10.11.10 Another beautiful morning...no fish

Headed out this morning for what I hoped was going to be a good one. I have fished night sthe last few times out, and lost one in the wash Saturday night. This morning was a stellar day for being out, there just wasn't anything going on. I started at Phillips Ave and met up with the usual cast of characters that fish there. If they're not catching anything there, you might as well move on. And that's what I did. I was watching a flock of birds feeding off Allenhurst so I stopped there. They moved along the jetty and out into Loch Arbor, but never came in close enough, and there was no signs that fish were working below them.

Dumbass move of the day. Since it was so nice out I decided to bring my tripod and remotes to get some pictures of fly fishing the beach. I set everything up and turned the camera on...dead battery. Oh well.

As far as freshwater, the Delaware Rivers are settled into somewhat normal flows, the West Branch is at 450 around 50, I wish I could get up there sometime this week, the river closes down the 15th except for the Gamelands stretches. I can't believe it, another year gone. All those grownups, and old folks that tell you life goes fast and is here and gone in a blink of an eye were dead on!

10.09.10 Switching over to night fishing

Busy early morning weekend stuff with the kids, plus high tide has been running around 6-9 pm, so I'm going to try the nights for a few days. Fished last night, nothing. Fished tonight, Saturday night, and one short in the wash that released itself just as I got a hand on him. I did go down earlier in the day at dead low tide and found guys trying to snag pods of mullet that were running around the 8th Ave jetty. I might hit Deal in the morning.

10.08.10 Project Healing Waters Pequest outing

Headed up to the Pequest Hatchery in Hackettstown today for the Project Healing Waters outing. Project Healing Waters is s national, might be international, organization that introduces disabled veterans to fly tying and fly fishing. We meet and tie flies at the VA in Lyons, and host trips to the Pequest Hatchery, Molders Preserve, and Osterman Nursery. It was a beautiful day and the dozen vets we had a great time. I was teamed with a nice guy who caught about 5 fish, and lost a few bigger ones. The last trip I was going on was to Molders Preserve in Old Bridge, but it started pouring as soon as we got there, and the VA cancelled the trip. So it was good to get this one in, Sunday is another outing but I won't make that one. I may head out to the beach to see what's been going on. I feel if I take a day off from there I will miss everything. Below is a pic from my guys fish.

10.07.10 The morning after, no sign of the fish

Well after catching a blitz at 8th Ave last night I was eager to show my story with my buddy Al, who got out early this am and gave it a shot. Nothing. No sign of the fish. I went to Deal midday to take a look and it was tide, and the water dirty out past the jetty. The waves were full of sand. I also stopped by Asbury later in the day, more of the same as Deal, just a little more water at that tim. Taking Friday off from the saltwater, heading up to the Pequest Hatchery with Project Healing Waters.

10.06.10 Finally caught the blitz, well saw one

Don't get excited, I didn't catch it. I started around 645 am in Deal. Nice calm day, no wind, a few big waves. I worked my way out onto the Phillips Ave jetty and started to fish. I was making good casts, having fun, all alone. I was only about a third of the way out when I turned and saw a wave like on Hawii Five-O coming at me. I dropped on foot back and took the entire wave from head to toe. I though for sure I would be knocked over, knocked unconscious, and my new fishing friend Al would find my body tomorrow in the wash. Luckily I stood my ground but was more careful from then on out. I headed up to Allenhurst and as soon as I got there I met up with a guy I see at 8th Ave. We killed them last night and early this morning. Just what I wanted to hear. So I fished till about 9, then it was off to work.

After work I headed back down, first to Asbury, where the guys on the jetty were trying to avoid the 200 surfers surfing right on the jetty. As I was getting ready two guys hooked up close to the beach so I grabbed my rod and headed down. I worked the wash and rip, nothing. Headed to Alenhurst, nothing. Came back to Asbury, small blitz- few keepers, like the one above. Then I headed down to Avon around 7pm. Nothing. Then back to Asbury and 8th Ave. I pull in the lot, there is about 150 cars there, but only three guys on the jetty and maybe a half a dozen surfing. So I take my time and get my stuff and as I head to the jetty I look over and those 100 guys, well maybe 15, are landing striper after striper in front of the Loch Arbor Beach Club. I run over and start casting the fly rod, nothing, go out too far, and get almost swamped by a wave. Then I realize after 20 mins, I have no fly on my rod. Then the group moves to the jetty and they start hooking up there. Keeper and keeper, and a few shorts. I casted my friggin' arm off. Nothing. I think I just suck. I won't be going in the morning, that'll show them!

