I am absolutely sick to my stomach as I write this. Few weeks ago, my son and I were in the Keys. Part of our itinerary was to meet up with Tim Coleman, former editor of The Fisherman and book author  and chase some tarpon by the bridges. I think Tim bought a condo in Key West. He spent a lot of time there and was more than willing to show us around. We never hooked up as we were not feeling well on one night he had free.

Tim also wrote an article on Block Island that was scheduled to appear this upcoming week in the new issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine…and we talked on the phone about him writing a story about chasing the tarpon in the Keys on budget for SJ. He was excited that he had photos all ready and he was excited to write for SJ. I told him, take your time, we will run it in the winter. Give guys something to dream about.

I never did met him other than being briefly introduced at shows, but last few weeks, especially in my preparation for the trip, we exchanged almost daily emails. Of course, I papered him with googanistics questions and he answered like a pro.

And then the bad news came…..around a noon the text message from one my friends informing me that Tim’s body was found at Weekapaug section of Westerly

Jesus, this is hard to take. Bob Samuleson few years ago, Al Pelini last year and now Tim..all lost while fishing.

Yes, I know he passed away doing something that he loved but he had so much to give!

I don’t have any specific info neither do I care to have a “guestimates” of what did happen. Only Tim knows and he is not telling anyone as he is smiling at us from heaven.

Another eerie coincidence is that Tim talks about late Al Pelini dying a tragic way in Cuttyhunk in his upcoming article. Yet he found the same fate as many other greats. Maybe God has a special place for them. I sure hope so

Be careful out there

May your days be filed with calm seas and large stripers.

Rest in Peace Tim

You will be missed by many

Zeno & the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine Crew

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I am feeling metalipy..is that the word? It should be if it aint. 🙂

It’s almost that time, when bass show a little more interest in metal lips then they do really early in the season. Not quite with gusto as they will in few weeks but they are starting to pay attention. The competition for food with newly arrived bluefish and dare I say, weakfish will make them more aggressive. I don’t know how many of you are metal lip aficionados but I can’t think of a single thing that is visually more pleasing while surfcasting then watching a bass maul a metal lip swimmer in the rocky areas. I won’t throw them as much just yet, just probe the water for now, but in few weeks, there will definitely be more of them in my bag.

Which brings me to the meat of today’s blog…time.

Where the hell does it go so fast and what is the rush? We are a few days from unveiling our new issue…again. Like a hamster running on a spinning wheel.

And I just realized we haven’t played our favorite game, guess Z’s favorite picture.

So let’s get to it with a really special lure from Lemore’s Plugworks, a gorgeous Senior Swimmer.

First dude or dudete that guess what page is my favorite picture in this issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine will win this Senior Swimmer from Lemire’s Plugworks. One guess per person

Good luck and thank you Al Lemire from Lemire’s Plugworks for making this possible

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I don’t wear Korkers on local jetties. Instead I wear waders with felt. I know these jetties like  a back of my hand, they are low to the water. On certain tide, primarily bottom of the low, Korkers help a great deal as you need to go to water’s edge to land a fish. Which was the case few days ago…but most of the time the felt is just fine. In twenty years, I never felt that I put myself in danger. Ever

So I diged out my Korkers, suited up and went to the jetty in the evening. Let me say up front that I detest walking with Korkers on dry rocks. I feel like I am walking on glass, constantly sliding. But I am a chicken, so I take my time. Unfortunately, the slobs that are fishing the jetty with bait got their shit spread out on rocks. Beer cans, bait, plastic bags, rods, like it’s a party there.

You know what happened next..I tried to navigate around all the stuff on the rocks, the dry rock and Korkers did their thing and there I was, laying in-between the rocks in short order.

Banged myself up pretty good in the shin, hip and wrist. But that is not all. The brand new, used once St Croix Legend that Lou Caruso just made me was not so lucky. I landed on it and broke it below the reel seat. Not only that but I feel on my reel too…..yes, my Penn Torque will never be same…. or one piece again.

Someone said, all that damage for a bluefish?

It’s not about the bluefish, or bass or bunker. it’s about a passion. As much as it pains me, literally, figuratively and in the wallet, I am strangely ok with it. Not with a slobs and what the jetty looks like after they are gone because that has been going on forever. I will never be fine with that! I am fine with a fact it could have been worse. Now that I had a chance to blow off some steam that is.

I always hear about “this person fell” ,”that person broke a rod” and have been remarkably fortunate to avoid a lot of things over the years. But in a last year , after never breaking a rod in twenty years I broke two, both on operator error. Then last fall in  Montauk I fell chasing a blitz with a camera and landed on a camera LCD which cost us $600 to replace.

Yet as I sit here writing this few hours after I took a spill I can’t help it but to check up on tides now after my wife has went to bed. Maybe I can still sneak out for an hour or two somewhere where there are no rocks. Maybe back bays? I am telling you, we surfcasters have a diseased minds…lol

Or maybe a that is a painkiller talking….not sure yet..will let you know when I wake up.

