07.09.26 Well we did our part for the closing...and who knew?

     Gettin' real close...and still lot's to do. We started off the day heading down to our new house in Cape May. We bought stuff the movers won't be taking and dropped off Theresa's car. It's not officially ours yet as the closing will be after we close on the sale of our home in Titusville next week. 

     And then we drove back up to Lawrenceville to the Lenox Law Firm where we signed the closing papers our attorney Bob Casey and his paralegal Stella had prepared for us. Interestingly our neighbor Lynn, who grew up in our house, has a history with that firm as her late-husband was a partner and she herself worked there with him. 

     So at one point as Theresa and I sat there sweating at what we were signing Bob said, "I heard you're a fisherman", and he added that he was as well, a fly fishermen. Through the process of selling the house we talked and been back and forth a bunch of times never knowing we both love fly fishing. So then I let out a sigh of relief and the conversation became more about striped bass, the Delaware River and the Jersey Shore, and for him, travel trips to overseas destinations.  

     As Stella fed us papers to sign Bob motioned for me to follow him. Above is a shot of an Atlantic salmon that he caught on a recent trip to Iceland. But what got my attention was the photo of him with a nice redfish caught while on his annual trip to Louisiana. When I catch up with Captain Joe "Mazman" Mustari, who runs charters around  the Raritan Baybass, blues, and albies, he always talks about how good the redfishing is down in The Bayou State. He too makes annual trips down there for that bull red bite. I can't wait to one day learn and fish the waters down in the Lowcountry for redfish. 

     Ironically he spends a good part of the summer down in Cape May so we exchanged numbers and hope to meet up in the next few weeks down there after we settle in. Last week he caught a schoolie bass and a fluke so there's fish to be had, probably at first light before the beaches fill up with people. I remember those summer days in Monmouth County, before Sandy and beach 

nourishment, where you could always pop-up a resident bass at first light or get them to eat a mole crab fly on the lip. Sadly, those days have passed.

     So the docs for closing are all signed on our part now we have to finish packing and finishing up some projects around the house. The. movers come Monday. The kids (the buyers) are coming in the afternoon to get a tour on the house, and then it's the closing on Thursday. And then we're off to Cape May.

Soon this blog will return to being all about fly fishing once again.

07.08.26 Found these in one of the bins....

     I remember it like it was yesterday. May 1991. I was living in Verona and working for the Newark Fire Department. I was scheduled for my first of two 14-hour night shifts at Rescue 1. It was early May and I went fishing before I had to be at work and relive the first tour at 5 pm.

     This was when I was in my all-about-trout glory. I had just started fly fishing and was trying to get my first trout on the fly. That day I stayed relatively local and fished the Rockaway River in Boonton in a place called Grace Lord Park. I can't even come up with a number of times I fished there over the early years.

     My trout fishing days grew as I got older and moved from Monmouth County and the Manasquan River to Essex County, which put me closer to waters like the Rockaway, Pequest, Paulinskill, and the Big Flat Brook. A few years after my first trout on the fly, and after The River Runs Through It came out, I discovered the Catskills, and it was all over from there.

     But on this day I fished with some old beginner fly fishing set up from who knows where. I had a box of beginner flies most likely from WalMart. One of those flies was a bumble bee pattern and that's what the above ugly beast of a trout fell for. I sight fished that fish and was lucky to land it. And of course this was the days before cell phones, and moreso the days of disposable cameras, of which I didn't have.

     I was so excited and wanted to get a photo with my catch, which was surely going home with me. I went back to my truck and then drove to a photo shop on Main Street. There they took passport photos with a Kodak polaroid camera. I asked if they would take my picture, actually two of them. Luckily I had some cash on my to pay the bill. Of course this was way before debit cards were around, and using credit cards meant sliding the carbon paper over your card to make an imprint. What a goof, but I'm glad I have them today.

