07.26.24 There's a tank....

     After I posted my woes from yesterday my buddy Mark sent me these pics from a quick "Take A Kid Fishing" outing he did a few hours after I had finished up. They fished for a while without a tap and then just as they were about to leave the kid jumped a tank of a smallmouth bass. Very cool. 

 

07.25.24 What goes up must come down...

     On my way home from work the other day I stopped to check out the river. Basically it can come down to two words, low and warm. What caught my eye was the dimpling occurring on the water's surface that moved down the river with the outgoing tide. While hard to photograph with just an iPhone

if you look closely by clicking on the photo you can see small herring fry. The NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife studied the river herring through 2016 taking sampling on the Maurice River Great egg Harbor River. The results showed that blueback herring outnumber alewife's almost 2:1. River herring collectively are made of up of both types that we see in the Delaware River. River herring are anadromous, living in the saltwater and returning to the freshwater rivers to spawn. The herring come up the river in March and April and leave in later May and June. Striped bass, also anadromous, follow the herring both ways before and after they spawn. 

     While the fry are tiny, 1-1/2 - 2 inches now, there are a lot of them. Smallmouth bass, snakeheads, catfish and striped bass all take part in chowing down on these tiny morsels as they make their way back to the ocean. Later in the summer the shad fry, which are larger, will make their way to the ocean as well. 

     Since the equator-like temperatures have subsided so has the river's temperature. From a high just below 87 to a now first light 79 things must be better for the fish that tolerate the warmer temperatures. Since I was in the mood to fish I got out around 430 am and thought why not give a mouse a try. "Mousing" has been a thing for large trout and when the Upper Delaware gets too hot to fish during the day some anglers go nocturnal and throw their favorite mouse imitations. The only time I went big trout

mousing was way back in 2007 when Chris Roslin and I did a story for Eastern Fly Fishing Magazine. we were sent to Labrador , Canada where we took a series of planes to get to Cooper's Minipi Lodge. 

we spent a week throwing big flies both day and night for large, like 7, 8, 9, and 10 pound brook trout. That trip was 17 years ago, wow, how time flies. I was 39 years old. I had hair on my head and face and 

a little extra weight on me. While I did the photography and Chris did most of the fishing I was able to get in on the action from time to time but Chris caught the biggest fish of the trip. Funny to see an old

The Fly Hatch hat on my head from back in the day. This picture was from the tail end of the trip and you can see how exhausted I was from the long week of work. That spread came out sometime in 2009. 

     I threw the mouse fly without any attention from anything swimming below the surface. I had low expectations but did enjoy watching the retrieve and just waiting for maybe something to blow up on it. 

 

     With the water temps still warm I really hoped a striped bass wouldn't be the one to strike. I made the with to a small minnow fly but caught more grass on the dropping tide then attention from any fish. It's 

amazing how the feel and smell and sights of the river change from say early spring till now. It just seems dead. I can't wait until the spring of 2025, one of maybe two or three springs I have left until the big move to South Carolina. 

     I spent some time walking and went to check out how construction on the new waterfront is going. Nothing has moved in months and I talked to the lead engineer who told me the final plans haven't even been drawn up yet as there's no money that has been allocated for completion of the project. The only thing new is more sturdier fencing keeping bathers and fishermen out. 

     I did share the river with a lone kayaker who trolled around and made some acts from time to time. I'm sure he wasn't expecting much either it's just a nice way to start the day, all alone on the river.

07.24.24 Hey, let's grab some Beast Fleyes and...

 

...go find some bass on the bunker pods. The above video was captured off of Portsmouth, New Hampshire about a half a mile from shore. While whale encounters occur frequently when the large mammals surface when eating bunker this actual strike is more rare than often. 

