10.13.24 Cape May wrap for 2024...

 

     Well that's a Cape May wrap for 2024. It's been good year although I wish the family used it more. I still just don't get it. September along the Jersey Shore is magical, especially after all the tourists he'd back to their respective homesteads. In a way I guess we're visitors as well since we're only part-timers down here with our place open from April 1 - November 1st.

     It was another year of buying $20 worth of raffle tickets for the "Win This Car" put on by the Our Lady Star of the Sea Church down on Washington Street. I met a winner of the raffle from back in 1990's and was still driving that car. She told me, unbeknownst to most people, is winning the car is great, but then you have to pay the taxes and tags on it, which can be about $6,000, and then it goes towards your income tax. Tax. Tax. Tax. 

     Closing up shop only takes a couple of hours and there's more concern about leaving things around that hibernating mammals might like to snuggle up with over the long winter. I might make one more trip down to do some curb work along the road side of our property as

     

roads made up of shells mixed with water can wreak havoc on yards made up of those expensive white rocks. I have a plan to divert that runoff but need permission from the property managers before I begin.

     I first laid some bricks in a straight line along the road but they have been pushed back by the shifting shells, sand, and dirt coming from the road. People ask me if I like having a set season for a second "home". And I do. It's out of sight out of mind for six months out of the year and then open for business the other six. The cost, well yeah, that sucks, but I know people who pay tons of real estate taxes in Monmouth County and then a fortune for a beach club. In New Jersey, you just shut up and pay.

      We took a slow ride through Cape May as a last good-bye for 20-24 and hit a few yard sales just to enjoy the nice day. On the way home we hit Crabby's in Belcoville, "Where's Belleville, New Jersey?", for one last meal of fresh crabs. 

Interestingly, we spoke with the bartender who told us that most of the crabs sold in New Jersey this year come from points south like Florida or the Gulf of Mexico. The Maryland crab catchers and restaurants "..are holding" onto their Chesapeake Bay crabs. The blue crabs of the Chesapeake are surveyed each winter during the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey. That's why your local favorite seafood hut charges you so much money for

blue claw crabs, either whole, caked, or mixed with stuffing into a fish or lobster tail. Even those "She Crab" and crab bisque soups can run you a $10 bill. Not only do the crabs have to be shipped they have to be kept alive. And this year it was hard to get soft-shelled crabs, especially ones that are alive. Crabby's closes October 27th and they received their last shipment on Friday. with today being a football day and with "All You Can Eat" crabs on the menu you'll have to catch them next year. 

     It'll be interesting to see how much fishing I get in this fall. I prefer spring over the fall, mostly because the blitz chasers are out in force from around Thanksgiving until Christmas. I'm not judging, and I like a good blitz or two a season, hopefully while alone, but is there really anything to catching a fish when there's 200 of them within 30 feet of you? All pretty much on the feed? 

     School's back in full swing with my time split between being at the college and at a long term care facility for clinical. Waking up at 4 am and getting on the road by 445 takes a little while getting used to but it's the only way to beat the traffic. 

     The big bass are starting to show as they lurk in the deeper channels around the borders of New York and New Jersey. Chuck 'Tyman" Manny continues to wow people with his consistent catches of large 

stripers. In 2023 during October he released, and tagged, over 400 stripers weighing greater than 40 pounds. While that may leave you feeling like a loser remember Chuck isn't fly fishing for these stripers. He does wave the long rod but for these big girls he prefers live eels which have always been a big fish killer.

     In the current On the Water magazine article Manny's live eel trolling spread was laid out. It's a mix of, a boat, 12 rods, planer boards, and 12 eels, which alone go for $2-3 apiece. I haven't been on his boat, which he regularly invites people to come and witness, but from what I've heard his operation is a well oiled machine. I hope this article doesn't motivate 1,000 anglers to get out there and attempt what Manny has mastered. I can't imagine what tangles might occur when doubled, tripled, or twelved up. Manny is one of the largest contributors to Gray's Fishtag Research Striped Bass Program and his release and recatch data is paramount to understanding the striped bass' changing migrations each year.

