In SJ world, this is a crunch time. It’s the time we close down the hatch and throw ourselves into working on a new issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine. I am still amazed that we are already to issue #13! Where did the time go ?

It’s been a great ride, we got to met so many wonderful people. We managed to get some very interesting characters on the camera. And I still smile every time I see a SJ sticker on someone’s truck.

The winner of Lemire’s Plugworks Calamari Popper is…norcalkat… forcedlx@gmail.com

Please send your shipping address to info@surfcastersjournal.com

Speaking of Lemire’s Plugworks…he has an interesting contest on his Facebook page. Listen to this

“I want my fan count to go to 700 in the next month and a half. I mean……if Lemire’s Plugworks page has 700 fans by June 1. I will giveaway a weekend on block island , no expenses except for ferry and travel. You will stay at the Narragansett Inn where I work on June 15,16,17.”

We suggest you go to Lemire’s Plugworks and become a fan asap..who knows, maybe you get a free trip to Block Island in  June!

Here is a link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surfcasters-Journal-Online-Magazine/365270663420#!/pages/Lemires-Plugworks/284081947488

And yet more from Al at Lemire’s Plugworks. This showed up at my doorstep last night. No, this mother load is not destined for Z’s surf bag but instead you will have a chance to win most of these lures in the future. Thank you Al!

We are sorry we ran out of XL size on Night Crew shirt the same day. Tommy will make some this week in that size, look for them to be back in stock by this weekend. Everything else is still in stock although in very limited quantities. Sizes like S,M and 3XL will not be reordered when they run out so we suggest you grab it now if you want one.

And lastly , a word of thanks. I know we don’t do this enough so let me try to make this right. Please don’t ever assume that we don’t know who you are. Yeah, you know who we are talking about. The same two dozen guys who buy t-shirts, send in an occasional donation, stop by our table at the show and pick up a hat. We know you don’t need a shirt, or hat..or anything. What you need is a great surfcasting magazine which we try to bring to you. We know you do this because you want to support what we are doing. And we appreciate it . With full time jobs, and young families, this blog/mag project has often  left me wondering if we should just pull the plug. I mean, it’s not like we put out a few page newsletter. We are talking two hundred page magazine and a blog. That cost zero… we know economy sucks. In fact, one of us has learned this week that after next few months, the times are going to get very, very lean. And we are sure many of you have been trough similar challenges. So thank you again, from the bottom of my heart and everyone here at SJ..thank you for your donation, thank you for your purchase of SJ gear and thank you for stopping our table at shows and shaking hand. We appreciate  .,.,all of it.

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We know many of you have asked for it after they sold out quickly first time we made them, so here is your chance

Nights Crew and SJ Time and Tide are now back the online store (S,M,L,2XL,3XL size). Only a dozen in each size but we did add few in Small, Medium and 3XL this time.

We are giving you guys a first shot before we put a not on the FB page and they are gone again.

Thank you for supporting us by purchasing and wearing SJ gear…we sincerely

appreciate it. In our online store at http://surfcastersgear.com/SURFCASTERS-JOURNAL-STORE_c4.htm

Today we have a blog post by a friend of  the Surfcaster’s Journal, Charlie Witek. This is not an “official” position of any organization, but rather the views of a long-time striped bass angler who is intimately familiar with the Connecticut fishery, having fished it actively before, during and after the collapse of the 1970s-‘80s, and still spends some time up there each season.  And who thinks that this is a dumb idea.

BTW..check out the online store…more on that tomorrow

Zeno

By Charles Witek

In the last edition of the Surfcasters’ Journal, I wrote a piece that examined the “gamefish” debate.  In it, I noted that when arguing in favor of “gamefish status,” the most difficult argument to make was the argument that “gamefish status” was a conservation measure, and the most difficult criticism to rebut arose when commercial fishermen characterized “gamefish” as nothing more than a “fish grab” clothed in the trappings of conservation.  Recent actions in Connecticut demonstrate why that is so.

Connecticut was probably the first state to adopt “gamefish status” for stripers, doing so, if I recall correctly, sometime in the 1950s.  Before that, its commercial harvest was modest.  The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission currently gives the state a 23,750 pound commercial allocation which, until recently went unused, and was “reinvested” into the spawning stock.  A couple of years ago, that changed.  Connecticut asked ASMFC for, and was granted, a special harvest of immature (22-28 inch) striped bass, which would take place in the upper reaches of the Connecticut River.  Two of the arguments in favor of the special season were that it would protect the badly depleted stocks of river herring that get bunch up around the state capitol at Hartford, and that it would provide a valuable urban recreational experience for the residents of that somewhat troubled city.  However, Connecticut has now expanded the harvest to all river systems within the state, and to the state’s entire coast.

