01.23.25 I'm still holding out hope...

 

     It was hailed as the largest surf anglers tournament held in the United States, 13,000 anglers would descend into Ocean County on November 24, 2024 for a chance to score a $20,000 bounty on the largest, legal, striped bass which would have to be between 28-31 inches. 

    It had lots of momentum being pimped out from the Halls of Congress in Washington, to local tackle shops, to even the largest digital and print fishing publications out there. 

     In the rules we were told it would be 14 days until the winner of $20,000 would be announced. That done after he or she passed a lie detector test and was vetted for a national media blitz tour. 

     To be a part of it anglers had to pay a $185 entrance fee plus a $50 fee to drive on the beach. If I was participated and the winner has still yet to be announced I would be disappointed, and if I scored a 31 inch fish, then I'd be pissed.

     This morning I visited the NJ SAT FEST website to see if in fact I had missed the announcement of the winner with the check and trophy presentation. Again, we're talking big boy stuff here. Lots of people's hard earned money and time. Those could be fighting words. 

     What was different then what I found for the December 9 post, HERE, was that at least back then the website said "Photos and Videos of the 2024 NJ SAT FEST COMING SOON!"

     It has now been nearly two months since the day of the tournament. I don't know the organizers but I do know lots of journalists, politicians, and business owners who talked this up and even encouraged people to participate. No follow up. No investigative journalism. Nothing. 

01.22.25 How about those fish being harvested for market?...

     It's interesting watching the recent posts about Maryland's rockfish open commercial fishery. Looking at the image above I had to wonder about just which fish are being harvested. Are these pre-spawn striped bass that are staging, yes even now, in the Chesapeake Bay?

     They say a female striped bass reaches sexual maturity between 4 - 8 years of age. Looking at size, length and weight charts and we see that 4 year olds, and some reach spawning age later, are somewhere between 21 and 28 inches, which falls in the okay-to-harvest sized fish for the commercial fishery down now in the CB. In addition to the commercial fishery the rec anglers are out there as well and getting into big pre-spawn females as well. A recent report, 

     We've all seen those schoolie bass that are shaped like footballs, especially in the fall, when they gorge on sand eels and peanut bunker. But right now in the CB are they really on the chew? Is there bait down there in big numbers and are the fish really looking to eat in during the dead of winter during a Polar Vortex? 

     A look above gives you some of the buoy data from in and around the Chesapeake Bay. Water temps are around freezing, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. So are these fish even that active right now? I kind of picture them hanging low in the deeper water and being caught up in the haul seines used during winter commercial fishery. 

     Looking above we see the bloated bellies of harvested striped bass. Are we looking at young egg laden female striped bass? It looks so to me. 

    Striped bass spawn when the water temps start to hit the 50's which in the CB can be as early as April. Are these spawning striped bass part of the SSB biomass as determined by the ASMFC? In 2023 the SSB was determined to be at 75% of the target, which is 247 million pounds. There is also a threshold level, which is used to determine if the stock is at risk for being overfished. 

     The target of the SSB includes those big cow striped bass that we see during the spring and fall runs but also every other female ready to go striped bass. There has to be some wonder if, in all of our harvesting, catch and releasing, and dead discards, we are continuing to hammer down on the females which are really the cornerstone of the fishery. 

     The males generally max out around 34 inches which is 20 pounds on a good and fat day. Those bigger fish are females, and the biggest and oldest are the big egg producers. They say the big girls can release millions of eggs ready for fertilization, usually done by a group of pesty horny males that stay and bother them all the way up the spawning rivers. 

     These are aren't crabs or lobsters so there's really no way to determine if the bass you, or the commercials, choose to harvest. A 26 inch bass is a 26 inch bass and that can be male or female. You can't turn them over and see if they are egg laden or not and throw them back into the water. And, those nets don't discriminate between male or female, but if they can fit through it or not. 

     Several of the larger scale operations down in Maryland, and maybe Virginia, do a big business catching fresh rockfish, freezing them, and mailing them out and around the world. This isn't a man and his dog on a boat just catching some fish for sale at the families market they've owned for 100 years. It's business, and big business. And these are the shareholders who were a force, along with Adam Nowalksy, who put the kibosh on any type of change in regulations for 2025. 