     This morning I could have had the opportunity to join my friend making the trip from Pennsylvania down to the Jersey Shore. It was his Shakedown trip, one I did a few weeks ago. while I would have enjoyed the company the thought of driving around looking at dead water just didn't do it for me. But, what it could have done was given me an opportunity to scout the changed landscape from the last few storms. I took advantage of a late sleep on a Sunday morning, which did me well. 

     And while things aren't in full swing yet there are the occasional big fish catches that occur for those putting their time in. The below catch was made I think on Friday along the South Shore of Long Island. The fish are starting to move and eating whatever they find along their way. While the bait is still stuck in the back soon, with dropping temps, everything will be out front and along the beach. 

10.09.24 Stormy weather ahead....

      The world is watching and waiting for Hurricane Milton to make landfall sometime today into tomorrow. This comes less than two weeks since Hurricane Helene roared up from the Gulf of Mexico and wreaked havoc from Florida up through North Carolina. Rescue and recovery operations are still underway from the devastation from that storm. 

     I'm watching and holding my breath as my Mom stays hunkered down at her home in Bradenton which is possibly in the path of Milton. She's been down there "In Paradise" as she calls it for three years now. Her area has been through some storms and she's a brave and tough cookie. Born in New York and raised in Keansburg, where storms and flooding from the Raritan Bay were a common occurrence back int he day. But this may be bit different. Various models are predicting the storm to hit somewhere between Tampa Bay down to Naples. Millions of people have evacuated or are still relocated from the last storm. 

      The decision to evacuate is a personal one I guess. You can be warned, or threatened, with impending bodily injury or death, but one only has to look to past storms that didn't materialize making ones decision to stay correct in their minds. It winds up being a case of the boy who cried wolf. 

     The counties that are could be affected have issued various stages of evacuations in their respective areas. Evacuations are laid out in zones using the alphabet. For Mom, she sits in evacuation Zone E, and they have called for Zones A, B, and C to start a mandatory evacuation to a strongly suggested one. Her complex is a series of four story concrete buildings which just recently passed hurricane inspection from the State of Florida following the collapse of the 12-story condominium in Surfside, Florida. 

     They say this could be the worst storm to hit Tampa Bay, if it lands there, in a 100 years. Wind, rain, and storm surges up to 20 feet could happen depending on the where it hits and how the storm rotates, pulling or pushing water around the bays ands rivers. She's a tad less than 2 miles from the Manatee River at Bradenton and 8 miles from the Gulf of Mexico at Bradenton Beach. 

     As I've said before it's just amazing what this thing called life can bring of us at different times. People waiting for a life changing storm in one part of the country, or dealing with other life altering events, while others enjoy calm weather and good times. Today, in New Jersey, it's an absolutely beautiful fall day. I guess we just have to roll with whatever the day brings. 

     And there's some stormy weather in the fly fishing industry as of late. This week several fly fishing companies announced big news. Vista Outdoors, which purchased Simms just a few years ago to go along with other outdoor brands announced it was selling off part of their conglomerate. Simms is slated to be sold along with the brand Camp Chef to a company called Strategic Value partners for $1.25 billion dollars. What was once a small company started by John Simms back in 1980 has become a traceable asset to big investors who've never laced up stocking foot boots nor ever fished. Simms is now just a pawn in the Monopoly Game of big business. and what that means it just comes down to the bottom line, not worrying if your $900 waders leak or not. 

