10.31.25 No Blitz-O-Ween this Halloween....

 

      Well the storms of this week have passed. The first two, the menhaden and then striped bass ASMFC meetings come and went leaving their paths of destruction. Although the menhaden outcomes bode better for the forage fish than the results for the striped bass. Then on Mischief Night, well day, the rains came coupled with some steady winds. And today we can expect stronger winds, which will surely topple trees rooted in the now soggy soil holds. There will be power outages. There will be homes and cars damaged, and people injured, or sadly killed. 

     As far as the striped bass after the blow? Who knows. Most say that before or after a blow the fish turn on as their inner instincts react to the drop in barometric pressure. They eat as that feeling of impending chaos, or doom, sets in. But it will be a wait and see, or go and see, game to see if all that bait, and I'm hearing the peanuts are stacked in the back, begin their journey out into the ocean. As always, if you don't go then you won't know. 

     The questions is did the blow kind of signal all those big fish to head south. I think it can truthful to say they really never hit the beaches, like they did in 2024. There will be the next round of fish, I'd like to say there's three big pushes. Will the next find the bait and camp out along the Long Island South Fork and southern beaches? Will they camp in the Bermuda like triangle, or Striped Bass Triangle, of the New York Bight for a while? That triangle I'll call the Rockaways down to Asbury Park back to Perth Amboy. 

     I hate to bring it up again but each yer I reflect on one of my best days of stripped bass fishing on foot. I had found the fish, was then joined by an army of anglers, and left when I couldn't get my shit together when the fish were in front of me. I left pouting, and the fish biting. I went and made a stop more south of where I had been and the Mother Lode of bass showed up chasing peanuts, weakfish, and butterfish on the beach. It was game on, and it lasted for a long while before it ended. 

     I caught and released 16 bass to 25 pounds that day with fish to 41 inches. It was a day I'll always remember and may never duplicate again. You can read about that outing, if you already haven't, HERE. 

     With all the rain we had I'd think the back of the Raritan is a hot mess and it'll take a few days for the beaches to settle down and clean up. Then we'll see if the temps have dropped and the bait has started moving. Then the big question is, will the bass show up to intercept? 

     The goal for any Jersey Shore angler should be to find them before the report and beach cam watchers get wind that the bass are on the beach. There's nothing like finding your own fish alone. That's hard if you don't go and put the time in. As I get older it becomes easier to find excuses on why not to go. That's lame. Yes, it's an hour to an hour an a half to the waters edge, and that sucks, but I'll never encounter the above if I always wait and negotiate if to go or not. 

     I spoke with my friend Mike Ferraro yesterday. He's a fellow Jones Brother's owner and takes the hour and forty five, and $200 trip, from eastern Pennsylvania to either the Raritan or Chesapeake several times each spring and fall. He's due for a day, after finding the skunk or a fish or two when he goes. At 81 he's a stud. For me at 57, I'm not. He's heading out Sunday to the Raritan. where I hope he has a day like Blitz-O-Ween 2014. 

10.29.25 Adam Nowalsky for President!!!!....

      I knew it was over in the first 15 minutes. The Maryland Charter Boat Association and the Delmarva Fisheries Association came out swinging. I wasn't there but the room was stacked. I could hear it in their voices. The came out strong about the economic impact any cuts would bring to their businesses, their families, their children, and future generations. And they were convincing. There were other speakers as well, Tom Fote brought up catfish, Ross Squire tried to turn the mood, but it was too late. The Chesapeake guys set the table for the finisher, none other than Adam Nowasky. New Jersey's Adam Nowalksy. He entered the game like Mariano Rivera and shut the game down. 

     By then the meeting was about two hours old. It was almost time for lunch. And then it wasn't. Nowalksy dropped a Status Quo bomb that was more of a magnet than an incendiary device. It attracted people to it. Kind of like a bug light. Now let me say this of Nowalsky. I only met him once. Have heard him more times than I care to. I oppose just about everything he says. I think he's shady. But, to give credit where credit is due, boy is he good. I don't know what magical powers he has but he puts the malook on people in those fisheries management meetings. 

