10.12.14 Skinny water fishing and pickin' pockets with great guys......

     Fall is in full effect in north western New Jersey. Today I mixed things up a bit and had Mike and Ed out for a full day on some New Jersey trout streams. We started out the day with a stop at Effinger's getting the boys hooked up with waders before hitting the South Branch of the Raritan. The town of Clinton was in a perfect-fall-day full effect so I of course snapped the above image of the historic mill. The only thing that was a little troubling was there was just no water....anywhere. 

    We moved up river and hit some spots before grabbing lunch and settling in at the Ken Lockwood Gorge. After a stroll we found some water and Ed managed his first trout on the fly rod when a rainbow grabbed his nymph out of a shallow run. 

     After making our way back down to the truck we took a ride to the Musconectcong in the search of some more water and it wasn't there either. We stayed for a few hours and Mike went tight twice but couldn't set the hook quick enough. In the end it was a great fall day on some empty, in both water, anglers and fish, water with some great guys. 

10.11.14 Things changed for the better but the fishing didn't improve......

     As predicted the winds went NE and were kicking making the high to ebb tide waters big and very bassy. Fished for a few hours, pretty hard, without a bump. Most of my work was done on the south sides of the rocks and in the pockets. Not much in the way of birds and bait but they could improve over the next day or so.

10.10.14 Nice morning out front....and a great night at Orvis Marlton

     Got out at 5am with the waning gibbous moon lighting up the beach and the water. West wind and an incoming tide had the water flat.....and relatively lifeless. Fished up and down the beach and on the rocks without a touch. Jumped in and fished with Leif who always seems to find the fish even on a slow day, but not today. As the sun came up a combination of rain bait and peanut bunker was nervous and tight to the beach but we couldn't connect. A wind switch and some waves and good white water should really get things going.



     Last night I traveled down to Orvis Marlton to kick off their Orvis Days. Great crowd and lots of interest from the trout-to-salt group. Several signed up for the Orvis 301 class we are running at IBSP on Saturday the 18th. It is shaping up to be a good group with folks from NYC, NJ, and PA signing up.

                        

10.09.14 The skunk continues on a brisk pretty morning.....

     Got out before first light and found Lief releasing a small bass he caught in the wash. I had a feeling the fish would be there and I might shake the skunk thats been on my back. I fished up and down the beach and jumped on the rocks tossing a Snake Fly to kind of flat and boring incoming tide water. A few sprays of rain fish or spearing was all that I saw without a swirl or tail slap behind them.
     Yes, there's a catch of bass here and there but it is really scary slow out there. I talked to my buddy who guides in Montauk and he said the albie bite is still hot but the bass haven't showed as of yet. It really is sad that we haven't seen a consistent arrival of bass in September and now October when a fish a two a day is usually the norm.

     This evening I will be at the Orvis Marlton store kicking off their fall Orvis Days. Come on by and say hello and grab a bite and pick up a few things for the fall run, which is looking to be a little later this year than last. Its always a good hang there and a great meet and greet. 

10.06.14 This photo really made me realize something about myself......

     This is about as cool as it gets. When I saw this photo this morning on Facebook I wished I was back in Montauk and wondered if I would ever make it into a picture like this. These are Montauk's best fly fishing guides......and for a week I found myself in their company both in the bar and on the water. They are Jim Levison, Brian Goulart, John Tondra, Jason Dapra, Vinny Catalano, Brendan McCarthy, Paul Dixon, and Andrew Derr. Looking back, and especially after seeing this picture, I realized I didn't just go to Montauk to fish for albies and striped bass........I went to try and belong and fit into a picture like this. I also realize that even if I were to have stood in for the above pic, I, myself, wouldn't have felt like I belonged. That may be in my head, and it may be a little over analytical, mixed in with a little low self esteem and self worth, but that's how I feel.

      Yes, I brought my boat up to "The End", fished pretty hard for a week, and caught and put some guys on some nice fish, but in the end could never enter the fraternity of Montauk guides, yet, because that comes with years of time on the water and back on the docks. Its also something that just evolves and happens, you can't force it or just arrive and try and be a part, and fishing is just a small part of it.

     I had known these guys before I went out and they have always been great to me, and they were great out there, especially Jason Dapra, who continues to be out there fishing hard everyday. Since I have returned, work and fishing has been slow, my Friday boat trip for last week re-scheduled due to the poor fishing.....not that we have to catch....but I have done enough no-fish days with this client so we took a raincheck. 

                      

     Since being back from Montauk I have done what I always do......walk and fish the beaches and rocks, usually alone, really not looking to catch a fish, but searching and "fishing" for something else. It's now I realize why I never really care about catching a fish, in fact, sometimes, the catching gets in the way. That above pic of the guys really moved me, made me realize one of the biggest reasons why I continue to want to guide and fish.....to be a part of something, to be accepted, to just be. But the funny thing is, I'm just using fly fishing as the vehicle in the search for the meaning of my life.

