Peter Laurelli makes some great videos, the kind I would do if I knew what I was doing. And to think that he does all this himself. I know most of you can’t comprehend what is involved into making something like this but I just want to plant a little seed in your head.

For a simple few second clip of guy walking over the marsh…you have to go and set up a tripod on marsh (never easy) then frame it and focus it. Then walk back wherever you came from and walk in front of the camera and away from it to record it. THEN you have to walk back to shut it off, put the camera and tripod back into the case and walk to next location. All this to get one or two second shot.

To think that this 35 minute video is all self-shot is incredible. The underwater blitz footage is hundred times better than anything I’ve seen in Laptew’s video.

This is not a video, it’s an event

You best bet when watching this kind of thing, press play then press pause and let the video load up the whole way. Then watch it without video doing stop and go..

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/39594064[/vimeo]

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Let me get all the winners out of the way

The Wiley X  shades go to…Peter F Figalore@gmail.com

The winners of Tactical Anglers giveaways are

Jimmy Z   jamesz860@sbcglobal.net

DonH drh@bnl.gov

Tom S   tomas767@gmail.com

I got an email from Mr.Musso inquiring about my flu, which I very much appreciated.

He then asked me to help him “kick off the season for SJ blog readers with a nice lure pack” from Super Strike.

How can we say no? 🙂

So today, Super Strike is offering you a chance to win this Four-Pack of Super Strike Lures aka makers of  the Best Stuff on Earth…or close to it.

Thank you Mr. Musso

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u_GLjNK5E4[/youtube]

I been waiting to get better to do this video but I realized by the time I get better the fish will be here….Wait, the fish are here! Yes, Virginia, including the bluefish.

Back to what I had in mind. I wanted to do this video because showing you pictures would do no justice. I can’t see why anyone who is looking for something like this would not make this product their number one choice. Simple, elegant, stainless, there is nothing to knock. I wish all the product were like this

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

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I know I still have to pick a winner for WileyX shades, I promise I will this week. Spent most of the weekend tying lose ends before I take my son on a trip. That is when I was not medicating myself. I will be really bummed out if this flu is not gone by next week. Been waiting for this trip a long time….

First, a new video of Crazy Al talking about his Tactical Angler Pouch. Watch it, there is a clue in there

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XjBwIS9wdE[/youtube]

No , there is no clue. I am just kidding. What I am not kidding about  is starting your week on a right foot by giving you a chance to win this plug and clips ,courtesy of Tactical Anglers.

What do  you have to do to win?

I asked Roger , our editor to pick three of his favorite pictures in the current  issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine.

Well look at that , even the link to the magazine appears for you so all you have to do is click. Jeez, you never had it better

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Your job is to pick one picture out of three that Roger picked. First three correct guesses will win these three items from Tactical Anglers

In weird but true news, after almost 20 years of living few blocks away from the Columbian restaurant on Old Country Road in Westbury I finally stepped into it with Da Wife in tow on Saturday. It looked like a place where the locals eats, my favorite kind of a restaurant. I hate pretentious food, fancy plates that suppose to impress my eyes but leave me hungry. Why I haven’t been there before? Honestly, probably because of the kids. Just like many of you, I was probably wondering what the hell they are going to eat if chicken nuggets and hot dogs are not on the menu. Sad but true. But they were both at their friends houses on Saturday and my wife and I had an hour to sneak out in peace…holy shit, why no one told me before about Paella before? I thought I died and went to heaven when that dish showed up. I ate at just about every place in and around Roosevelt Field,Westbury and Carle place in last 20 years, most of them suck. Some of them like the Outback or TGIF are just awful, some like Bacci are solid to excellent, but this little Columbian place really opened my eyes. Good stuff for a very affordable price…can’t wait to go back.

In  fact, it inspired me to got a buy a snapper and grill it just for me on Sunday. For the wife and kids I made meatballs which might be the best I ever made, but they we still not as appealing as this snapper smothered in the olive oil from Croatia and garlic..yummy.