     And there's some news coming from the Orvis Mother Ship up in Manchester, Vt. Orvis has cut 5% of its workforce, 112 people, will close several retail locations, and eliminate their print catalogues. They are also going to sell their headquarters in Sunderland and move all offices to Manchester. While Orvis may spin this as "...today's challenges are new, and they require us to be bold in order to continue sharing stories, experiences, products that inspire our customers well into the future" as per company President Simon Perkins, the bigger picture is what is the health of Orvis as a company and how is the industry doing as a whole? In 2021 Orvis' revenue was $316 million dollars. According to market 

research the fly fishing industry is going strong with anticipated growth heading in the right direction over the next 10 years. Not surprising revenue generated comes more from online sales than brick and

mortar stores. But that's been going on since the late 1990's when the internet and technology came and ruined just about everything known to man. Long gone are the fly shops outside of destination or lodge based operations. In New Jersey we still have Orvis in Princeton and Ramsey Outdoors, but long gone are Effinger's, The Fly Hatch, Down-N-Trout, amongst others. 

     While I am sure Tom Rosenbauer is safe from the chopping block I do know one Orvis employee who has been let go. Phil Monahan, who ran Orvis News, which is the company blog, since its inception is looking for a new place to call home. Orvis News has always been ranked high in the fly-fishing blog game across the world. As of today it's ranked #2. 

     I did a quick check to see where The Average Angler might be at since, to be honest, my fishing outings and posts have been less than normal since the spring season. But here we are 

coming in at # 21 worldwide just behind Gink and Gasoline and ahead of The Urban Fly Fisher. Hopefully sooner than later this pages will be filled fishing outing stories as the fall run heats up.

     And finishing up with storms when I think about storms I think about, good fishing before and after, but also the effect it has on the beaches. We know how Mother Nature gives and takes from the beaches before and after storms and also with normal tides and winds. And you also know how I feel about beach replenishment, or beach nourishment. Right now "The False Hook" is closed as they once again dredge the Sandy Hook Channel which gets all shoaled and filled in from the sand movement north with the littoral currents. 

     This week the ACOE announced it will be starting a 92 million dollar beach nourishment project down south. earlier this year it was North Wildwood and Hereford Inlet that had emergency work done just before the summer season. Now Absecon Island, including parts of Atlantic City will be pumped. Long Beach Island will also be under attack as Harvey Cedars, Beach haven and Long Beach Township will get 1,750,000 cubic yards of sand dredged up from the bowels of the Atlantic Oceana and pumped onto the beach. Eventually that sand will migrate north and jam up the Barnegat Inlet and shoal up the North Jetty, which will then have to be dredged. We just never learn. 

     So enjoy the beautiful weather today. Enjoy your baseball and football games. And enjoy whatever fallsy thing you're doing with the fam this upcoming weekend. But keep those in your thoughts and prayers that are still reeling from life, the last storm, and the impending storm down to the south. And of course include my Mom in there as well. 

10.04.24 Out there thinking of Bobby...

     It's October. Starting to feel like fall. Day off from work. And the ocean isn't as angry as it has been. Might as well take the drive down and give it a go. Conditions were near perfect on the mid to the end of the incoming tide. Little swell, zero wind, beautiful morning. 

     When I got there it was calm and the waves built with the flood tide. No signs of bait, or birds, or life, for that matter. Making cast after cast with little expectation I couldn't help but think of my buddy Bob, fighting for his life in a hospital five miles away. It made me sad. He's had such an impact on my fishing life, and as a mentor on what it means to be a good man. Hard working, kind, humble. There's a myriad of other adjectives other people, who see him on a daily basis, could use to describe him. 

     It wouldn't be far to think that I don't think of him each time I tie flies or fish. When someone has totally influenced every part of something you love those gifts come whether you are aware of them or not. In fly tying it's the technique. While fly fishing it starts with the fly selection and then how to fish it reading the cues of bait movement and reading the water. He has influenced all of that. This morning as I left I bumped into an old friend from the beach, Bob Dooley, who I haven't seen in years. He made me 

think of Bob when he gave me a, "Remember when..." story. It was a throwback to Blitz-O-Ween 2013 and he took a photo of me that made it into Bob's book, something I am honored to have been a part of. 