10.05.10 Alright I'm sick of this, where's the fish

Another great morning along the beaches in New Jersey. High NE winds and rough surf made it a no go for me this morning. There were a few brave souls throwing clams and metal. I went back tonight and things were just a tad better. The water was dirty for about a half mile out. I'll be at it again tomorrow- hopefully it's a little better.

10.04.10 Gonna be a tough week

When my alarm went off at 520 am this morning I looked outside and saw the large tree in my backyard swaying back and forth. I reached over and hit the off button and went back to bed. I did head down to Allenhurst around 845 and looked out s big waves crashed on the jetty and rain pelted the area. Not a fisherman or surfer in sight. So I put my waders on and grabbed my rod and headed down to fish the relatively calm area behind the jetty. I though for sure there were fish there since a small flock of birds was picking stuff out of the wash there. With a strong N-NE wind casting wasn't too bad. A few "rouge" waves came over and snuck up on me from behind when I went out too far. I fished for about an hour. It's going to be a tough week, and season, if this kind of weather continues.

10.03.10 Rough early morning in Deal

It was a nice crisp fall morning in Deal around sunrise, the only problem the northeast wind was blowing around 40 mph. Not easy with the fly rod. Actually, it wasn't bad. I fished the south side of the groin above and with the wind from the NE, it made for easy casting. The image above was taken about 745, and the waves were much bigger at the 545 am start. I read and article recently that the biggest problem fly guys have is not getting the fly down to where the fish are, especially if they're not looking up yet. So I added a fast sink tip to my floating line and put on a new leader and picked a larger heavier fly. I was casting for about an hour and a half and decided that was about it. I made a cast off the groin into the wash and reeled the line in. As I got to to where the black sink tip was on my rod and my fly right where the jetty meets the beach, my line started to move along the jetty. I was puzzled at first and watched it travel a short bit, and before I realized I had a fish on, it was gone. So that kept me there another 45 mins for nothing. Even with the wind and big waves the water was clear. If things calm down just a bit it should be good tomorrow. I'll be back at Deal in the am and then off to the Hook to hunt for albies.

10.02.10 Fall is here this morning, fish weren't

Got out for first light, well before it and headed to the Avon side of the Shark River Inlet. Nice morning, a chill in the air, water getting cooler. Not a fish, or a bump to be had. I was there about 3 hours after high tide. Guys fishing on the jetties on both sides of the inlet with nothing on. Heading out tomorrow to Deal, we'll see what's up there.

09.30.10 Hit it early with no results

Got out around 530 and headed over to Phillips Ave to see if the surf and wind had calmed down any. Alan was out throwing metal in the suds and I worked the south side of the jetty for a bit. If you wanted to catch a surfer the north side was the place to fish. I couldn't get into it today. Last night I watched some Popovic videos on the Atlantic Flyrodders website...that was enough to ruin me for a few days. All kinds of fish, all kinds of blitzes... I only stayed a short while before heading down to Avon to fish around the jetty for Shark River Inlet. Unlike last week, I saw no bait, nor fish. I like fishing that jetty pictured above. As I go out each time I take a while to study the water, and see where and how the bait might travel and where the fish might lay in wait. The weather is going to be nasty for the next few days, which works out since I'll be busy at work and with the kids.

PS- West Branch at Hale Eddy- It's UP to 207 cfs @ 62 degrees. The rains should be heavy and will probably blow out the river, by Sunday it will be down to 9/28's 185 cfs

09.29.10 Back from the wedding, let's go fishin'

So now I am married man, again. My wife, Cindy, and I, had a great wedding weekend in Lambertville with family and friends. Then we went to Atlantic City for two days. Of course I brought my fly rod, just in case I could get out while in AC. The weather was nasty and winds strong and just not what I wanted to fish in. On the way home we went to LBI and drove down to Old Barney and there I made a few casts. Blues were blitzing in the channel of the inlet, ripping through spearing that was just all over. A guy there stuck the water and it was 73 degrees. Those temps got a little help from a strong hard SE wind blowing the last few days. When I got home I unpacked and headed down to Allenhurst and then down to Deal. I caught myself a few times with the fly, trying to cast in what seemed like 50 mph winds. Tonight things seemed to slow down a bit and I going to head out for a first light bight in the morning.

