Wanted to share with you some great content in the July/August issue of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, but first I'll fill you in on todays fishing. Since the days have been over 100 degrees, I've been hitting the water at 330 am and fishing till about 8. This morning I hit the groins and the beach, with only a 16" fluke to make my morning. That was until my little friend showed up.
I was wading up to my things when all of a sudden a shark fin broke the surface about 30 feet off the beach and 30 feet away. I had given up on the striped bass by then and had a small Clouser on looking for fluke in the wash. The fish stayed in the area for about five minutes going in and out, giving me two shots with the fly. I made my casts and then switched flies but it was gone. I hope to see that again tomorrow.
FFSW is a magazine I really enjoy reading. I first met the editor, John Frazier, when a group of writers and photographers were invited to Guy Harvey's Bimini Big Game Club. Since then I have seen John at the fly fishing shows and stayed in touch via email, and had some images in the magazine two issues ago.
As with all print media these days, things are tough everywhere. We all have become accostomed to reading and being entertained for free but print media costs big bucks to produce, from newspapers to magazines, the industry has changed. It all comes down to advertising and sales. So I would encourage you to subscribe or purchase a copy in a book or magazine store.
In this issue Pete McDonald has a great article on Bob Popovics. Of all the leaders in the industry Bob is at the top of my list for people I admire. I have had the good fortune to watch him tie flies, break bread and have drinks with him, and watch him at the Atlantic Saltwater Flyrodders meetings. He is a class act through and through. This fall I hope to fish with him for the first time. Below is a picture my wife took outside of Betty and Nicks in October 2010. What amazes me is that I don't have CROCS on, I always have CROCS on!
It took about 10 years and 100 introductions for it to "stick" that we had met before. He didn't realize I was 'The Average Angler" and penned the blog he reads almost everyday. The night we put it together was a long night over many drinks with Dick Dennis at this years Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, a night I'll never forget.
The next article worth reading is a summary of what a lot of us have been saying for a few years, the striped bass are in trouble. Lou Tabory penned an article titled "State of the Striper" and does a great job putting all of our concerns and fears in writing.
