While I had no part of the spring run of 2026 I have heard from a bunch of people that is was the best, maybe not ever, but in a long , long time. Usually it's the boat guys touting "epic" days which leaves surfcasters and fly rodders envious, and at times angry. But this spring it was great for the anglers who like boots in the sand.
The internet wasn't full of bad fish pics as much as I've seen in the past, Yes the above looks bad, but it's just a little nosebleed from a big eel hook that found the wrong vein. The bigger the hook the bigger the barb. If guys just pushed down those barbs I swear that would happen less.
The above poor chap had his face rearranged but after it "healed" it needed to continue to eat, and survive. While it may have "swam away strong" the damage that was done is obvious. I'm not trying to take a tree-hugger PETA stance but seeing pics like this always kinda bum me out. These fish are really beautiful, and resilient, obviously.
And was 2026 the year of the glide bait. Glide baits, and I'm no expert on them, were really designed as a freshwater lure. But over the past few years guys have brought them to the saltwater game with great results. They are articulated and have great action in the water, especially when there's herring or bunker around to mimic. The only problem with them is that second set of trebles, which can find their way deep down the gullet when a striped bass inhales
them. The second set of trebles down the hatch can easily find their way into the gill rakers, and once nicked, can cause an arterial bleed which can be fatal to the fish. They say replacing the trailing hooks with a flag impedes the action of the lure, so it is what it is.
I did miss out on the Delaware River this year, but that's okay. Last year was a great year for me and the best as far as numbers in the eight years since we moved here. Those memories
are etched into my brain and got me through not going this year. I can honestly say I never drove past the river this spring and felt I was missing out. The river was low and warm and just not appealing. But I do miss the fish, and the tank, and spending time just watching them rehab before their release.
And this year was good to the fly anglers along the Jersey Shore as well. Yes, the boat folks did well, but the sand walkers and jetty hoppers had a hoot of a time, especially at The Hook. While I heard there was always a ton of participation out there, between spin, bait, and fly, the fish, and good ones, were where the should always be and they were there for the taking. Fish to the mid-40 inch range weren't uncommon, and that's a great fish especially when the current is ripping at The Bug Light or The False Hook.
I've been having some dreams about the Vineyard this year. During my 13 years of going there I've never had it like they used to. When I would come back to the ranch and tell them I saw 20 fish and caught fish to 30 inches Bob would always kinda say, "That's cute", as he would remind me there were years when pods of 20-pounders would cruise the flats. I just have a feeling, with all the big fish we've been seeing as of late, that this could be my year to get a taste of what it used to be like. Of course the sun and the wind have to cooperate but I'm ready. It's also this year where I might be convinced that Dogfish Bar is a great place to fish as I've never seen much for fish and don't even know if I've caught one there. It's a little over a week before I head north, and I can't wait.
And in the "Another One Bites the Dust" category, we've lost another house down in South Carolina. Soon after we put in our offer on the above house another offer came in and somehow we were out. That's okay, things happen for good reason. We actually still own this house in New Jersey, and it's always, "It's not over till it's over", so maybe that's good that it fell though. While we're under a solid contract there's still a well and septic inspection the town requires, and the sellers are sending over their asbestos mediation contractor this Thursday, but that's on them. But, things can still go sideways. So we're going to pause on the search and driving our southern real estate agent nuts by having her run around previewing houses for us. In the end it's probably better to close up here and go down and buy down there. It's cleaner and easier. But then what do we do with our stuff? We'll see.
We do like our plan of selling our place in Cape May and upgrading within the same resort. I went ahead and teased it out on Facebook on the Cape Island Resort Friends page and got a few inquiries.
This is really a time of upsetting the apple cart in terms of our lives. We've blown up every thing was our day to day for years. Our closets, our possessions, our vehicles, our houses, all sifted through and scaled down for a new beginning. And while we think "We've gotten rid of everything", there's a ton more to edit down and get rid of. It's the stupid little stuff that gets thrown into bins and boxes which are just a weighted-vest that we refuse to take off.
And while my new to me 2004 Suburban has been a joy to own for the last month it comes with a few things that need to be addressed. I noticed some soft grinding from the front wheel when I turn right and the other day I jacked her up and had that up and down and side to side movement in the wheel. That's a wheel bearing and hub that needs to be replaced.
I replaced them before on the old Silverado so I think it should be a quick fix. Luckily there's zero rust on the Suburban so my fingers are crossed. I thought about going with Timpken or Moog, but settled for TRQ. I know AC Delco OEM should always be the first choice, but I wasn't going for that $$$$. I'm rolling the dice with A1 Auto, who have great tutorial videos to go along with their products. And lucky for me I dug through the ratchets and sockets I didn't sell and have that 36 mm socket for the wheel bearing locknut, which hopefully just spins off without a problem. That may be Friday's project, on top of mowing the grass once again, trimming the hedges, and going through the seasonal decorations in the attic.
I can't wait for this to all end and for life to get simpler.