So I have to wonder. How many bass can we continue to take? From the ocean. 

From the bays. From the rivers. 

And from the biomass. 

01.21.25 Donald Trump takes office, again...

      Yesterday Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America. As with any other person who takes that oath, he is mine, and your, President. I hope for our country's sake he serves us all well and we can unite together to continue to make the United States the greatest country on earth. I do feel however, that the glory days of this country are behind us. For some reason I put the 1950's through the 1970's as the best years. But that wasn't for all of us, and, I wasn't around so it's all in head. 

     While there will always be opinion, and division, amongst us, at the end of the day we can only control ourselves and live and be the best we can be. So on the day of the inauguration it was also the day we remember and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most prolific Americans that ever called the United States home. 

     King once asked, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' ". And I think he asking us that in regards to how we treat each other on a daily basis. Putting others first, doing our fellow man no harm, and reaching out to someone, you may not know, in their time of need. 

   Over the next four years I hope we can all be our best. May God Bless America.

01.20.25 Just an update on the "Brine Fly Grab Bag"...

     So this is directed to the few who showed interest in taking part of the Brine Fly Grab Bag. I was looking for 20 people to be in and it fizzled out, this time, around 7. The timing would have been good as most of those wanting in attend TFFS and it could have been an easy delivery. 

    I'll revisit this again in the future and we'll get it done one way or another. Thanks to those who showed interest in this. See you at The Fly Fishing Show. 

01.19.25 Maryland's Chesapeake Bay winter commercial fishery....

     The commercial fishery for striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay is alive and, well let's say alive. I'm not sure if it's good, especially for the striped bass, but it's happening. This post isn't meant to pick on the shareholders, as they say, but to share things going on while you battle Cabin Fever. 

     As you know we have no commercial fishery for striped bass here in New Jersey. That was eliminated back in the early 1990's when New Jersey went to a Gamefish Status for striped bass. People are always calling for "Make it a Gamefish", well we have that already here in New Jersey. Our commercial quotas were transferred over to the Striped Bass Bonus Program (SBBP). 

     What Gamefish means is there is no commercial fishing, but you can still target and harvest on the recreational side. Some would argue this is stupid because the rec side accounts, if you believe the science and data, for nearly 90% of striped bass mortality between harvest and catch and release mortality. According to that same "data", the commercial fishery on the ocean side and inside the Chesapeake Bay accounts for only 10%, with only 1% accounted for in dead discards. 

     While you are tying your flies or attending the various fly or plug shows that help cure Cabin Fever over the winter, hard core waterman down in the Chesapeake are hard at working harvesting striped bass for market. I've talked about how and where Chesapeake fish, in my limited knowledge, winter over and stage for whatever kind of spring spawning run exists in the CB tributaries. While it may be cold out, and we're bracing for some more snow and a Polar Vortex, those fish have already moved in and are weathering the winter weather in anticipation of rising water temps and the baits own migration. 

     Commercial fishing is guided by obtaining a permit and following the law in the way of quotas. According to the ASMFC in 2022 the quota for the CB was set at 3,001,648 million pounds of which 2,256,324 million pounds were harvested. That about 75% filled, with 25%, or 750,000 pounds left on the table, or swimming in the bay. 

     Following the regulations regarding recreational and commercial fishing in the CB can be difficult. There's a lot of water in the open bay and its tributaries, several states and commissions are involved, along with seasonal closures and varying size limits. Additionally, the commercial fishery has different gear and harvest method regulations. In Maryland, for example, commercials can use hook and line, drift gill nets, and or haul seine nets. The commercial slot size is 18 inches to 36 inches and there are days of the week where fishing is allowed, or not. 

     My buddy sent me some screen shots from a company down in Maryland that runs a commercial fishery and a fish market. It's called the Choptank River Crab & Oyster Co. and is located in Cambridge, Maryland. This week they are selling striped bass for $3.95 a pound. I have seen the cost of rockfish as they call them down there go for as high as $8 a pound depending on the season. 