     And talking about goof. Look at that hat, "Trout Fisherman" it says, and I wore it proudly. That vest was my old photojournalist vest from my earlier days working at The Red Bank Register. It was now used to hold my fly boxes, Powerbait, and meal worms. I didn't even know how to hold the fly rod, and the fish, for the picture. But it didn't matter back then as everything I caught was "fillet and release" into an aluminum coffin that layered the bottom of my freezer. 

     But what I also remember about that day of glory was what happened on my drive home. I was so excited that I didn't remember my 1986 Dodge Ram 50 was running on fumes, and on Route 280 in Roseland I ran out of gas. It was 1991 and cell phones weren't out yet but somehow I got a hold of my co-worker Mike Lubertazzi who lived in East Hanover. He too was getting ready to head for the firehouse. Mike was our chef and always shopped for the meal before he came to work so he was around and able to help a brother out. 

     Mike came out and got me enough gas to get me to a station to fill up. But before I headed down the hill to work in Newark I stopped by my house in Vernona. I had just enough time to fillet that fish up. It wasn't fresh from a cooler, it was stored in one of those creels with the tape measure that ran along the outside of it. The thinking was back then that if you kept it filled with water and lined with grass it would be just like having it on ice, yeah, no. It might had been 2-3 hours since it took its last breath in the freshwater, but it didn't matter to me. A few nights later I ate that stocked pellet-fed breeder feeling like a caveman from the old hunting and gathering days. Those stocked trout slathered in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in butter sure do taste good even if they weren't fresh and were coated with a layer of ice from the freezer burn.

That's 35 years ago. It's been a while since I've fished for stocked trout and the taste of pellets. 

07.07.26 T-minus seven days...

 

     You gotta click on the calendar to see it clearer. But we're seven days away from the movers coming to empty out the house and our storage unit. So on Monday night we'll be sleeping on the floor out here with just a suitcase and a dog. 

     Part of yesterdays agenda was sitting for an interview with the Director of Nursing from the Technical College of the Lowcountry, which is Beaufort county's community college. 

     We spoke for about an hour and it sounds like nursing school in South Carolina is like nursing school in New Jersey. Same circus, different clowns. She teased me with a full-time position but I said a hard no to that. One of the things I'll have to do once we move and South Carolina residency is established is apply for my nursing licenses, both RN and APN, which will allow me to practice down there. Just one of a billion things to get done once we're done with the four remaining closings. 

And now we're realizing how much more we need to do. 

     I'm now going from room to room trying to finish up some things here and there. The outside is as tightened up as they're going to get it. And soon, well now, we're throwing things in boxes that may or may not go together. It's chaotic to say the least. 

     On July 4th we had three of the seven sisters over for one last supper. It was a great time listening to them tell the stories of what it was like to grow up in the house, which their parents bought in 1960. We bought it from their Mom in 2018. Needless to say she lived here for a long, long time. 

     And then there's the fly rods. Luckily we had a long box which just about held them all. I kept the two Helios D's out and will send them back to Orvis for repair before we move. One, my 10 weight, I ran over at the Red Beach parking lot, and two, the snake guide of my 12 weight separated from the rod. And I still have my waders that leaked like a sieve while I was up on the Vineyard. Those I'll take down with me and deal with them later. 

     While I did this all to myself, well ourselves, just put yourself in our shoes for a moment. Imagine if I told you that in one week's time you'd be moving out of your house and to another state. People do this all the time so we're no trendsetters here, but it's pretty amazing, and a little scary. And while we're caught up with all the physical and logistical things related to moving we haven't even paused for a minute to allow the emotional aspects to sink in. 

We got seven days to get this done..... if there's no glitches. 

07.06.26 So much for paradise....

     I guess bad shit happens everywhere. Over the last few years we've seen several incidents of flash mob parties that draw hundreds to thousands of people, usually young adults, to venues and beaches where the intent is far from family type activities. It's become a thing, and New Jersey has seen it recently as the summer season kicks off. And with these "mobs" comes bad things, vandalism, theft, looting, violence, and even death.

