Needlefish

Even though quite a few years have passed, I remember the scene like it was yesterday. A crisp fall day with an onshore breeze made for some fishy looking conditions on this stretch of beach at Jones Beach State Park. Alas, the fish obviously did not share my excitement about the nice looking white water rolling over the sandbars, as they were nowhere to be found. Suddenly there was a movement in the wave; a glimmer of hope for a surfcaster. A single, long and slender needlefish almost a foot long broke the surface. For what seemed like an eternity, it stood suspended above the rolling wave before gracefully disappearing in the foam. A few minutes later another one made a somersault followed by yet another. I frantically searched in my plug bag for a needlefish lure, knowing full well that I had packed none since this was a daytime excursion and I use needles mostly at dark. “Maybe, just maybe, there was one left from a previous night excursion,” I thought to myself. No such luck! And try as I might, I just could not raise a fish, that day. However, seeing needlefish jumping clear out of the water gave me an excuse to change my original plan of plugging the backside of the inlet. Instead I decided to return here in the dark and this time I would carry some needlefish lures.

A painful experience…

Making a trek to the West End Two pocket over the soft sand is a chore but doing it twice in one day? That is just pure torture! However, the vision of stripers chasing needlefish in the white water was too tempting to pass up so I plodded on through the mosquito infested path, at times running full speed while waiving my arm madly, trying to avoid bites from these little blood suckers. I finally reached the surf line totally soaked in sweat, not looking forward to doing the same dance on the way back, later.

Since I was out of breath, I decided to make a few casts right in front of the path instead of walking towards the pocket as I originally had planned. I attached my favorite needlefish, an old 7 inch Super Strike painted in mackerel pattern. This lure had been so productive for me over the years; I rarely, if ever left my truck without it. I made a long cast up tide and picked up line with my index finger contemplating whether I should just stay here until dawn instead of risking another trip back through the nightmarish, mosquito infested weeds. Lost in my thoughts, I was startled when a fish slammed the lure with authority. Continue reading →

Tommy and I had a dinner regarding the future of this magazine and blog few nights ago …but first we ate, and ate GOOD! I don’t know about you but I am not the fan of restaurants that feature foreign cuisine for American diners. What I mean I do not want to go into Mexican restaurant that has chicken nuggets or hamburgers on the menu. Instead give me the real stuff, what locals eat

If you ever get a craving for a  good Columbian cuisine, at Pollos El Paisa 989 Old Country Road in Westbury, few blocks from my house, check it out. The food is insane! And always packed, even on the weekends.

Tommy tried to finish his paella but barely got half way through it. I had a whole fried snapper on the bed of fried plantain…there went the diet for this night…and the flan to cap the night off was cherry on the top…and reasonably priced too.

What was the dinner for? We occasionally have these brainstorming sessions. Roger was in Rhode Island and unavailable so Tommy and I decided to just bounce some ideas around

As most of you know, I been writing this blog now for few years, just about every day. I did it when I was sick, when I was away fishing, when I was in Croatia for a month and even recently from Bahamas. You might not know that every shirt you order gets packed and mailed by me, every email you sent get answered, every sales call to advertisers, every invoice and every check made to writers goes through my hands. Never mind all the pictures, video and writing….. Yeah, in addition to a job and family.

My biggest fear when we started this was that this blog would be about me. We all have sense of pride about our accomplishments but some like to flaunt it more than others. I think that I have succeed somewhat making this blog (and mag) about the sport, not about me. We try to honor those who passed away, we try to celebrate those who do good. To the haters …well, my late grandfather always said “The more you touch a pile of shit, the more it smells”. Some people on the fishing forums should take this advice by a very wise man…I know many of you see only my post on the blog but there are other people who work their asses making SJ into what it is.

Unfortunately this invoicing, writing, looking for content, photography, video, never mind the hundred or so videos on YouTube does not leave a lot of time for fishing. Hell, it doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything to be honest. Has it been financially rewarding? I wish my wife would answer this for me because she is more diplomatic than I am when choosing words…let’s just say that I make a awful businessman. I never had a heart to try to strong-arm some people I consider friends into paying their past due advertising bills. Some of them are a year overdue…and my wife wants me to toss in a towel before my son starts looking at colleges next year. I can’t say I blame her. Whatever, to make a long story short, we are considering options. Not that many are there to chose from to be honest. Either toss in a towel and put up an issue or two every year when we gather some free content or consider making sj into a subscription magazine for like twenty bucks a year. Who knows, only the time will tell.. And don’t you dare take pity on us and send a donation because of this post. We are fine…but this magazine we created for you so I figured I keep you in the loop of what is going on. We don’t need donation or help, we need to figure out if we can make this something that won’t kill us both. Or have our wives kill us…lmao

