06.13.15 Great find at Allaire Flea Market before heading north......

     Gotta love when you find that perfect item for the man-cave.....or some would dumpster. As we went from booth to booth today it was a mix of cool finds and just junk. To my surprise I found this old striped bass skin mount laying on a chair. The price tag said $20 and before I could even pick it up the guy said $10....SOLD!! I'll have to find or make an eye for it to pretty her up a bit but either way, for me, it was the find of the day.
     Some friends and followers of the blog have been wondering if I have just given up on guiding and or just fishing altogether. Well, the answer is no. Yes, I have been swamped with life, and school, and work and I miss being on the water, both fresh and salt, tremendously. It has been a tough year on the Upper Delaware rivers as the rivers have been, for the most part, low and warm, and in the spots where there is water and more importantly cool water, lots of wade and boat traffic. I feel for the anglers and guides, and the fish, that really look forward to and rely on good conditions up there for fun and work. What is sad is that the water is in the reservoirs, they just won't release it.

Marine before

     Back home in the salt things are just as bad. My home turf has been changed, maybe forever. "Jetty Country" from Long Branch down to Asbury Park has seen a constant flow of machinery and boats pumping and spreading sand around the beaches and groins just decimating the ecosystem and prime fishing spots. The above picture is of Marine Place just after the sand was pumped and the work heads for Roseld. I couldn't even recognize the beaches, yet alone all of the good spots that I have fishing almost daily for the last 5 years.
     So today I am leaving for a trip up to Martha's Vineyard where I hope to repeat another great week like last year looking to sight fish to striped bass in the shallows and on the flats. Last year I brought just about everything I own that I fish and tie with. But, this year, with the hectic schedule and new house I am out of sorts and had a hard time putting it all together. This year I'm bringing my Mac and my textbooks so that I can continue my studies and work while on the Vineyard. We're leaving at 430 am, and as I write it's 230 am, and I have yet to finish packing up. I need this week more than ever.