09.23.10 Flat ocean, high moon, no fish

went out around 8pm for an hour at Allenhurst. Beautiful night, flat ocean, warm temps, high moon= no fish. Looks like it will be this way for a few days, good thing, since I won't be around, getting married on Saturday. Sunday I'm heading to Atlantic City for a few days and will bring the fly rod just to give the south jersey beaches a try. Be back next week.

09.22.10 Great fishing, not catching

Got a hot tip from my new salt water fishing mentor Al who said he was heading to Deal for hopeful first light bite. I met him at Phillips Ave around 6 am and we fishing along the jetty and from the beach. He hooked two on a popper but lost them in the surf. I saw some bait jumping here and there but no takes on the fly rod. As with anything else, you don't know how much you

don't know, until someone tells you how much they know. Basically, there's fish all around the beach, in the wash, behind the rip, along the jetties- just because you don't see a blitz doesn't mean they aren't set up and waiting. I moved on to Allenhurst and spent the next 2 hours fishing both sides of the jetty. I had one hit, and that was it. I fished the swirl behind the jetty on the southside and got swamped by a wave, and I learned some thing else.

I need to drill holes in the bottom of my stripping basket to let the water drain out. I also almost busted my ass on the wet jetty, with my spikes sitting in the bed of my pickup. I stopped by the 8th Ave jetty is Asbury before going home, they had bass there at first light, with a few keepers to 37 inches. Looks like I'll be missing from the fishing scene till next week. Getting married on Saturday in Lambertville, I wonder if the stripers have made their way up the Delaware?

09.21.10 Two stripers in rough surf in Avon

Went back at it this morning in Avon near the inlet. Hit the backside of the jetty and picked up two stripers, one around 16 and the other over 20 inches. I started again at 520 am in Monmouth Beach where it was jut too rough, stopped by Allenhurst and Asbury Park before heading south. When I pulled up I said to myself, "What I am doing out here?". Just then I scanned the beach and saw a guy with a bass on, on a fly rod. For the next 1-1/2 hours I made casts into the rip and wash and landed the two I hooked. There is tons of bait in the wash. Spearing, mullet, who knows what else. Should make for a great few weeks if it stays around.

09.20.10 Beautiful day, roaring surf

It was a really nice morning, up out the door at 520 am, and headed back to Monmouth Beach. As I walked across Ocean Ave I could hear the thunderous roar of the waves crashing at the foot of the sea wall. I could also tell that the waves sets were close to each other. On top of the wall I could see that I wouldn't even be casting here, so I headed south. I decided to go to the Shark River Inlet right at the bridge. The waves were crashing the jetty but the inlet was pretty calm. I didn't see anything on top, and stayed there for almost 2 hours. One guy caught a big fluke and another a sea bass. Back at it tomorrow when hopefully the waves will have settled down a bit as Igor moves away.

09.19.10 Here we go again, first fall trip out

Yep, did it today. Got my stuff all ready last night and headed out at 520am this morning in the hunt for the albies that have been spotted from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park. I started at Sea Bright and blind casted for about an hour before heading south to Monmouth Beach and fishing the rocks near the tennis club. There is a ton of bait in the water, but I only saw a few cocktail blues bust the surface. Fished till about 830 and then had to go do CCD drop off duty. The ocean was flat but the 3-4 foot waves on the beach didn't help. I'll be back at it tomorrow, but I think the fizzled out hurricane Igor will still be around.

09.12.10 Up to the Delaware and gettin' ready for albies

Ran up to the West Branch after getting a request froma magazine for Delaware river system didymo type images. I reached out to Joe D. and he suggested some locations. The only problem is the upper West Branch was moving around 1,000 cfs and was stained from Deposit to Shehawken. I tried the East Branch and then the main in Callicoon but came up dry. These are images I should have had in a hard drive somewhere. Anyway, spent most of last week

shooting Fashion Week in New York City, which I'm sure isn't interesting to most of you. Fishing wise, it was nice to look at the West Branch again, but I'll be gearing up for the insanity of "catching" the albies the times when they are close to the beaches down the Jersey shore.

08.29.10 Outing with Casting For Recovery

Today I had the pleasure of volunteering as a river helper with Casting For Recovery at their central New Jersey outing held at Holmdel Park. I was teamed up with cancer survivor Jennifer and we had a blast catching some sunnies and shooting the shit on a beautiful day on the lake. The CFR staff did a great job and the women said it was a great weekend. One of the guys who helped out also built all the rods the woman use, built the wooden fly boxes, and tied all the flies. Now that is a good guy. There was a sponsor who paid for the weekend for the woman including lodging and food, another group donated money towards next years outing, and a guy from our JSTU chapter donated the lunch, and, a river helper bought the coffee and donuts for the gang. A lot of giving from a lot of people for a great cause. In the end, the volunteers get back as much as the survivors, in spending an afternoon with such brave and special women who've endured so much and remain so positive.