     If Nowalksy is your ride or die, then you're in good hands. Rob a bank with him, he wouldn't budge. Need to bury a body, "I'll grab the shovel". Any of you guys or girls thinking of cheating on your spouse, call Nowalsky when you get caught. He'll convince the wounded it never happened, even if they walked in on it. He's that good. But I want to vomit when I hear that slow almost condescending voice of his. He may the best guy, when I speak of him in it's his role as ongoing proxy for Senator Vin Gopal. 

     So he blew it up. Status Quo, WITH, the formulation of a kumbiya panel "of good people", who will put out a white paper, in like three years, looking in depth as to what is all wrong and what we can do, together, as one big striped bass killing family. I again, wanted to puke. The "Work group" will do this AFTER the 2027 benchmark assessment. Remember, the last one was done in 2024. And since then the ASMFC has kicked the can down the road, and guess what, they did it again. 

     I knew it was all over when I heard the speakers with that Southern drawl thanking Nowalksy. The fix was in. This wasn't a surprise, it was probably decided, and already known, way before this meeting. If this was an old school union meeting or convention Nowalksy would have opened up his hotel room door and found a nice bottle of whiskey and two of Delaware's most sought after call girls. I at least hope they treated him to a rockfish dinner before he headed back to Jersey. 

     Kudos to Massachusetts own Nicola Meserve. She came back with and amendment (above) to Nowalksy's ammendemt saying keep the Work Group B.S., but let's go with that 12% reduction. Is was a chance to do SOMETHING to stop the bleeding. Well that went to vote and didn't pass. 5-11. Nowalsky's then went to vote and passed, 13-3. Status Quo, or no changes to the regulations, for 2026. 

     Well the victory went to the other side, and there were sides. This was purely commercial vs recreational. And the commercial, and the for-hires, won. What is a positive is that, like I have been saying, and am on record at the PA Public Hearing, is that commercials should include the for-hire industry, and wait till their numbers cross the aisle with them. That's every head and charter boat out there. Watch what you wish for. 

     So who lost? Well the striped bass did in a big way. Just because every fish the boat guys are getting are over 40 inches doesn't mean the entire picture is bright. The YOY indexes are set and have been for years. There may be big fish out there but what about the small ones? The ASMFC, which I loathe, is in the business, they should get out of, fisheries management. They can't chase the guy down in Maryland pouring Scotts fertilizer on his bayfront lawn. Their idea of reductions, is a good one. Less dead fish hopefully will mean more fish. 

     That argument of owning a charter operation and it's your right, well easy. My first boss in photography was my friend Carl at the Red Bank Register. When that closed he moved to The News Tribune. When that went belly up....he went to school and changed careers. At 40! Things don't last forever. Adapt and overcome. Maybe charter captaining isn't sustainable. How's those daily print newspapers doing these days? 

     Well the winners. Nowalksy, for one. I feel like a kid who's on the losing Little League team and your mom is telling you to go congratulate the winners. I hate to do it, but give credit where it's due. The commercial and for-hire sectors, soon to be glommed together, win. They have another year to hammer down on the 2018 year class of fish now.....enjoy that one for the table. And New Jersey as well, they keep their Bonus Tag Program. 

     And then there's Emilie Franke. She runs the ship. Went to every public meeting. She even tried early on to discuss what the overall vibe was from the public. Let's me honest, and now I'll agree, nobody give a f%$k about you or your dumb speech, email, or from letter. If she came in thinking that 12% would be on the table and the discussions would be on how to meet it, well, she must have been very disappointed. Her job was easy today. It was a landslide victory before lunch. 