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I glance over many things on fishing websites, but never over any conversation involving the weakfish. What can I say, I love fishing for them. In a perfect world, where we have all species recovered and in sufficient numbers in our waters I would probably spend 75% of my time chasing weakfish, 20% chasing bass and 5% on bluefish. That is how much I adore catching them. I miss those insane head shakes on a  light rod, those crazy first runs and the beautiful colors they have on their bodies. Ask me if I want to fish back bay with a light rod and a small plastic swimmer and I will tell you that I have some yard work..or painting. Tell me you found weakfish in the bay and I will be there with my light outfit before you finish the sentence.

Sadly , it’s been few years since I’ve seen one. For the last decade I probably spend 90% of my time in July and August, on those calm summer nights, chasing the weakfish. And I did well in those days. Some years few dozen, some years a hundred of more. Strawberry Man’s Jelly worm and a lead head was often the weapon of choice and small bucktails and small swimmers close behind. But then they disappeared completely on me. First year I blamed it on the dredging in the inlet, second year I blamed in on myself, third year I accepted the fact they were gone.

No one really knows why weakfish appear in cycles, where do they go when they are not here. I sure would like some answers. Last few years there were reports of few caught here and there. Mostly an accidental catch. It is maddening to take your kids to local docks in august year after year and catch a dozens of juvenile weakfish but never to see them come back as adults.

This year, I am getting a different vibe. No, I am not going to get my hopes up until I actually catch one. But there are some reports trickling in from usual places, gillnetters, boaters. Then there is a report from Shore Guide Charter Service in NJ…here is the link for you to follow http://shorecatch.com/wp/tiderunner-weakfish/

Look at those beauties caught few days ago. And you know these dudes are fishing in the back bays, places which you can reach with you cast. There is a funny coincidence regarding these catches..you know the new Guides Choice Skinny Minnie small swimmer I used the other day with hook protectors on to catch few bluefish? Seems to be their weapon of choice for those beauties. Man, I am jealous but again, I am cautiously optimistic.

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Saltwater Edge in conjunction with John Skinner, Blue Frog Bucktails and Aquaskinz have a great promotion to kick off a 2012 season.

Jigs are among the most effective lures all season long and especially early in the season. We have also noticed an increasing interest for our customers in incorporating more bucktailing into their game plan. So here are the products and the knowledge you need in one promotion!! The price represents a 25% savings over the items purchased separately.

Here’s what’s in each kit:

– (1) Fishing The Bucktail – by John Skinner
– (1) 3/4 oz White Fixed Hook Blue Frog Bucktail
– (1) 1 oz White Fixed Hook Blue Frog Bucktail
– (1) 1.5 oz White Fixed Hook Blue Frog Bucktail
– (1) 2 oz White Fixed Hook Blue Frog Bucktail
– (1) 3 oz White Fixed Hook Blue Frog Bucktail
– (1) Bottle of Red/White Striper Sea Strips
– (1) Aquaskinz Bucktail Jig Holster
– (1) Aquaskinz Wading Belt
– (1) Aquaskinz Pork Rind Holder
– (1) Aquaskinz Plastic Swivel Clip

Here is the link   http://www.edgeangling.com/Spring-Bucktail-Kit.html

The Second and not any less important , the winner of Rock Hopper Belt Clips, generously donated by Rock Hopper Fishing at http://rockhopperfishing.com/

The clip goes to Phil McGovern fille9@optonline.net

You have 5 days to email us your shipping address at info@surfcastersjournal.com.

Ahhhhh, yes, the Bluefish. The yellow eye Terror, the Devil with a tail, the fish that NEVER gives up…

I wrote the other day about what happens when they show up…. few days later I am in the inlet with a Silver Fox, hammering them. Of course it gets a little old when they would hit your grandmother’s best silverware if you tossed it at them, but it’s still fun. Which is what is it all about

We caught them on bucktails with no hair

We caught them on bucktails with hair.

We got them on Super Strike(Don’t Leave Home Without It) bottle plugs, darters and poppers.

We even crimped the barbs on a redfin just to tease the crap out of them

But the kicker was tossing a Guides Choice new Skinny Minny swimmer with a hook protectors still on all 6 barbs…and catching two fish anyway.

Yup, it’s that time. I was really hopeful that I would be able to take my son the next day but we got a gale wind and arctic air temperatures…figures.

They are still there…go get them

After about an hour of this, I took Silver Fox’s camera and shot some pictures. Yes, my camera is busted, I forgot a SD card for my Go Pro and I only found one made leader in my garage. The tarpon in the Keys took care of the rest of my leaders…. I am never ready to start the season and this year its no diferent.

Big Grins For All

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For  some of you that were annoyed that we ran out the Night Crew shirts in Large and Extra Large size, you will be happy to know that they are back in stock in our online store. I spoke to Tommy yesterday and he filled me in that he is working on an embroidery design for a new SJ Hats…looking forward to it…down to my last hat.

If you are not in the inlets, I suggest you get your asses down there. In New Jersey the oceanfront is coughing up bass like there is no tomorrow. In NY the season is also way ahead of schedule but most of good fishing is relegated in the harbors and channels inside the bay.

