6.21.26 Day 10 - Home to New Jersey, a trip recap, Happy Father's Day, and see you next year.....

 

     Well that's another year in the books. And a good year it was. I'll talk about getting off the island and then home before a little recap in photos. We were pretty much all set as far as being packed and the place tightened up for our early morning departures. Flatwing was due to leave at 700 and me at 815. I took the shot and left with Joe and asked the lady in the booth if there

 was any way I might be able to move my ferry ride up. She radioed over to someone and I was the first guy in Lane 1. Soon I was being waved over to board the 0645 to the mainland. 

     As we pulled around West Chop I could see the waves coming across Middle Ground. Surely this was the windiest day to date. I know Custom had a plan to fish and maybe take his kayak out but I don't know if that happened. In fishing they say "West is Best", that's not always true, especially on the Vineyard. 

     When I pulled off the ferry I knew I was heading to one spot, Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Last week stopping there was like hitting Disney World for adults. It had everything a man could ever want. WalMart, Tractor Supply, McDonald's, Home Depot, and of course Ocean State Job Lot. 

     My first move was to test my Maaco paint job by running it through a car wash. My truck was full of white sandy dust coupled with saltwater spray from the ride over. Bedsides the antenna that I thought was going to get pulled out the paint stayed on the truck. It was then a quick stop at McDonald's where I had a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit sandwich. 

     I hadn't had a taste of McDonald's in a week and missed the opportunity to choose to eat at one as there's none on the island. There's no chain stores on the Vineyard, and there's plenty of shitty places to eat, and overpriced as well, so to poo-poo the Vineyard I backed up the BEC again. They were delicious. 

     And then it was back to Ocean State Job Lot which, next to the now defunct Christmas Tree Shops, is my favorite all around go-to store. But we have none in New Jersey anymore so I hit the above store again. I was on the phone with my brother as I walked around and at one point he told me he was off in the hunt for socks for work. "Bro, I'm at OSJL and I got you". 

Where else are you going to get "Worksite" crew socks 9 pairs for $7.99. So like the Mickey D's BEC sandwich, I got him a pack, and then backed it up again. When I rolled into the checkout line the lady at the register said, "Going somewhere cold?", because in the end I bought five packs.

     So I pulled onto the ferry at 0645 AM and into the driveway in Titusville at 345 PM, it is a long day when you are traveling door to door from home to the Vineyard. Next year it will be Bluffton, South Carolina to Aquinnah (16 hours), or Cape May, New Jersey to Aquinnah (7 hours). Either way I'm not missing it and believe it or not it's only 349 days away if we go June 5 -12, 2027.

     So now a little recap. Going away for a week is not an easy task. First you have to be able to have a kinda clear slate at home to be able to leave. And then you need a most understanding spouse who will "let" you go. Theresa wins the award this year for Best Wife as she had to hold down a ton of things at home, and did it in 95 degree temperatures in that big old house. That included mowing the lawn, an acre, twice, with a 30 inch push mower. 

     And next you need your crew. That's makes all the difference in the world. It's nice to go away with guys you know each year. Sometimes when new people are brought in it throws off the vibe. Basically it comes down to "If you're in, then you're in". It's not cheap going to the Vineyard for the week so there's no bailing out, unless your left ventricle blows out unexpectedly. You either pay your share, find a replacement, or give the crew enough notice to try and fill your spot. 

     Finding a rental is not an easy task. These days they are a small fortune. Luckily Flatwing found us a place in Vineyard Haven that was more than suitable. In fact, I liked the location. 

Parking was a bitch though and it was a hike Up-Island. But for me the early part of the trip I stayed in Aquinnah, when I fished Menemhsa Pond, and then after we checked in I was all about Tashmoo, which was close. It's nice being near stores and people and few different places to fish. We need to start looking now for places next year. Joe Carey was the master at running a trip, and he did it from start to finish. 

    I took a little of his system this past week with monies spent by each of us. If you bought something you would get a receipt and on the last night we'd figure out who spent what and who owed who what. Needless to say I almost had a seizure trying to figure it out, but in then end I think everyone was square. 

     We said the week went fast, for me I had a little bonus time. Now I'm up to my nuts with things to do this year, all the house, well houses stuff, and ending the semester this coming Tuesday. One week isn't enough and two weeks would be too much. I like coming in two days before the rental begins and getting in bromance time and some early scouting in before the rest of the band shows up. Truth be told, fishing on the Vineyard, for me, has gone down, like worse, since my first trip 13 years ago. I thought in these new times of "All big fish- no little fish", that I just might encounter that. But the week was tough. Three guys fishing six days. Each guy each day fished six hours. That's 18 hours per day, time six days, equals 108 hours. We landed 10 fish between us, or one fish every 10 hours of fishing. And I think I saw maybe 60 fish the entire week. 