     Things on the beach are looking better than the last time I was down. The near three weeks of NE winds and storms have cut up the beaches and pulled the shoaled up sand out and up along the beach. So much so that the ACOE are dredging the False Hook once again, which has become an annual event. "The Tip" will be shut down again until December. The groin was the place to be this morning even on the flood tide.

   There is now enough water on each side making getting up on and staying possible. While it was great to have that vantage point it didn't change the catch results which were zero. I heard yesterday it was a Fluke-A-Thon on the lower tide, too bad the season closed September 25th.    

     I was joined on the rocks by Leif who gave it a good go as I did without results. But, like he said, it was good to get out. It was a good opener to the fall even if there wasn't anything going on. Fly fishing for striped bass, outside of looking for the blitzes, is one of time spent. You have to almost fish it or at least drop down to the beach everyday to stay connected. October is usually that slow month between the early migration of mullet and the arrival of striped bass and bluefish, which are a mix of resident and migratory fish. But as we wait for the November action to heat up, while it cools down, there are those surprise days where the fishing is good, with good and big fish caught, rewarding the angler putting in the time. 

     I started with a blackish fly before going over to a chartreuse and white one. The water was just about green and was clean with very good visibility. If they were there we would have caught at least one. We stayed until the water started to act like it was washing machine, which can be good, but we had given it 

a good go and had lost some faith since neither of us had a bite. We made our way off the rocks and caught up on life and a little about our predictions for this fall's fishing. It's funny how those fishing relationships wax and wane over the year depending on the season. I'm tight with some guys out here who fish the Delaware and then some who spend most of their time in the salt. The first outing of the seasons is like a reunion, and one that I very much look forward to. 

     When I was done I stopped by Bagel Talk in Neptune for something to eat and then hit WaWa for something to drink. As I walked to my truck I looked to my left and saw The Hope Tower which is part of Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore Medical Center. I thought of Bob once again. As a Nurse Practitioner I can visualize what's going on with Bob even without the updates. His road is still rocky and long towards recovery.

     I decided to swing by and just pause for a moment and say a prayer. Any visitors for him are immediate family but I wanted to just be on the same property as him. I went to my fly rod and took off the fly I used this morning, a variation, which means a poorly tied one, of Popovic's Hollow Fleye. I was going to stick it near the entrance but I figured someone might grab it and put it in the trash. 

     I made my way over to the flag pole where the American Flag stood still with the near zero wind. Bob, a true Patriot and Marine, might like this as the flys final resting place. It's been 12 days since Bob's accident and life does goes on, for all of us.  

     His family's restaurant is still open everyday for business, I go to work, people watched the debate, people are watching or going to baseball and football games, and social media is still getting fed. But remember to keep Bob and his family, and anyone who may be going through tough times, like the victims in Florida and North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, in your thoughts and prayers while you may be having a good day, month, or year.

09.29.24 A nice night in Brooklyn...

      My Mom always says that one of her greatest joys is spending time with her adult children. I get it, and agree. This girl. Well, this woman. All growned up and nearly 28 years old. I got to take the ride, albeit 4 hours, into the heart of Brooklyn to Crown Heights and enjoy a hang, some dinner, and to tackle a few handyman type projects around her apartment. 

     For dinner we hit a place called Muse Thai where I went legit from the beer, called Singha, to a Massaman Roll appetizer, to a Crispy Pork Belly over Jasmine Rice main dish. The food was great but the company better.

I don't usually get one on one time but it was overdue and something we have to make more of a priority. Daughters need their dads, and dads need their daughters. And what's funny is there doesn't need to be an agenda, just being in the same space works for me. 