In 2012, throughout the months of May and June, Connecticut will effectively have a 4-fish bag limit.  Two of those fish must exceed 28 inches in length, while the other two, for which the anglers must hold “Bonus Striped Bass Vouchers” (issued free by the state at a number of locations, including some tackle shops), must fall into a 22 to 28-inch slot.  Under the program, anglers in the state will be permitted to harvest up to 4,025 striped bass that would otherwise have been “shorts” under both state law and ASMFCs striped bass management plan.  Connecticut urges anglers to take the small fish from a river system in order to protect river herring, or to use them to introduce a child or other new angler to recreational fishing.  However, there is no requirement that they do so.

Unlike programs in other areas, such those in New Jersey and Delaware which permit anglers to take small fish in certain waters, under the theory that they will be non-migratory males not essential to the spawning stock, the Connecticut program will undoubtedly kill a number of immature females.  I grew up in western Connecticut, at a time of my life that allowed me to be on the water just about every day, and am intimately familiar with the fishery.  Late May and early June is prime time for school stripers in Long Island Sound, and is a time when fish from all of the major spawning areas—Chesapeake Bay, the Delaware estuary and the Hudson River—are present.  When fishing the Connecticut shore during May and June, I’ve caught tagged fish, and I have tagged fish that were later returned from the major spawning rivers, so the question of migratory females being present is not opens for debate.  Certainly, the 4,000 or so fish that will be taken under the program are hardly a blip when compared to all of the bass caught along the coast over the course of the year, but still…

How does Connecticut’s action affect the chances for the Massachusetts “gamefish” bill?  Massachusetts has the biggest commercial quota on the coast (excluding Chesapeake Bay), and outlawing the commercial fishery there would make a far larger contribution to the spawning stock—provided that the fish weren’t merely handed over to the recreational sector to be killed by them instead.  Every time the “gamefish” issue arises anywhere on the coast, the classic commercial response is that “gamefish status” is not a conservation measure, but in reality a “fish grab” that switches allocation between sectors, but ultimately does nothing to increase the striped bass population.  Connecticut’s action, following upon New Jersey’s much older “bonus fish” program, is just more ammunition that the commercials have to demonstrate that their claim is true.

Anglers in favor of “gamefish status” now have a decision to make.  They can come out on the side of conservation, and explicitly disclaim any additional harvest that would become available to them as a result of a commercial fishing ban.  If they do that, they can legitimately hoist the banner of conservation, and work not only to end the commercial fishery, but to increase the spawning stock so that more fish might ultimately be available for all.  On the other hand, if they want to see their state institute a “bonus fish” program, they should be honest with legislators, regulators and the public at large, and set forth their arguments on economic and policy grounds.  A “bonus fish” program is certainly defensible in those terms.  But it is about more dead fish for anglers, not about “conservation.”

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Now that my posting privileges have been reinstated we can get back to surf fishing…lol

Just busting, I was off for few days around the Easter break and then I been working on a house till 9 every night. I got to tell you, for a guy who spends 5 hours every day on a PC after work, today is the first day I am on it. I have ton of emails to return, I will get to all of them, I promise. If you haven’t heard back from me, that is why. But not being on a PC felt surprisingly great

I hope you guys are catching fish..I got to do some neat stuff with my son last week, including watching him hook up his first tarpon which was beyond cool. I think I could watch my son fish forever and never feel a need to wet a line. It’s weird, like turning yourself into a full time mate even though he can handle himself ok.

why don’t we have a super neat giveaway to celebrate striper season opening?

Like this super gorgeous Calamari Popper from Lemire’s Plugworks…man, this is too pretty to give away. One of you will have a big grin on your face when you receive it

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So today I was at the High Hill Striper Club annual spring get together at a local pier. It’s a morning where we hang out and work on our gear for the upcoming season. Continue reading →

Tommy from the SJ art department here.

First off-fresh new batches of our Night Shift and Time and Tide shirts are printed and sitting in boxes waiting to go on our online store. You can expect them to be online next week. We threw in some smaller sizes for our more “active” readers.

Secondly- I wanted to spark up some conversation about flash lights and head lamps. Anyone who creeps around at night knows that this is essential equipment for a mission. I am currently using 2 different LED lights.First is the Princeton Tec Eos headlamp.

It’s bright as hell and is waterproof down to 3 feet. Costing around 45 bucks it has a rubber seal to keep out water which is good. But its not a fool proof system.

