09.12.25 There's just too many moving parts these days...

      God I like simple. I think that's why I liked, even just as a visitor, the wilds of Ireland. I'm sure they have their problems as well, but on the surface, I just free driving the small towns where the houses were modest, the fields green, and there just wasn't a lot of people around. Small towns with small town feelings with always a feeling of "Failte", or welcome. 

     I spent 9/11/25 at new hire orientation at Capital Health. Surprisingly to me, faculty in the nursing school are considered hospital employees, and every nurse has to go through a new employee nursing orientation. We were all given our competency books to fill out and complete. It was like being a new nurse all over again. It's been a week of IVs, patient transfers, glucometers, central line dressing changes, and computer EHR (electronic health record) training. This week it's orientation and next week I go live with the students in the hospital. I'm assigned to a trauma/ ICU step down unit. Should be a good learning experience for my students.

     But yesterday was the anniversary of 9/11. And as we know, it takes a really big event to stop the world. 9/11/01 did that. John Lennon's assassination did that. Katrina did that. But these days we've become numb and too familiar with tragedy and remembrance to take a minute to do a collective pause. Orientation started at 8 am. At 846 nothing happened. That was the minute when the North Tower of the World Trade Center was struck. Then 903, then, 0959, and finally 1028. No pause. No announcements. No moment of silence. I took a quick bathroom run and in the lobby of the hospital the scene was like any other day. People getting checked by security, checking in for chemo or infusion therapy, and soon to be Mom's getting wheeled into OB triage. On the TV there was the annual coverage of the families reading the names of the people killed 

on that day. As I paused to watch I asked myself, "How long will this continue to go on?". Will it last until next year, the 25th anniversary, and then slowly fade away channel by channel?

     It's been a bad week. If you live in a healthy place, like not watching the news or social media, then you've been protected from the host of reporting, posts, opinions, and attacks from people from all over every spectrum you could imagine about recent news events. I try and stay away but I can't. It's like driving past a bad accident scene and not looking over. 

     Since we have gotten away from mostly local news and interest, to a more national, international and global view, of stuff that really has no impact or meaning in our day to day life, the bar, and the interest, and the empathy has changed. Just in the past few days we've had a school shooting in Colorado, the murder of a young woman on a train in Charlotte, the murder of media personality Charlie Kirk, and the anniversary of 9/11. Locally it was reported last night of another very serious accident, possibly fatal, in Toms River, this one involving a mother and child. With all news all the time the waves of information just go in one ear, quickly travel through our brains, and out the other. That's if we don't decide to dissociate and let one of our alter egos, usually the asshole one, with an asshole opinion, feel the need to take a position on it, and attack others, either in person, or behind that ever muscle making tough guy or girl keyboard one sits behind. 

     With every story I mentioned above the vitriol in people's responses are nauseating. People are so quick to lay blame on other's who may have a different opinion, or were even a victim! . The goal is to separate themselves from wrong, or in many cases pure evil. School shooting, it's a republican/ NRA/ gun control issue. Murder of a young innocent woman, what if she were black, he did because she was white, where is Al Sharpton now. The murder of Charlie Kirk, he brought it upon himself, it was the left, it was Trumps fault. The anniversary of 9/11, seems to just matter these days to those that lost people, those that responded, and those that have had health affects from the attacks. And accidents in Toms River or around that slice of Ocean County, especially near Lakewood, it was drugs, it was the Jews, it's people from New York driving on the wrong side of the road. It just doesn't stop. And it's not good. And it's not healthy.

     By the afternoon yesterday I was just about done. Since Lauren goes to Rowan, and both Ryan and Sean went there in the past, I got an alert from the university that it was on lockdown. Ho hum. A quick text to Lauren and all was good, "You home?", and the answer, "Yes". 

And that was it. Yes there was a guy with a gun running around campus but it was "only" a road rage incident that leaked onto the campus. Just someone shot in the head. (I say that not disrespecting the victim, but our approach to those types of incidents these days). It was quickly reported, ran through our brain's computer, and gone. That's the way things go these days. Information, like from a news story, or someone else's actions or opinions, enter our brain and it either sets off our sympathetic "fight or flight" or parasympathetic "rest and digest" nervous system. When most peoples sympathetic nervous systems get tweaked by an opposing opinion these days that's where they become unhinged, and quickly attack. 