     I have enjoyed eating striped bass over the years. It's been way over a decade since I "took one for the table", because I just can't, but I have enjoyed eating them from time to time in New York where there is a commercial fishery for them. Some say say striped bass aren't good eating. I have a different opinion. Yes, you can drop their meat in a fryer, or load it up with butter, but a well prepared bass, from harvest to table, to me, is hard to beat. But I could live without it.

     While I would probably vomit if I saw a commercial net fishery rolling in to the dock with hundreds of dead bass it's all legal, most of the time, and serves the many shareholders in the fishery. But I always come back to "Dead striped bass = less striped bass". And aren't we trying to rebuild a fishery? I know there's the argument, "My family has been doing this for 100 years", maybe true, but what do you say to the once local hardware store owner when Home Depot and Lowe's came to town? Things change, things evolve, and if you don't change then you die, not literally. 

      I guess what concerns me is the big picture of striped bass. The ASMFC and the fisheries managers are a joke. A lot, not all, of the Captains who run charters and the head boats are hypocrites. Hypocrites in their arguments in saving the striped bass while complaining in a greedy way that any change would lead to their loss of their business and income. Maybe being a full-time charter (recreational or commercial) Captain is a thing of the past, especially when dealing with a migratory fish that is in a bad way (And don't give me that SSB stuff from the 1990's and rebuilding). And then there's the individual anglers who still are keyboard tough guys about No Target and No Harvest and doing the right thing but still use barbed and treble hooks. 

     So in the end we're taking, every year, 18-27, 28-31, and 31-36 inch fish out of the pool of what's remaining. Add to that poaching and catch and release mortality and the numbers of dead fish just increase. And I haven't even touched on natural predation and environmental mortality here. It doesn't appear to be sustainable. And it doesn't feel like, in all of our shareholder arguments, that we are considering the greatest shareholder in this game, which are the striped bass. 

01.18.25 Looks like I might follow beach nourishment when we head south...

 

     When I look to reasons why striped bass fishing along the Jersey Shore has changed over the last decade I can't help but put part of the blame on the beach replenishment, or nourishment, projects that have destroyed the the local landscapes. The process of pumping sand from donated offshore areas covers the structure and underwater environments which are home to shellfishes, crustaceans, and other marine life. Years ago there were clams, mussels, worms, eels, and all types of forage and predator fish in and along the beaches. 

     Over the years the beaches have become more of a north to south straight line from Sandy Hook down to Cape May. Yes, there's some structure along the way, and some untouched areas like Island Beach State Park, but the good old days of tons of beach structure to hunt in have become some pinch points here and there that do hold fish, along with plenty of anglers. Couple that with the covering and notching of the groins which used to be "Jetty Country" and what we are left with are seasons of quickly moving blitzes.

    Theresa and I have our hearts set on retiring, if that's even possible, in and or around Hilton Head, South Carolina We've vacationed there over the last two summers and really like what we found. That of course includes the variety and opportunities to discover and learn new fisheries. It's all pretty funny since neither of us like the beach nor the heat. Sadly, we have seen the costs of housing down there increase by around $100,000 dollars for the homes that piques our interest. Hey, you snooze you lose. 

     I've been following the news down there and Hilton Head is bracing for their own assault of beach nourishment projects which are currently in the planning process with an anticipated June 2025 start. The projected cost will be around 40 million dollars. Boy does that sound familiar. The last project on the island occurred in 2016. This project will 2.2 million cubic yards of sand 46,500 feet along the Atlantic Ocean and Port Royal Sound. 

     One of the areas to be "nourished" will be the area around Fish Haul Creek (above) which is a place I have waded around and fished each of my two years while vacationing. There are a few spits of land that create a nursery for various bait fish and crustaceans which are prime hunting spots for redfish, black drum, sheepshead, triple tail, tarpon, flounder, cobia (further off of course), and sharks. The primary reason beach nourishment occurs is to positively affect the tourist industry by creating wide and even beaches, and for the pleasure of those that own beachfront homes. We've heard those same reasons from Frankie Pallone and his need to keep his constituents happy. 

     Above you can see before and after images as posted on the Town of Hilton Head website. It is also there where they say that "....sand moves from the center of the Island towards its end".