07.23.24 Nothing good is going to come out of this...

     While cracking my crabs on Sunday a lady at the bar erupted and said, "Biden just dropped out!". The first thing I thought to myself was, "No, they forced him out." This blog isn't political and I'm not political but, like everyone else, I have my own thoughts. And my thought is this isn't the way democracy is supposed to work. Yes, President Biden is getting old, as we all are, but he's having a harder time doing so as of late. Best case scenario, he realized this and bowed out on his own accord. Nothing worse than being told "It's over Joey". But the right people, or the right amount of people, got in his ear and head and forced him to go. Whatever you think about him or politics, it's kinda just sad. 

     Well if the news cycle hasn't been busy enough here's more fuel to add to the fire. No doubt his naysayers and those on the Right will crucify him on his way out. And in my opinion I think he's going. Whatever umph he had closing out the end his first term, or possibly a next term, I think is gone. When you leave somewhere against your own will it deflates you like a balloon. Biden will age quicker than he has and he will turn over the President to Vice President Harris. Just my prediction. And I think that will also come from strong hints from his people, like Obama and Pelosi and Schumer. And don't forget to follow the money, big donors will donate, only if they're getting what they want. 

     And just like the Right the Left will have 1,000 people, who helped keep Harris in the closet the last three years, come out and support her overlooking all the things they were worried about in the past. Let's face it, Democrats and Republican are just shallow, period. 

     She is on a speed train to be the Democratic nominee and will soon pick a running mate. That should be interesting because no one in the running thought they would be as the ticket was Biden-Harris. But like Vance, who crucified Trump before pulling an about face, that V.P. nominee will most likely have had some kind of opinion on Harris, we'll just see if the graveyard diggers in the media can dig stuff up.

     We're on our way to another lesser-of-two-evils election this November. Never Trumpers may be delighted that Biden stepped down due to his age even more then their concern that Harris could win, and more importantly be the leader of the free world. And never Bidens or anything Democrat will rejoice in the endless barrage of gaffs that Harris has made over the last four years that will be on a 24-hr. loop on every conservative leaning media outlet you can find. 

     It all has changed. Remember when the incumbent was pretty much a shoe in? You did your four years, the other side just let the next four go, and then would come out hard when the term limit kicked in. Not anymore. we're heading to four-year one and done terms with constant fighting between the two sides. 

     I don't know what would be worse, a Trump-Harris debate or a Vance- Harris debate. Who knows what this will do to the independents and undecideds and the various different sectors of voters that the media likes to dissect down to hair color and weight. Women and different ethnic groups are always be fought over, mostly for votes over a candidate really wanting to help anybody. 

God help this country. I'm so done with it all. I just want it, and them, to all go away. 

07.22.24 Cool family story from up in the North Country....

     This weekend while I was day drinking or cracking' some shells while swallowing some suds my 9 year old niece June was finishing up her Adirondack High Peak journey by joining the ADK 46'ers. Starting at age four she and my sister have, for some unknown reason, have spent 263.22 hours 

traveling 393.92 miles climbing up to a total of 95,986 feet to complete the climb of the 46 highest peaks in the Adirondack Park. The highest in Mount Marcy at 5,344 feet and the lowest is Couchsachraga at 3,820 feet. Being outdoorsy and adventurous no doubt runs in my family and being 

the oldest it no doubt somehow comes from me and my DNA. Well maybe my sister has a little bit to do with it as well, since she did things like bike across Vietnam and like Asia after high school. And I can't forget my bother in law who's a Mountain Man through and through. I looked back into my archives of pushed-to-my-limits of physical exhaustion to see where I stood as a potential 46'er. 

In 2019 I joined my family to tackle Ampersand Mountain. I took a look at the list of all 46 High Peaks and their heights but mistakingly Ampersand wasn't on the list. I've come to learn this is "an excellent hike", hike?, really.