    We ended the day with PICC dressing changes. PICC lines, peripheral inserted central lines. Those are for those patients that are really sick. They're either getting lots of fluids or feedings, hard core meds like chemo, or are under close cardiac monitoring. Those are everyday people who don't make it to the news, but maybe social media these days with Go Fund Me around. People are sick. People get injured. Life sucks at times and it's hard. So why are we spending so much time looking down or at things that don't affect us directly at all? And when we do look up and at each other our first move is to judge, attack, and blame? 

     And I won't even go into something minuscule like fishing with all of the big and important things in the world going on now. It's supposed to be fun. It supposed to be simple. Everyone these days is an expert and is quick to comment on everything, to either "help" or stir up the pot. (I can't tell you how many Facebook friend's put out a "If you think this okay drop me as a Friend" post this week. Oh please, spare me the drama.) 

     Now as we head into the ASMFC's winter meetings on striped bass we now have another reason to be divided and take sides, and attack and blame others. It's always one versus the other these days, and whatever team I am on is right, 100% of the time. And that goes from striped bass (Save them or kill them all), to healthcare (like vaccines and austism and Covid), to politics ( Trump is Hitler to he's the best President ever), to sports (Griner is a guy to the Clark vs Reese debacle, FYI- Sophie Cunningham is my new crush), to all things country (Like USA vs the world- I'm okay with that", to just about everything else color, creed, religion, town, state, to the car you drive (Oh no not a Tesla). 

     So on days like yesterday when everyone's mind is filled with whatever news feed takes up their cerebral space people like Charles Wolff are in a different place. His wife Katherine was killed on 9/11. She started a new job a few weeks before and her start time had just been switched from 0900 to 0830. They last saw each other at 806 am that day before she left their 

Greenwich Village apartment. She headed to the 97th floor of the North Tower to the offices of Marsh and McLennan. At 846 the North Tower was struck.  There's a million stories out there about 9/11. Most times people want their story to be heard and rated amongst others experiences. That's what we've become, a "me" generation and country. While each of the victims stories are unique, and worth listening to, we've become numb to it all. We don't take the time to sit and listen or read and put ourselves in another persons shoes. It's more about "my" and "me". Hey shut up for a minute and listen to someone else!

     It's okay to be doing okay at this moment. Maybe things at home and work are good. The monies there. The health and the kids are okay. The dog is still lingering round. The car isn't on its last leg and it's almost paid off. But others may don't be doing okay, or are having a bad day or moment, having some empathy, or sympathy, and offering an ear or a hand can go along way and be healing no matter which side of anything you are on. 

     Busy week. No fishing. Mom rolls into town today for our daughters wedding next week. Clinical starts next Tuesday. Still picking and poking at post house-flood repairs. After a quick trip to the Vineyard it will be wrapping up another year down in Cape May. And then the leaves will fall and the house will get cold. Then it's another Thanksgiving and Christmas, God willing. It's all okay right now, and that's okay, because things could always be worse. 

   

09.11.25 Now 24 years later...

     Nearly a quarter of a century later the damage from that Tuesday morning in September of 2001 still wreaks havoc on those people who responded to the attacks at the World Trade Center. Thankfully Mt. Sinai created the 9/11 World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening and Treatment Program otherwise there would be no way to track the growing death toll from the attacks. 

     Like many other major disasters that have occurred over time a large part of the people who roam the earth today weren't even alive 24 years ago. For many it didn't directly affect them. And then there's the people who lost colleagues, friends, and family. Lastly, there are those whose health is deteriorating due to their time spent in and around Ground Zero or the subsequent searches at Staten Island or during the demolition and rebuilding of the Freedom Tower. The official death toll at the World Trade Center was 2,753, and since then far more people have died. 

     While that day and the time after was absolutely horrible one thing thing was this country was united like I have never seen in my lifetime. You think we would have learned, but we didn't. That lasted a year or two and then the United States changed, and not for the better. When 9/11 happened everyone stopped, these days when things happen, of course not to that magnitude, no one even passes. Mass shootings, horrible disasters, it's just a blip on the social media screen, and then it's off to do what we were doing. We went from putting other people first to being selfish, unkind, a little paranoid, and hyper vigilant. We're not heading in the right direction in a world where cops, firemen, and nurses scrap to earn a living while an Only Fans creator makes tens of millions a month. 