Even I managed to get into some fish yesterday till my arms hurt. Story about catching fish WITH hook protectors on, on purpose, coming this weekend. I sure had a blast, the nice drizzle, a bit of a SE swell off the ocean, it all came together to make for a memorable few hours.

Ok, the winner of Rock Hopper fishing Belt Clip from http://rockhopperfishing.com/is….. Law_nurse@comcast.net   Dan Schaufler

you know the deal..5 days, address to info@surfcastersjournal.com

The rest of you, we suggest you visit the Rock Hopper website and get your own

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I’ve heard it, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and I still think it’s crazy…

We all move in different circles, amongst different friends. But I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that if you are on this blog reading this and the SJ magazine, the surf fishing to you is much more than a casual day on the beach. It’s a way of life. Chasing after Moby stripers might consume your life at one point or another. Tides become more important than the office clock. You develop a unique ability to predict the weather better then meteorologist. Not only that, you anticipate the weather without ever hearing a report.

I get all that…I lived this life for many years. These days I am much more modest in my expectations and my desires are much more tame. I always thought that when my kids got bigger I will have more time to fish only to realize that I wasn’t such a great dad while they were growing up and I have a lot of catching up to do. I mean, being at Montauk  for a weekend while your wife and kids are home alone is not exactly an entry for a dad of the year award, is it?

Ok, I am getting sidetracked here. I’ve seen guys pass away over the years. I’ve seen guys struggle because of age or medical concerns , struggling to get to the water. I rarely ever seen anyone just “walk away” from the sport. Steve Campo was one exception. There were few other, many of whom bought boats over the years and embarked on a new obsession. Few picked up fly rods because they liked to be challenged and you don’t see them on the beaches as much. But few walked away for good…on their own terms.

How difficult would this be for you to even consider ?

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it is really hard not to get excited about fishing when listening to Montauk Surf Guide Bill Wetzel

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGsrAjgtxLs&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

In most years, my season started in the same manner. First I would make few attempts at Little Neck bay in Queens, and I hated every minute of it. I never was much of a light tackle angler…at least not in conventional sense. I like using a 7-foot St Croix Legend on the jetties when everyone is using a 10-foot stick. Am I under gunned? Absolutely. Do I know these jetties better them 99% of the anglers? I think so. As such, I can compensate by knowing the area I am fishing.

Few years ago, on a sunny May day, we had a ball bailing 2-pound bluefish on bucktials. Until 40 pound plus striper got pissed off and tried to eat a whole hooked bluefish three times before finally giving up. All this happened no more then 10 feet from the rock I stood on. In this case, if I hooked this moose, it would have tested my Legend to the max in that current.

But fishing Little Neck feels like fishing someone else’s spot. I am not familiar with it, I don’t have a great deal of confidence and I generally do not fish with a 9 or 8-foot light rod. Even my 7 foot Legends and St Croix Premier are beefy.

So with a tail between my legs I would migrate to Manhasset Bay where I felt more at home. Generally, after catching few small stripers and if I seen bunker flipping in the bay, I would come back with a chunking rod and some bunker. Some years were banner years, while other were so-so. Thirty-pound bass were not too unusual with 20’s plentiful. And to think that I would trade this all for a 10-pound bluefish, even a 6 pound…..lol

I know, you are shaking your head. But hear me out. I don’t particularly enjoy fishing North Shore Harbors regardless if it’s May, August or November. Not because I don’t like the place, mostly its because I never put enough time in there to be familiar. And to feel confident. And I am a south shore junkie. Just being honest.

So I am catching bass on chunks yet I am keeping my ear open to when the bluefish will show up in the inlets. Then I toss my chunking stick in the corner, grab my 7-foot Legend and a handful of bucktails and off I go. It’s like a striper junkie after slow summer who anticipates that first fall run blitz at Montauk, that is how I feel about bluefish in spring. Two weeks from then I will curse them when they chop my rigged eels and cut my line, but right now, when they just show up, I will feed them every bucktails I own with joy. Strange, isn’t it? 🙂

Btw..Many of you will find this implausible, impossible, crazy or just plain stupid but I lost every lure I had in my surf bag in one tide to the fish. A dozen bucktails, darters, bottle plugs, needles, metal lips…all of it. Nope, I did not have a nick in the guide neither did I tied bad knots. My line or leader was cut every single time. If you don’t believe me, ask my buddy Ray who fished alongside of me. Because he also lost every plug in his bag to the fish that night too. And then went to his truck to get more..lmao

Hopefully if I finish this book I am working on, you will get to read about one of the craziest night I’ve ever had.

Yup, bluefish are the fat bottom girls of surfcasting. They make the surfcaster’s world go ‘round

Enjoy them

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I told you recently about the clips from RockHopper fishing

You can check them out for yourself at http://rockhopperfishing.com/

I don’t come across many products that I knew from the first time I held it in my hand that I want one. This one is an exception. I’d scream buy,buy,buy but then I would have to use words like booyaha and be glued to CNBC all day.

Here is the video I did few weeks ago explaining better what it is all about.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1odukoApqo[/youtube]

And of course, thanks to Rock Hopper owner, Barry Kronberg, we will give you a chance to win one of these clips

And the giveaways continue…

Good luck

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