So for the recap,

Favorite overall pic-

Best fishing not catching pic-

Best two buds pic, duh- 

Best fish holding pic-

My best fish pic-

Best ladder shot pic-

Best looking for shadows pic-

Best casting pic-

Best nap in a coma pic - 

Best I better put a pic of them eating Theresa's meatballs pic-

Best fly tying pic - 

Portrait of the trip pic - 

Best "I ran over my Orvis Helios D 9 ft 10 wt" pic - 

Best group hang pic-

    So there you have it. Now I have to get back over to the storage unit and empty out my truck and get back to gettin' back. Father's Day is today over at my Dad's, final exam prep with the nursing students tomorrow and my last day at Capital Health with final exam on Tuesday. And then it's the countdown and scramble to get to the finish line, which is the first closing July 16th.  

     So we'll see what next year brings, or not. Right now I'm in and it would take a mountain to move me from that position. I do love Martha's Vineyard, and the people there, and the opportunity to stand on a ladder waiting for a fish to swim by. It's frustrating, annoying at times, but everyone that knows me knows it's one of my happy places. See you in 2027. 

06.20.26 Day 9 - Last day on the Vineyard...

     Well we had a good plan for our last morning here on the Vineyard. Up at 0345 and on the water by 4 AM in OB for the outgoing. The boys were parked up near Town Beach and I was a little ways down the wall. During the change from dark to light I expected to see something, some sign if life, terns dipping in the shallows, a swirl, a dimple, a nothing. 

     I had proposed this Down-Island plan due to the tides and times coupled with the fact they had made the 40 minute drive the last two mornings. A very fishy friend to many, Henry, fished in Aquinnah and found a nice fish in the dark. Kudos to the guy behind the camera. 

     Since the tide was outgoing I took the short drive to Little Bridge. Surely something had to be showing where the Senge empties out into the Nantucket Sound. As you can see with the beautiful sunrise I couldn't help but take a couple of selfies while I fished. 

     I stayed for a bit and with each 15 minutes the force of the outgoing tide increased. I worked the seam along the beach as well but there was nobody home. Not home, not in the neighborhood, not in the town, and not around this island. After several conversations with fishy people we've met there just aren't a lot of fish around the Vineyard this week, but that could all change over the course of a few days. 

     I headed back to the house before hitting Tashmoo. Mother Nature was turning on the fans today and was doing it under the cover of clouds. As I got ready I knew this was going to be it. The reason I went sight fishing as 6 AM was because I was thinking my only shot was the possibility of seeing a fish in super skinny sandy bottom waters. 

     I moved around and set up my ladder in spots that would give me some kind of visual cone to see below my perch. Every now and then the sun would poke through lighting up the sand but there was no one home. The boys joined me just as I was about to head out but I stayed and took the walk to the back but even in skinny water I couldn't see, and the 20 mph limit winds didn't help. At least we were able to get a nice group photo for the trip. 

     I took my last bumpy ride exiting Tashmoo leaving the guys behind to hopefully get one. Custom saw lots of bait and Flatwing saw three fish. I hit the couch and fell into an unconscious state to get one last nap before we made our way to Kismet Outfitters for an evening fly tying event. 

     Before the guys left to set up I made them some of Theresa's meatballs and sausage and somehow Flatwing escaped getting sauce on his very Edgartown-ish looking outfit. The two would be holding a "A Battle of the Regal Vices", which really isn't a competition, just two buds tying up their go-to flies, Custom tying his Striper Dragon, and Flatwing his Lemon + Lime Fly.    

     They had a good crowd and it was a nice way to end the day and the trip. Abe joined us back at the ranch for one last quick hang before we finished up packing and turning in for the night. Flatwing is heading out on a 7 AM ferry, me at 815, and Custom at 6PM. I thought the week went at a good pace but we all agreed that looking back it always goes quick. Seven days for them, nine days for me, was plenty, and now I'm ready to get home and relieve Theresa who's been doing the heavy lifting. Starting today we start checking off the boxes to get ready for the closing which is now just three weeks away. 

06.19.26 Day 7 - Play hard, rest hard...

     One thing I can say about this past week is that I have been able to catch up on my rest and sleep. While my sleep-wake cycle has been off a bit, these afternoon nawnys have been a great reset. I've been up everynight between 2 - 4 AM, fished early at times through mid afternoon, but have always found some time to reboot. And those catnaps are more like a journey into a comatose state than just resting my eyes. It will be hard to reset back to my old ways which is usually getting to bed by 8 PM, up at 4 AM, and then running a full and nap-free day.

     Today is our last day, it's the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. It's 237 AM as I write, and in about an hour the three of us are going to hit it in OB. The weather doesn't look good today with a SW wind predicted to 25 mph. After OB I'll hit Tashmoo for one last shot for a sight caught fish. But first I'll have to say and thank my new-to-me Suburban who made her first trip to the Vineyard. Pretty, spacious, and some how not to bad on gas, she did everything I needed from her. The wheel bearing I put in seemed to be the trick, the only thing I have to do now is figure out the A/C, especially before the summer, of which part of it will be spent down in South Carolina. While things look like all systems go with the house sale, and three purchases, we're not out of the woods and it would only take one thing to cause the whole deck of cards to collapse. 

