I received this note from Amazon.com the other day

Greetings,
I bought “The Art of Surfcasting with Lure” from Amazon but Mr Zeno Hromin
refunded my money because I am serving our country in Southwest Asia.
I would like to send him a personal thank you for supporting the troops.
If he will not mind. can I have an address to send it to him. Thank you
for your time & assistance.

Sincerely,
Vince Miralles

What Vince does not know is that he does not need to thank us, we should be thanking HIM for everything he does so we can enjoy our freedom at home. I think I can speak for all Surfcaster’s Journal readers in wishing Vince safe stay abroad and safe return home to his family.

It turns out, Vince if from  Jersey City, NJ 

He likes to cast his line in Hudson River, off Liberty State Park and downtown Exchange Place to catch stripers, blues and fluke.

These days Vince is in Afghanistan, and on his down time he enjoys a good cup of coffee

 a Cuban cigar….

and a good book 🙂

..

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Since no one guessed my second favorite picture (my favorite is page 84) I will give you a chance to guess again, and since the winner of Super Strike Killer Bee Darter never claimed the prize….you will have  chance to win it

but this time I will make your life even easier

these are the numbers that were already guessed so now you know which pages not to pick !!

140,157,143,51,84,83,140,145,78,137,187,154,75,88,82,51,141,57,82,13,163,75,78,146,185,170,183,151,167,91,54,51,154,155,91,14,82,155,80,6,7, back cover, front cover

Many of you have stated an interest in something more than just a giveaway so here is your chance to win Super Strike Darter Killer Bee..witha  little effort and a lucky guess 🙂

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The winner of Surfcasters Journal one of a kind embroidered hat is

Vic D’Annunzio

for catching and releasing this nice fish few days ago. Picture taken by his buddy Greg who had multiple entries himself in last year Striperthon contents

Congrats and NICE FISH !!!

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sent by the blog subscriber Mickey Melchiondo
 enjoy the action

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNx_wdpqs4I[/youtube]

Recent changes in the guidelines to beach and water access in NJ are being battled over in the NJ courts. Four groups of access advocates are fighting this fight for all of us who use the beaches in NJ. CRABS (citizens rights to access beaches) The American Littoral Society, The Surf rider foundation, and The NYNJ Bay keepers are spearheading this effort. I recently discovered this issue and thought as a surf fisherman what can I do to keep my access open so that I can fish?

Changes to the access in NJ are coming on fast these will allow each individual town/municipality to set their own rules for access. The following are examples of the DEP changes, which could be made by individual towns:

• Loss of 24/7 access to coastal waters
•        Loss of 24/7 access wow this is a big deal for us as surf fisherman. Imagine not being able to hit your favorite beach with a black SS needle after dark? Never again being able to see the sun rise on bird play while throwing that big old Big Don Pencil? I can’t imagine not being to eel off of the Manasquan Jetty through the night?
• Loss of the requirement for 1/4 mile access points
• Loosing access points to stretches of beach which we now use might just cause issues of trespass onto private property. I can’t imagine areas that are fishy being ignored because of limited access. Guy’s will just cut through private property.
• Loss of requirement Continue reading →

Well, no one guessed what my second favorite picture was so I will save that for another giveaway….and the dude who won the Super Strike Killer Bee Darter never sent in his address…you know the rules, we don’t contact you, you have 5 days to send us your address.

Well it’s been a week so we are going to do a another Killer Bee giveaway. I will remain sanguine about prospect of someone else winning and claiming the prize. Sanguine (confident or optimistic) is a word of the day little thingy I am staring at as I am typing this. Sorry, I promised Da Wife I will actually put it in use…once. Now I am done 🙂

Below you will find a picture of embroider Surfcaster’s Journal Hat. No ,these were never offered for sale, Tommy made only few, one which is on my head and this one I will give you a chance to win.

