plan on throwing your favorite sand eel pattern within 30 feet of where your wader boots have sunk into the beach scarp, be prepared to be disappointed. 

     Yes, the sand eels are here. They are out in 30-50 feet of water mostly hugging the bottom until they're attacked from below and pushed to the top where the bass and birds have them trapped. If you carry binoculars, which you should in the fall, you'll be able to see it unfold 2,500 feet off the beach. Maybe you'll hook up with one of the small resident bass that have awoken from their summer hibernation or catch a migratory straggler that ventured into the shallow water. But, I'm just sayen', don't get your hopes up. 

     If you want a shot at the sand eel bite, and not following the boat guys who fish during the day, hit the beach at night or at first light. That's when I feel I have the best chance. Now in 2011 the bite lasted way into the middle of the day, but again, that was late fall, when we had good beach structure, and plenty of bass around, that stayed around. 

This push of the first big fish will be a here and gone. Last year there was a reported "Savage" sand eel bite going on, like this one, and Leif and I went out on October 27th, HERE, to get into them. Same story as this year. Sand eels way off the beach and not a tap off the sand.  See you out there at some point.