You know those ubiquitous ads that were plastered all over the Long Island Railroad , bus stops and TV , telling you how Flip camcorder is the best thing since sliced bread? How many of you bought one and even invested in a waterproof case afterwards?

I hate to tell you but Cisco (who owns Flip) announced recently that Flip is no more, gone, kaput. Cisco should really stick to networking sales to businesses and government instead of trying to peddle consumer products like Linksys and Flip. But that is more of a blog post for Jim Cramer, Herb Greenberg or even Larry Kudlow then SJ .

Where am I going with this? I have no idea but thanks for asking J

Wait’ it just came back to me. Yes, Go Pro and LCD screen. For those of you who don’t know, Go Pro makes a sweet ,tiny full HD waterproof video camera with a sick 180 degree view. We love our GoPro and we wrote a review in one of our past issues….but we felt compelled to write a lengthy follow up in this issue

Why?

I knew you were going to ask that…so instead of typing with this one poor finger of mine I did there next best thing….video

WARNING !!!!  GRAPHIC IMAGES OF MIDDLE AGE MEN IN WETSUITS AND  RIGGED EELS SLITHERING THOUGH THE WATER

I just thought I throw that in there…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHHyJVm-KEI[/youtube]

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Of all the lures I use, darters, needle, poppers, you name it, the one style I use the least are plastic lip swimmers. No idea why, it probably has to do with places I fish. Just like most surfcasters, I get carried away with trying to cast the lure a mile, every time….

But swimming plugs are insanely productive lures if used in the right places. Bombers, Yo-Zuri, Mambo minnows, there are literately hundreds of companies making similar lures. Used in back bays, inlets, around jetties, these lures catch more fish than they ever get credit for.

Last night ,I am standing on a local jetty, thinking what to toss first. This particular place has always been bucktail/shad heaven. Yes, I took fish on darter, bottles, and needles but jigsheads rule the roost. So with that mind I started my exploration with a bucktail. After few casts with no result I switched to a shad. Now, you know the deal with shads in early May. You might not be catching anything but as soon as you toss a rubber, the bluefish appear out of nowhere. But not last night…strange

Yet I know bluefish  were there….how, you might ask?

 Maybe I have a special clairvoyant vision. Maybe my vast years of experience tells me the exact location where fish are at any point. Maybe my new prototype WileyX heat seeking shades let me see under water…

Or maybe its because I seen two dudes with Kmart rods carry half a dozen bluefish of the jetty as I was walking on…lol

I peaked in my bag at darters and bottle daters but they weren’t really suited for this part of the jetty. They were fine for the tip where small rip formed but here, at midpoint of the jetty, water was moving too slow to make them effective.

I grabbed Guides Choice Old Swimmer and attached it to a clip. This is a lure I heard a lot of good things about last year but with that sand eel bite in the fall, I really did not give it its due. But it’s on my radar to be used this spring because I like the action a lot. I like the hardware too, top notch from split rings to hook to wire.

How does it cast? Like most plastic lip swimmers, not bad and not great either but for the places you will be using them, it casts fine. As I reeled up the slack I did not expected a bump and I missed the fish. Darn! On two consecutive Continue reading →

We haven’t asked this in awhile ..

It’s important for us to bring you the stories that you want to read. So here is your chance to voice your opinion on what you want us to feature in the Surfcaster’s Journal magazine in the future issues.

We are always on the lookout for fresh ideas and concepts and we try to involve as many people as we can so magazine does not get stale. Give us some feedback on what you want to see…more old articles, how to, interviews, places, photos, etc

As I mentioned the other day, we are always looking for ideas and content. You don’t need to be a “pro” for your writing to appear in the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine. In a lot of ways, we’d prefer you not to be one, to be perfectly honest. If you are fearful of someone stealing your idea for a unique article, feel free to shot us an email to info@surfcastersjournal.com.

We are looking forward to what you have to say

btw…our friends from Jersey Island have just uploaded their new issue. If you remember they were featured in the past issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal. They asked me to write a story for their magazine on needlefish so you will find it inside of this issue.

enjoy the read

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By now, the bluefish should be found in just about any place in northeast, creating the havoc as they are known to do. The striper migration although slow this spring has improved dramatically in last few days.

Yes, the New Jersey surfcasters are still reaping the bounty of countless schools of bunker along their shores. They don’t come close to the beach all the time but when they do …watch out. Few days ago big stripers pinned the bunker between the jetties resulting in one of the most memorable days in recent history. After speaking at the seminar in Seaside Heights last night I came to realization that most New Jersey surfcasters are not aware that once these bunker schools and big pods of overgrown stripers that follow them, leave NJ waters they never make a landfall in New York…or any other place to be exact. I guess it’s God’s way of paying back hard working NJ surfcasters for saddling them with sky high taxes…or McGreevy…or mullet heads. Stop by or call Fisherman’s Headquarters in NJ for info if you need any. They are good people and have been supporters of SJ since we started this publication

Story is that bass are stacked like cordwood in some places around Buzzards Bay. Sometime this month the Cape Cod Canal will lit up like the skies on the Fourth of July when stripers start feeding on mackerel in the canal. There is a very good story by DJ Muller in this issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal that describes the scene and how to cash in on this phenomenon.