     We also hit a Home Depot which was about 4 miles away the way the bird flies but about a 45 minute drive. We picked up some things like blinds and a shelf kit which I expertly, I don't know how, mounted into the masonry walls in her kitchen. My project completion rate usually hovers around 80% 

hovers around 80% but this came in at 100%. I was so confident I actually pulled down on it and it surprisingly held tight. This morning we walked in the rain through the transitional neighborhood she now calls home. As we walked to a bagel place each building was in a different state of a homeness with a diverse mix of residents. There were people on the way, some on the way down, and some who seem to be stuck. When you drive or walk around, some things, like young white women, just seem out of place in places like Bed-Sty, Bushwick, and sections of Crown Heights. Most are there because they have been priced out of Manhattan or the neighborhoods of Brooklyn along the East River. 

     Years ago when I was in the business I would meet FDNY firefighters protecting these rough and tumble neighborhoods, which now they couldn't afford to live in and have a cafe or latte place on every other corner. I give her props, and the others doing what they have to do these days to survive. I just don't know how they will ever establish roots, like a buying a house, when so much of their income goes towards rent. While I wish she lived around the corner I am proud of what she has become and how she keeps on truckin' in this thing called life. 

09.28.24 Trying hard not to sweat the small stuff...

 

....and most of life is just small stuff. As many of you know my friend, and a friend to thousands of people, Bob Popovics, was critically injured in a hit and run accident this past Monday. He remains at Jersey Shore Medical Center today. That's not the small stuff. And while I am rocked by this, and trying  to resist day to day small stuff from getting to me, it is life, and life does go on. We've all been there before. We get jolted by something or when someone we know and love has their bad day, but life around us all goes on. Life doesn't pause for anyone. And, at times, that just adds to our own anger and grief. Keep Bob and his family in your prayers. 

     The above pic, taken by Tom Lynch, is just fantastic. It shows Bob in his beloved rose garden at his beloved Shady Rest where he works with his beloved partner Alexis and his family. He's looking down, probably at his phone where he is commenting on someone's half-ass tied fly posted on social media, giving them positive feedback and encouragement, that's just the guy that Bobby is. 

     So Since Monday I've let the small stuff get in my way. Problems at work. Problems with the 1,000 jokers on Facebook Marketplace telling me they're coming for a pick-up, and even getting to a CT scan 

appointment over in Staten Island. Add to that our getting ready to put our down dog who's losing her bladder everywhere in the house, and that's just some of it. All small, all annoying, but in no way in the realm of real life stuff people we know are going through. It's just life. 

     I remember when Ryan passed away. I remember the days of his wake and funeral. Who was there or not? Who wasn't there but posted pics of them at a party holding up a drink or a large striped bass they caught that day. Other peoples lives go on, it just is what it is. And what's ironic, is when those people have their turn in the shit barrel, they then see and ask, "How can their (others) day to day life, at the moment, go on?", while they, or I, are having the worst moments of life. 

     So, I'll go there, because it is what it is. This past week my 2004 Jeep started sounding wonky. Old things, like people, experience that. So I took Theresa's car to work on Friday and left her with my old bucket of bolts. I wasn't surprised when I got that call, "You're car broke down and AAA is on the way". My first concern was for her safety, check, the cops made sure of that. My mind goes to her getting rear ended as she sat on the shoulder waiting for the tow. I made my way to her location and swapped out spots with her. 

      The tow truck driver was a nice young guy. He was ecstatic. This week he and his wife are expecting their first child. He rushes every tow just in case it was go time. The events in his life this week could bring him the greatest joy and memories someone could experience. As we drove to my house to drop it off I thought of the small and big things. For me, my friend in the ICU, my cars broke down, and the dog might have to be put down. But, here's another human expecting one of the best days of his life. Life goes on and it is what it is. 

     On Friday I dove in under the hood and onto the You Tube videos. The car had spit the belt, not shredded it. I went and replaced the belt and the idler and tension pulleys. But to do that I had to remove the alternator and the bracket because I had snapped off the pot-metal tension arm. So I had to drill it out. After all that I fired her up and it spit it again. Upon further You Tubing I have diagnosed the problem as a "Harmonic Equalizer" problem. Which calls for the radiator to be removed as it's the largest and lowest pulley that goes into the driveshaft. From what it looks like it's a job, and one that will take me 5xs the time it would take someone in the know. Couple that with no lift and a five dollar tool set this should be interesting. Needless to say I'll be running my pick-up. Luckily that's a project I completed, almost. 