     I got to Tashmoo at 0630 wanting to beat the wind and catch it at the end of the outgoing. With the wind and low sun getting a shot I knew would be difficult but I'd rather be standing on a ladder then laying on the couch, or worst yet, blind casting somewhere. 

    At The Shed the other evening local legend David, "DT", Thompson gave me two crab flies that he had tied up and has had good success with. So I tied on the one on the right and made my way out into the ankle to calf deep water. 

     At times the sun would pop out and light up the place increasing my cone of vision from atop the ladder. I moved a bunch trying to find the right angles and maybe where the fish were. I picked up off the flat, where I had seen four fish, and headed to the back of the pond. 

     But back there the visibility was tough, tough to the point that my head felt like it was on a swivel. At one point I swear my head did a 360 rotation during a left to right sweep. My head was always being cocked left to right trying to get the glasses and the reflection, or lack thereof, just right. In the end I saw six fish, with one decent shot that I worked but couldn't find my fly to feed the good sized bass.

     When the tied flipped the blanket of clouds set in and I knew I was done, but I wasn't. I made way out front and fished the jetty, Jersey style, as the tide ripped inside the pond and around the east side. Custom had tied up a bunch of small baitfish patterns at the shindig the other night and he gave me one to try so I tied it on and gave it a go. You can get a feel of the conditions as you look at the bucktail dancing in the wind. 

     I fished around the tip of the jetty without a tap before moving to the elevated section of the beach. I was protected from the wind and had good visibility but saw no bait and no fish. It's a 

great place to search for fish while looking at the boat action on Middle Ground with a backdrop of the Elizabeth Islands. It was there this week that one of the kids I met found "hundreds" of bass coming up onto a flat. He was in his boat and was caught up more in a swimming than fishing mode, but he did catch a few on the fly rod. 

     Before I pulled out I checked out the inlet on the start of the incoming. It was wind against tide with a steady cloud cover so having put away the ladder was a good idea. When I got back to the ranch the Two Joe's were up in the rack after having fished first light. Flatwing caught two small bass, ones that Custom refused to take pictures of. 

        It was an afternoon of naps for Custom and me while Flatwing went out scouting around. The winds were brutal everywhere you went and he took some video of conditions. 

The only people happy yesterday were the wind surfers. While he was out I ran over to Stop & Shop to grab stuff for dinner and a coffee at Cumberland Farms. Great coffee, and better yet, solid cups and lids. 

     We were on the phone with Levi joking around when my hand came up short as I went to grab the cup and 24 ounces of coffee spilled and found it's way all around the kitchen. Needless to say the spilling was just a bummer, the cleanup just sucked. 

     We ended the day with a nice steak meal Flatwing whipped up. It was a good day, except for the fishing and spilled coffee, for a good nap and good food. After my morning session I was able to get home and finish up the final exam so it was good to close the page on that. We came up with our final fishing plan. This morning we'll be out there at 4 AM in OB, and then I'll break off for one last shot at Tashmoo. Again, predicted are clouds with a cranking SSW wind, not perfect by any means. 

     And lastly the commercial season for striped bass opened up here on Tuesday. The other night at Abe's I met a guy who said he went out fishing that day "Looking for commercial". It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about. But in Massachusetts license holders, including recreational fishermen, can take part of the 683,773 pound-quota set for the 2026 season. "Commercial" fishermen can harvest up to 15 greater than 35 inch fish each Tuesday and Wednesday until the quota is met. 

     While we bitch about New Jersey's Bonus Tag Program but can you imagine if we had a commercial fishery for striped bass? Mass's 683,773 pound quota comes out to 37,987,38 18 pound fish removed from the biomass, coupled with similar commercial fisheries in Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, Maryland, the Potomac River, and Virginia. Add to that the coastwise slot fish and Jersey's Bonus Tag fish and that's a lot of striped bass navigating through people's intestines and not in the water, and not spawning. As we've seen in New Jersey, and up here as well, there's just not a lot of smaller fish around. When fishing it's feast or famine, meaning finding that isolated spot that is holding fish, and mostly larger ones. 

     So in a bit we're heading out to fish the final day. Then it'll be a nice afternoon nap before the packing up begins. Tonight the Two Joe's go head to head in their "Battle of the Regal Vices" over at Kismet Outfitters. We've already talked about plans for next year. The annual trip to the Vineyard will hopefully continue. We're less then a year away. 

     And finally a shout out Happy Birthday to our daughter Lauren who turned 24 yesterday. It's been a big year for the birthday girl as she graduated Rowan University with her bachelors degree and will soon set off on a journey heading south. Luckily Theresa was able to take a break from the house sale related stuff to catch up with two of her three kids for the celebration. That's one thing we'll have to get used to heading to South Carolina, the informal gatherings and catching ups. But with the kids in different states it'll take some planning, and lots of phone FaceTime video to stay connected.