One of the participants of our Seminar Series that we conducted this winter let us know that he nailed his personal best of the rock somewhere on eastern portion of Long Island few nights ago. Forty Pound plus was a verdict and yes, the fish went back into the drink to swim another tide. I guess the Seminars helped :-)…Congrats pal.

If you know where to look CT has had a good bite for weeks now. Some will say more like months…mum is the word as access in CT is defiantly more difficult that most other places. Just go into River’s End Tackle and ask for Pat, he’s got as good pulse on the fishery as anyone in that area. I would like to again thank him for inviting me to speak at his Surf Day in April. It a defiantly an even that I look forward to (especially when others are speaking..lol)

Our smallest state Rhode Island has had an influx of schoolies last few weeks and bigger fish are starting to trickle in. Once the sand eels get established look for Red Gill teasers to become ubiquitous. I for one am thrilled that they are back on the store shelves in USA once again after somewhat of an absence or scarcity at least. Nothing that I’ve ever used, a feather, bucktail or rubber was ever as effective as a Red Gill teaser. Granted, in recent years I shied away from using the teasers at all as I use rigged eels a lot and I prefer not to use teasers in conjunction. But take a Bomber or a Super Striker needlefish, attach a Gill and watch out.

I know many of you appreciate the of writings by our renowned chef, Andrew Chase. His mouthwatering recipes have made Surfcaster’s Journal even better publication then it was.

You know that he is a dedicated surfcaster, right?

But do you know to what extent he would go to get the freshest ingredients for his recipes?

 [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znDcIclhdYo[/youtube]

Here are the winners of last week giveaways. Congrats guys,, you have 5 days to supply us with your shipping address. Email us at info@surfcastersjournal.com

• The new book, Complete Guide to Surfcasting by Joe Cermele goes to Rob G rgugs83@aol.com
• The Lure Tube set consisting of a Lure Tubes shirt, 2 Lure Tubes and a Lure tubes that goes to Rich S rschenkewitz@optonline.net
• Ebbpooint Carabineer clip goes to Scott L magicflesh@yahoo.com

I hope you guys are enjoying the new issue of the magazine. I thought Rich Trox piece was probably the most riveting piece of fishing literature that I’ve ever read. And I’ll throw guys like Hemingway into the mix. I been telling Rich that he probably has a book in him…of some kind. I know that most of the  new guys are many of old guard will read nothing but how-to’s but I really think Rich has a special talent for writing. We are proud and honored to have him be part of Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine.

Speaking of books… There are two books in the works I know of and probably both will be I stores this fall. John Skinner is working on his second book and William” Doc” Muller has written his first new pure surf fishing book in over twenty years. I haven’t read John’s yet but I have read Doc’s one and its very, very good. This is why I told you, if you guys have some interesting pictures you want to be considered for a possible inclusion in the book, send me a note at zhromin@optonline.net

While we are on subject of writing, yes, we are looking for your contributions. Yes, we are interesting in any ideas you might have for possible stories for the Surfcaster’s Journal. And yes, we try to compensate our writers better than any publication in northeast. So send us your ideas for articles at info@surfcastersjournal.com

ok…. now you go back to reading Surfcaster’s Journal 🙂

and don’t forget to visit us on facebook

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While we try to take a (well deserved if you ask me :-)) break
Enjoy SJ Chef Andrew Chase Beer Batter recipe

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvORyvYFzGE[/youtube]

New issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine is now live at

www.surfcastersjournal.com

Have fun reading

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So,  here were are again. A year older and (supposedly) a year wiser. On the top menu you will find  a link to STRIPERTHON 2011 , or you can just click on this link

https://surfcastersjournal.com/blog/?page_id=4249

We decided that the contest is fine as it was last year. Personally I would like to see a Surfcaster’s Cup as a top prize, something that we might consider for next year.  I don’t know about you but to me this is a fun thing. The whole fishing thing is a fun thing. Once you bring in the competition, the fun quickly disappears, so let’s keep this fun, as it should be.

I should know. There was a time when I let the competiveness get better of me and almost lost it all. When I think about all the shit I put my wife trough, I realize I am married to  a saint. I know better now…

I like the idea of giving guys in CA a chance to enter their stripers. I think that is kind of cool. Please spare me the chatter that contest should start earlier because you are into the fish already. If that is what you are thinking then you are missing the point of this whole thing. Promoting catch and release of our beloved striper, encouraging younger ones to fish and have fun in process. That is what this is all about. And if you manage to win something, great.