     That means the sand moves from mid-Island and winds up in the Calibogue and Port Royal Sounds. It's almost like when the sand movement in Monmouth County moves north to the False Hook and impedes the Sandy Hook Channel. In New Jersey our littoral current moves waters, and sand, from south to north. I guess it's a little different down there. 

     What appeals to me about the South Carolina marshes are the tidal ranges and the grasses and flats that are found on the "inside". Below you can see the water level difference between tides. They are areas rich with life from oyster beds and grasses but also deep channels that hold crabs and baitfishes and patrolling predators. 

      As I have progressed to more of a hunter of fish then just a fishermen stalking fish on foot or from small skiffs has become my favorite. Luckily I have had the opportunity to experience that when Neil and I hired a guide to explore the Low Country in 2023. 

     On a day when the air temperature was around 110 and the water temps around 90 we were still able to hunt for and find tailing fish in shallow water. While our catches weren't of big bull reds, the ones I caught were enough to get me excited about fishing in or around Hilton Head. 

     My heart and passion belongs to the striped bass. A fish that I have learned well but still continues to challenge and puzzle me at times. I like hunting for moving fish in moving waters. Trout, and really Upper Delaware trout, were my first love before I really discovered striped bass. But those fisheries have changed and not for the better, for me at least. Between the over-angling and discovery by many of the Upper Delaware, and the pressure and fisheries management challenges and numbers of the striped bass, I could see my needs satiated by a new fishery.

Maybe redfish, which is a recovered and abundant fishery, is one that could fill my needs as an angler, and hunter. I have spent hours walking amongst the grasses looking for that movement or the tails sticking in the air always without another angler in sight. The shit shows that I encounter when fishing the rivers or beaches in New Jersey these days does take away the fun of it for me. I enjoy fishing alone, or with a buddy or two within eyesight. I find company to be a big distraction.

      The last thing I would want to see when learning a new fishery would be beach replenishment and the memories of seeing heavy machinery covering up the landscape and memories of all those places I used to like to fish. But in the meantime I'll continue to fish when and where I can. It's January 17th, and, by history, I'm about 60 days away from bringing my first striped bass of 2025 to hand. I'm ready for a good year and hope to continue to make strides towards a new beginning. 

1.16.25 Nice tribute to Bob in TAIL magazine...

      After Bobby passed a few months ago there were rumblings that TAIL magazine was going to dedicate an issue solely to him. It would only befitting for a man who has given so much to the sport. So yesterday I got some calls and saw on social media posts that the issue had dropped.

     Oh magazines. Remember them. They kind of went in the way of daily newspapers, and the dinosaurs. How many of us as kids, and adults, couldn't wait to see the front page in the newspaper box or the magazine stuffed in the mailbox where you hoped that the edges weren't torn or the sticker with the addressee's information wasn't in the wrong spot. Covers, and even the articles inside, were coveted some times, winding either pinned up on the wall, inside a cheap frame, or cut up and out and put into the keep-sake shoebox. 

     Now things are all digital, like this blog, only to be seen when accessed intentionally. You may be sent a link or see some digital content when it blows up on your computer screen as the surf through the web. These days those old scrolls that you once displayed on the coffee table or on the desk just aren't around. The magazines of old were similar to the family photo album and if you've ever misplaced one then you know what a loss it is. 

     So that is why having a magazine like TAIL remember Bob is so important. While we'll never forget him of course it's nice to have that cover to display and it's content readily accessible and able to be held and read when wanted, or even needed. 

     One section of the magazine is dedicated to the reflections from Bob's real friends. You can see how important he was and the impact he made on those truly close to him. He touched so many people, and not just in the world of fly tying and fly fishing, and this was the place where those in the sport had a chance to reflect on him, his life, and his contributions. 

     While TAIL magazine is a both a digital and hard copy magazine it's not readily available at your local bookstore. You would have to subscribe to it, find it at local fly shop, or know a guy who can get you a copy. It can be found on the TAIL website for you to preview. You can see the issue at TAIL Magazine HERE. Well done. 