Remember where you were that day, if you were alive, and how horrible it was. If you weren't around pray that something like that doesn't happen again. I fear if it did it would be of a larger scale with a much creator death toll. 

09.10.25 I don't know why I'm such a hater...

 

     I don't know why. I just hate boats. Fishing from boats. People who like fishing from boats. And seeing people who like fishing from boats. And people who take pictures of themselves with fish they caught fishing from boats. At least most of the time. I guess I'm just a hypocrite.

     Now sometimes you have to be in a boat in order to catch specific species. Like now it's tuna and mahi time. Just about everyday I see pics of the Captains that are running offshore either

crashing lobster pots, like Eric Kerber from On a Mission Fishing is doing those trips this week, and John McMurray from One More Cast Charters, who's making that run for yellow and bluefin tuna. That's a happy camper from one of John's recent trips above. Nice hat there bud. 

     So outside of the fish you can really only catch from a boat I'm really not into seeing fish you can catch from the shore. Every. Single. Day. And every time I fire up my computer. I will admit. There's nothing wrong with it. It's fantastic. I hope you have fun every trip and catch a lot of fish. I just don't want to see it. And that is totally on me. Could it be boat envy? Guy envy? Fly fishing skill envy? Fear of boats? I'm not really sure but I'm admitting to all of it here. Maybe I need some therapy.

     Let's look at fear. The above was from December 2020. Yep, that's me and my buddy Charlie at the Atlantic Highlands municipal boat ramp. Truck jumped the chock and it was all over. Did that spook me away from my boat loving? I don't think so. A few of my buddies have had some serious boat incidents that I was involved enough with to be moved by. Did that do it? I would say it may have, or at least increased my respect for waters and all things boats. But I don't think that's it. 

     I purchased, refurbished, and ran a drift boat for six years on the Upper Delaware. I loved those days. Well, those days kinda sucked, as far as a business venture is concerned. Working so far from home. Needing to fill the boat anyway I could. Either running my own trips or trips 

from other guides or outfitters up there (Where they take 25% of the trip, and rightfully so). Sleeping in my truck to save money (Holding onto that tip was huge). And actually looking at the numbers as far as expenses (gas, tolls, lodging, lunches, shuttles, gear, flies, etc) versus income. But it's about fishing from a drift boat. I just don't like it. 

     Casting across or downstream and hooking a decent fish only to have to reel them in upriver, you know, with that side to side head movement as the current blows through them as you hope to get a net shot, and not get caught in the anchor line. It's just not for me. Now the visuals and the scenery from a drift boat, can be fantastic, especially when you can get away from the roads and the crowds. But these days the crowds, and the boats, are hard to escape. 

     The above scene is were I find the drift boat to my liking. It gives me, or gave me, the ability to shuttle to different spots to get out and wade for the fish. Or, to set up a shore lunch and just enjoy the truly beautiful setting of the Upper Delaware rivers. 

     So what did I do when I moved out to the lower Delaware River? I bought a jet boat. Fantastic. More boat vs no-boat conflict in my head. I had some great times on this boat. But, overall, I'd take an outing throwing on my waders that are bumping around in the bed of my truck any day. The frustrations of access, and the ability to cast, and the smaller chance of actually getting to where the fish are, that's what I like. Actually hooking them and fighting them, and 

from a boat, just not my scene. Although fish rehabbing in the tank on that boat make for some good pics. The boat also allows me to share time on the water with my peeps that can't necessarily fish the way I like to, or physically can't. Here's where I'd put a picture of Delaware 

Joe in the post but I chose a pic of Erin from a quick outing one day. A day where I tossed the anchor into the water and it just kept going. Of course, another story where things went sideways for me. 

     And I guess that brings me to my first Jones Brother's 19'10" Cape Fisherman. I purchased it in 2011. Above we're sitting outside of the Barnegat Inlet waiting for the pea soup fog to lift. That 

was my favorite boat. I knew it. I felt confident in it. I had good clients and friends in it. I caught a lot of fish in it. I think what I liked the most about having that boat was the hunt, even more than the fishing. I loved breaking the marina or the inlet and scanning the bay or the horizon looking for birds, and yes other boats, going on the hunt for hungry fish. I enjoyed using my senses 

more than the electronics. And when I found them, if not with clients, it was a fish or two to hand before breaking off to hunt for other fish. I know, don't leave fish to find fish, but once I found them I was good. 

