05.02.26 Had to take a break...

 

     My recent pictures of the water in the river are like those sunrise or sunset images people post when they go fishing and don't catch. It's May 2nd and I haven't caught a striped bass, or any other fish, to kick off 2026. I've went about a dozen times, if that, and most have been an hour or less of a half-hearted effort. 

     Yesterday morning I hit a plumbing road block which really set me back at least a day. While trying to remove a muskrat-like hairball from deep in the bowels of the waste line I put a hole in the brass waste pipe that sits below the shower drain. So that means another hole in the ceiling and then trying to patch it as replacing it would call for a closet and hallway to be dismantled. So one my way to Home Depot for some JB Weld, which didn't work in the end I took the much needed mental health break and hit the river.

     It was mid-day, high bright sun and the mid-flood tide. The water was low, as it has been, running about 15,000 cfs, which was better than it has been. With gin-clear water it would have been easy to spot any herring swimming upstream but I saw none. And needless to say I didn't catch a fish. What I did enjoy was watching the turtles get chased off their sunning rock perches as the tidal water pushed in. They would move to the tippy top of the rocks, sometimes balancing with their feet in the air, only to give up when the water hit the bottom of their shells. The cormorants were out numbered by the gulls who split their time between the river and the land fill which is only a short flight away. 

     On the way back from Hilton Head when I was in the co-pilots seat I spent some time looking for my next ride. At this point, with the yard cleaned up and the mulch picked up from the recycling center, I don't need my Silverado war wagon anymore. As I searched I thought I found my next ride. It's was a 2003 GMC Yukon Denali with 176,000 miles. I said I wouldn't buy another old vehicle but those years, 2002-2004 are my sweet spots when it comes to Chevy's and GMC's. 

     So my plan was to get to Elizabeth for their 9 am opening yesterday morning. But at 5 am I checked their website and they sold it out from under me. I had been back and forth with the salesman and was good to go. I was either going to send the mortgage in a few days late, throw the pick-up on Marketplace, and hope that this mornings live video with some train collectors from Syracuse would add to the pot. But, you know what they say, you snooze you lose. It was a really nice ride and I thought she was mine. Another one that got away. It was in white too, which is my go to color, and will help repel that nuclear sun down in the Lowcountry. 

     Back to the grind today. We're getting close to listing it and we still haven't signed on the dotted line with the realtors yet. The thought of donating $45,000 in real estate commissions just kills me, especially in these times were the internet, and Zillow, are what people cruise around when looking for a house. Hopefully those "Coming Soon" signs I have out front will bring an early buyer, and this pretty weekend will bring a ton of people driving past heading to Lambertville and New Hope, and our own towns town-wide yard sale. Enjoy the nice weather today and go fishing.

05.01.26 Well that was a long two days....

     Not much to say other than it was a long two days. Flew down to Savannah in the morning on Wednesday. Spent the afternoon touring houses with our realtor and my mother. Spent the night at a Red Roof Inn that doubled as a crash pad for people making the trek from north to south or south to north, or, were construction workers who crashed their long term at a discounted rate, or others who might have just escaped prison.

     While we used the security cards issued when we checked in others used their own methods to have access. Needless to say the place was a tad sketchy but we slept hard and got up and split by 6 am. It was then a 13 hour drive back to Titusville over the 735 miles. 

     It was a good trip and good to see some of the houses we have been talking on over on Zillow. Some were disappointing while others possibilities. Interesting thing to note, after about a half a dozen home visits I started to have trouble breathing. Not sure if that was Lowcountry air, carpet, pets, or older homes that are covered in stucco that don't "breathe" right, no pun intended. 

     I got a kick out of this vehicle as it's the patrol car to enforce "Community Standards". That comes along with HOA's and rules and regulations. Wait until they get a load of me. 

     I was able to watch the fiddler crabs wave their claws in the sun as the flood tide approached. It was during dinner at The Foolish Frog in Saint Helena Island near Beaufort. It was a meal of fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits. 