And please do not in any way interpret this as anything more than a rant of a construction worker at 4 am on Saturday when he is hating the word for having to yet again hit the LIRR on the way to work..on a weekend…but then again, I am more fortunate than many that my shop has plenty of work. On the end of the day, the mag, the books, and all this other stuff that comes with being a semi-pro (and I say that loosely and sarcastically)…on the end of the day, all I ever wanted to be was a good dad to my kids. Regardless of what happens with anything else, no one can take that away…

It’s a nice weekend, take your kid fishing, catch some rays on the beach, enjoy it. I am looking forward to a Mets game with my son tonight…have a great weekend

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We have been testing the new braided line from Seaguar this spring. You probably know Seaguar by its market leading fluorocarbon leaders. Of course they make a lot more stuff, in fact you would be surprised just how many products they make. Check it out here http://www.seaguar.com/products/products.htm

New from Seaguar for 2012 in Kanzen Braid. Look for a review in the upcoming issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine.

But right now, we will give you a chance to win a 300 yard spool of 60 pound test AND a 500 yard spool of 40 pound test. Retail value over $130. Courtesy of fine folks from Seaguar

Good luck

Here is the shot of both lines

and just the 60 pound test

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I was driving and was listening to 660 WFAN yesterday…the host was taking about something Bill Parcel told a player about his future. It had a lot of similarities to what we do…

Some us get to a certain point, they find success and they are content with it. They hit the same holes day after day, or when they feel the tide or wind is right. It becomes a routine…..either going to your local beach or driving hundred miles to Montauk. The distance does not matter. The frequency does not matter. It’s still a routine.

Then you got those who go above and beyond what we consider “routine”. They drive three hundred miles because of a phone call. They take day off on a minute notice because they have a “feeling’ that this storm is going to bring the big girls to the beach. They fish crazy hours and still find ways to function somehow. In this group, some get eaten alive by the fishing bug, get divorced or lose a job. Yet ,they are others who are just as possessed that seem to function just fine. There is no rhyme or reason as to whose fate will be what at the end.

From upcoming September issue with Bill Wetzel

“When  I got my first truck ,I was living out there constantly . Fishing to a point where I some friends pulled me to the side. I wasn’t going out, I wasn’t doing anything, I was just freaking obsessed, too obsessed. My friends pulled me to the side and they were like “Bill, you know what are you doing?”  I said, well I’m fishing…”You never go out, you never do this, you never do that,” they said. Dude, I’m just fishing. That’s all I’m doing. When you get to that point you start to lose touch with your friends, your family. I mean I was fishing to the point where if I was sick I would still go fishing. You are afraid you are going to miss a tide, you are afraid you are going to miss a wind, and stuff like that. You are always afraid you are going to miss something.  You don’t want to miss that big fish bite.”

Regardless of which camp you belong to, as long as you are content, it doesn’t really mater. Only an imbecile would look down on a weekend angler because he is not “hard core”. Some of the happiest fisherman I met were the ones who did not care if they ever caught something. Subsequently, I got to know a lot of obsessed surfcasters who were absolutely crushed because their best friend got a 50 and all they got was bunch of forties. I guess God made us all kind

There is no denying that to be on the top of the food chain, you need to be in this camp. I have yet to met a surfcaster who just goes through his routine and catches fish at will. If they do, its usually because they were obsessed at one point and now they are taking a foot off the gas and living off their knowledge. And there is no doubt in my mind that to become a top surfcaster, or a very successful one (whatever that means) one needs to make a “commitment”. A commitment beyond fishing places you know, places you are comfortable, hours that fits your schedule.

I’ve done some very, very stupid things over the years. Many which I regret today. Most of them when my kids were small. I look back and cringe on just how selfish and obsessed if was with catching big fish while my wife begged me to lighten up. Thankfully she stuck by my side…but I owe her a debt of gratitude.

This is nothing more than a rant from a person who’s been smelling paint fumes all weekend. It’s all good, regardless if you have a routine or you are reading this on the rock two hundred yards from shore at 4 AM. On the end of the day, if you are happy with what you do, even if you get out once a season…..who are we (or anyone else) to tell you otherwise. Routine or committed, it’s all good as long as you having fun

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We promised you the list of winner on Sunday so here it is

The winner of TFO Gary Loomis Tactical Surf Rod, courtesy of TFO and Edge Angling is

Jack Holt jack.holt22@gmail.com

The winner of Rockhopper Surf Belt, Stringer and Belt Clip, courtesy of Rockhopper Fishing is

Vito Orlando Stripedbass50lbs@aol.com

The winner of set of lures, hat and decal from A.O.K Tackle , courtesy of A.O.K Tackle is