     On October 6th I penned a post about 'Just Say No to Status Quo". I told my buds not to worry about No-Target, and yes there may be some days that are close, but the real threat to conservation is Status Quo. I had to say I saw it coming, but I did. The Dark Side has been working this for months. And who's to blame? Well the ASMFC is. Most of their data came from NOAA's MRIP volunteer FES survey's, which are about as scientific as asking people in church if they farted today. Once you make that the backbone of your argument, and sniff out the possibility that mortality is way les then expected, and raise doubt in people's minds, then you find yourself taking roll call for a Status Quo, which passed. 

     People are celebrating. I really don't know why. We can't measure predation, or natural causes, or environmental factors, but we know they all exist. What we should be celebrating were the adults in the room who made the hard decisions, and sacrifices, for the striped bass, and the people who enjoy to fish for, and even eat them. We were looking for a pause in the action to allow the bass to catch up. What we're doing now isn't sustainable, especially for the fish. 

   

10.29.25 Here we go....

 

10.28.25 Boy, yesterday's post set the (one for the) table....

     This guy should be smiling. He may be disappointed, but he is happy with his catch. Like I said yesterday, shit happens. What I also said in yesterday's post was how fragile a fishes gills are. It's like slicing through an artery in your arm or neck. 

     This whole post here came from the Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle Fishing Club page. While you know I hate using other's people's content to make content, this was so timely I just had to. It tells a story. Two buds out in the dark on a relatively chilly night hardcoring it during the beginning of the fall run. 

     He had a single hook on his plug. He was doing everything he could to give a striped bass a fighting chance after being caught. His intentions were to practice responsible catch and release fishing. And if he was planning on taking a slot fish home for dinner, then good for him. But he wasn't. 

     This is what many people think makes up the 9% catch and release mortality figure that we've, or they'd, used for decades. That 9% of the striped bass caught and released died. That 9%, well 8%, number came from a study done, and then published, in 1996 by Diodati & Richards. It was groundbreaking for its time and was the standard bearer of all things bad with catch and release fishing. Although there were truths behind the study, like J- hooks and circle hooks, and where 

the fish was hooked and the conditions it was released into, it was a bit hard to generalize every kind of C & R angler as a 9% killer. When guys stand up in the meetings or say to the ASMFC, "Hey, where did you get that number?", well here it is. And you can read that paper, above, HERE. 

     Other studies have been done to see how striped bass fare after being caught, mostly on bait and with earlier J- hooks which are not legal anymore, at least for bait fishing for striped bass. In Maryland they would catch a bunch of fish, collect the data and then transport the fish to a net pen and wait. 

     Of the fish that died, in the Maryland study, 75% died within the first six hours, and the remaining within 24 hours. It came down to hooking mortality, like the guy's fish on the top, and then there's angling stress, which we are all guilty of, especially anglers that like to cast 1,500 feet into current, and then drag the fish, well flog them, up river, or up to the boat, only to swim away strong for the 10 minutes they're out of the water, before they die within 24 hours. You can read the Maryland stuff,  HERE. 

     In 2012 John Tiedemman from Monmouth University released his paper on catch and release practices for striped bass. He too referenced the Diodati and Richard's study

(1996) and the Bettoli and Osborne study (2011). That later study was conducted in the Tims Ford Reservoir in Tennessee and tracked, by transmitter, striped bass that were caught and released. This study looked at fishing method, temperatures in release conditions, and the fishes ability to maintain equilibrium, and or their ability to regulate their air bladder. So they swam away strong, only to wind belly up within 24 hours.  You can see a video of Tiedemann and his panel discussing best C & R practices, HERE. You might know a few names like Tabory, Popovics, and Lynch who join the panel. 

     So that brings us to some more news. I got notice of a new American Saltwater Guides Association post, HERE. In it is discusses the release of the study done by the Massachusetts DMF, who has been in the forefront of this dating back to Diodati in 1996. They have caught striped bass, tagged them, some with acoustic tags, and tracked them. They've also included citizen reporting which brought the number of fish in the study to 8,300, quite a large pool to study. 