     Now back home it's game on mostly running around finishing up things or packing up the last bit for the storage units. Mom's up here and will go through her last bit of stuff as we get ready for one last estate sale next weekend. This is all exhausting, but hopefully worth it, as long as I can breathe down there. 

04.29.26 Off to Hilton Head...

 

    Taking a break from real estate readiness and doing a two day fly and drive back from Hilton Head. Mom’s driving back for her 80th and I wanted to join her for a bulk of the drive home. Im flying into Savannah which puts be less then 30 minutes from Sun City and Bluffton. While down here I’m going to scout out a few places with our realtor. While I hate to lose momentum on progress around the house my back im broken and the skin and nails on my fingers just about sanded away. And between the pollen and lead paint dust some fresh Southern air will do me good, along with some auto air conditioning on the 11 hr trek back to Titusville. Keeping our eyes on the prize…but surely the shits gonna hit the fan about something trying to get out of here. Just wait.

04.27.26 Well I went...

      I took a break to go and see what the rain did for the river. I got there at high tide just before the flip. The rain hadn't done much for the flows or turbidity but I see it did bump this morning up to 12,000 cfs.

     As spring goes on so does the growth at the river bank. That makes for plenty of flies caught in the branches. Luckily the low flows allow for some wading in the right spots. For me the skunk continues for 2026, but I know, well hope, that soon I'll bring one to hand. I've only went a few times and the most has been for about an hour. That's a far change from the marathon two-a-days I'm used to. 

     I haven't seen any bait but Delaware Joe did snag a herring on a plug the other day. So at least one is here. Sometimes when the bait is sparse it's better and the fish are eager to eat. But there's always a slow down when the fish are concentrating on spawning. They comes early, hit what's in front of them and annoying them, and then go do their thing. After that it's game on as they put the feed bags on and there's usually a lot of bait around to satiate them. Sometimes they linger, other times it's chew and screw, well leave, after they screw. 

     The madness continues and it looks like I might have a buyer for the trains. Two buds from Syracuse who collect and flip, so we'll see where that goes. They say it's freezing up there and there's snow in their forecast. High 90's a few weeks back and now high 30's at night. The rivers down to 55 now, after almost hitting near 70. Why can't we ever have "normal" weather anymore?

04.26.26 Entering phase two....

     I actually don't know what phase this is but it's the phase where you get a storage unit and start to get the bins out of the house and staged for the move. We told the guy, "We'll only need

 it for a couple of months....".  What I can say about getting stuff out of the house is that you can see all the things that need to be touched up. Yesterday between the raindrops and trips to the U-Haul center it was sanding, priming, and painting the staircase. Below is what it looked like before we bought the house in 2018. 

     What you can't see are the steps that lead down to the door. All curved which just leads to extra time getting the painters tape to conform with the bend. And the spindles? Forget it. I just can't. Too many other pressing things to do. 

     The front entrance is just about done. There's some dentil work that needs to be repaired and then painted but I think the 40 hours it took me to get it done was worth it. It's now time to concentrate on the inside and getting a storage unit helps thin stuff out and make room for the bull-in-the-China-closet that I become when it's go time. 

     While we were at the U-Haul super center we talked to the guy about renting a truck for the move. It's gonna cost us but there's no other option. I asked if I could tow the Jones Brothers down and he said it's not a problem. I already asked for a quote from Maximum Marine down in Upper Township for a quote for a new trailer. I'll sell the old one, and my truck, to pay for it. And man if those trains would sell I'd be really set. But selling things like collections isn't easy, and the buyers, can be well...

     If you don't answer in a timely fashion because you either work full time or have a life outside of Facebook Marketplace these are the types of responses you get. This guys a flipper and asked if it was available. I need to keep my eye on the prize, Sun City, and just exhale and be nice. We're getting close to be getting close. 

04.24.26 I did get to go...

 

     Some time over the last two days I wrecked my back. It's happened before and it usually just happens on it's done without any help from a twist, fall, or heavy lift. If you asked me what I actually did I'd probably give you a Mike Tyson to reporter Jim Gray answer....