Brian Reynolds   Onthehill123@sbcglobal.net

The winner of Mega giveaway from Tsunami, courtesy of Tsunami is

surfdad15  surfdad15@aol.com

All the winners, please contact us at info@surfcastersjournal.com and send us your shipping address. We will forward them to the appropriate sponsors. You have 5 days

Congrats to all, and of course, there is always more to come at SJ…

Hope you are having a great weekend. I wish I had a time to fish but had to work yesterday, then worked on a new book all day. Good news is, it went to the designer today, so at least I am done with that. Ok, let me get my paint brush back in my hand and continue this tedious work of painting all the doors..hopefully you are on the beach chilling

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This came in the email from Charles Witek ,chairman of the Costal Conservation Association Atlantic State Fisheries. By the time you are done reading, the steam will coming out of your ears. There has to be some way to reach out to our governor and voice our displesure.

Zeno

By Charles Witek

Right now, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is holding a four-day meeting in Philadelphia related to the upcoming benchmark stock assessment for striped bass. That benchmark assessment, which will probably be completed next spring, will be used by fisheries managers to determine how striped bass will be managed for the next span of years–perhaps until 2020 or so.

Representatives from every important striped bass state, and maybe from every state with a declared interest in striped bass are there—except for New York, which is unrepresented.

New York was supposed to send three people. Andy Kahnle, from the Hudson River unit, who sits on ASMFC’s Striped Bass Technical Committee, Carol [I don’t recall her last name] from DEC’s Marine Bureau, who addresses coastal striped bass management issues and Cathy Hattala, who deals with bass up on the Hudson (DEC Marine Bureau Hudson River Unit). ASMFC would have paid for all travel expenses.

Today, I got a phone call from Dick Brame, who is Coastal Conservation Association’s Atlantic States coordinator and thus attending the meeting as an observer. He told me that three Technical Committee members came up to him and asked why New York was not represented at the meeting, given the importance of striped bass to New York and the importance of New York’s Hudson River spawning grounds to striped bass. Cathy Hattala tried to participate in the meeting via “Webinar”, but apparently the connection was so bad and so time-delayed that she could not effectively take part. As a result, data related to New York’s striped bass fishery (and, I assume, related to things such as the Hudson River abundance index, although I don’t know that for sure) could not be considered at the meeting.

Apparently, the no-show was a result of the governor’s prohibition on travel; even though the travel would have been paid for by ASMFC, the DEC folks couldn’t go.

One would think that a meeting discussing the future management of a fish as important to New York’s anglers as striped bass, should have been important enough for Cuomo’s office to permit travel, particularly when the costs of such travel will be picked up by ASMFC—and particularly when New York’s Hudson River hosts the second-largest spawning population of striped bass on the coast. However, that was not the case. Instead, New York anglers and New York’s striped bass fishery were effectively unrepresented.

This is the sort of thing that the public never hears about, and probably should.

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Lets end this week witha mega plug giveaway

Fine folks from Tsunami are helping us  wrap up this special week of giveaway on the Surfcaster’s Journal Blog. I met a lot of good people in this sport over the year but Nick Cicero, Tsunami rep has been a great friend and advisor over the years. Truly a wonderful human being.

So he is going to help us get this giveaway week to the finish line with a bang. Check in on Sunday for a list of all winners and yes, you can still enter all the giveaways of this week

So here we go, a very, very nice package of Tsunami lures and terminal Tackle

check the whole line at http://www.biminibayoutfitters.com/

8 ‘Tsunami holographic sand eel

7’ Tsunami Talking Popper

7 1/2 ‘ Tsunami Needlefish

2 ounce oval bucktail with curly tail

3 ounce bucktail with holographic head and 8/0 heavy duty hook (me likey :-))

All for one winner..good luck to all and thank you Tsunami..The fellows behind those insanely good swim shads and Airwave rods

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Feels like a Christmas time in July, doesn’t it? 🙂 And to think that I just kind of decided to do this few days ago..imagine if I actually planed it…free ZeeBaaS for everyone? 🙂

Today’s giveaway comes as a courtesy of A.O.K Tackle    http://aoktackle.com/…we profiled Steve Adams aka Papa Bear in one of the issues of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine. The man makes some great lures and today you are going to have a chance to win a whole set. Check out his website to see a whole line at http://aoktackle.com/

the winner will get

(1) each of 1,2 and 3oz. Chrome T-HEX

(1)-2oz. PB-40 P-Nut Bunker Spoon

(1) A.O.K. Tackle Cool Mesh Hat(Fits Most Giant Heads!)