     In the end there's a good chance the 9% C & R mortality rate is half of that, somewhere around 4.6%. And those using artificials and flies, WITH SINGLE HOOKS, even lower around 2%. I had to italicize that or else my neanderthal plug throwing pals wouldn't let me hear the end of it. 

     So what does that all mean? It means, well nothing. Is it good that the number MAY be lower, absolutely. Can we all do better, yes. Is it a little fishy that this comes out a day before the ASMFC meeting tomorrow. Where No-Target and No-Harvest on are the proverbial table? Kinda. What is interesting is how things, like studies and data, get released kind of leaning to Status Quo (Do nothing) or No-Harvest (See it's only 4.6%). I'm telling you, it's all about money and politics, with a little bit about the actual fish. 

     And it's a shame that the guy who posted it had to write a disclaimer along with it. Not only was it written, it was written in CAPS. It does just go to show there's times when, "Nothing I could do...", is what it comes down to. Fishing is a sport, and there's winners and losers, and sometimes the striped bass lose. 

We'll see what happens tomorrow starting at 945. Gonna be a long day. 

10.27.25 "Swam away strong...."

 

     I saw a recent picture of a happy angler with a, well, ugly ass fish. This poor baby. I wonder what its survival story is. Was it born like that? I don't think so. Was is the result of being tempted and falling for a single hook barbless Beast Fleye? Um no. Possibly a bunker chunk that bounced along the bottom on a 8/0 circle hook? Probably not. Maybe it was a livie on a 

snagging hook when snag and drop was legal? Maybe. Could, and I say could, it have been when it fell for a big double treble hooked metal lip tossed along the outside of a bunker pod in 2021? Maybe. 

     Now, to be square. I am an angler just like all of the above. I do do my best to reduce stress and mortality when it comes to striped bass. Do I do things perfectly, absolutely not. Do I make sure I have all the barbs pushed down on my hooks, yes. Do I still add to mortality, or F as they say, no doubt. 

     During this spring on one of my PETA-perfect outings I was into some fish that were on herring. Herring are just perfect. Long, slender, and I'm sure tasty. Kind of like an oyster to a human, one slurp, and the whole thing is down the hatch. So I was throwing my Squimpish herring flies on big AHREX 5/0 Clouser hooks, which I prefer over the Popovic's hooks. It was basically swinging flies into the holds and that's when I went tight. 

     It was a nice 30 inch fish similar to what I was catching. As I turned my rod towards land to bring the fish out of bigger water, I noticed the blood trail coming off it. Let's just say by the time I removed the hook from the gill rakers and gills it had just about exsanquinated, or bled out. I watched it basically seize as it went down the river after it's "Swam away strong" release. It was a fish I should have kept for the table. 

     It's not like humans are the only ones that like to target striped bass. Birds, other fishes, like catfish early on, sharks later on, and big mammals like seals love to chew on striped bass. 

     We've all seen the talon and bite marks left from those near misses. Sometimes they heal over nicely, other times you want to hit the fish over the head with a Billy club and put it out of its misery. But rarely do other animals cause those mandible (mouth) injuries like fishermen do. 

     

     The striped bass has some interesting mouth structure. It's designed for survival. It's designed to augment the way it eats. That was all in a post a few weeks ago. Its upper lip is fixed, its power to inhale comes from its lower lip, or jaw, or mandible. If you've ever lipped a striped bass is the movable part. in it's coordinated attack on prey the lower mandible works in conjunction with it's outer gill plate to create a vacuum, or suction, which inhales prey. That goes along with its powerful and large caudal fin which gives them their ambush capabilities. 

     Our fish above has lost half of that ability. It's like trying to down a Guinness after a stroke. But somehow it has managed to heal, and continue to eat, after injury. But like the striped bass that I killed this year the goods are in the back of the mouth. That's the area where the blood rich gills allow the striped bass to breathe. Basically it's their lungs. 