     But if you know then you know. Boat fishing is dangerous. Things can go sideways in an instant. It's makes for a long day especially if you live far from the drink and trailer your boat. And then, the expense. For the recreational boater, or for the charter Captain, the expenses are daunting. B.O.A.T- break out another thousand. And these days break out another two thousand. And then there's the weather, and tides, and things like wind against tide. And the fog. And then the real killer for me, is all of the other boats, especially during the silly seasons of the spring and fall runs. Yes, you can find your own fish, but it doesn't always work out that way. 

     I hate boats so much I can't stop acquiring them. Since I sold my first JB I've added a second when I purchased Jim's (Pluse Disc) 1998 Cape Fisherman. It was probably more of an emotional purchase than anything. I loved that guy and I loved the idea of having his boat. Coupled with the fact that I sold my Jones in 2020 when Theresa and I started my private practice in Pennington. But, truth be told, that was Jim's boat, with all the kinds of mad scientist things Jim was, so my idea of getting on it and turning the key

things Jim was, so my idea of getting on it and turning the key was delusional. Ask Leif about all those mornings we sat at the ramp trying to figure out switches and levers on that boat. I've since sold the motor off, after getting turned away from several boat mechanics when I said "It has an HPDI". Theresa knows getting Jim's, well our, boat refurbished is on my bucket list. Like before I die I want to have that boat on the water looking like it just came off the lot in 1998.

     So what else have I done with my boat hatred? Well, I keep buying them. What is wrong with me? From the first S.S. Archer (above), you know, the perfect one that I found for the springs on 

the Navesink River, yeah how'd that work out? You can read about that shakedown trip, HERE. To the next S.S. Archer, well II, which was the perfect vessel for sight fishing Martha's Vineyard. 

     The only problem there is I live 1,000 miles away and get up there once a year. If I wanted to fish it I'd have to bring my truck up there, my 2002 pick up. How long is that thing going to last? So for 11 months and three weeks out of the year it would sit in my yard in New Jersey. Now I could take it and fish for snakeheads....been there done that. I'm good. It was so perfect it 

changed hands and now sits on Menemsha Pond ready for use when my buddy Abe gets the hankering for sight fishing for striped bass in skinny water. 

     So I don't know if it's a "I hate boat fish" or a "I hate you" thing. There's that thing, you know, Boat Fish Don't Count. Yeah, yeah. But for me really boat fish don't count, even my own. Well they do count, it's just different, like they mean a tad less, they should have an asterisk in the lower corner of the picture. For me, wading the flats, or waist high in a fast river, on the groins or jetties, or walking the sand, that's what it's all about. But to each his own.

     Could you love both? Yes, and most anglers do. And it's good. And it's real good. People engaged in and enjoying fly fishing is what it's all about. Good times. Good fishing, or not. And the pictures of you with your catch. Perfect. So for the next, we'll say, three months I'll hold my vomit when I see every boat caught albie and striped bass that people I know, and don't, have caught this fall. Yes, you can get all artistic with angles and shit, but they're still boat fish, so put that asterisk in the corner, and I'll see you in your waders one day this fall. 

FYI- I'm available some days each week for a boat invite......

09.08.25 We almost lost another great one...

     A few weeks back I saw a post on Facebook showing Alberto Knie lying in a hospital bed hooked up to ventilator. I tell my students all the time, being on a vent, or dialysis, or even having a colostomy, sometimes things looks worse than they are. Those interventions are done to rest the body and reduce the amount of work its needs to do allowing it to heal. For some, they are reversible. In Al's case these were lifesaving measures. 

From Facebook, Alberto Knie

     If you're a die hard angler. Spin, fly, bait, or handline, or if you've ever read a magazine or attended a show then the name Alberto Knie should ring a bell. You may know him as "Crazy Alberto", a nickname he gave himself after so many of his family and friends called him crazy because of his fishing passion. In an interview with Surfcaster's Journal in 2014 Alberto said, "I really believe I was born to fish". 

     Born in Hong Kong he spent the early years in Brazil before coming to New York City where he found waters like the East and Hudson Rivers and the Jamaica and Sheepshead Bays. He started fishing, by any method possible, before finding surfcasting, and the striped bass. Knie says his life changed when he developed that passion, which soon took him to the South Shore of Long Island and Montauk. 