     My life recently has been a series of ups and downs, some of which I have shared here on this blog. I am getting divorced from my second wife of four years. I live in a house by myself and am setting up my own house and new life. And, I have reconnected with a love from my past that has shaken my core and really put everything in my life into perspective.

     As always I do a lot of deep thinking......and all of the things in my life, at this time, are coming together and finally making sense. That has been the culmination of years of good and bad decisions and choices, weekly therapy sessions, and self reflection and eye opening experiences like going to Montauk. My life is like the tide, I can't control it, it just ebbs and floods everyday. 

So, maybe one day I will make it into that above picture, and maybe I won't, either way I will be okay.  I am starting to feel okay in my own skin, wherever, and whoever I am with, and thats pretty cool. 

10.02.14 Great time at Orvis NYC "Happy Hour"....dig the staff as always....but not the new space......

     Let me start by saying I love Orvis. When I started fly fishing in the early 1990's I started with Orvis and have been "with" them since. I have met a ton of great people that both work for or associate with the brand as customers. But it always hasn't been perfect. Some products are just so-so with me, sometimes my dealings as an Orvis Endorsed guide leave me frustrated and well, angry, and sometimes I question the direction the company takes as far as marketing and business decisions go.
      That said......I love the history of the company, I love the one stop shopping the company allows me and its customers, and I do like how they are changing with an industry that is changing everyday, and all of the Orvis employees from corporate, to customer service, to those in the retail stores are great.

So......last night I attended a kick off at their new store on 5th Avenue. It was called "Fishermans Happy Hour". Store manager Doug Lopez and fly fishing manager Rob Ceccarini know how to put on a party. The event went from 530-730 and it was more a meet and greet then a presentation type



visit that I had become accustomed to. On hand were some great clients and customers who joined Upper Delaware guide Joe DeMalderis, FFF casting guy Craig Buckbee, author Peter Kaminsky, and sick fish and fishing artist Mike Sudal. As people took the climb upstairs to the fly fishing "loft" they

grabbed a cold beer and watched as Peter unveiled his striped bass "cooked" in a pile of salt. He broke the salt open with a hammer and served it up with olive oil. I thought about boycotting a sample, since this was a striped bass that was caught wild, but I let my tree-hugger side go and enjoyed it.



                        

     Craig had a vice (Regal of course) set up and entertained a crowd as he tied up a bunch of streamer patterns. Mike colored up a ink drawing of a Delaware brown trout he caught when he fished with Joe D on a spring float trip. Joe D mingled and touched base with some old and soon to be new clients. For me, well, I worked the crowd, but really enjoyed just drinking, and always had my eye on the coolers to see how much beer was left. I had the projector set up but it wasn't that kind of evening, people just walked and talked which was nice. In the end several people sign up for the Orvis Saltwater 301 class I'm holding October 18th at IBSP which I am really looking forward to.  (continued)

     So, now, lets talk about the new store, really, the new fly fishing department. Hate it. If you had been to the old store you entered the single level retail space and walked through the lifestyle section and entered the back of the store which was all fly fishing. It had a great lodge kind of feeling....more fly shop then just retail space, and it had a good feng shui kind of flow and feel.

Old Orvis fly fishing department

    The new store, located just up the street from the old store, has a great first floor lifestyle section and feel, and then you have to go upstairs to find the fly fishing section. It has nice displays taken from the other store, good product selection, but the space is just....well retail-ly and not warm and fuzzy at all. Low ceilings, interesting climate control, wierd flow......its just not the same. The Orvis NYC store, where ever it is located, is a huge draw for local customers and anglers, and is a destination for tourists from around the world. No matter where the store is located they will have a great experience because of the staff, no matter what space they are in. But, I feel visitors will be disappointed and leave feeling like they wanted more, as I did when I first made the climb last night upstairs. 

10.01.14 The bass are safe with me out there.....

     I just can't seem to get it done. I've had some beautiful mornings, and nights and evenings for that matter, but I just can't seem to be at the right place at the right time. My friends have a pick a bass here and there with most topping out around 25 inches. Since Montauk I've been back to "Daddy duty" pretty much everyday and have missed those first light sessions.
     On Thursday I'll be at the Orvis NYC "Fisherman's Happy Hour" from 530 till 730. Myself and Joe DeMalderis and Craig Buckbee will be on hand as they introduce the new fly fishing department at their new location at 489 5th Ave between 41and 42 Streets. Then on Friday its back out in the boat hunting for the albies and the bass.

09.29.14 Stunning first light this morning....

     I don't know if I have ever seen the light show that I saw out there this morning. It came up slowly and then got more intense as the clock ticked. The colors were varied but they were in the deepest of hues. It was spiritual and calming.
     I was hoping, as were the regulars on this beat, that the post blow fishing would be good if not yesterday, then today. A west wind sat the incoming tide down and the water looked good but it was flat and lifeless. No bait, no swirls, no action. But the above scene made it all the worth while.
     I moved around a bit and in the end just settled in and sat and watched from a stand of rocks that have come to have a very special meaning. Although a different day, with a different view, and now alone, the memory of a few amazing moments there will always be with me, and I will cherish them always. It's not to powerful to say, "This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime."