     But luckily I found my wading staff and gave it a go. While the conditions didn't matter as I was going when I was going I felt like I might just catch a fish. And I almost did, some kind of fish. It was about an hour and a half into the flood tide and I thought that maybe fish would be on the move upriver from the deeper water. In the tidal section, with a changing tide every six hours, fish either hunker down or drop back as the water recedes. That's why guys love dropping tides, it's easier to figure out the lies and holes and where to find them. 

     There's a cool point that occurs when you're fishing an incoming tide on a river. and I'm not talking about a somewhat lazy ocean side 3-4 foot incoming. On the river there's a nine foot tide and at some point who can actually see it push up and actually flood there area you're in. And sometimes, like on a moon, it comes in real fast, and you have to be sure you don't get caught being further then you should. 

     If you look at the top photo you can see kind of what I'm talking about. "Normal", although running now at 8,300 cfs, river flor heading downstream and the "flood" waters coming upstream. When there's bait around that point can be a place where fish move into hunting spots as bait comes down with the current. That usually happens in bigger water, and this is not big water. In fact it's more like late summer then early to mid-spring. 

     I did have a swirl behind my fly during the retrieve in. I speculate is was a bass, either a smallmouth, largemouth, or maybe even a small striped bass. In early light it wouldn't be wrong for the possibility that a walleye might have taken a shot at it. Outside of the pain, and tingling in one leg, it was good to get out and clear my head before heading back to the work camp. And that's what the house is starting to feel like. Psychically I'm running out of steam, but my eyes are still on the prize. 

04.23.26 "This could be the last time...."

 

     That was the title of the post that came to mind. It reminded me of one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs, "The Last Time". Here it is below...

     The reason I say "It could be the last time..." is because who knows where I'll be in the fall. Will I still be in New Jersey or taking my nursing instructor show on the road down in South Carolina?. But anyway, today was the last day of med-surg clinicals for the freshman class. Last week I wrapped up the ER/Trauma Center rotation for the seniors. 

     The freshman were a hoot. We started in a long term care center, aka. nursing home, in the fall before going to Capital Health in Trenton on the med/surg unit. They did good. They learned. And they had fun. The best part of my days are watching them have lightbulb moments go off in their heads or working independently or with the staff when I'm not by their side. 

     They're all jacked up because they have one more big test and then the final. After that, starting just before the house gets listed, we head into Psychiatric Nursing where I'll be teaching the lecture, labs, and clinicals. Clinicals should be good as we'll be on the inpatient and crisis unit at Capital and at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, aka TPH. 

     The six week course gets interrupted for a week as I join the two Joe's, Brad, and Abe, up on the Vineyard for a much needed week away sight fishing for striped bass. By then I'll be burnt out, if nor crippled, from all the stuff we've done, and still have yet to do. 

     Today was a half a day since it was the last one and I buried home to get painting. While I did my phone kept blowing up and I had to check it. It was messages from the kids at Essex  

County College who took their final exam today. I taught them for one of their two years at Essex before I departed last June. The text, "Your new nurses"....needless to say I'm proud of them, all of them.

So since I think I might have had a little to do with their success I'm going to treat myself this morning. I'm going fishing...

04.22.26 There's a lot of harvesting going on....

 

     Saw this and I had to laugh. It reminded me of what guys do with fluke that were over the then slot limit. Some would take a pair of scissors and trim the tails down to fit within the slot. Now with the striped bass having a slot limit anglers can use the Slot-Fit which uses Striper Compressor technology to get it to fit. Of course this is a joke but it does raise a point. 

     There's a lot of striped bass around. And interestingly the beaches, or Out Front, waters seem to be active early with striped bass. There's a ton of bunker around and I suspect those early Chesapeake and Delaware fish are making their way north for the summer. It used to be June and into early July where the beaches and jetties would be the place. Early mornings and late afternoons would see the crowds build watching and waiting for the bass to push the bunker up onto the beaches. It was a plug guys happy time, but frustrating for the fly rodders as usually they were out of range. 