One of these lights usually lasts me 2 seasons and then it craps out. Granted any electronics used in a saltwater environment not housed in a bulky case are going to

fail eventually.

The second light I carry is an Underwater Kinetics pen light.

This light cost around 12 bucks and is rated to 500 feet underwater. I like that its super light and I can wear it around my neck with a simple shoelace. I personally am not a big fan of surgical tubing on these lightweight lights. On this light I removed the lens and colored it red with a sharpie which makes a great  low key light to use when unhooking a fish or looking for a plug. The down side about this light is that it is a twist top. I did recently purchase a new one from The Surfcaster that has a push button. The only drawback being this model has a 3 foot water proof rating.

What kind of lights are you guys using?

-Tommy

I was always a believer in that you follow your passion and let it lead you where it may. I am sure you have dealt with people in the past that left you less than impressed. Maybe a dude in Home Depot while you were looking for a faucet or a guy behind a tackle store counter. I’ve booked guides in the past when I went away with the family that made me want to toss them overboard and take away their boat. And there probably is some reservation for many of you that might be considering a surf guided trip. Especially to a place like Montauk. But you need not to worry, the only name you need to know is Bill Wetzel at www.longislandsurffishing.com.

The man lacks no passion, stamina, effort or personality. I am not familiar with many guides, and what they do, but when someone asks me about guiding I tell them to call Bill. Because he truly is not only a fantastic guide but also an exceptional dude.

Who knew that he was an expert on UFO’s and astronomy?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2gafRg1nsE[/youtube]

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Many times, as we have a bullshit sessions on the beach, we tend to complain of just how much the sport has changed. From unwillingness of the new anglers to pay their dues, to availability of all this information on the net and yes, even fresh reports. Then we get home and the first thing we do is check the reports on the net ourselves..lol

Yes, internet has become a very powerful tool for learning, and in recent years socializing too. No need for phone calls any more, just go on Facebook and see what your buddies are doing. If you can read between the lines, there are more reports now, fresher, on Facebook then noreast saltwater.

And the social thing…it’s cool to reconnect with old friends. It’s not so cool when your old flame sends you message 20 years later professing her undying love…lol.

But there is a whole generation that will never embrace the social networking besides the one on the beach. You won’t find them on Facebook, you won’t read their stories on blogs, they won’t even write stories about the old days in the magazine. They are private, proud and they still fish under the old rules. Be sneaky, don’t use the light unless absolutely necessary, leave your truck in one location and fish in another. Don’t tell anyone about the plug that work for you, don’t use your mojo plugs when others are around…

Yes, I understand that for some this is hard to understand. After all, don’t we all want to be the guy on the rock were everyone can see us, don’t we all want to yell “yeeha” every time we hook up, don’t we all want to wear a wetsuit and then go to the water up to our knees, and don’t we all want to take pictures of a plug we caught fish on and then put it on a Facebook ?

Apparently not

There are not many left like Fred Schwab, and every day there is less and less of them. I can listen to them talk all day long and still have million questions about the old days.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SPG4Ugv0Ik[/youtube]

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Let’s make someone Easter really special by awarding the great set of Super Strike Lures, courtesy of very generous Steve Musso from Super Strike Lures. I hope all of you have a great day with your families.

The random number generator spit out a number and gave us a winner. The winner of the set is danodano9…. daniel_blanchard9@hotmail.com

You have 5 days to get us your mailing address at info@surfcastersjournal.com

Congratulations

Damn, the news hit me like a ton of bricks. I was at 7/11 getting coffee Friday night and while checking my emails while waiting on line I read an email from Steve Musso in disbelief. Jose Wejebe, the man behind the Spanish Fly fishing show, dies in the plane crash in the Everglades.

I did not know Jose personally but we did exchanged few emails when I was doing story on Costa Del Mar new “Jose” shades named after him. He was also working on a pictorial/interview for SJ. We were all set to begin in few weeks working on a story. It was originally supposed to happen few months ago but he asked for more time to come up with pictures of fishing on the flats. It doesn’t really matter, in the great scheme of things, it’s just an irrelevant blurb.

The important part for me was just how approachable fellow he was and how much did he enriched my life with his show and his adventures.

Rest in peace Jose, you will be missed by many.

The fishing I quite good this early in a season, New Jersey is yet again  leading the way in consistency and size. And the jersey boys are starting to hammer bigger bass on bunker….on Easter !!! It was fascination to get phone calls about bluefish in South Shore inlet a week ago in March!

It won’t be long before the big girls make their presence known all over. With that in mind, here are few words from our resident big fish hunter, the one and only Crazy Alberto Knie

Happy Easter everyone

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

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