Screw the diet. ..

Have a great week

If any of you are collectors of vintage tackle, you owe yourself to check out the show on April 28 put together by Salt Water Lures Collectors club in Bourne, MA (http://www.swlcc.com/SHOW.html).

One of a kind event where you never know who are you going to run into. Donny Musso is I believe scheduled to make a return appearance this year, Frank Pintauro who writes those wonderful vintage lure builder articles for Surfcaster’s Journal is always a fixture.

Here is a video from last year show

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uGCve5MV7A&feature=BFa&list=UUjlCgoRVvpfZ53H_U5lfecw&lf=plcp[/youtube]

Trying to find a needle in a haystack..is what I felt I was trying to do as I was looking in my basement for some fishing equipment for the upcoming trip with my son. I can’t really paint you a picture with words, I suck a drawing and writing, but imagine about ten thousand books, every decoration known to a man, from Christmas, to Easter, to Thanksgiving, to Memorial day, you name it ,its there..and then there are bins of plugs, plugs hanging off the ceiling, SJ stuff, video lights, umbrellas, outdoor furniture….you get the idea.

So I gave up after five minutes…lol. Why? Because I get distracted easy. Ok, the truth was Brooklyn Decker rang the door bell and asked if I could spare some sugar. Yeah right…

The real truth is that I found some stuff I did not know I had,

I found two SJ OLD SCHOOL hats which I put in the online store as we were out them

then I found these two cool 1951 MTK Vintage shirts in size LARGE we did last fall..those are also in the store. First person to grab one or both, they won’t be made again

I also found two 4xl shirts…knowing that there are not too many of us who wear 4xl I added them to store as buy one get one free basically..for $20 you get 2 4xl vintage shirts….its below our cost after we ship it but we rather have someone use it then them  be sitting in the basement

The few Montauk Surfcasting Capital of the World shirts that are left are reduced to $12. I have to thank Tommy for pointing me in a different direction when I made these shirts. They are much more expensive than your regular t-shirt and in my opinion, the best material I ever wore. I wear mine at construction site 5 days a week, wash it and its still great after a year. And so…props to Yu Dude…

Tommy is in the process of remaking the Night Crew shirts, they will be back in the online store in a week or two

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This has been one week from hell fighting this flu. The only good thing that came out of it that I now know what the flu feels like. No thanks, give me a regular nasty cold any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Its Friday, many of you will hit the beaches this weekend, many of you for the first time. Some of you will just want to stretch your legs and others are expecting to catch few schoolies to start their season.

But do you , or should you have expectations of bigger fish this early in the season? For 99% of the people the answer is no. But those few that fish herring runs, usually in brackish water are often  rewarded with some monsters each spring.

Remember this fish? From what we were told, it was caught around this time of the year few seasons ago.

Wouldn’t it be nice 🙂

Have a great weekend

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As much as it pains me to pick one winner out of 800 plus entries, I must. But I chickened out on actual act of number picking and let my wonderful daughter select the  winner’s name randomly using a random number generator..but first thing first.

We want to thank the crew from Edge Angling  at http://www.edgeangling.com/  for making this possible. It was they who came up with the idea, it was them who approached us, it was them who hold you, SJ Blog readers in such a high regard.

And I also would  like to thank Henderson Company for supplying the StormR Typhoon Jacket. We are very honored

Ok, so the winner is Continue reading →

750+ entries for the Henderson StormR Typhoon jacket, courtesy of the Saltwater Edge, huh? I am sure that it has nothing to do with email sent out by EdgeAngling.com…lol

In any event, winner for a jacket will be announced on Thursday.