     While the push of big fish this spring has been solid it has lead to more of a catch and release fishery due to the slot. That's a good thing because I've always said less fish harvested means more fish in the water, outside of catch and release mortality. But those slot fish, 28-31 inches, are being caught and harvested in numbers that I question as far as sustainability. Taking those fish now will no doubt affect those years class fish in seasons to come. 

     Eventually those big fish, the breeding classes, will die off and what will happen if there's a smaller bio-mass of fish making their spring and fall runs? Only time, and speculation, will tell. I don't what this years spawning success will be in the Delaware River. Drought like conditions aren't good for a spawn. The river bumped up a bit and is now running just under 10,000 cfs.

     Thankfully to the cold snap we had the temps are down in more tolerable numbers around 58 degrees overnight. I'm not sure I'll see those big water successful days like I had last year and I haven't heard of herring actually being spotted yet. No doubt each year things change, and the bass adapt and change with the changes as well. I hope to get out this weekend between running around and touching up things around the house. We are exactly a month from my listing deadline and I hope we're on target.

     With the blossom season that came and dropped it was time this week for Theresa and I to start the dreaded task of cleaning out beds and spreading black mulch. I made sure I wore gloves vebacqse once that dye gets into your pores it stays there for a while. While I thought I was good several of the nurses pointed out how horrid my hands were after we handled a Code Blue on the floor yesterday. Next time I'll have to make sure I have gloves on at the bedside. Between my nails basically sanded off and the black stain that colored my nails I get why my hands don't look like I am ready for surgery. It reminded me that I'm done with home maintenance and and I'm ready for my HOA fees to cover landscaping. Mowing the acre of grass is now an every-other-day chore and with this weekend's rain the grass and weeds will grow even faster. 

     We've just about cleared out the Facebook Marketplace inventory but the train collection remains. It's taking up a large space in the family room and is impeding progress in that room. The above pic is just a tiny view of the room full of trains. I'll have to come up with a plan B if they don't move, and the last thing I want is to lug them down to South Carolina. Downsizing is a bitch, and my advice is to start now, regardless if you're moving or not. 

04.20.26 And then there was one....

     It only took a few hours with the jet boat soaking on Facebook Marketplace for it to be sold. Guy pretty much bought it sight unseen. He lives across the river in Yardley and he bought it for he and his 13 year-old son who "could fish all day if I let him". 

     He has a 12 foot aluminum boat now with a 9.9 on it but this will be his first jet and one he'd like to take in waters he can't make now. I warned him about the Delaware, and it's tides and flows, and the rocks he'll encounter down below the tidal zone line. 

     Now all I'm left with is the Jones Brothers. She sits there waiting for her trip down south and few days with the plastic surgeon. She get her take replaced, her floor redone, and a new gel coat job. Of course the bottom paint will have to go. I'm contemplating having her travel down to North Carolina in style with a new dual-axle trailer under her. To complete the makeover she get some new power, most likely another Yamaha 150. 

     I'm looking into the possibility of towing her down behind a rented U-Haul truck. I looked online and guys say it's possible. I'll most likely sell my pick-up truck here in New Jersey before we go as I don't think it'll make the ride, especially towing that boat. They say those big U-Hauls have 10 cyclinder engines and are beasts. So what could go wrong?

     This guy is towing a 29 foot travel trailer which might be a bit much. The Cape Fisherman LT comes in at 19'10 and has a hull weight of 2,050 pounds, plus the trailer, which will be a tandem Load-Rite, aluminum with fancy wheels. 

     My question would be do I want a bunk or roller trailer down in the Lowcountry. It's a big low tide fishery and some of the ramps that I've seen aren't all that improved. In fact some of the best are tucked far and away inside the backside of marshes and estuaries. I'll have to call down to the guide I used, Marc Nutting, and see what he thinks. Any thoughts on it? Drop me a text 732 261 7291

04.20.26 Of course there's a freeze warning...

 

     It's 33 degrees out here this morning. I think it was over 90 at some point this past week. Crazy fluctuations. River is still a paltry 8,700 cfs but the temps are coming down a bit. 