     After Montauk he expanded his quest for exotic and big fish traveling the world. He is a true advocate for the sport of fishing. Everywhere he goes he is always educating and promoting the positive aspects of the sport. He is one of the poster children for old school legendary anglers. 

And we almost lost him. 

     This has been a rough run these past years as it seems all of the icons in fishing, and not just fly, have started to move on. We know death occurs, and we will all die one day, but are we and the sport ready to continue on in these new times and with, well really, new people? We aren't the same, that's for sure, and fishing isn't the same, that's for sure. I really have to believe, for as good as technology is, I guess, the internet and social media have really killed a large part of what "the game" was all about. But, I'll admit, it's not all for the bad. But the bad parts of it really kill me.

     When I grew up in fishing, as a teenager, the Flatbrook (A river in North Jersey) was a trip, not a ride. Places like Montauk and the Upper Delaware rivers were in foreign lands, and Montana might of well have been in another country. The big guns in fly fishing were royalty, and even seeing them in person was intimidating, no matter how welcoming, like a Popovics and Kreh, really were. 

     These days everything is available from our mother's basement. We're "friends" with the legends. We "know" all about everything regarding a fishing destination or species, even though we haven't been there or caught a fish there in over a year. We tie flies, that other people invented, ad nauseam with a very slight chance they will ever see the water, yet alone a fishes mouth, and definetley not at night when you're chasing a moon or a tide. 

     While this post is about Alberto, and all he represents, I'll have to just point out something I've noticed since Bob passed away last November. There is a hole, and a deep one for sure. What's missed, for me, are the touches. They didn't come everyday, but when they did I looked forward to them, and cherished them. And they were reciprocal. Some day I woke to his texts, other days they originated from me. But what I've also noticed is the drop-off of posts on the various fly-tying social media platforms. 

     The above post was one of Bob's last on September 8, 2004 on the Saltwater Fly Tying The Northeast page which is on Facebook. That was one year ago today. He was warning us of the mullet run, which, we know, is non-existant these days. Well, not all true. We have mullet, more so around the north jetty of the Barnegat Inlet, there's just the bass around to meet them like in years past. There's also the fly tying forum on Stripersonline.com. Before Bob passed there was a plethora of Fleye style flies that inundated, in a good way, every forum. And I think the motivation for some, and not in a bad way, was to be noticed by or critiqued by the Master himself. Which he did, almost daily.

     Bob took the time to drop a comment to encourage the beginner or even for one of the experts, like the above post on a Andre Van Wyk fly, who's probably one of the top five Bobby-style fly tyers in the world, alright I'll say 10 so everyone doesn't get their panties in a bunch. But he had a presence and was "touchable" in ways he couldn't have been before the internet and social media. But since his passing the posting of his style flies, and in fly tying in general, appeared to have dropped off. That's what happens when icons and legends step away or move on, and it's very difficult, if not impossible, to fill their shoes. 

     I laid off of guessing what put Alberto in the hospital but he announced he had suffered a massive heart attack. Those heart attacks, they'll kill you, sometimes. I'm not going to try and speculate what Alberto went through but I will write a little about heart health and heart attacks. 

       Some people don't know but heart attacks affect the "outside" of the heart, which then can affect the "inside" of the heart. The heart has four chambers. It's a muscle. That muscle needs oxygen to pump blood to the rest of the body, and help de-oxygenated blood get back to the heart. Now there can be other things going on with a heart, like electrical problems, say atrial fibrillation, which can cause the heart to beat irregular, to the point it stops. But here I'm talking blood flow and blockages. 

     In order for those heart muscles to get the oxygen they need there are a series of large and small blood vessels, arteries and veins, called the coronary circulatory system. The ones we really focus on are the coronary arteries. They can get filled with all that fried chicken, butter, half and half, and oil that we injest everyday. And if they get blocked then the oxygen rich blood 

can't get past and that part of the heart dies, which is called a heart attack. Heart attacks are permanent. Some folks have angina, or ischemic chest pain, which usually resolves with rest or nitroglycerin. 

     Heart attacks can be small, or massive. It all depends on the vessel(s) involved. One vessel, called the Left Anterior Descending (LAD) is known as the "Widowmaker" because if you block that one, for any length of time, it's not good, or really, fatal. 