     Above is a picture of Coligny Beach in Hilton Head. It's a popular place where the water meets the beach meets a little touristy area of shops, restaurants, and bars. It gets busy as there's a lot of condos and hotels in that area. And for locals, and for those that call home off-island, it's a place to go where the parking and beaches are free. Hilton Head, like the Jersey Shore, is a tourist destination, and I can tell you from what I'm hearing, it ain't like it used to be, kind of like the Jersey Shore. Over developed, over populated, and over visited. Like smart New Jerseyans people in the Lowcountry know to avoid the traffic and crowds during the silly seasons. 

     So while mass shootings are a common thing these days, well how sick is that, for some, and for some places, these type of things, "Just don't happen here". Well at 7 PM last night, on July 4th, gunfire erupted on the beach between two groups of people. Seven were hit by gunfire. 

     Some bullets found their targets, other's buried in the sand, and the rest just petering out at the end of their trajectory. And at 7 PM the beaches were full of vacationer's and families enjoying the sun sets that sets behind them. Some in the water, kids playing in the sand, people playing volleyball, and some at the venues near the beach. The victim count could have been far worse. And needless to say, for those that were there, the incident was traumatic. 

     The Beaufort County Sheriff Office Crime Scene was out at first light with metal detectors looking for bullets in the sand, while others were looking for those that fired the weapons, nearly killing other people. The Sherifs Office has video monitors up and down the beach and used that technology to quickly apprehend and charge four of the suspects. Charges range from possession of a deadly weapon to attempted murder. 

     Interestingly, after the arrests were made and they released the mugshots and the ages of those involved, three were 17 years of age. Up here in the northeast names are held when the suspects are younger then 18, I wonder if that's a southern thing. I'm not sure how South Carolina's courts handle attempted murders but I know if it happened in NJ or NY they'd most likely be out on bail by now. 

     But what I found most interesting is that Hilton Head doesn't have it's own police force. Paid fire and EMS, yes, but the area is protected by the counties sheriff's department. Hilton Head has a year round population of 37,000 residents, and swells to over 150,000 during the silly seasons. Some say that number can reach 300,000. And no local police department?

      Many of the properties on Hilton head Island are gated and have their own security divisions. And those security guards patrol and carry weapons just like municipal, county, or state officers do. During our tours of several properties we've seen these officers, and I have to say they're intimidating. These are not your friendly security guards patrolling around in a little white car with a light on top, they look like they are in the military, often carrying long guns in open areas like the tennis courts or near the beaches in the plantations they cover. And all are wearing bullet proof vests.

     But for the open and tourist areas is a county sheriff's office enough? I think of Long Branch here in New Jersey. How would that town, of 33,000 people, tripled in the summer, do during these wilding events without a municipal police department only relying on the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office? 

    Times are changing. People, well we've already changed, and a lot of us suck. And as we've seen bad shit can happen anywhere at any time. Don't taxpayers and tourists deserve to be protected properly, and that's from a police, fire, or EMS perspective. The incident last night happened near the entrance to the beach just a stones throw from the touristy commercial area. Do you think this wold have gone down if there were cops stationed there or on a walking post? I would think not. 

     I guess the grass is not always greener, at least down south, or really anywhere these days.

07.05.26 Yes, that's me tooling around the Lowcountry...

     I think I can get used to this ChatGPT stuff, but deep down I really hate technology. The top image came from the ad on FBM for the Bulls Bay 151 (15'1") and I swapped out the seller's headshot for one of yours truly sitting on the poling platform with my hand on the tiller. I am excited to start so many new chapters down south. Below is a birds-eye view of my future skiff, like the actual skiff. 

     The flats or technical skiff game is a game onto itself. My overall boat knowledge is average, and my skiff knowledge is nill. I know some guides who fish the skinny waters in skiffs for some of my favorite species, Paul Dixon and Andrew Derr for stripers on Long Island's East End, Jamie Boyle and Abie Schuster on the Vineyard, Ben Whalley up in Maine, John McMurray around Jamaica Bay, Dan Schafer in South Jersey, Marc Nutting in the Lowcountry, and Dave Choinard when he was down in Tampa. 