   

     While striped bass don't have sharp teeth their mouths have patches of tiny teeth. If you've ever been into one of those numbers days that what's causes that sought after "Bass Thumb". Those help hold the prey and direct it down the gullet. The gill rakers, shown above, are there to help direct food down and protect the oxygen rich gills. If something is too large or a perceived threat to the gills it can be expelled. And then there's the gills.

     Damage from fishing hooks, bait holders, plugs, and flies not only comes in through the mouth. It's those errant tail hooks that cause damage to the gill plates and gills them selves from the outside. Have you ever been next to someone trying to unhook their favorite plug through the gills? Yeah, you can bury that fish in the sand. Yes, I'm beating up on those plug throwers again. 

     So as you sit there in your office checking out social media 100 times a day, or the beach cams, take a look and see where those hooks are in the pics. Besides positioning themselves to alleviate spot burning, anglers are cradling the fish, thank God, and removing the "baits" so they won't get skewered on social media. But that doesn't work for the ones that want to show who's plug they're throwing. It wouldn't help booster their Pro-staff ratings. 

     And remember, before things heat up this fall, make sure you have a long needle nose pliers, or better hemostats, in your bag to assist with those beach surgeries you might have to perform. Those rusted Klein pliers aren't going to do it. Go knock off the rust and hit them with some WD-40 if you're too cheap to buy a new pair. 

     Basically, we all have to do better. We're two days away from yet another 'Big Day" for striped bass. The ASMFC meets on Wednesday and it's going to be a nail biter. No- Target or No- Harvest, that's not even the big shit. The question is will it be "Status Quo", that's the threat. Because what we are doing now, as far as commercial and recreational harvesting, along with catch and release mortality isn't working. stay tuned. I'll be on that meeting for sure. 

10.25.25 Let's see what the weekend brings...

 

     It's dead calm on the northern beaches in New Jersey. I know the same can't be said in the marinas in and around Sandy Hook and the Raritan Bay. Let me also include the Shark River and Manasquan River marinas as well. All this week those stuck at work or at home will now get their shot at those jumbo sized bass that have made their first push south. But what can they expect? 

     It went from nuts to slow yesterday as the fish, well those that were still around, had lockjaw. There were albies to be had but who wants them when the bass have arrived. Right now as I write the first boats are headed out, some with radar, some not, trying to make that turn to see the birds working against that first morning light. The first guys get the shot, then the boat traffic arrives and screws things up. And there will be boat traffic trust me. 

     I really don't care what the boat anglers do, I'm mores interested in continuing to learn the migration times and patterns, and if and when it includes bait and bass along the beach. It would be cool to have live-action tagging done to see where those 40 and 50 inch fish, that were caught on the first push, have gone. Do they chew and screw or stick around because the bait is here? Remember, their end goal is south so it's either an inner genetic signal that tells them to go south, or their need to "fatten" up before the trip, or do they actually think about it, in regards to staying or going. 

     If those fish did leave already, and they can travel between 16-25 miles per day, four days could put them 70- 100 miles south of Sandy Hook. But that would have meant that IBSP, Atlantic City, and Cape May would have seen some fish by now. Yes, there's been a fish or two caught down that way, but not big pushes. 

     This is the season where we'll see the first law-breakers who are "fishing dirty" cross over that 3-mile line and fish in the EEZ, those federal waters that extend 3 miles off the beach to 200 miles. Three miles off the sand gives you 15,840 feet to fish, but when the birds are way off, the boats will follow. It's tempting. It's easy to forget. I've done it. I can remember looking down at my electronics, with plenty of other boats around me and saying, "Oh shit, we're four miles off". But for some it's that insatiable need, or, "It's my only day", to get on fish, and these days big fish. 

