10.31.26 Have a Happy Blitz-O-Ween...

      If you live on the Jersey Shore, and have a pulse, and fly fish, I hope you're not reading this until late Saturday afternoon. It's go time, and you should have went. While I am floundering down here in the mud of the Lowcountry you up north are just getting into the swing of the Fall Run. I know the boats have been into them good with some hitting the beach, but unless you go you'll never know, and it's time to know. 

     While the participation will be heavy right out of the low-tide-at-first-light gate the day and tides look great. As you know those bass can push in at any time and there's some dandy's swimming around out there. What would I do? First light at The Hook and work my way south, no matter what anyone is saying on social media. I would even consider a long walk in the dark to have that first light hit me in the face. 

     And it's October 31st. Boy do I remember Halloween, or Blitz-O-Ween 2014. You've seen the above picture here and in some of the popular fly fishing books. It was a day to remember. So much that I'd thought I would share my top three best striped bass fishing outings. Above was me, all alone, except for Bob Dooley who snapped the picture, at Pullman Avenue in Long Branch. You can read about that banner day, HERE. 

     And coming in second was the largest striped bass I ever landed on a fly rod. That happened one April night in 2022. I was out with a few Delaware River rats that night and was pretty much getting in everyone's way with the fly rod, like I always did when I fished with the spin rod guys. They were always kind and I tried my best to stay clear. I had positioned myself on a rock upriver from them when the below beast hit. Thanks to "JoJo" Passerella for the picture, without it it would be hard to remember. And there's no old post to send you to because back then I would have been banished from the river if I posted anything that would spot burn or bring attention to that fishery, so the story was never told. 

     And coming in third, mostly because they were boat fish, was an outing I had with Joe Pheifer on November 2nd, 2018, a day when all the boats stayed tied up at the docks or in guy's driveways. We took a shot, and it paid off. This was at a time when catching 40's and 50's was unheard of. Well we had a mackerel bite around Flynn's Knoll that I've never seen before, and never will. You can read about that day, HERE.

     I do remember bringing my fancy cameras and took great pictures of the bait and bass on the surface as well as us with some very big specimens Joe had landed. Luckily we took a few with the iPhone, like the one Joe snapped above. It was when I got home I realized I never put a memory card in the camera. I just needed one picture to always remember. 

     I have had some great days, on foot and on the JB Cape Fishermen. More fish days. Just good fun days. Good company days. And while I just like fishing for striped bass it's always nice to have a numbers day, or a big fish day, or even just a Nat Geo day happening in front of you day. And for me, it's always better when you're alone or just with your buds. I hate crowds, but got used to that fly fishing the Jersey Shore. 

     So if you went, I hope you found life in front of you. If you went and didn't catch it, it will be happening sooner then later. The bunker bite, peanuts or adults, it something to experience before the later sand eels filter in. 

Ok, enough about fishing....

     Sell yesterday we took a ride over to that used car lot to check in on the pick-up. When I first drove by early in the mornin, to my horror, it wasn't in the same spot as it was yesterday, but luckily it was just moved a few spots away. 

     Theresa and I talked with the owner and his son and daughter that own the business. Nice people. I trust them. I think it's a good deal. They did the work as promised while we were away which included a new radiator and some new gaskets for some oil leaks. We're having to do a kinda lay-away until next month which they were okay with. Now we just need the financing company to give us the green light. 

     They insisted we take it for a ride and to "take our time" so I headed to Zips Car Wash to give it a nice bath. It was already clean but I just wanted to, so I did. Before we dropped it back off I pulled over for a quick photo to which Theresa just shook her head and said, "You're such a goof", and she's kinda right.

     After I dropped Theresa off I took a ride to check out the flood tide, which had done exactly that. There was water everywhere and no signs of life to be found. With enough of a north wind to make seeing any surface activity difficult I broke out the binoculars, which didn't help at all. 