Btw..since many of you have visited this blog for the first time, you might think this is all what we do. Nope
This is what we do…the most creative surf fishing publication on the face of this earth…click on it, you got a lot of reading to catch up on
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No, I am not in hiding. Instead I been banned by Da Wife from staring at the PC while fighting a 102/103 fever since Sunday morning. Holy crap, I remember my kids being lifeless with a high temperature, no I know WHY? Every joint in my body feels like it’s ready for a replacement. Thankfully I made it through a day at work somehow today. So, no , I am not ignoring you 🙂

The worst part is the eyes. Oh Lord, do they hurt when trying to look sideways. Which got me thinking. The darn eyes are underrated. Not only do they keep us out of trouble (you guys with dirty minds might feel different) but they help us in so many ways. The eyes are where it all starts, you see a fish breaking, your eyes send that information to the brain, you arms cast. You are about to trip over a rock on the dark night, the eyes senses that, again brain sends info to legs, you lift it and avoid a broken limb. You see a nice girl, the eyes send info to the brain which alerts …never mind you dirty old bastard, you get my drift.
So if the eyes are IT why are you carrying a $1000 reel, $500 rod and $19.99 Mickey Mouse shades from Wal-Mart? Don’t your eyes deserve better?

First of all, I now wear a reading glasses which I don’t mind as some people tell me I look “scholarly”. Seriously, me, scholarly? The guy that wrote this blog with 25 spelling errors? Unless they teach Zenoisam at some college I don’t know….

I wear a safety glasses on a construction site. For years I wore a throwaways $0.50 cheapies my company supplied but no more. My eyes deserve better so I got a decent pair of 3M Safety shades.
But for every day use, you still need a good pair of shades. The cheap plastic crap will ruin your eyes, at least that is what my grandmother use to say. Polarization is a must for us fisherman. You have no idea how many times I spotted a deep depression on a sandy beach with my shades, yet my friends could not see it….and they were wondering why I was catching fish and they did not. But when I took my shades off I realized why they weren’t seeing it. They didn’t have polarized shades. There is also matter of comfort. Cheap shades will get old in no time as they start digging into your nose or falling apart first time you drop them. And there is something to be said about the strength of the lens, just in case the lure with trebles happens to fly into your face.

There are a lot of good shades out there , Maui Jim, Costa, Smith’s and other. Some are more expensive than others, some are glass and some are plastic, it depends what you like.
I been wearing Wiley X P 17 shades for about three years now. Liked them so much got a spare pair and some for my wife too. I find polarization to be second to none. The fact that their primary business is making great shads for our military boys and girls should tell you about quality of construction and strength of the lens. And I like the style, which on the end of the day is important too. And I like that I don’t have to spend a week’s pay to buy a pair

I will give away a pair of my own, Wiley X Silk shades, in the box, with a carrying case and cleaning cloth. Why am I giving away a pair of my own shades? Because I can. You guys have been great to me over the years, buying books, coming to the seminars, listening to my nonsense. This is just from me to you. One of you will be styling this summer with this pair of Wiley X

Even if you are like me, at home wrapped in a blanket with an onset of a cold and feeling miserable, you know that the game is on. I’ve read comments like “best mackerel fishing in 40 years”. And you know what comes on the tail of mackerel…yes, bluefish.

Except they are already cutting lines up and down New Jersey coast with their razor sharp teeth. Crazy if you ask me… The clam bite in NJ is very good and inlets on Long Island are giving fish..again, nutty. Especially when you consider that east end bays are already loaded with adult bunker. So go out and fish, you might be pleasantly surprised for a change.

I’d like to welcome another sponsor to SJ Blog, Barry Kronberg who makes some good looking gear for surfcasters. His website is http://rockhopperfishing.com/ We are looking forward to trying his clips this spring. You can also click on his banner on the left hand side of the blog.

I wish I could have attended the River’s End annual Surf Day, I heard that a good time was had by all. But I already had a previous commitment on a new project I am starting to work on. Just like the books and SJ, it is nerve-racking to try something new.