     While yes, you can have a "Silent MI", meaning heart attack without or with mild symptoms, the number complaint is chest pain. When cells don't get the oxygen they need they let you know about it, in fact, they scream! You can have that pain with angina or a heart attack. One resolves, the other will need some help. Other symptoms are pain in the right arm, pain radiating to the back or jaw, diaphoresis (sweating), shortness of breath, or anxiety and feelings of impending doom. 

     Let's just say you're not in the know of things heart attack. You should be, especially if you're in our age group, or let's say above 40, or have a family history. One quick story, true of course. I was working UMDNJ EMS in Newark back in the early 90's and was doing CPR on a guy on his bathroom floor at 6 o'clock in the morning. As I did compressions I asked his wife if there was any family history. She answered, "His Dad died at 57 of a heart attack, and his brother died at 57 of a heart attack". "Okay how old is your husband?", "57". Game, set, match. 

    I use thing blog, at times, for a PSA, or Public Service Announcements. Here is your heart attack one. First, you should be living your most healthy life. Okay, enough of that, but we should be. Two, and I'm pretty good at this, you should have an annual physical, including an EKG and bloodwork, especially that Lipid Panel. Your Doctor recommends those statins (cholesterol lowering medications) for a reason, and it's because your lipid numbers (Good and bad cholesterol) are shit. Cholesterol loves to adhere to the walls of our arteries, and cause blockages. Yours lies about changing your diet and exercise are just that. 

    The next, and most important thing, is to not brush off chest pain. Don't tell your buddies up in heaven, "I thought I slept wrong", or "I thought I pulled a muscle". If it doesn't feel right, let somebody else tell you it's nothing. Get yourself to an urgent care or the emergency department. You're not bothering anyone, it could be your life. Time is muscle tissue.

     So what to do if you are having chest pain. Well, get safe. Get off the ladder. Pull over. But don't stop fishing, just kidding. Then call out somebody around you or 911. The next is up to you. Aspirin is a miracle drug for heart attacks. It's an antiplatelet which will help make your blood less sticky and reduce the formation of clots. (Just simply). Some of us are prescribed a "baby aspirin" each day by our cardiologist, an 81 mg dose. "Normal" aspirin are 325 mg. If you are 

having chest pain you COULD take aspirin. Chewable are the best, the coated ones are not as they take a lot of time to be absorbed. You should keep some chewable in your house, and even your car, if you choose. You could take a couple, chew them up, and wash them down. Now some may caution you because you might be having a directed aortic aneurysm (That's really not good), but again, it's up to you.  Talk to your health care provider. 

     When you get to the ER they'll do an EKG and look for changes. I have had a patient who had a routine EKG and I asked them, "When was your heart attack?". "Heart attack?". Yes, because heart attacks can be mild but they show up permanently on an EKG, almost like a cardiac history. They'll also draw bloodwork to look at your cardiac enzymes, specifically troponin, to see if it's elevated. If it's wonky then you'll be off to the cardiac cath lab for an angiogram. And while they're there they might balloon, stent, or by-pass you. While you're lying there all nervous and what not you may hear the words STEMI (ST elevation MI) or NSTEMI (Non- ST elevation MI). It's the cool kid way to say heart attacks these days.

     I wish us all a long and healthy life. Health is wealth they say. But boy dam near kill us between the work it takes to survive to all of the stress and anxiety we have to endure. And let's not even talk about the shit we put into our bodies before we just shit it out anyway. It's amazing our bodies put up with us. 

I hope Alberto a good recovery. He has done incredible things for all of us in fishing, as have the other icons. Let his resume of fishing be a usable tool for all of us. But let's also learn from his recent health scare. We can learn from that as well. 

09.06.25 Let the best part of summer begin...

      It's the first weekend after Labor Day. The kiddies are back to school. The summer vacations are over. The Sumer rentals have switched over to winter rentals. And the crowds are gone.

It's time for the locals to have their towns and beaches back.

     While we may qualify as outsiders were are owners down in Cape May and include ourselves in this local's summer, especially this weekend. I'll have rod and reel with me if the urge comes, or not. 

09.05.25 Thought these might help...

     For years I've had a problem with wayward leader and tippet materials and fly lines. The leader and tippet problem is kind of solved as the tippets come with a rubber band that holds the fluoro on and the plastic housing holds the leader material inside the two halves. But my spare spools always seem to unravel especially when they bouncing around in any kind of sling pack I have on. 