     Tonight there's some Halloween type gatherings throughout Sun City, but you had to pre-purchase tickets for them. We were away when they went on sale and aren't really in the know with where, when, and how, you do things around here. If things went my way today, and we had tickets, I wouldn't have dressed up in a costume. I would have went as a happy guy who just brought a new-to-him old pick up truck. And he would have been joined by his loving spouse who is always supportive, well more like an enabler, and could have dressed up as bobblehead doll, just shaking her head with her goofy husband at her side.  

10.30.26 Insanity, and remembering on the 29th...

    "Insanity- doing the same thing over and expecting a different result". Well it was the "Same Bat time, same Bat channel", if you know you know, yesterday in the mud. Saw one redfish, plopped a fly on him, and it blew out. So that's insanity in this post #1- going back to the same spot to many times and expecting a different result.

     I joked with my buddy Abe Pieciak that I think his hat, which I wear far too often, is giving off bad mo-jo, which of course is insanity #2. Abe, up on the Vineyard Abe, has been busy in The Shed and is now offering a new line of pieces which he has been carving up. 

     

     The boy has some sick skills and these, like the ones he's done before, are even better when you stand in front of them. So those are insane #3. So if know anyone who would want something for Christmas or to hang in their restaurant or office you can find him on Facebook, or drop me a line and I'll get you in touch. I recently showed my interior designer sister his work 

with the thinking that maybe one day she'll have a space where Abe's work would be the perfect fit. While I'm pimping friends and family out if you need a designer Jess is based in Monmouth County but does work across the country. 

     And while surfing the internet yesterday as I looked for jobs outside of nursing I came across some posts of things that occurred on October 29th. One of them was Hurricane Sandy, which hit the Jersey Shore on October 29th, 2012. At that time I was living in Ocean Township, and our home was 

1.83 miles from the beach, our street a continuation of 2nd Avenue in Asbury Park. 

     During that storm I was busy between keeping the family and home safe while covering my area for The New York Times. As I wrote this I went through back posts on this blog to see if I could grab some pics to put up, but they would just be low resolution screen grabs. I have a ton of images on external hard drives, but they are buried deep somewhere in the garage. But looking 

back, do you all remember the several inches of snow we got a few days after the storm hit? It really complicated things and was just another Mother Nature gut punch. 

     And on October 29th, 1994, my friend and colleague at Rescue 1 died in the line of duty. Mike "Elvis" Delane, 33, was killed, another firefighter critically injured, and a civilian perished at a fire 

at 58 Chester Avenue in the city's North Ward. I was at that fire working my part-time job as an EMT at UMDNJ EMS. His loss shook the city, the department, and our company as a whole. We lost a good friend and firefighter that day. I can't believe that was 32 years ago. Life seems to go slow while you're living it but is a blur when you go back and reflect on it all.

     There's so many things I would tell a 20 year-old me to do differently if I could. Imagine if you could have a re-do on some of the poorer choices and decisions you've made over your life. They say you can live your best life even as you get older, and closer to checking out. I don't really feel that. While looking back through rose colored glasses, or even with 20/20 vision, it's the early years that are the best. The firsts are what makes you. First; apartment, new car, career, marriage, child, and home.

     They say, for us northerners, that the south is Heaven's waiting room. At 58 is there really anything you could accomplish that would rival the early successes in life? Yes, you can still make a buck, downsize and even move, help your kids out, and even make your grandkids happy, but really what are you doing? 

     Well now we're back home and now have to re-learn routines and where we fit it. New friends, new schedules, new jobs. We haven't had the chance to sit back and reflect and figure out where we are heading, even though we are here now.

     It's been a whirlwind of a 10 months this 2026 year. I know people are travelers for work or fun but us, not so much. But we have been around via car, truck, boat, and plane. We did that while working and getting the house ready for sale and downsizing. We're not alone conquering that feat of relocating but I can say it has been quite the year.