     And the skiffs? Well I've heard the names of the big manufacturers and that's about it. Hell's Bay, Maverick, Chittum, Hewe's, and Beavertail, and I'm sure there are a ton more. When I used to do those long commutes to Essex County College I'd listen to Any Mill's Mill House Podcast, HERE, which is really all about skiffs, sight fishing, and the legends of the game. Sadly, I haven't listened in some time, but it will be soon coming from the speakers while down in The Shrimp Shack. 

     So across my Facebook feed now comes everything about skiffs since I did some searches and now they have me pegged. One that came up yesterday was of a guy standing in front of 

Mt. Houston Marine after he took delivery of a new 2026 Chittum 18' Challenger 2.0. I have seen that flats skiffs either have a side or center console or tiller steer. His choice is below, 

      I know that Chittum is one of the big guns in that market so I did a little search on how much a boat like that might cost. You know I never buy new but maybe it's time. Even though I just dropped a deposit down on a used Bulls Bay why not inquire.

     So, mmmm, let's just say I'll stay in the used and not the top of the line market, for anything and everything. A new Chittum runs any where from $75-100,000 +, depending on the options you choose. I can't do that, wouldn't do that, and never will do that. But Congratulations to Jack and his new ride. 

     In between bouts of working around and in the cauldron that is weather this week I've started looking for resources about skiffs and how to pole them. I've found some videos on You Tube, there's a 1,000, that have been a help as I sit in front of my keyboard. 

     I have to say I can't wait to get out there looking for fish in skinny water. One day I'd love to bring it up to the Vineyard and pole around Menemsha Pond or Lake Tashmoo. I wish I started this new chapter of my life about 10 years ago. But guys who pole seem to stay in the game for a long time. Ansil Saunders died at the age of 91 and stopped guiding only a few years before his death. That gives me, say 30 years to learn it and get it right. 

07.04.26 Happy 250th America...and the deal is done....

 

     Two hundred and fifty years ago the Declaration of Independence was signed. What it meant was that the thirteen original colonies were free and independent states and no longer part of the British Empire. While it was agreed to on July 4, 1776, it wasn't signed until August 2nd, a month later. But the 4th of July is when it is celebrated. 

     It was signed by 56 delegates signed the declaration of which John Hancock was the President of the Continental Congress. It begins with "We hold these truth's to be self-evident, where all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights....". It outlined the political, moral, and legal justification for independence from Great Britain. 

    Our 250 years have seen the best, and some less then best, in our countries history. If you think that some people today are 100 years old our country is still young. In my opinion the United States of America is the best country in the world. That's not to say other countries don't offer their citizens great and wonderful things, and they are equally as proud, but this dam country is one where people are free and can be successful and fruitful through hard work and determination. Just ask the people who came here from other countries. Starting with the names of immigrants 

who came and landed at Ellis Island to those who have come here by any means necessary. 

     As always there's work to be done, and we are a work in progress. And we couldn't be where we are without the countless contributions of so many people from so many places over the centuries, along the great leadership we have had, strong militaries where people have sacrificed it all for us, and citizens, while at times divided, who have come together for the better good of each other and the USA. I can say I'm proud to be an American. 

     And in other news....well the deed is done. The flats skiff is mine held by a Venmo deposit sent today. That's just another exciting development coming with this big life changing move.

     And today my Father came out to help me get the boat and trailer down to the trailer folks at 

J & C Campers in New Egypt. They'll do a wheel and axle service and replace the lights all the way around for the 750 mile tow down to Ridgeland, South Carolina. 

     My Dad's Ford F-150 towed the bare-bones boat like a champ. It goes with no motor, no batteries, and no fuel. She's ready to get completely made over, which should make Jim smile from up above.