     Looks like rain at the end of the week which will hopefully bump up the river just in time for the Flower Moon, or next full moon, on May 1st. If the herring haven't already showed they will by then. Hopefully at some point, somehow, the river gets up into the 30,000 + cfs range, just where I like it. Otherwise it's pretty much a boat game. And my jet boat is listed as PENDING on Facebook Marketplace. 

04.18.26 First one gone...

 

     The dumpster has left the building, well property. It's amazing, and sad, how much we hold onto. There's something to be said about todays younger minimalist generation. While they throw money around like it's nothing on stupid things, they don't need or want our stupid things. I can't wait to just have around us what we need, and use. 

     While we haven't sign on the dotted line with the realtor yet I thought I'd tease out the house this weekend. It's a beautiful weekend and you never know who's passing by along River Road on their way to Lambertville or New Hope. We found this house that way, so why not someone else. Plus, it would save us the tens of thousands in real estate commissions.

     And the jet boat hit Facebook Marketplace this morning. With the river at just about an all time low it's perfect for skinny water. I hope it goes quick. We need to pay for Cape May which we hope will be our stop over after we sell in New Jersey and buy in South Carolina. 

     And what about the fishing? Well I'm hearing of blitzing bass along the beaches in Monmouth and Ocean County. Well that would be a first for me. You just never know how things change from year to year. 

04.17.26 If you don't have a picture then it didn't happen....

     It didn't really matter because there was nothing going on. You see, I forgot my iPhone because I was excited to get down to the river. My goal was to get to a spot, mostly before the pre-work guys showed up. I figured I better get to the tidal section while there was still water around so I went at 345 am, just at the top of the tide. Needless to say it didn't take long for the waters to start receding. There wasn't much for current but more of just an ebb and flow of tidal change.

     I watched as a half a dozen boats crossed crossed around which to me is a sign that they weren't on any fish. The river is in pitiful shape for this time of year and with the water temps hitting that magical 60-65 degree spawning temp they may have shut down. There were fish, and some good ones, when the water was higher and on the cooler side. Those were the earliest big females, I don't know if the males ever showed up in numbers. They are smaller, of course, than the big cow females. 

     I don't think the herring are here yet, and if they are they are schooled up in the deeper water. There's no need for them to hug the banks and hide behind rocks where bass wait to pick them off. That usually happens when the water is up, and the bass put on the feed bags post-spawn. Like I said, I believe, these bass, at least up here, aren't eating, they're caught because you dangle an 8-inch dildo in front of their faces while they work to get up river to spawn. But, that's just my take on it. When the bait is around, and their stomachs can actually fit food in it after depositing their eggs, then they eat, before heading down river and off to New England for the summer. 

     Participation out here is low compared to other years. One, the conditions, and two, the east side of the state is seeing better fishing. The bays and rivers of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties are full of fish, and now out front from top to bottom are seeing fish. The river here dropped almost 1,000 cfs in 24 hours, now just about 8,400 at 67 degrees in the middle of the night. 

     Above doesn't show much hope coming up, if any, maybe it's towards the end of the month. We have a 74% chance of rain on Sunday with a cooldown, but it won't do much for the river levels. Starting on the 27th it looks like we'll have five days with some kind of rain. That'll coincide with a New Moon on May 1st. Water, moon, lower water temps, and maybe post spawn fish around. That'll give me a few weeks to concentrate on things around the house, and not those stupid fish. 

04.16.26 Of course it's 100 degrees in April....

      Well if I wanted a teaser of what hot weather feels like in South Carolina all I had to do was step out of the hospital yesterday. It's 2026 so of course it's over 90 in mid-April. I don't care what you think about Global Warming but something is up with the weather extremes we've been having for the last 25 years.

     While the hot may be good for my waistline, as I drop my winter weight after hibernation while slaving around the house, it's not good for a lot of things. The grass is growing buck wild, and so are the weeds, but if the heat continues it will burn dry in these drought conditions we're having. It's also not good for whatever water we have around, and the fish that call those waters home. 