     Now we, well I, hope to find my way, and not get into the trap of "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results". I'm done with insanity, although that, with some chaos mixed in, seems to be my comfort zone and where I like to exist. If people, like me, surround themselves with enough stuff, and chaos, and insanity, then they'll never get to see themselves alone in the mirror, which is like kryptonite for a lot of us. It's like sending alone with no clothes on.

     Imagine having all your shit, but a lot less if it, in order. Your finances set. Your house and cars all fixed up or new and reliable. Your daily routine just that, a daily routine. Your health in check. And your friends and family all good and drama free. Now, to me, that's either abnormal, heaven, or insanity. 

10.29.26 It's good to be home...

 

     It is good to be home, finally. Got a good night sleep and decided to head east to a flat that I've spent a lot of time on. It's the King Tide, which is about a 9+ foot tide, kinda like I had twice a day back in Trenton. They all talk about these big flood tides, but to be honest, I don't know if I like fishing them. Yes, I can admit, that I've haven't caught a redfish yet, but that's not the reason. 

     My goal is to sight fish redfish. Any ideas that I had in my head of any water filling the flats will bring tailing fish was a mistake on my part. On the times that I have been out the water had brought blue crabs, shrimp, mullet, sheepshead, and redfish to the party. But those King, or flood tides, are hard to fish, and quick. 

     I arrived at the perfect time. The water was just starting to fill in past the grass and with it I had two tailing redfish to cast to. But in a matter of minutes the water was in, the tailing had stopped, and I didn't see anything else thereafter. They fish could just swim around, rather then search in skinny water. You can see those differences above and below, the top photo captured at 0845, the one below 0849. 

     It may look flat above but soon the north wind kicked in and just changed the entire vibe. I walked around, mostly towards the back of the estuary where the water was skinnier, but it soon filled in as well, so I called it a quick morning. 

     I planned on unloading the Suburban at The Fly Barn so I made a detour to check out another spot. This time there were two fly rodders there, both saw no fish, one of them laying two into trout. 

     The wind was at your face and it made seeing into the water difficult. I wasn't looking for tails but bank huggers who I've seen patrolling the edges from time to time, but not today. October is bull red month, well not where I am. In addition to not seeing any fish, there were no birds, and not much for bait. Even the fiddlers were in hiding. 

     Luckily it's slow-grow month for the grass so I didn't find it overgrown and out of control. One of the reasons the Suburban was packed to the gills was because Theresa and I couldn't hold off on a yard sale we passed in Jackson. A family was "selling out" as they joked as the neighborhood was "turning over", so they wouldn't need their electric lawn mower anymore. So we loaded it up.

     For a buck and a quarter this is a far cry from that 12 inch push mower I had been using. One thing I'v realized is that I've outgrown the structure that is attached to the barn already. My plan is to have it be a hang/fly tying room, not a garage for all the tools and shit I dragged down from New Jersey. I'm pictured a small couch and a TV on the wall, and of course a mini-split for climate control. And a new fridge. I would have taken the one from Cape May but that wasn't going to fit no matter how we packed it, so I'll be on the Marketplace hunt. 

     And I took Sammy, short for Samantha, the Suburban to Zips Car Wash for a must needed and deserved bath. She cleans up nice, and has served us well, but there's something going on with her EVAP something or other and she's hard to start after you take off the gas cap, like earn you fill up. And she could use some suspension work, like shocks and arms, and whatever else. even though she only has 135,000 miles she's been siting on that stuff for going on 23 years, and they're tired. 

And then there's my pick-up in waiting at the car lot. She's still there, waiting, but we'll see if that goes down like I want it to. October has been an over-budget month so it'll take some additional hold time or a price drop on their part to get it done. But I'm ready for a pick-up, and Sammy could use a break. 

10.28.26 We made it home, finally....

(Not our house)

     Well at 712 am we were on our way. After a long month of being on the road we were heading back home. Theresa likened it to the movie, Trains, Planes, and Automobiles. While the night before I was thinking of leaving before 5 am I reconsidered thinking getting a solid nights sleep would serve us better for the ride. 