     I'll be spending the weekend at home, trying to get things battened down before winter comes. This week we have a big event going on. We actually purchased a new wood burning stove and professionals are coming g to install it. I had purchased one on Facebook Marketplace, we learned it was cracked, and was in the search for the vent piping to do it myself, before I woke up, with Theresa's help, and decided to have it done correctly, not half-ass like I would have done. But Monday may be the day for me. It'll be after the weekend crowds leave and another day of cooler temps which may get things going on the beaches. 

10.24.25 This is not your Dad's 2011 sand eel bite....

 

     I don't mean to be a Danny-downer but here it goes. "Ah, the sand eels are here". But are they really? Just in time for the first push of big migratory striped bass we have sand eels on the table. Sand eels? In October? Oh, that's not good. At least for the shore based fly rodders. 

     Sand eels, or sand lances, are baits that we love to see. Either the clouds of tiny ones in June on Martha's Vineyard or on Block Island or the larger ones we see late in the fall and early winter along the Jersey Shore. Perfect striped bass snacks that are easy to replicate with flies and easily thrown with the fly rod. Again, forget the boats. Drive around, look for birds, 

find bass on top, or take a peak at the screen to find them deep with bass in and around them. But standing on the beach in October waiting for them to be pushed in? Good luck with that. 

     These days there are bunker around. Adults out front and peanuts in the back. The Raritan Bay has bunker, and bass, on them along the Jersey and New York sides. At times the bunker are being sprayed out of the water which can make locating bass that much easier. But those are bunker, and the push out front hasn't began yet. And we'll see when and where they begin their beach-hugging migration south. 

     Take a quick peak at your favorite social media platform these days and the plethora of photos of 30, 40, and 50 inch striped bass is easy to find. There's a good mix of fish out 

there now and it can be easy pickens for the Captain and crew when they find them. The only problem is, and you'll definitely see it this weekend, is the boat hatch that will occur and surely make finding them unbothered difficult. But let's go back to the beach.

     Sand eels are burrowers. They spend most of their time vertically in the sand but do travel in clouds from place top place. Striped bass can either catch up with them in transit, or root them out from the sand. When the sand eels are on the beach it can bring in the bass and bring out the fishermen. We saw this in 2011 in ISBP. That's more of a later thing, these early sand eels stay off, way out of range of the Ava's with teaser throwing spin fishermen, and for the fly rodder....well forget it. 

     When it gets cold, and late, we find the push of "normal" sized striped bass travel down the beach chasing white bait, peanut bunker, and sand eels. That's when those football shaped 30 inch fish bring out the kid in all of us. But that's not happening now, or at least not yet. 

     In 2011, and other good sand eel years, they stayed for weeks. And then either they move, or the bass continue on their journey south and we are left waiting for that next push of fish, or a new bait to move, drawing bass into the beach. But remember, the beaches and the structure on the beaches has changed. There's no ecosystem there anymore. The sand, or whatever you call it, was taken from deep donor sites offshore and pumped onto the beach, and not every swimming critter likes to call that home. That's why in the fall everything is on the move. Three days ago it was lights out boat fishing, yesterday it was a grind. 

     So what to do? Well, go fish. But if you're thinking you're going to do that long walk to the False Hook or to the end of the North Jetty and find big bass rolling on sand eels within 500 feet of the beach? Well, I don't think so. Will a guy with an 11 foot rod throwing metal or a needle with a teaser attached catch a 40 inch fish? Yes, they will. But if you plan on throwing your favorite sand eel pattern within 30 feet of where your wader boots have sunk into the beach scarp, be prepared to be disappointed. 

     Yes, the sand eels are here. They are out in 30-50 feet of water mostly hugging the bottom until they're attacked from below and pushed to the top where the bass and birds have them trapped. If you carry binoculars, which you should in the fall, you'll be able to see it unfold 2,500 feet off the beach. Maybe you'll hook up with one of the small resident bass that have awoken from their summer hibernation or catch a migratory straggler that ventured into the shallow water. But, I'm just sayen', don't get your hopes up. 