I thought I was going to die by the time I got up there. At 3,353 feet to the summit it's 500 feet shy of the lowest 46. However, I have scaled Whiteface Mountain which comes in at number five in height at 4,857 feet. It was 2004 when Ryan, Sean and I took the trip and motored up

the backside of Whiteface to get to the summit. "Motored up" meaning we drove up almost to the top and then took the exhausting climb of like 200 feet to finish the journey. We did the same thing in 2007

and was there the moment Norm Mueller completed his journey to join the 46'er club. It's a big deal and for many it's a Bucket List kind of thing, and June did it by age 10. And I can't forget to include my 

sister Megan who joined that club as well. I'm hearing my other niece Eden, age 7 (above), is on her way to join her sister (I'm sure there's no sibling rivalry there) and Mom in their huge accomplishment. And while my sister and her daughters really did this all on their own, 

and in no way did any of my DNA, and lack of physical prowess, have anything to do with their success I will say I may have a played a small part of their story going way, way back. In 1989 I ventured up to Saranac Lake for the first time. Just outside of town along Route 30 we camped at Mountain Pond and 

I climbed to the highest, well lowest, peak, or rock, for the above picture. That was 1989, I was just a tot at age 21. While there I explored around a bit and found Paul Smith's College. But how it connects is this. I came back to New Jersey and introduced the idea of that college to my brother Ryan, and then my sister Megan. Ryan passed but Megan went, and never came back. She settled in Saranac Lake some thirty years ago, attended Paul Smith's and went on to SUNY Plattsburgh. We have made numerous trips to 

visit and over the years and I purchased the above two houses on The West Branch of the Ausable River in Ausable Forks. Unfortunately the Hurricane Irene flood of 2011 pretty much washed through the houses ending my dreams of having a place up there. But thankfully my sister and her family give me reason to visit and stay connected. 

    And things come full circle. Next month the next member of the family will be exploring the North Country and settling down near Saranac Lake. Lauren will be finishing her education at Paul Smith's and we are just as excited as she as she becomes a "Smitty". So, you see, it's all about me, and all of there successes in life can be traced back to my trip back in 1989. It must have been a long, long time 

ago because that looks like a spinning rod in my hand. Oh, how the times have changed. Bur seriously, congratulations to my niece June and sister Megan and best of luck to Eden and Lauren on their Adirondack journeys.While up there next month of the college move in maybe I'll just take some time away for myself and tackle Mt. Marcy, why build up to it, I'll just start from the tallest down. 

07.21.24 Here's a must go to, Crabby's in Belcoville,

     We found a great route from Titusville down to Cape May. Not on the east side, like the Garden State Parkway, and not the west side, like 295, but kinda down the middle with Route 206. It's Routes 206 to 30, to 40, to 50, to 9 and then a lot into home. It's sounds like a lot of roads but really it 's just a series of  five turns with lots off road in between. Door to door 's about 2 hours and without any traffic, most of the time. 

     Over the last several years we've past this spot called Crabby's. On the sign are two words, Seafood and Suds. The place isn't much on the yes and you could almost cringe thinking what might be going on 

on the inside as you drive past. I was convinced the inside looked like the Mos Eisley cantina of Star War's fame. It was in that cantina where we first were introduced to Jabba the Hut (above) but anyway.

     We had a nice weekend down at the Cape and had a visit with my Dad and Stepmother who came down for the day. Yesterday we had lunch over at Harpoon's on the (Delaware) Bay. If you've ever been there you should go back as the additions and facelift they did there has it have a whole new vibe and jam, and the food and drink are great. And if not it's a great place away from the Cape May and Wildwood hustle and bustle. 

      Today we set out for home around 1 pm and were due for some food on the ride home. There's never any hot dog stands, we're not doing McDonald's anymore (yeah right), Arby's is just nasty, and we just ween't in the mood for pizza. While I always wanted to stop at Crabby's I just never had the guts to make that call and drag Theresa there. Well today was different. 

     We were driving north, or maybe west, on Route 50 in Belleville, New Jersey, you know where that is right, and I spotted it coming up on our right. The first thing I saw was the front door held open by a cinderblock, then a few cars parked on the uneven parking on the side, and there was no sign of life. 