     Our first stop was to hit my brother's house and pick up Luke who was less then enthusiastic when he saw us. We didn't know if he wanted to stay in New Jersey or just hated us for living him as we traveled around. Eventually we got him going and after a THC dog gummy he was ready for a chill ride south. 

     Siri laid out the best route and she said we would be rolling into Bluffton, South Carolina at 730 pm. By leaving when we did we pretty much beat the Baltimore and Washington, DC traffic, but there was other traffic to be found. 

     We did have a slow down and then bumper to bumper traffic for almost an hour in somewhere Virginia which really set us back and our arrival back home. Add in a few spots and 730 become 10 o'clock. 

     At some point south of Fayetteville with my ass cheeks burning and my eyes fuzzy I looked over and saw something that woke me up in a hurry. At one point I thought it was me looking at me. 

     It was a Jones Brothers Cape Fishermen that was on it's way to Florida now doubt after being picked up in Morehead City, North Carolina. Like my boat it hit the road without power on board. Whoever has this set-up I am envious, a new GMC Denali, a new JB, and a new trailer. Congrats on that bud.

     One highlight of going hame and coming back is hitting Buc-ee's. If you've never been then make sure you find one one day and make the stop. It's like WaWa meets Target on steroids. Best part is since they are so busy and move so much stuff it's relatively affordable and all fresh. And then I saw the sandwich board outside. Could this be an employment opportunity?

Who would thought a GM job there would pay between $225-$300 thousand a year, and there's a plus sign next that 300. I guess they make money and they spend money on goods help. Maybe I could get a part-time hustle as the mascot who roams the store taking pictures with the customers. 

     The last leg, like the last three hours, were a dog but we finally got home. I quickly emptied the bags from the truck and got my fishing stuff ready for today. I'll let myself sleep in and if I get the 

juices flowing I'll go and check out the King Tide somewhere near home. I know things are starting to get good back home with the Fall Run and I wish I could have been there over the next 30-days as I know it's just a matter of time before things go off. You might even see a Blitz-O-Ween somewhere along the Jersey Shore on Saturday. 

     I miss the birds, the bait, the bass, and the blitzes. For now I'll settle on looking for tails and swirls on the flats of the Lowcountry. 

10.27.26 Hittin' the road after passing the test....

     The day is finally here. After a grueling month of travel and sleeping around we're headed back to South Carolina. And this trip home could keep us in the warm south for most of the winter, even until spring. 

     But before we could leave I had to take, and pass, a nuclear stress test (NST). Most people dislike going to their providers for screenings and check-ups but I welcome them both. It's not that I'm looking for a diagnosis, I just thinking catching shit early, and treating it, is better than walking around a half-a heartbeat away from meeting the Grim Reaper. Or having something slow growing or swimming around in your blood that doesn't below there.  

     My family, mostly my parents, have a plethora of medical diagnosis that surely have been passed down into their kids DNA. Like me, they're pretty good on keeping up with appointments and being compliant. One thing my Mom always says is, "We always pass out tests", even while something wonky is going on inside. 

     So after a wonky EKG a few weeks back my cardiologist sent me for a nuclear stress test (NST) to make sure my ticker is still ticking, with the right electrical currents trace,ing though my heart to make it beat correctly, in the right order, and with the right force. 

          So without giving a blow by blow a NST is pretty simple. You get a baseline scan, they give you some radioisotope, then you get up on the treadmill and get your heart to it's target heart rate, 

they juice you up again, and then you get scanned for a final time. The entire time I was speed walking on the treadmill I was hooked up to a continuous running ECG while the guys stood there watching my man-boobs travel around my upper body. It was a little embarrassing, and I did ask them what the ladies did, shirtless or not. They get different treatment than the boys. 