     The Delaware River near me is hitting 65 degrees, way to warm this early in the season. The put and take trout streams, well they're low and warm already, but those fish are meant to be harvested. But the wild streams and those wild trout will take a beating if you fish for them and stress them during the hook, fight, and release. Up river, at the Lordville, which is the Main Stem, it's already over 60, and Beaverkill has hit that as well. We still have a few more days of hot so those temps will surely rise. Not good, not this early. 

     And back to the Delaware near me. The river is running at 9,300 cfs which are late summer flows. That will surely affect any type of spawn the striped bass were about to enter into. It will also affect, possibly, the herring run, which is one I count on and usually have good success when the bait meet the bass. Flowing water, even big water, actually helps with fish that are swimming upstream. Low flows also keep the fish out in the mid-river currents, which eliminates fishing from the shores of the river. 

     So the heat wave will continue before a break on Sunday. It looks like some rain will be coming and if the weather patterns are consistent we'll get hit with a deluge that will blow out the rivers and carry all the debris down the river. The water will be chocolate colored and the turbidity high, before it drops like a stone. What we need are days of a nice steady rain where the ground can absorb, filter, and store the waters, filling the aquifers, to keep water levels consistent. That would also be good for those, like us, who depend on wells for our drinking water. The last thing I need is that underground water source to dry up before we sell. 

04.14.26 RIP Eric Olesen....

     I met Eric when I was a member of the Asbury Park Fishing Club. He was a regular on the beach and could always be found when the big fish were around. I learned yesterday of his passing following a pacemaker swap at Deborah Heart Center. He was just 38 years young. RIP Eric, big fish and tight lines.

     I joined the graveyard shift crew for some near low tide fishing early yesterday morning. I'm glad I went, even though I didn't get a tug. I know it's coming, and so are they, although I might miss out on those big early pre-spawn fish that come up first. They generally aren't in fly rod distance although I have caught them before. The river is low, and we continue to be in near drought-like conditions. 

     The rivers at 10,600 cfs and at 56 degrees. The temps fine but the flows are not. They will not make for a good spawn. If conditions aren't near perfect those eggs will get released or reabsorbed with no hope for a good YOU numbers next survey. What we need is rain, and a lot of it, just not 100 inches over 6 hours. 

     To possibly increase my chances at night I brought along my little bottle of Anise. In the end the only thing it did was stick up my hands and jacket. It didn't help with fishing. And then it was back to the grind before a few days at the hospital. The dumpster is getting picked up this week so the first one came, was filled, and went. I'm hoping the next one we need is a tad smaller. 

     I'm glad I'll have the next two days away from the house as I getting burned out. Things are looking good and I still want to male that May 22nd listing deadline that I made. We're ready to go....

04.12.26 I can't wait for this to be over...

          From a Google Ai search, "Lead paint is a toxic, hazardous material used in homes before its 1978 ban, creating significant risks of nervous system damage, learning disabilities, and developmental delays. It becomes dangerous when deteriorating, peeling, or producing dust through friction. Lead-based paint is still found under newer layers, in most pre-1978 homes".

     So far I've lost count of how many small bins of heavy paint I've burned off and deposited into the dumpster. The original paint job on this house dates back to when it was built in 1923. Over the next century there have been countless layers of paint added. I can't believe no one thought to many get down to the original wood and detail before just adding another coat. Did it really look when you turned around and saw the above? Did someone actually charge for that?

     I'm into the front entrance for over 40 hours on the heat gun, chisels, sparkle knives, and picks. Luckily I think I can wrap this up today before moving onto the next to-do list the realtors gave us. But begrudgingly, that will involve more heat gun play in another part of the house. We got the report as far as the market price they want to set the house out and it was about where we thought it would be. The only thing we can do is continue the push and hope that somewhere out there a buyer is dying to get into this house. 

Circa 2021

     In the end was doing this really needed and worth it? Could my time have been spent better? Well, this work that I'm doing is my gift to the house, and to the future owners. I feel that I owe it to both of them. While we lived here with it, and really never noticed it, both deserve better as the home enters another chapter, and the fourth owners. I would have loved to have seen this place as the craftsman back in the 1920's finished up before the owners, and their staff, moved in. She really is a fine estate.