     Along with the boat I dropped off a light kit and wiring for the trailer that I got for 40% off at the West Marine in Bensalem. I had brought some of the paperwork Laura had given to me when I finally paid it off. When I showed it to the guy there and went through the heavy duty axle Jim had 

installed along with the HydraStar brake actuator he looked at me and said, "Wow, that's a lot of overkill there". And that made me smile, thinking of Jim, who had this boat rigged and improved and, well, just perfect for him. He pointed to a truck and trailer in the lot, it was a big F-350 with a horse trailer behind it. Adding, "Even this would be overkill for a set up like that". 

     So we're off and running. Next week the trailer hitch for the Suburban comes in from from the Midwest and then I'll be able to pick them both up. And, for the first time, I'll have confidence that the axles won't melt down to molten metal, the brakes will slow the momentum, and I'll have tail lights, and running lights, that will alert others that this Jersey Jones is going to it's new home in the Lowcountry. 

07.03.26 Oh, what a very hot, but glorious day...

     For it being 1,000 degrees out today I'd say it was a good day. Theresa and I were operating on all cylinders. I went to bed last night at 130 am, more on that later, and was up at 5 am and outside watering the trees and lawn and then got right into landscaping. Here's just a few other things we accomplished today in this misery,

- Trimmed the hedges, weeded the beds, weed-wacked nice lines around the beds and grass. Tomorrow's my last trip with the dump body to the recycling center so today was the day to load it up with brush

- Theresa took the Ford Escape into Trenton where it got new rotors, pads, and the tires rotated- now shes safe for the move

-  Removed the batteries from the boat and staged them along with some old air conditioners and metal for the scrap guys, then helped them load up when they got to the house

- Got the fire suppression equipment ready for the guy from Pennsyltucky who answered the ad for the free gas from the boat. 

- And why would I need that? I estimated about 30 gallons of ethanol free Stabil-ed fuel in the original metal gas tank in the boat. It must have been two years old, or more. He didn't care. So he shows up with a small handheld battery powered transfer pump and a few gas cans. "I don't think you have enough cans there bud?". "That's okay I'll put the rest in the tank, I ran my truck down to empty". So between the batteries and gas at 8 pounds per gallon I've taken off some weight off for the tow down to South Carolina.

  - So the first pump didn't work so he had to make a run to Tractor Supply. While he was gone I sealed the deal on a motorcycle (my neighbors) that we had soaking on Facebook Marketplace for a day or so. 

- So when the guy came back and started to empty the tank I wasn't sure if he would get flown to the St. Barnabas or Crozer-Chester Burn Center, but off to siphoning he went. And he got just about every drop out of the tank. A win-win all the way around. Now it's ready for a tank replacment.

- Then it was waiting around for the building inspector from town to come and clear a permit we had hanging from the fall when we installed the wood stove. When he got here, he was here for literally five minutes, "Looks great, I'll clear the permit"

- Theresa then had to do a pedicure run as I waited for the big appointment of the day, the well water treatment company. Well they came at 1230 and left at 4. One guy broke his ass, in the heat, in the dungeon, installing the most beautiful UV filter/water softener/something else system you 

could imagine. No more Brita or Berkey filters in this house. It's now direct from the tap over here. No more coliform or PFOA or PFAS. Water sample taken. We're good to go. Check.

- Then it was a road trip to West Marine in Bensalem where I hoped the Gods of a store's Going Out of Business Sale would be on my side. Yesterday we went there and purchased tie-downs to keep the boat on the trailer during the ride. The second stop tomorrow will be down to the trailer place for wheel and axle service and new lights all the way around. But, I bought the 2 foot transom tie downs when I needed 4. 

     And our winning streak keeps going as the young woman at the register remembered me and said, "Just go and swap them out, quickly". Game. Set. Match.

- And lastly buy a flats skiff. That's all. Wait what? Well those special pills I slip into Theresa's coffee each morning must have kicked in. No, seriously, why does this woman continue to support my insanity? With this, I even have to say to myself, enough is enough.