08.24.10 What a different time....

Look at me. Probably about 30 something years ago. String wrapped around a stick with a sunny on the hook. Standing proud as a peacock. I must be getting mushy and sentimental, or just mental, in my ever getting old age. Trying to figure out the meaning of life past, and future.

As like everyone else, accomplishments and failures along the way...knock on wood...but there's just no way of predicting the future.

I can honestly say there isn't a part of me that would have bet that at 43 I would be on the verge of a second marriage, have four kids instead of "two and done", and would be trying to make a living in photography in the middle of this electronic filled digital and technological driven age...and... starting my new dream of guiding fly fisherman along the way.

Just when I thought I had life figured out and just where I wanted it...boom...there it went. That was seven years ago. It was like a river crested and took my whole life downstream with it. When it subsided I was left clinging to a rock.

I hope one day, soon, I will be able to stand tall again and be as proud as that small boy standing on the bridge, with a fish hanging from a stick.

08.23.10 Great debate on Catch and Release

Since I have been working more for The New York Times I have been reading it more often and spending time on their website. I came across some thing cool in one of their Opinion section. It was a discussion and debate on Catch and Release. Very, very interesting.

Words like, pain, predation, mortality, and food kept my interest peaked. I have to say, I have drunk the catch and release juice for a long time. I can't remember the last time I kept and ate a trout. The last fish I kept, well my sons fish, was a 30 something inch northern pike he caught last year in the Adirondacks. And you know what, after a watching a quick You-Tube video from some guy in Canada on how to fillet one, it was fantastic after we egg dipped it, floured it, and pan fried it.

But there's something about those trout. I do fish a lot. I do catch a fair share of fish. My favorite part of fly fishing is the take. Sometimes I have fished a dry without a hook, just to see the take. I could do two things and be happy. See the take, and release the fish. The fight. The net. The taking out the fly. I could do without.

Just let me see that rise, and the take. And I'd be fine.

Check out the debate HERE

Gotta go, just had a root canal and my face hurts!

08.17.10 This is why I love this river

Photo PFBC

This is one of the reasons. Here's some more, taken from the Pennsylvainia Fish and Boat Commision Lackawanna River July 2010 report,

The total electrofishing distance was 1,383 meters. Our results this time were much better than during historic work. At all sites combined we caught 737 wild brown trout including 403 YOY. Wild brown trout ranged from 2 to 22 inches long (Figure 2). We also caught a single YOY wild brook trout and small numbers of hatchery brown, brook, rainbow, and golden rainbow trout.

The largest trout we caught was 22 inches long and weighed 2.9 pounds. There are two things to note about this. First, there are larger trout available in the river. However, these fish typically spend most of their time in the deepest pools where we are unable to sample even during low stream flows. Second, the larger trout we captured from this section were much lighter for their lengths than the statewide average (Figure 3). The reason for this was a long stretch of warm summer weather prior to the survey. We measured water temperatures as high as 78°F during our work. As a result, the larger trout had not been feeding well for some time. Warm summer water temperatures are the primary factor limiting wild brown trout abundance in this stretch of the Lackawanna. The river also suffers from combined sewer overflows, acid mine drainage, and litter. Nevertheless, wild brown trout continue to thrive.

I am glad to see the flows in the Upper Delaware lately. Today the West Branch at Hale Eddy is 1140 at 48 degrees, and better yet, Lordville on the Mainstem at 1420 at 60 degrees. What a great time to float! Give me a call and we'll set up a trip on the Upper West Branch.

08.14.10 Yes...on a fly rod

Back home in New Jersey today Saturday the 14th. Spent a week in the Poconos. Had a great time, glad to be home. Spent a lot of time with the kids fishing, fishing their way, my way, any way. I showed them. I had my fly rod. So did my youngest Erin. We caught about a thousand fish. Shiners, sunnies, crappies, perch, small bass. My other two, Sean and Juliet, caught fish after fish on the docks and in the boat. Sean was the more focused and persistent of the kids, getting me to row him around the lake at 530 am in search of the big bass. He caught the big fish last year while on vacation last year in the Adirondacks, a 30 something inch northern pike that we enjoyed from head to toe for dinner. That fish is pictured below,

During our early morning fishing we caught fish, but no bass. My oldest boy, Ryan, who is about to turn 14, and is too cool, took a late afternoon trip with us to the lake. Walking around with ipod blasting in his ears and kicking stones he spotted a bass, a big bass. He signaled me over. I could tell from his excitement, AC/DC shirt and Bob Marley hat and all, that it was a big fish. I remember a long time ago when he was that excited, when he caught his first cast to net trout on a fly rod, a 21.5 inch brown in the West Branch of the Ausable in 2005.