I am not going to give you a speech of how you should release every fish you catch. I would be a  hypocrite as I love eating striped bass and anything else that swims including skate, sea robins, you name it. I never understood where it comes from when people say “remove the dark portion of the filet because it tastes fishy“. Huh?….why don’t you just buy a chicken instead ? I’ll never get that one

Anyway, you guys that are blog subscribers are automatically entered into a Striperthon 2011. No need to do anything. I tried to involve some other people this year so that it does not get stale. We are very much appreciative of our current and former sponsors of the contest.

So guys and dolls, after midnight tonight, your fish can be entered into our contest. Yes, I know that taking two pictures of the fish prolongs the time the fish is out of the water. And yes, I do understand that some of you are annoyed that is not the biggest fish contest instead of a best picture contest. I don’t share your feelings..

I don’t think no one is going to fish more because of the contest but I am certain many of you will keep it in the back of your mind. And that is all we ask for. So go out there and have a wonderful season and be safe. And most of all, have fun doing it. We are looking forward to seeing your submissions.

I promised you are giveaway every day till issue 7 debuts so here is today’s giveaway.

From our good friend and supporter Evan from Lure Tubes comes today’s giveaway. One of you will win a long sleeve Lure Tubes shirt, one Lure Tube to store your lures, skin plugs or whatever you choose to and a Lure Tube hat.

Check them out at http://luretubes.com/

Let’s get  a little crazy here…as we are few days away from debut of Issue #7 of the Surfcasters Journal magazine, and to celebrate the bluefish that have invaded the bays  , we will have a giveaway every day till new issue hits the web stand…then we will announce the winners in one swoop….sounds fair ?

First on deck, book you should have. If you are a newbie, you need this book. If you are more experienced, you are always looking to pick up a thing or two. If you are a sharpie, who are we kidding, you’ll read anything with surfcasting or surf fishing in the title.

If you are an internet hero, you don’t need any stinkin’ book. You are too cool for any publication that mere mortals read (btw, your claims are getting swallowed while you are reading this on your superduper cool iphone on the beach…tend to your rod…sharpie)

Joe Cermele is the Fishing Editor of Field & Stream, formerly from Saltwater Sportsman, in addition to articles published in Men’s Journal, Angling Trade and on the water. Local boy from Lawrenceville,NJ.

I have to give dude some props. His new book The Complete Guide to Surfcasting is BIG, 306 pages big in an oversized book format. This was a big undertaking, 200 photos, every species you can catch from Maine to California is profiled, dissected and covered. Riggs, tackle, lures, bait, knots, weather, reading the beach, pelagic, Mecca’s, rocks, sand, regions, you name it, it is in this book.

Where can you get this giant reference for the surfcaster in you ?

Burford Books…here is a link and more info

http://burfordbooks.com/books/CGTS.htm

And we will now give one of you a chance to win a copy. Compliments of Burford Books and Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine. And look for our full review in the future issue..

Good Luck

We know a good thing when we see one. That doesn’t mean that we have the time to devote all our attention to it….not if we want to remain married.

I am talking about a STRIPERTHON contest….For me personally the STRIPERTHON is a fantastic way to raise awareness about importance of sustainable fish stocks, encouragement of catch and release, having great photos to document your moment in the sun and a chance to win some great prizes.

I love all of it and I am(and I think if speak for all us at SJ) eternally grateful to our sponsors and supporters for not only providing prizes but also encouraging us to bring back the contest for this year.

The rules have not changed much and  yes a junior category is still there, once again sponsored by fine folks at Tsunami who donated a Tsunami Airwave rod of winners choice and a basket of lures.

We left the rules more or less the same as last year. After all, this contest to us is not about more readers or promotional opportunity for SJ, it’s about bringing awareness that catch and release is what we encourage. Most of you know my feelings on the subject of poaching, party and private boats and charter fleet. I wrote about it few months ago and yes, took some abuse for it. It’s ok, if the message that we are killing too many stripers is what people hear, it’s worth it.

We get concerned when a dear friend like Vito Orlando writes that he has had the worst April in 27 years. Can it be that water is too cold, his spots are not productive or he is just a tide late? Or maybe he just forgot how poor fishing used to be? We doubt that considering that man has written ever fish in the log we ever seen him catch. It’s just an experience of one man, but enough to give us some worry. Let’s hope his experience is an exception

Stay tuned for all the details but for now, to wet your appetite here is one of our prizes in STRIPERTHON 2011, a white custom surf bag by Tom at Commando fishing.

Here is his website where you can check out a whole line

http://www.commandosurfcasting.com/

….

BTW

New issue  of the Most Awesome Magazine in the universe is coming your way in few days

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