And for today’s special treat, here is a 22 minute interview with none other than William “Doc” Muller. Doc has authored many surf fishing bestsellers including the Fishing with Experts, Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night, Fishing the bucktails and of course, his newest book, SURFCASTER.

Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy..we know many of you cant get to seminars to meet your favorite authors. We try to bring them into your house

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

As I always said, it our job to bring you the content no one else will. Becouse you guya are worth it.

Thank is it for me, I am wrapping myself back in the blanket and see if I can shake this thing off at least a little by this evening..I did promised Da Wife that I will take her out to dinner to celebrate 23 years since the first date. Feeling a little old writing that but it’s all good, these were all great years.

You can find Doc’s new book SURFCASTER here in the online store and at your neighborhood retailers and Amazon.

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Sometimes a product comes along that makes you stop and pause. To this day I am still hopeful that Dri-Core will make a comeback although I am not holding my breath. But there is something new out there, from people I have tremendous respect for. Henderson makes wetsuits we all want to have. They are synonymous  with quality and innovation

But wait, what does this have to do with jackets? I am glad you asked. Henderson just debuted a StormR Typhoon jacket. I haven’t got my hand on one…yet. In fact one of you will before I do :-)…..but just reading the description below from Saltwater Edge site makes me drool. Wetsuit for land??? Nice description.

So when folks from Saltwater Edge in RI aka Edge Angling (http://www.edgeangling.com) and Henderson offered Surfcaster’s Journal Blog readers a chance to win one, we were very pleased. I will always have a soft spot for crew at Saltwater Edge. They have supported me from a day one when I wrote my first book and trough the years have been a great friends. Today they support SJ via Red Gill you see in the magazine. Truly a first class operation, from top to bottom, and wonderful people I am honored to call friends.

So what is the deal?

Saltwater Edge is making this possible, for one of you lucky dogs to win a new Henderson StormR Typhoon Jacket in your choice of size and color!!!

From Saltwater Edge Website (http://www.edgeangling.com/Fishing-Tackle.html#/?filter.brand=Stormr)

Features:
ABOUT THE STORMR TYPHOON

The STORMR® TYPHOON is an adaptation of the wetsuit for land. Its Neoprene Core Technology provides huge thermal benefits in a thin, soft, flexible, windproof and waterproof shell. The STORMR® TYPHOON is made to withstand the harshest of elements while providing comfort and maneuverability unlike most foul weather gear
.
The STORMR TYPHOON is lined with a soft, comfortable micro-fleece material which traps warm air between your body and the shell. All seams on the STORMR® TYPHOON are glued, stitched and then coated with an exterior liquid tape, just like wetsuits for surfing and diving. This construction, although significantly more complicated than construction techniques employed on common outerwear, ensures the STORMR remains waterproof and windproof even in high winds, driving rain and freezing precipitation.

The hazards involved in aquatic activities are real and when the temperatures drop, one mistake can prove to be life-threatening. The STORMR® TYPHOON is a not a Coast Guard approved flotation device but its Neoprene Core Technology offers nearly 5 pounds of positive buoyancy. The STORMR® TYPHOON’s warmth, comfort and safety features give you the edge you need to DEFY THE ELEMENTS.

STORMR DETAILS:

The zipper on the STORMR is also waterproof and is covered with an exterior storm flap to ensure waterproof integrity.

The non-corrosive metal zipper slider ensures years of use in the most brutal conditions.

Interior zippered pocket is spacious for keeping personal items safe and secure.

The attached hood is easily adjusted for a perfect fit and can be worn over other hats or head gear, alone or not at all.

Wrists are adjustable for use over gloves and layering.

Zippered outer front pockets are perfect for keeping hands warm on chilly days, or storing personal items securely.

The STORMR provides a full, relaxed fit with plenty of room for layering, allowing you to perfectly achieve your thermal balance.

##########################################

Like I said, you lucky dogs 🙂

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