      I came across these rod holders on Amazon, HERE. They're designed to hold together rods that have been broken down. One of the options was a set of six that were 13.8 inches in length. For $9.99 they were worth a shot.

    The Amazon warehouse near me must have a ton of these on the shelves because they came the next day. A quick wrap of the line and the BOOMS velcro strap and I was in business. They fit inside the spool perfectly. They may be even big enough to fit around my big-boy 12 wt. reels when I have taken the fly off and reeled in. I have had my rods stored in my SUMO hood mount rod holders and the line finds it's way loose and then bangs all the way against the side of my truck and 195 on the ride from Deal to Titusville. There goes another hundred. 

09.04.25 If you even care anymore...

      Yep, it's that time of year again. Soon the winter meeting of the ASMFC will be before us and we will watch as they, the commissioners, their proxys, their henchmen and women, kick the proverbial can down the road. What's at stake is deciding what to do with Addendum III to Amendment 7 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Striped Bass.

     What does it all mean? It means if we don't do something then the chances of rebuilding the striped bass by 2029 will be about 30%. If we make the proposed changes into law, reducing mortality (F) by 12%, it increases the chances to 50%. If we decrease F, by harvest and C&R by 18% in 2026 that chance goes to 60%. The ASMFC had that chance this summer and they punted, again. So, yeah, good luck with all of that. And know this, if the stock is ever "rebuilt", the minute they say it is, anglers, commercial and recreational, will be lobbying to "open" it back up. And the vicious cycle, and the dogs chasing their tails, and the can getting kicked down the road, will happen again. 

    Now there are people better than me who are all up in the know about this. I think I have a yeoman's handle on it. I think Charles Witek, who pens the One Angler's Voyage blog , HERE, breaks things down nicely, even though it's a tad above my mental capacity sometimes. I try and digest it and then break it down for the bottom dwellers like myself. 

     There are a few things on the table to meet the 12% reduction. Commercial, recreational, tagging, measuring and Maryland. That's what's up. To read it all from the horse's mouth you can read the Amendment III document that went out for public comment. It's actually a relatively easy read. Check that out HERE. 

     There are two things out there that should be of concern, at least for law abiding anglers. No- Target and No- Harvest. It's basically an honor system. If there's No-Target you can't "fish" for striped bass at all. Not for the table, not catch and release, nothing. Why it's an honor system is like how charter Captain's fish outside the three-mile line and say they're "fishing for bluefish" while chasing bunker pods with 30 's and 40's blowing up on them. No- Harvest means you can't be in possession of them, at all. So you can catch and release them, but then there's that 9% F which has been stretched to 14% to as high as 40% depending on who's doing the lecturing. 

    To implement No-Harvest they will go to the Wave system of seasonal closures. There's six waves, each two months long. Then there's the span of states that are included in each region. You need to do that because striped bass are migratory. They are in state A in May but not state C and vice versa. Below you can see when New Jersey put's a beating on the striped bass. 

So Wave 6 are our honey hole months, right during the fall run. When anglers act like bucks (male deer) during the rut. When they are so horned up they run into cars, jump off of bridges, and 

fight to the death. I've seen guys kinds doing that ditching their trucks and running down the beach towards a blitz. Also included in the document was the data that showed that New Jersey 

has the best anglers on the East Coast, as we catch 36% of all the striped bass. No you idiot, we just have the best fishery for the longest period of time over other states. New York comes in second at 25%, maybe because they have a different start time each spring, when New Jersey is open. 

     So, in my opinion, the No-Target won't happen. People suck. You can't enforce it. Guys will be trolling Mojo's for bluefish. Yeah, okay. But what you will see are No-Harvest with seasonal closures. That means say, during Wave 6, during the fall run, in New Jersey, there will be X amount of days where you can't kill a bass, at least for the table. You can still throw a double-treble hooked plug 1,000 feet behind the boat and hook, multiple times in the mouth and eye, a 40 pound bass, and reel it up current, for 7 minutes, haul it over the rail, plop it on the deck, shake the hooks out, hold it up for a photo, release it, and say "She swam away strong", but you can't harvest it. 

     If you look at one of the charts in the document you see for All Modes, wait, let me get on this. We have two groups, recreational and commercial, kinda. I have always said that ANY fishing operation that charges money should be a commercial operation, period. Net them, spin them, fly them, spear them, drop dynamite on them, if you're getting paid then it's commercial. Like you need a license and insurance and you're a business. But people don't see it that way. 