     It was about 1130 pm last night when I was lying in bed trying to absorb all that old-ass air conditioner could pump out. I was tossing and turning. My mind was racing, as it does every night, and most of the days. I thought about how much sense buying that skiff down in Savannah made. But I didn't just need to convince Theresa, but myself as well. Who could I ask? Who's a skiff guy that I know?

    So like Santa who sprang out of bed I did the same at 1245 am. Ian Devlin- that's my guy. So I fired off a Message and this morning he got back to me. He green-lighted it from every angle. That was good enough for me. And Theresa was down with it. God I love her.

    So I reached out to the seller, a college-aged kid, who wasn't using it as much as he wanted to. And with him going back to college in a month or so he felt it was the right time. He went through everything, like I would, the Good, the Better, and the Best. There wasn't much negative to say except some scratches along the hull from those skinny water oyster bed outings. So he accepted my offer to send him a $1,000 via Venmo and he'll hold it until we go down for the closing on July 17th. We didn’t even getting around to doing the transaction, “You’re good, it’s yours”. It was that easy. 

    And the 15 footer? Well Ian says it's perfect for that flood and ebb tide game they play down in the Lowcountry. It's perfect for just me, me and Theresa to cruise in, and for me and a bud or client to do the pole and fly fish thing. A 17 or 18 is good for a guide and two anglers, but this will be a "great boat" to learn how to pole and all of those skinny sight fishing areas I won't be able to get to on foot. 

And truth be told, with all the alligator talk lately, and the recent death of a young lady in Florida, I was worried that my wading around the Lowcountry wouldn't be the smartest or safest thing. I had nightmares of being stuck up on my Martha's Vineyard ladder on a flood tide with an alligator circling below me. 

So get ready my friends. Come down and visit. Come hang at the Shrimp Shack. And get ready to stand on the bow and let's go find some tailing redfish. 

07.02.26 If you didn't know....and why is this speaking to me?

     Trenton, New Jersey today....98 degrees. Bluffton, South Carolina....89 degrees. Driving around in the comfort of a 2020 Ford Escape- to escape the heat, registered 101. It's pretty brutal out there. Had to throw an old ass air conditioner I found in the attic in the bedroom window just to knock down the flames that were about to erupt. I feel bad for the homeless, those in public housing, and the elderly. And we haven't seen the electrical grids start popping yet. 

Weather extremes are deadly. Stay cool. Stay safe. Stay hydrated. And check on someone you know or someone that looks like they're not well. Today's gonna be a bitch. 

     And then in the, "Why is this speaking to me?", category. Don't I need a polable skiff down there in the Lowcountry? Well I've been snooping around Facebook Marketplace in the Hilton Head/Savannah area. If Jim's boat is going to take a while to get back to fighting shape then maybe I need something in the meantime?

From the ad, 

2011 Bulls Bay 15'1" POLING SKIFF

Originally called the "DGB" or Damn Good Bait, the hull design was then sold to Dragonfly Boat Works and sells tricked out like this one for $40k new now.

All aluminum poling platform and grab bar designed an installed by Dark Arc Marine. 

2013 Yamaha 40 hp tiller with approx 150 hours. All services complete to include lower unit oil, fresh oil change, integrated engine gauges through the Garmin GPS.

- Lithium trolling motor battery

- Minn Kota 24v iPilot w/spot lock

- Tan Yeti with cushion

- Carbon fiber push pole

- Carbon fiber tiller extender

- Trailers in good shape

- Garmin GPS with saltwater maps

Only reason I am selling is because I don't use the boat enough and it's in too good of shape not to use. 

     How perfect would that be? Listed for $14,000. Question is, at 15'1"- does a skiff need to be longer? Looks perfect for me and a guy or gal and not to hard to pole. I must be mental. 

     And of course it would be perfect for those romantic sunset rides with me and Theresa sitting next to each other in those fold down seats. Maybe that'll be the ticket I'll need for permission. First the Shrimp Shack, now a flats skiff, talk about going to the well big time. Stay tuned. I got a good feeling about this one.