I made my move off of the dock I was on to his. Sean wasn't impressed with the whole situation. He continued to cast a mister twister off a neighboring dock. When I got to where Ryan was....I was shocked. There it hovered, in shallow water amongst the grass, head steady on anything that passed by. I had a wooly bugger on my 5 wt and placed it in the water near the fish, he came out, took a look and went under the dock. That was that. I told Ryan to keep and eye on the area, in case it came back. I did that mostly to try and keep his attention on something to do with fishing. I switched up and was using Erin's 6 ft 3 wt and was putting on a clinic for the kids at the dock, a real ego booster, when Ryan called again. This time I handed him the rod. But first, I know....but I had to do it, I tied a size 8 barbless hook on and threaded a fat worm that Cindy had found in some leaves near the lake. Ryan gently let some fly line out and put the worm about 3 feet away from the fish. I could see the worm wiggling. Here he came. There goes the worm. Up went the rod. A few minuted later my rock star son was holding a huge slob of a largemouth bass, 23 inches...and had to be over 6 pounds, proudly for the camera. My poor son Sean was happy, but not. He did tell his brother, "Nice fish." I could see he wanted to ask, "How could that happen?" I made it a teachable moment. I explained to Sean that this has happened to me a thousand times. No matter how psyched you are, how prepared you are, how into it you are...at any given moment....no matter how fished through the section you just left is...someone could come along and catch the fish you've been searching for, right in front of your eyes. I gave a Sean a arm around the neck pat on the back and hug. And with that, Sean was just about done with fishing for the rest of the trip.

08.07.10 Off to the Poconos

I'll be in the Pocono mountains for the next week. In between work this week and today I have loading up Bertha for the 2-1/2 hour ride up there. I used to have a house up there, but that was a lifetime ago. So we are returning to an old haunt. It should be a great trip. Plenty of things to do with the kids, swimming, fishing, snake hunting, ect. Luckily I got all my work done around 1130 Friday night after a late shoot for The New York Times in Asbury Park.

I see the West Branch of the Delaware is running over a 1,000 cfs at Hale Eddy, and Lordville id down to 63 degrees. Hopefully August will be a little cooler than that July we had.

Don'y know if I'll be able to post at all till I get back.

Tight loops.

08.04.10 While hard at work.....found this beauty

No not this. Although as I shot it I said to myself, "I am not going to become one of those nerdy bird guys am I?" Anyway it was cool and he didn't move, which helped, and the 400 mm lens I was using was cool too. No, the real beauty I am talking about is the center console I found for sale somewhere on Long Beach Island, maybe Surf City. What a piece. How cool would that be to use with the fly rod chasing stripers, blues, mahi, albies. Mmmmmm. Lets see, my other half is recently out of work. I have two other crafts, plus a 20 foot cuddy cabin that had died and is rotting in my fathers steel yard...mmmmm...sounds like this is the perfect time to buy this. I mean, I would make money with her, so why not right? Anyway, pipe dream. Check her out....if it helped I would even name her "Cindy".

Alright, I am too scared to say anything. But, in two days I'll be heading up to the Poconos for a family get together/ reunion/ vacation, and, hopefully, some fly fishing. Stay tuned.

08.01.10 Early morning fishing, well rowing, on Deal Lake, and the snappers are in!

Somehow I convinced my brother that early morning bass fishing on Deal Lake would be a great idea. He bought it. So at 530 am he came over and we loaded up the pontoon boat and headed to the launch in Asbury Park. For about an hour and a half we through wooly buggers, white and brown to the lily pads trying to get something, anything, to bite. Nothing. Not only did we not catch anything, but the lake looks void of life. Thick, brown-green stained water, shallow, smelly, just not a BASSMASTER Tournament kind of lake. So we took out and headed over to the 8th Avenue jetty to see how the early morning fluke guys were doing. They said it was slow, but we did see something that was encoureging, the snappers (baby bluefish) are in. Some were using them, up to 6 inches long, for bait for the fluke. That should be fun in the upcoming weeks, snappers on the fly rod.