     If you want a shot at the sand eel bite, and not following the boat guys who fish during the day, hit the beach at night or at first light. That's when I feel I have the best chance. Now in 2011 the bite lasted way into the middle of the day, but again, that was late fall, when we had good beach structure, and plenty of bass around, that stayed around. 

This push of the first big fish will be a here and gone. Last year there was a reported "Savage" sand eel bite going on, like this one, and Leif and I went out on October 27th, HERE, to get into them. Same story as this year. Sand eels way off the beach and not a tap off the sand.  See you out there at some point.

10.22.25 I did go...kind of...

     

      It was the date I thought it was going to happen. October 21st. It wasn't going to happen for me anyway unless I fished the graveyard shift because Tuesday's are my day working in the hospital. But I thought it would happen for others. But in my mind I knew I'd be somewhere near the water at some point of the day.

     When I got word that our friend's Mother had passed and we'd be heading out to Long Island I thought I might bring my gear just in case there was a break in the day. Obviously the trip was all about paying respects and being supportive to the family, but, while out there... . I had my stuff packed before we left Sunday morning for the drive east. I first had to make a pit stop to do

some last minute fixes so my parents could get the seal of approval from the fire inspector in town. They finally sold their house after 19 years. They can now enjoy their new house and their new life finally being fully retired. 

     Our car was packed with suits and dresses and suitcases (for our one night stay) along with waders and fly rods and a sling pack, and, a screw gun, sheetrock, spackle, and some hand tools. Added to that was some last minute swag, like "Hey, we're not taking this". So add in some tarps and housewares.

     After I played Bob Vila we were off to the North Shore, not North Fork, of Long Island. Theresa had found a cute, like really cute cottage, on AirBNB that was literally in the back of someone's yard. It was like staying in a tiny house with all the stuff you needed, including a most comfortable bed, for a good night's sleep.

     It was a two-parter wake on Monday with dinner in between. A lot of the action was in and around the Village of Stony Brook, which is definitely a place I could live. That whole area is very nice and not what I think of when I think of Long Island. Stony Brook was in the news last August when Mill Pond collapsed trapping thousands of fish, reptiles, and waterfowl. It was a town's all hands on response in catching and relocating the wildlife, something not always approved of by the wildlife powers that be. 

    The brackish pond emptied into Stony Brook Harbor and I'm sure was a natal estuary for many species of forage fish. Theresa and I stopped at the Stony Brook Marina where I looked 

over the channel to Young's Island. I knew it wasn't fishing time, but, if I saw anything breaking I had my rod in hand ready to make a cast. One thing, that current rips in and out of that harbor and the spit of land known as Otto Schubert Beach.

     One thing I don't know is the Long Island Sound. Several of my fishing guide friends call it home either in the waters off of the New York side or across the pond in Connecticut. Besides it's size, 1,300 square miles, with 600 miles of coastline, it is fed by several large tributaries on the Connecticut side. Overall it's 110 miles long and 21 miles wide at its widest part. 

     The eastern entrance, where the Block Island Sound is, is the fishing Hot Spot known as "The Race" and it's western, if you will, exit is when it joins the East River between the New York City boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Montauk is the most eastern end of Long Island, with Block Island to the east when looking out and Watch Hill to the northeast. Those are both in Rhode Island. I can see where and how that triangle was historically such a good fishing spot during the bait and predator fish migrations. 

     So while I never made a cast I increased my local knowledge of the layout of the land out in that part of Nassau County. I've now visited the Nissequoque River and the Stony Brook Harbor, the next point east would be the waters in and around the Port Jefferson Harbor. One of these days we'll spend a few days out there with our friends and I'll make it a point to fish one of these places hard. You know how these visits go, either it's a fishing trip or it's not a fishing trip. Yesterday afternoon it took us 4-1/2 hours to get back home and a clogged highway is more of what I think about when I think of Long Island. But that's not a fair shake, there's some really beautiful parts out there. 