     After the three hour test we were off to getting back to my parents house for the final packing while we waited for the call from the cardiologist with the report. Around 5 pm the phone rang and after she introduced herself she said those welcoming words, "Everything looks good". No old heart attack, no current heart attack, and "Low risk" for one in the near future. 

      I'm not preaching, and I'm no picture of health or fitness nut, but make sure you go and get yourself checked out and get those screenings done. Get your vitals, labs, heart, prostate, and even your head checked out. If not for something you're experiencing now but to catch something early, or even better, to have a baseline to compare to when things come, and they will come. 

     As far as heart health, keep those cholesterol numbers in check, get that blood pressure lowered by either being healthy or compliant with the meds, and exercise regularly. Getting your heart rate up, even by just walking, is a good way to keep the blood flowing and getting that sludge moving round your body in a good way before it settles in your heart or brain, which then might be too late. 

     I hope the next post, or one very soon, will be about fishing. I'm leaving New Jersey just as the fall run is kicking off here in New Jersey. The full moon is starting to wane which is a very good 

thing. The table is getting set for a possible Blitz-O-Ween on the beach in just four days. Saturday, the 31st, is looking perfect, you'll have a little overcast, wind from the north at 9, but you will have company, and lots of it. Break out the binoculars and get out early. I'll be back to walking in the mud looking for tailers as you guys are looking for bait and bass on the beach. 

10.26.26 Boy, I really enjoyed that...

     Theresa and I got to Denver International Airport way early which left us in a relaxed and stress free mood. Part of that was due to the fact that we came in under weight with our checked 

bag. Those bags have to come in under 50 pounds. On our departure from Newark it weighed 65 pounds, so we had to redistribute some things to make weight, like wrestlers do in high school. 

    Denver's airport is one of the smoothest operations I've ever seen. From the bag drop to security to the waiting areas at the gate it was all new and efficiently run. And if you haven't traveled in years I can tell you some of these airports are now built like the malls of yesteryear. And there's some real nice places to grab a beer and bite, although we chose McDonald's to meet our caloric needs.

As we walked towards the gate I saw a shoe shining station and looked down on my Timberlands, or Timbs for short, and how they could use some professional treatment. I tried to figure out how old they are and I estimated maybe 25 years. It's not like I would be going out and buying 

a new pair any time soon so why not spend some money on a spa treatment for the pair at the terminal. Now the question was, how much? I want over and asked Juan and he said, "You pay what you want". which really confused me.

     So basically they are independent contractors and rent the chairs from the airport. They aren't allowed to set prices so it's up to the customer, which kinda left me feeling uncomfortable. It's like when you're at a yard sale and you see something you like, without a price tag, and the seller says, "what do you think it's worth?". And most times, I just out it down. So I talked with Theresa and we came up with $10 bucks as a fair price. 

     As I sat Juan explained the multiple processes he was going through as he "shined" my shoes. This wasn't just taking some polish and spit-shining them up. This was a deep clean meets multiple layers of stuff, which at one pint, he busted out a torch and melted the polish into it. 

He also said he had regular customers, mostly business type, who travel regularly every week for work. He knows them, and their shoes, by name. He said the average "donation" was $15-20, and with each of the 25 minutes that I sat there the "donation" I was going to give went up. In the end I went for $25, and I'm on the cheap side with most things. But I appreciated his expertise, his effort, and the fact it was pay what you want. 

     When we finally made our way back to Row 40 of the 45 seat plane I sat down and figured I'd be settling in of a nap. But on this new plane they have wi-fi service from Starlink which allows access to live TV, which, allows the ticket holder to watch live NFL games. 

     I was able to watch the Steelers vs Saints game that was held over in France and then most of the 49'ers vs Falcons game. As we approached Newark the screens went dim and the Captain's voice gave instructions to the flight crew. It was then that I looked down and just smiled feeling happy that I dropped that $25 on the shoes. If I waited another 25 years to do it again I'll be 83 and these shoes would be 50 years old. Maybe I won't wait so long next time.