The way the ASMFC sees it is you have for-hire (FH) and private/shore modes (PS). In this addendum they are calling for what they call Mode Splits, the FH'ers will have a larger slot (28 - 33 inches) than the PS'ers. That's not fair. Period. There was also talk of allowing the FH'ers to have less No-Harvest days. You know, the recreational head boats from Captree, the ones that say "We boated over 300", and , "They're all too big, hard to find any keepers". Mmmm.

So here's the chart,

     I haven't smoked enough pot (Actually I never have) to be able to sit digest all that is seasonal closures but you can New Jersey falls within one of the regions and No- Harvest for us during Wave 6 is around 30+ days. Let's just say they close striped bass fishing to New Jersey during Wave 6 by 30 days. That means that 50% of November and December is closed to harvesting a striped bass. That's pretty significant. I just hope they realize most anglers are done by December 10th. 

     Let me knock out the commercial quota stuff and New Jersey. We have no commercial fishery. We used to have one but after the moratorium, in 1991, Jersey traded that in for the Bonus Tag Program. The jury is still out in my head if this is a good thing or bad. Good, as we don't have netters or rod and reelers commercially catching bass, and bad, as it's just more dead striped bass. There's arguments each way. 

     In the amendment they are calling for New Jersey to have a reduction in commercial quotas from 200,798 to 176,702. That means there will be cuts in the Bonus Tag Program. Now, we never come close, at least in honest reporting, to 200,000 pounds of striped bass. So anything done will just be on paper to appease the ASMFC gods. 

     Now that's all ocean side stuff. Let me look at things closer to home, like on the Delaware River and Bay. No changes here! It just goes to show you the insanity of how boundary waters are managed and even talked about. I fish the Delaware River and I jump from New Jersey and Pennsylvania on just about every outing. But in discussions, like below, they just mention Pennsylvania. 

         The above is all a bunch of bullshit. Good for the angler, bad for the striped bass. Remember, the Chesapeake is number 1, or it was, for striped bass spawning, the Hudson number 2, and the Delaware number 3. Writing it off because NOAA's MRIP data doesn't cover these "area specific fisheries" is a joke.

      Two states, same water, 1,000 feet apart, with different regulations, no enforcement, and a pool of anglers that varies from the best to the worst as far as intent, method, and following the law. At times both of these rivers can hold big spawning, like I'm on my way to go spawn right now, fish. They should be protected better and not just written off because of some volunteer-at-the-dock anglers survey, aka MRIP. 

     So what about that Delaware River. No changes here! Let's look at that April 1st to May 31st. New Jersey, is closed, no fishing for them, I guess you can target bluefish. Now, I have asked the game wardens from those on the river bank to the offices what that means, 

"You just can't keep them". During the same period Pennsylvania is open, you can fish, and you can keep one fish per day 22- 26 inches. And what about if you're on a boat? C'mon man. Do they run a rope down the middle of the river? Stupid is as stupid does. The above illustration was from a post HERE.

     So there you have it, at least some of it. I left Maryland, measuring , and tagging out so you can look that up if you like. If you're into striped bass then you should give it all a look. And, you should send in a comment. I think if not we may see the FH'ers, just recreational fishermen who jump on a paying boat, be held to a different standard than the rest of the us. 

Also, why should they be able to harvest bigger fish? And, share with them your opinion, not sure if it ever matters, about the Waves and No-Harvest closures. And lastly, if you're in the know tell them the science behind the MRIP data is sketchy at best, unless you think it's fantastic.

     Each state will have a public hearing where you can go and hear this in person. For New Jersey, it'll be held on September 16th in Manahawkin. Don't you think if they really wanted good participation they would hold it somewhere mid-state? C'mon man. 

     As we move into fall the bass will show up. Do your best. Go down to one set of treble hooks. Pinch the barbs on your flies and plugs. Try and keep them in the water as long as you can. And try not to send them off doing the triple Lindy off the he'd boot that's 18 feet above the water line or into six inches of water on the beach. 

And always have a pair of hemostats, not those rusty ass huge pliers on hadn't in case you have to do some surgery before you kill that fish anyways. Watching them truly "swim away strong" is a beautiful thing. And yes, I'm talking to you, how many fish do you know that you killed this year? Just do better, and have fun.