10.20.25 Busy push before fishing starts...

     Another year in the books at Cape Island Resort in Cape May. We're getting better and more efficient at closing things up for the winter. What usually was a weekend is now a quick run down, kill it for a few hours, and then a ride back home. Every year we question if it's worth the expense of keeping it but then every time we're down there and really enjoying Cape May it's worth it. But it ain't cheap. When we bought in 2020 the fees were $4,300 for the May 1st to Nov 1st season. After a corporate takeover, now X2, it's up to $9,700. The way most say to look at it is if you rented a place for a week in Wildwood Crest or Cape May it would cost you $6,000, so, it's a bargain. But it's still almost 10 grand a year. 

     Luckily two years a go we added a nice shed to out place so there's no more dragging the furniture and bikes inside for the winter. People say they wish we had it all year long, I don't think so as it's off th table from Nov 1st to May 1st- like out of sight and out of mind. It leaves me something to look forward to in and around the start of the spring striped bass run. 

      I'm up to my nuts in burning 100 year-old lead paint off the house, where it's not brick, and sanding, priming and paining it. That goes for the windows and doors as well and if you've ever removed the old window caulk and redid it then you know. The idea of sanding and filling and "feathering" the high spots? Yeah, not me. It may look good from 500 feet away but catch it on the right, or wrong, angle when the sun hits it and it looks like someones back with bad acne. 

     The 21st, the day I called it, is Tuesday. I will catch a fish that day or will at least give it a good effort. I'm heading to a secret spot that you most likely have never been to. I hope you took off- Tuesday is the day. Bass on the beach. And if I were going local, I'd be fishing the Jersey side of the Raritan Bay, maybe in a town that, say, has a boardwalk. 

10.18.25 I swear I'm not keyboard reporting....

     Well I guess I kinda am. While I could really give two shits about who's catching, it's the where that I like to watch each spring and fall. These fish amaze me, and you know, especially bass on the move. So, do I care that the Laura Lee Fleet and and other boats out of the South Fork of Long Island are running two a days mauling and hauling and tossing 200 fish around each trip? No. What I like to see in the migration patterns and timing. Kind of like my own On The Water magazine migration map. 

     So the bass have hit the South Shore and are down along the Rockaways and in and around the Lower New Bay back to Perth Amboy and in and around Sandy Hook and Breezy Point. But, for now, it's a boat fishing game. This weekend will be a total shit show out there was the boat traffic will be insane. Can the boats push the bait and bass to the beaches? Only time will tell. There's bass around The Hook and down into Long Branch, but they are off, way off. 

     Some things we know to be true, at anytime. Live eels will find the big fish, especially down deep and trolled through the water column where their irritable scent can attract a big fish from hundreds of feet away. But what was really interesting was Captain. John McMurray's revelation that the sand eels showed up. Seems a tad early for that.

     What I have found over the years when it comes to bait and the fall run is that we usually have one good bait, like solid and in big numbers. If we have a stupid peanut run then the sand eels don't show up, and vice versa. The beauty with sand eels is the birds are always over them, well most of the time, if the bass are pushing them up to the surface. 

     This weekend will bring out the hordes of beach fishermen and it'll only take one or two big fish pics to bring out the report waiters and watchers to get the fall run in gear. Remember, I called October 21st for the season to start, and that's three days away. 

10.17.25 Orvis Princeton on the chopping block...

 

     Got this email today, so I guess it's official. I also received a card in the mail with the same news. Thanks to the staff at Orvis for holding down the fort and representing Orvis so well for so long. Hats off to Fishing Manger Bruce Turner and Store Manger Andrew Hamilton. Best of luck in your new endeavors. There's a big Orvis hole now in the tri-states area.