If you've been around then you know about today. If you're new then here you go. I lost my oldest son six years today to suicide. After I received his ashes I went down to Phillips Avenue and spread them from what I now call, "Ryan's Rock". At some point I would like to get a small plaque put on that rock. So each year, the last six now, I go down early in the morning, get on his rock, play "Blackbird" by Paul McCartney, and then fish. To note, I never catch anything perched on "Ryan's Rock".
I got down way early this morning and spent an hour watching the tribute video put together by the people at the John Day Funeral Home in Red Bank who handled his service. Funny thing is the woman assigned to his service asked for a few pictures of Ryan to run on the big screen during the service. I went ahead and and downloaded over 500 images of Ryan as a kid, through high school and into his college years. When I want to see pics all I have to do is Google him and it's the first found search.
So this morning would be a little different. Tropical Storm Ophelia, a nor-easter, had hit New Jersey overnight and had the surf all kinds of angry and churned up. To boot the wind was honking NE with
a steady 25 with gusts to 35+. Now I was going anyway but I really wanted to get an outing in since the weather God's will be keeping this storm and the NE winds around for a week. Yep 7 days of NE wind. What will that mean? The mullet run will be over. The beaches will be all kinds of cut up. And either we'll have an early fall, or in like recent years past, it will mean a long dry spell, like weeks into a month, before things happen. Now, if things settle down by next week we will have the full Harvest Moon on September 29th.
Even the wind was cranking when it was go time the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Looking at the conditions and casting efficacy I knew I was be regulated to the south sides of the groins. The water was off color, a cross between okay and You-Hoo. But by tomorrow it might look like chocolate milk.
I tied on a duo of Snake Fly's that I tied last night. One in chartreuse/ greenish and a black/bumble bee pattern. I didn't know which, if either, would show up better in the slop and possibly get bit.
I fished the south side of the groin and was surprised to be able to fish the north side. 11wt rod. 350 gr. sinking line. Back to the wind. I was able to get out 30 feet and just catch, what I thought, was water that might hold a fish. I could track my fly in the water and more-so when the wind got a hold of the line and dragged the two flies across the top of the water or through the foam.
I moved down to Phillip's Avenue to get out onto Ryan's Rock. The wind was going and at times the gusts would change my gait on the sand or maybe me right myself when out on the rocks. Again, I hit the south side to about 1/2 of the way out into water that could have held a fish. Let's say it would be a fish that is agile. A fish able to ebb and flood with the big water that quickly become small water as the outgoing tide pulled the water off of the beach.
When I got halfway out, and closer to RR, I felt how strong the wind was. I usually get out on his rock, for both a visit and to fish, but the last thing my family needs is for me to croak on the day Ryan died. So I stayed put and just snapped a photo of his spot.
Quickly I turned and safely made my way down to the beach end of the groin hut almost made a bad move by assuming where the rocks were in relation to the foam that covered them. It would be easy to
take a step down and miss the rock and either damage your foot, hit your head, or break a rod. I then hit the beach stopping from time to time before taking a long walk south to a groin that I thought might hold a fish on the south side. It's an easy walk when the wind is behind you. I need to remember that.
The new spot (below) had some structural changes since the last storm. Actually most of the beach went through some changes like shoaling on the north sides and cut out on the south. And in between a trough depending on what stretch you were on.
But this morning it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. The south side had a sloping pitch into the ocean and the water easily ran up, way up, and then retreated far, too far to hit good water with a cast. I
made a few casts as I tried to inch my way out only to have the water rush past me and then pull me as it emptied out. The north side (below) was not terrible but you would have to take the left lane out on the rocks to fish the north side. Although tempted I took a pass.
The walk back had me feeling like a salmon, or a striped bass in the Delaware, trying to get upriver to spawn. By then the rain had ticked up a notch so that was pelting me in the face and from time to time the sand would somehow get airborne high enough to bounce off my face.
While I had hoped to find a fish this morning I was glad I went, as always. As shitty as it was I was at peace thinking of Ryan. Watching that tribute video, almost an hour long, was time well spent and did my heart and head good. When I got to my truck it was pouring and the wind had kicked up so I knew the morning was done. A quick glance up showed how kicking the wind was. It looked like that will be it for a while for me. A week of NE wind should have the water way off color and that's a trigger for me to pass on the long commute to fish. The wind and rain I can do within limits, but You-Hoo or chocolate milk I can't. We'll see where were at the first week of October.