09.27.14 None for me but a beautiful place to be......

  

  Very fishy out there. Lots of white water on the flood tide. Didn't see any bait where I was but  friend had bait and lost a good bass. Funny sometimes how a few hundred yards can make the difference between victory and defeat.

     Went back to the "new" beach structure I found yesterday and fished it knowing there are plenty of obstructions under the water line that love to eat flies and lures. After a few casts I went tight, and realized I had donated another Snake Fly to the sea.
   

09.26.14 Lookin' good out there post blow.....

       Hit it for a little bit on the end of the outgoing. Found the water to be looking good following the strong NE winds and big tides. Lots of changes on the beach with troughs back up and down. I found them when I took a step and then looked down and saw the change in water color signifying deeper water. Can't wait for a tide or two to get the bait, and bass, back onto the beach.

09.25.14 Angry ocean and one "angry fish".....

     Couldn't wait to get back to fishing the beach and rocks. I was hoping to get out before the blow started but I didn't. NE winds honking at 25-35 pretty much the whole time I fished which was 230-530 am.
     When I first got out it was manageable, but the problem was I couldn't find any water. Coming off the new moon the low tide was real low and there wasn't much for fish holding spots around. I took a ride inside but I was too early for slack so I went back out front. The flood tide was in hour two and there was a lot more water around.
     I was throwing a black Snake Fly and went tight after a pretty good cast along the rocks. It turned out to be a stargazer, aka an "angry fish". This blow will be around a few days and when its over hopefully it will only take a tide or two to clear up. And, more hoping, the mullet will still be around.

                              
                              

09.24.14 The weather has me wrapping things up a few days early in Montauk....

     Last night most of us thought today would be a blowout day. My guys were planning on getting up and back to Jersey which seemed like a good plan. We were up early and my friend Jason said he was heading out to get the morning in. As I talked I saw the other guides at the dock getting ready to do the same.

     I talked with my guys and they were good sticking to their plan. Of course plans never go the way you plan them.....because for those that got out.....fishing this morning was great. Jason got his guys on the albies and some big bluefish in sloppy conditions. 

Blitzbound on the fish this morning

     Today the people in charge of the Redbone Tournament had to make a call if the event should go on. Thursday and Friday are looking horrible and just not fishable in any way. Since I figured if it was cancelled I might head back to Jersey late tonight putting me home in time to fish the beach in the morning in sporty conditions, which are my favorite. 

     I decided to tie up some bait, Snake Flies, and listen to a few old Grateful Dead shows on You Tube. It was a fun couple of hours. I got about a dozen tied up and ready to swim. It is going to be so good on the Jersey beaches after this new moon and blow.......I'd bet on it. 

                       

     My week plus a day up here has been great. The fishing great, the sticks in my boat great, and most importantly the Montauk guides more than great. I couldn't have done it without the help and support of Capt. Jason Dapra from Blitzbound Guide Service.....always the friend and a mentor in saltwater boat fishing. Although the week was great, it wasn't without a few mistakes on my part, there's the plug incident- which didn't go over well with some of the guides here, and a moment where I got to close to another guides boat and we had a few backcasts brush their T-Top. No doubt class acts and hard working fly fishing guides up here....something I'm not used to in New Jersey....not the class and hard working part.....but the numbers up here are much different hen home. 

     I didn't talk about it much but I have to mention the several nights of a good hang at West Lake. On one night I met my sister Jess and her boyfriend and we had another great time and great food. Over the week I have ate more raw fish then I should have but the sushi, which I am no coneiseur, was off the charts. Every night I said I was going to order something else, but I always wound up with a plate called the Rough Rider, and usually backed it up with another. This is it below, shrimp tempura with lobster salad and whatever else, boy was it good. 

                   

     And everyday I managed to swallow a perfect BLT from Gaviola's Montauk Market. I ate them in the morning, on the boat, and at night. We've all had a bad BLT, well this one is one of the best. 

    

     So even though I'm fly fishing, and a lot of the boats were, this is Montauk, where charter boats are a big part with charters concentrating on getting their clients on the fish, and fish for the cooler. Everyday, from the noon time return, to the evening returns, the fish were hauled off the boat to the cleaning tables. Although the bass aren't here, or yet up, the boats did harvest a lot of them, including some big ones. I sat forn several nights with a well known charter captain, who believes that something has to be done to save the bass, and he does his best to let his clients know that "take just what you need, and let the big ones go", and sometimes that falls on deaf ears. It was a pleasure talking with him and hearing his perspective on striped bass from the "other side" of the aisle if you will. 

     In the end the Redbone was cancelled so I will spend the afternoon securing the boat and loading up before heading home. It has been great and I look forward to returning next year maybe going a little deep into October to catch the bass, and most importantly, not missing my favorite early morning mullet and bass action on the beach and rocks back home. Low tide hits at 220 tomorrow morning so it will be  an early window if anything.

     I found this sign on the docks at West Lake and am sure it is appropriate for so many including myself.