01.14.25 Some upcoming events honoring Bob Popovics...

     There are a few events happening this month to honor Bob Popovics. At The Fly Fishing Show on January 25th Bob's friend Lance Erwin will accept the Izaak Walton Award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing on his behalf. Last year representatives from AMFF made the trip down to New Jersey to notify him of this deserved accomplishment. Your entrance ticket into the show will give you access to the presentation honoring Bob. 

     And tonight documentary filmmaker Jamie Howard, of Running the Coast fame, will release his first podcast titled Tuesday at Bobs: Close friends honor Bob Popovics with a night of stories. This episode includes interviews and stories told from Bob's closest friends. You can listen to that podcast HERE. Howard's new podcast series is titled Cameras Off. 

01.13.25 Finally sat down for some practice....

     With my Squimpish Flies TFFS booth performance anxiety starting to ramp up I figured I'd better sit down at the vice and practice. I'm not really nervous because I've come to some realizations in my life. I'm not built like nor look like a porn star when it's go time. And, I'm not one of those elite tiers out there who can create art and magic at the vice. I tie flies, for me, that catch fish, or not. 

     I don't try to instruct or act like I know anything more than any other average tier out there. So with that I sat down, found what I needed, and gave those "Four Turn Brush Flies" a go. My goal wasn't to tie them pretty, or even correctly, but to recapture that tying muscle memory you get when you're in a fly tying zone. I would think commercial tyers have that, similar to a baseball pitcher or golfer. 

     My first fly was a "Four Turn" that really tuned into five because I added a turn of another color on the head. I did put some eyes on it but those are more for me than the fish, and usually, they're off within the first couple of casts. These are so easy and don't take long. The fly on top, which is below as well, took 12 minutes and came in at around 10 inches. Easy. Peasy. Done. 

     In addition to the Squimpish Brushes, which you can buy at a discount if you click over to the right, you'll need the following stuff to get it done. I tied the those on the Popovics AHREX SA290 in 6/0. Some fine mono thread, glue, scissors, pliers to cut the wire in the bushes, a comb, and some eyes if you choose. There's a little learning curve, but it's pretty easy. 

     I then tied a second fly. A "Two Turn", yep two turns and done in 7 minutes. This one comes in really at around 8 inches, perfect for a peanut bunker or small herring. You can add flash and eyes and I put some peacock herl down the spine. It's all you. 

     If I sit down and get all particular these could be really nice, but I don't do nice. I lose more than I can count, on the bottom, on the backcast, and on the big fish. I'm contemplating adding some hackles out the back but why? It would probably only get in the way. Now that I know I still have it, like in my head and with some ability, next time I'll slow it down to get some that I wouldn't be embarrassed by setting them out for others to see. I do miss tying and need to restock the ammunition locker soon. 

 

01.12.25 "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son"....

 

     That was the famous movie line delivered by Dean Wormer to John "Pluto" Blutarsky in the 1978 movie The Animal House. Can you imagine that that movie came out nearly 50 years ago? But it's what I thought of when I chose to jump on the scale yesterday for my 57th birthday. Standing in our bathroom butt naked peering down over my belly to see the state of my weight. And it wasn't good. 

     I forwent the annual New Year's Day new-life and decided to wait until this Monday to begin anew. The stressors of the fall semester coupled with the Thanksgiving through birthday chow downs had me thinking that January 13th would be my day. It's a good day because Theresa brought me home a bagel yesterday for my birthday and I joined my buddy Marc for a couple of mid-day pints of Guinness at a local tavern. 

     I usually try and take a photo or two of the anglers that are with me on every outing, that includes a pic taken from someone else or a selfie. Each time I look at one of me I see how horribly wrong my profile is. From an Alfred Hitchcock "Good Evening" profile, to a poorly positioned striping basket, I always am left saying, "I have to do something about that."

     So before I stood on the scale yesterday I took a guess, "Maybe I'm round 210". Well I wasn't even close. When I saw 218 I knew it had to be go time. Putting on weight, especially as I get older, is something I need to closely monitor because it can easily get away from me, and it has. Our bodies get used to the weight, our cells look forward to the same caloric intake each day, and health issues related to a poor diet and extra pounds can be detrimental to our mental and physical well being. 

