Things are looking up. After last nights rain that seemed to never end and a little blow coupled with a big moon and high tide the beaches looked great this morning. Lots of water out there which to me signals a possible start to the spring season. The alewifes should be out and about looking to get into their spawning grounds and the bass shouldn't be far behind. I already have reports of the forage fish moving their way into fresh waters and a friends catch of a keeper bass over the weekend have me optimistic. Now I know one fish doesn't make for a run, but its a start.
Last night I made the trip across the bay to Staten Island with Captains Anthiny Grassi and Jason Dapra to attend the Fisherman's Conservation Association's annual dinner and fund raiser. They do great work their through conservation and fishing efforts. They work with first responders, kids, and veterans running events like the Manhattan Cup and the Montauk Redbone tournaments.
It was nice to see Dick Ketchow of Gateway Marine, who handles Jason and my boat repairs and maintanence, get honored for his continued support and work for the FCA and the Manhattan Cup. Every year Dick makes available some of his Contenders and captains for the event. There were some great prizes for the live, silent, and Chinese auctions and our table which included Dick and his friends seem to clean up. Just about everyone seemed to go home with something in hand.
And of course Jason had won an award for the best fishing guide in the Northeast, although if you look closely the nameplate on the award says 'Dick Ketchow", he'll have to get them to change that!