     In the end we're all in this together. We all have our suck. Sometimes it's a big suck and other times not so much. Let the small things go. We can't control others or life itself. But what we can do is be aware that someone next to us might be going through the worst of times. So be good to yourself, and each other. 

09.25.24 For my friend...

"May you gain strength each minute from those who love and are praying for you. Godspeed."

09.23.24 They say time heals all wounds....

 Yes they say time heals all wounds. It kinda does because that day of suck, whatever it was, is always worse on Day 1 then it is seven years later. And that goes for the good things in life as well. Dating and the big wedding day rather than....well you know. But, either way, one things is for sure, life really just goes too dam quick and if you don't steer it in your right direction you just remain on another course and wind up some where you would rather not be. That's in your head, in your marriage, your job, or where you sleep each night. 

     It's been been seven years since Theresa woke me up and told me about Ryan down in the basement. And since then it's been a roller coaster of emotion regarding Ryan, how it affected my family, suicide, and how I perceive and process other peoples suck and trauma that each of has or will experience in life. In the end we all have to acknowledge where in this together and everyday we will meet someone who is having their worst day, or maybe the anniversary of their worst day. 

    I chose the top photo to remember Ryan this day as it was a good day. It's somewhere around 2000-2001. It was another day when the boys would come and visit me at the firehouse in Newark. This one on Mulberry and Lafayette Streets where the Prudential Center now sits. So that's a loss. And that's me as a fireman in Rescue 1, some of the best times of my life were in that role, and that's a loss. I see I have on a new and shiny front piece which replaced one that was all beat up from fire duty, and not going to fires for the last 19 years since retirement, is another loss. If I look closely I can see my Essex County College Nursing School pin on my helmet, funny how I'm still connected to that school these days. 

     And maybe the biggest loss, besides Ryan not being around, for like yesterday to help me with our yard sale, is just being "that guy" to my kids. Yes, we want them to grow and do their own thing but there is also a loss when times like in the above picture are just a memory. I thought about taking off work today and going fishing. I do that on Ryan's Anniversary but I have to work to do and today falls on a work day. I'll remember him, and the suck that today was seven years ago, and try to do for others in some way. 

     If I had to say what losing a child is like, and I guess it can be the same for any great loss. It's like going into heart failure. If your heart is supposed to pump with 100% of force, after losing a kid it's like 50%. Your heart still beats and you get by, but everyday it's lets you know it's not at 100%. 

RIP buddy Ryan Michael Archer 8/18/96- 9/23/17

     

09.22.24 Taking baby steps forward....

     What a beautiful weekend to hit the yard sales and flea markets. Or you could do the right thing and have your own. And that's what we did. We decided this week to do a purge of stuff we have in and around our house. We anticipated heavy traffic but two things we learned was, one, living on a busy street, and having your "front yard" in your backyard doesn't lend to good paying customers stopping by. 

    We ran it Saturday and Sunday, 8 hours each day. We started off with the biggest sale in the two barely used kayaks which went for $250 and then it was a pick here and there. We moved some stuff, a lot I guess, with the Sunday ending till coming in at $1,250. 

     But now there's still "stuff" littering the yard and driveway. What to do? The last thing we want to do is drag it back in the house so the next few days Theresa will have donation duty going on. 

     And why am I writing about this and what does this have to do with a fishing blog? Everything. I remember when we moved from Red Bank to Titusville and all the fishing adventures it brought to my life. Well, with a big move to South Carolina in the works this is just part of The Average Angler's story. 

We're staying focused and it's been three months since we got back....only a year or two away till the house goes on the market. 

What's funny is we don't like the heat, not much for the beach and never really listened to Jimmy Buffet. What could go wrong?