     

     We went in and whatever preconception I had was completely off. Yes, it's kind of dive, but it has a personality to it as does the people who both work and frequent there. It didn't take long for us to be 

bellied up to the bar with a couple of "Suds" in our hands looking over the menu. It took a bit to figure out the menu along with the pice board. If you just went ahead and ordered what you wanted without 

looking you could easily drop $100 a person. I wasn't expecting that from this place. Here's a lesson if you've never heard it before, don't judge a book by its cover. So Crabby's has been around since 1987 and is no doubt a South Jersey thing. Most likely more people from Philly know about it then say Jerseyans from above Route 70. After looking at the menu and the board we didn't know which way to 

go. Do we grab a beer and just split say a chicken sandwich? Have a bowl of soup and a crab cake? Well we decided to eat, to go all in, in other words to spend over 100 dollars. We started with the clams 

casino (two are missing in the above pic) which were the best I have ever had. I went with three Maryland Blue Claws (Large Sized) served Maryland style, which means dirty, or not cleaned with Old 

Bay seasoning on the outside. It was served with a hot sauce that cleaned out my chronically stuffed sinuses but I asked for drawn butter to soften the burn. Now Theresa hemmed and hawed but went with her gut and ordered the Surf and Turf. In the 10 years together I don't think I've ever seen her return 

her plate so clean. Oh yeah, the Surf and Turf comes with loaded potato skins instead of fries, that was nice. While we ate we were serenaded by a Crabby's regular from Philadelphia who's been coming this 

back and forth along Route 50 heading to the Shore and back home for years. It was really great food and a good bar hang with everyone asking each what they ordered and how it was. Crabby's does an all-you-can-eat after 4pm that's either blue or Dungeness crabs. This place would be great for a small group

who just want to get crackin' and put back some suds while doing so. It's really a great place and I won't be surprised if we don't hit it with our kids next weekend wither on the way down or back. The bill 

came to $150 with the tip but that also included a to-go oder of Mussels and Linguine Fra Diavlo that went to Lauren who did us a solid and watched the beats while we were down south. Check out Crabby's on Route 50 in Belcoville. It's just outside of May's Landing and not too far off the Garden 

State Parkway. Bring your appetite and your wallet along with some friends. It's a good time there. 

07.19.24 At least I landed a flattie....

 

     It's been a while since I fished and posted something directly related to fly fishing. So I hit Leif up and see if he wanted to meet for a quick early morning trip to the beach. It was very comfortable at

68 degrees and I expected the beach to be empty during my 0530 arrival. But to my horror the parking lot was full of cars. The beach club or town must have had a "sleep on the beach" night and after deciding to just stay put on the beach we made our way down and found the cars owners. We made our

way down to the water and found good water conditions, not so much for the beach and structure. While summer winds effect the sand movement and subsequent shoaling, this stretch just didn't have much for structure. With the full moon tide bringing lots of water at the 613 hight tide there just wasn't much of a trough to fish. Most of the stretches had flat sloping sand with a sand bar out of range for crab flies. 

But the water was clean and green and looked real good coupled with rising temps (above 60) with the recent switch from two months of south winds. I worked a tandem of AMC's (Archer's Mole Crab) 

with some Anise dropped on right where the trough should be and quickly went tight on a sub- 18 inch fluke. I thought maybe I picked a nice beat and maybe the fluke were stacked up faced into the beach

scarp looking for dislodged mole crabs, and there lots of shells of sand fleas on the beach. These crabs shed just like say calicos do so it's not uncommon to find blanks on the beach where the tide line ends. 

     I jumped up on the rocks but it was for naught as the shoaling sand made it flat and skinny along both sides. I was hoping for a striped bass to show up and maybe out further off the beach they were 

patrolling around. WEW fished until an hour after high tide and the water hadn't really started to empty into channels or cuts. If we waited we would have been bothered by the walkers who look shocked when they see a backcast as the look seemingly unaware along the waters edge. We called it a day with

just one flat fish to show for it. It felt good to get out and good to catch up with Leif. On the way out Leif said, "Enjoy your bagel", and he was right with his prediction. This morning though I wouldn't be alone as my baby turned 19 today so me and her brother went for bagels, of course with a little white milk on the side.