     It was February 24th 2013 when I stripped down, well almost, and took the above photo of myself before my gastric sleeve gastrectomy surgery at Monmouth Medical Center. I had ballooned up to over 260 pounds and had a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 37. And with the weight came all the fun things like hypertension, a bad lipid profile, borderline Type II diabetes, and sleep apnea. Add to that pissing out of my balls and not being able to see my manhood which is never good for a man's self esteem. 

     If you're on the big side and would like to depress yourself before you sit down for the three NFL Playoff games today and chow-down, you can go online and search for a BMI Calculator, like HERE, or do the height vs weight comparison on paper. Right now at 218 and 5'11" I just squeaked into the "Obese" classification. But it's just by a 0.5, so really I'm just close to being "just" overweight. 

     The picture above is one of my all-time favorites. It was good, I was good, and, if I could say, I looked good. That was after I shed 80-plus pounds after my surgery. I was around 185 which dropped my BMI to 26, which technically put me overweight. I'd take that overweight any day of the week. 

     They say at the gastric surgery meetings, "They operate on your stomach but not your mind", which is true. In the early days there was the full gastric bypass, or Roux-en-Y procedure, then came the Lap Band, and then the gastric sleeve. While they all can lead to drastic weight loss if you're not careful you can "eat through" your surgery and find yourself at your pre-surgery weight, or beyond. And that's why I need to draw a line at the trough now and get myself back into shape. 

     I am about to enter another stressful semester, maybe the highest level since I started four years ago. And you know what stress brings on, stress eating. Whether it's stress, trauma, or depression, many of us eat for reasons other than sustenance. While force feeding ourselves releases all the wrong neurotransmitters which gives us a temporary high, there's then the depression that hits when you realize you can't move, have a hard time breathing, wear he same clothes everyday, and find your stripping basket more around your knees than your waist. 

     I have bins and bins and closets lined with clothes that go from a 32 inch waist and a size large, all the way to a 38 and XXL. I can't even keep track and find myself wearing the same get-up everyday. Recently Theresa took a seasonal gig over at Costco and she brought me home a few pairs of pants. 34's have been good for me, at during some points of my life, but at a BMI of now 30 these trousers look more like sausage skin than comfortable pants. And that's even with the friendly "Stretch Canvas" around the waist.

     Besides how I look and feel I knew I had another problem when I looked down at my old man toes. When did I get my Dad's toes? And why do old toes angle out and get so dam ugly as we age? But the alarming sign was the nail care that I had allowed to get away from me. I can't see my toes, because of my poor eyesight, and my belly, but my socks let me know when it's time to side position my legs and try and get a nail clipper, or hedge trimmer, on them. I hate when my socks get pulled by that hang nail, or two, that has been allowed to grow and angle up and over my toes. That's just hideous. Thank God Theresa doesn't have a foot fetish. 

     So right now blood pressures good, a recent trial of a the statin Rosuvastatin, got my lipid profile all within normal range, and my A1C is within normal limits. As far as the statins, I'm out on them, I didn't feel good and I didn't act good. So now it's up to me to control, and that's what this food and weight thing is all about, what, when, and how I eat. And the water intake? I am forcing myself to drink more of it rather than those pots of coffee and "healthy" 20 ounce Diet Cokes I used to drink. The above picture is one I took of a client back about 10 years ago. That's the way a stripping basket, and your jowls, are supposed to look from the side. 

     Look at that hot mess of a man above. Nice guy, for the most part, but man is that not good, and that was from October 2024. Yes there's a heavy sweatshirt and the waders but c'mon man. They say 'Health is wealth" and I see all of the problems firsthand in the log term care facilities and hospitals each day I go to work. I should know better and heed my own advice that I share with patients. I'm not going down the road of the recent craze of injecting myself with a GLP-1in order to cut weight, I have to do this the right way. And getting myself up and moving wouldn't be a bad things either. 

     So, yes I won't be an Alfred Hitchcock look alike this spring. My neck won't be hanging, even though it's in my DNA, my profile might look more normal, and my stripping basket will sit the way it's supposed to. And my wading socks won't get caught up on those hang nails and I might even be able to easily reach down and release a bass back into the water.