(1) A.O.K. All-Weather Decal.

all courtesy of A.O.K Tackle

here is a little video  of A.O.K Tackle lures in action to get your blood pumping

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

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Today’s giveaway comes courtesy of Rockhopper Fishing.  http://rockhopperfishing.com/

It Includes

• Their new Surf Belt
• The Stringer System with Clip
• Belt Clip

Yeah, it’s a big one. Take a moment to look at the video below describing their new Surf Belt

[youtube]http://youtu.be/xbdfT2XhL14[/youtube]

Surf Belt

• Saltwater Grade Stainless Steel Dive Buckle
• The buckle snaps closed and you know your belt is secure.
• Contoured buckle is super comfortable.
• No plastic parts
• Bar tacked at stress points
• Double layer system with Velcro keeps gear in place
• Fits all RHF gear, any standard plier holster and gear
• Made in New England
• Lifetime Warranty

Belt Clip

• • All metal parts are 316 stainless steel
  • Tig welded
  • Wire gated 1/4 inch harness clip is welded with SS rod in two places
  • Belt slide is 18 gauge SS, welded completely closed and large enough for up to any 2 inch belt.
  • Useful for your eel bag, water bottle or other gear.
  • Take gear off the clip with one hand!
  • Made in New England
  • Lifetime Warranty

Fish Stringer

• • Includes Belt Clip and Stringer.
  • All metal parts are 316 stainless steel
  • Tig welded
  • Wire gated 1/4 inch harness clip is welded with SS rod in two places
  • Belt slide is 18 gauge SS, welded completely closed and large enough for up to any 2 inch belt.
  • Stringer is 1/4″ x 1/2″ SS bar.
  • Strap is 10 feet of nylon webbing with a tensile strength of 3,000 lbs. per running inch.
  • Strap is connected to the bar and ring with 3 bar tacks at 1200 lbs. per bar tack.
  • Made in New England
  • Lifetime Warranty

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Many of you have heard about new surf rods from TFO Temple Fork Outfitters. Do you know who had a hand in their design? A fellow by the name of Gary Loomis. Yes, the same guy behind G.Loomis rods till he sold the company to Shimano in 1997. You could say Gary knows a thing or two about making a good rod…:-)

Gary’s Story

Almost 3 decades ago, Gary Loomis founded G.Loomis® and quickly attracted the attention and admiration of the world’s most discerning anglers. Throughout the evolution of carbon fiber rod design, Gary distinguished himself as the Master. Using leading edge technology and engineering, he designed tools that have defined High Performance in rods. After selling G.Loomis®, in 1997, Gary dedicated his efforts into protecting & rehabilitating the fisheries of the Pacific Northwest. His devotion to the fishery helped establish Fish First (www.fishfirst.org), where he serves as President, and the Coastal Conservation Association Pacific Northwest (www.ccapnw.org), where he serves as the Chairman for Washington State.

Although, Gary is no longer affiliated with G.Loomis®, his desire to “build the best rods available” remains. He has agreed to share his unparalleled design skills and understanding of modern technology and materials with Dallas, TX based Temple Fork Outfitters to develop a new generation of Affordable High Performance rods. Gary is fully committed to increasing the participation in fishing and protecting our natural resources for future generations. He believes that TFO’s Affordable – High Performance approach forms a great base for this growth.

Working with TFO allows me to put high-quality rods in the hands of potential anglers that otherwise would not have access to this kind of gear. It is these new anglers that, through their enjoyment of the sport, will help us protect our threatened fisheries. ~ Gary Loomis

And today, Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine in conjunction with Edge Angling and Temple Fork Outfitters will give one of you a chance to win either a 9′ or 10′ 6″ model, courtesy of Edge Angling and TFO.

You can see some early reviews by following this link to Edge Angling

By utilizing a new proprietary scrim in conjunction with TFO’s high modulus carbon fiber blank material, Gary was able to save weight and increase sensitivity without sacrificing strength. GTS blanks are tastefully finished; simply polished, with a thin layer of matte clear coat to enhance the natural luster of the fibers, TFO’s trademark Color ID Split grip is further complimented by a two piece reel seat and a natural cork ring split grip.

GTS rods are topped with TFO’s proprietary Tactical Series guides, machined stainless steel inserts are super hard chrome anodized then swaged into chromium impregnated stainless frame. What does this all mean? Super hard, super slick, saltwater safe and no more lost fishing time due to lost inserts…and they’re 30% lighter than standard SiC guides.

“Good rods can be made out of anything from bamboo to modern carbon fiber. But, a good rod must have the right length, power and action to do a specific job. To make a good rod better is to make it lighter and more sensitive without sacrificing durability.”

STAY TUNED FOR A GIVEAWAY WEEK AT SJ

Check in every day for a new giveaway. All winners announced Sunday , August 5th…unless we get drunk, then, the first day we sober up.

GOOD LUCK

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