In honor of upcoming season, sleep deprivation and hands that stink of eel,clam or bunker juice, I will send this hat to the first blog subscriber that sends me a picture of a striper over 15 pound that he released this spring. No rules, just have fun

I am on my way to River’s End, some of you are too and many of you are hitting the beach. Remember to bring your cameras

How  anal are you about sharpening your hooks?

I’ve seen it to both extremes, guys who fish with dull hooks that look like they should be in King Tut exhibit, encrusted in rust.

I seen guys sharpening their bucktail after every cast under the lighthouse. Often times I will replace the hooks instead of sharpening them if I don’t like the way they look. There was a time when I carried ton of plugs in the back of my truck, thinking I need the latest and greatest wood to catch a fish. It was a pain in the butt to keep them all sharp and in the rotation.

Today, things have changed. Actually a lot of things have changed and one of these days i will have to write a mea culpa ……………I carry a dozen or so plugs and I find it easier to keep up with keeping the hooks sharp. I do know my limitation however…I will never be as good and meticulous as this dude..

that why he is a sharpie and I am a guy with a camera

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVmCg5Wgp0Q[/youtube]

On tap this Saturday, one of my favorite shows of the season. It’s in Old Saybrook, CT at River’s End Tackle, hosted by Pat Abate. For those of you who might not know, Pat is not only the owner of the shop but is considered by many of us who know him one of the best surfcasters of this generation. Many surfcasters from NY and NJ make a trip, catch few seminars, enjoy a bbq (on moose stew we had few years ago!). River’s End is also a place where you can have your VS reels serviced and on hand will be VS super Rep Craig Cantelmo with other factory reps. I will be there speaking on strategies for big bass. Why did they ask me, it’s a mystery. Everyone knows I catch most of my fish with the keyboard 🙂

Looking forward to seeing many old friends and meeting some SJ fans

See you there..

 http://riversendtackle.com/

River’s End STRIPER SURF DAY April 2nd, 2011 10-4

It won’t be long, the first migrating schoolies will be at the wall and the long wait will be over. Until then join us in celebration of surf fishing. It’s a great day to hang out, take in a seminar and just get reacquainted with some old and new surf rats. We’ll have great speakers, demonstrations, factory reps, sales, door prizes, same lousy food and good friends.

FEATURED SPEAKERS,
Zeno Hromin – Strategies for Big Bass
Craig Cantelmo – Fishing the Montauk Surf

FACTORY REPS from Super Strike, Van Staal, Shimano, St.Croix, Lordship Lures, Tsunami, Aquaskinz, Northbar, Line Stretcher, Lunker City, Power Pro, Loomis and more will be here.

Natural Gas Wells and Our Waterways

Jason Gribschaw

Natural gas wells have popped up all over the country, along with the promise to end our dependence on foreign oil.  Well, they have yet to put a dent in that dependency, and they are destroying our land, tainting our water systems and damaging our health. 

Environmental damage has been a big concern for PA residents and probably for others around the country.  I was first told about the drilling by a friend who has property up in the mountains.   They have used the property to hunt, fish and rent for many years. Each year they have their well water tested, and the results have always come back flawless.  The water was so pure that the people testing it would state that it was some of the cleanest water they have ever tested.  That analysis remained the same, year after year, for as long as the family has owned the property.  Drilling companies repeatedly offered up big money to drill on the property and everyone in the area had refused.  Then, one year a property was sold and the new owner accepted the gas company’s “pay day”. 

 I cannot remember what year, but it was within the past 5 years or so that the test results have changed.  A phone call from a Continue reading →

Some of you have complained in the past that we make giveaways too easy so I am going to give you something to think about to win this Bunka Boy Swimmer from Guides Choice Lures.

 http://guideschoicetackle.com/

You know how we usually have a contest where you try to figure out  our favorite pictures? Well, I let you in on a little secret, my favorite picture is on page 84.

What you will have to do is guess is my    SECOND  favorite picture in the current issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal. First one that guesses which page the picture is on will win this Bunka Boy Swimmer from Guides Choice.

One guess per subscriber so choose wisely

Go 🙂

We’ll make it easy for you

here is a mag 🙂

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