Continuing with few of my favorite things thoughts…and the timing could not be better. Every time I open my surf bag I feel like most of the lures in my bags are the gifts that keep on giving. He is too skinny and handsome to play the part of a real St. Nick but Mr. Steve Musso is about as close to a magical character that fulfills surfcasters wishes as we are ever  going to get.

Its no secret that my bag has in the past held 80 to 95% lures made by Super Strike lures. There have been years when due to injury I fished nothing but bucktails, and years like this one where I fell in love with Sebile Stick Shads and sometimes went out with a dozen in my bag (this is for different reasons than carrying Super Strike however). I’ve fished with just about every lure maker product over the past thirty years or so but I keep coming back to Super Strike.

I truly believe that big reason for this is a confidence have in the lures, their durability and mostimportant consistency. The wood is good, but will never beat plastic in consistency. I have to mention that I find it amusing when uniformed idiots (and I am being kind) take upon themselves to bash Super Strike this year because their favorite store might not have received enough of them as in the past. The simple truth is that Super Strike, after all these years, finally moved into an official shop and out of the house basement. Of course there were unforeseen delays which put production a little behind the curve, and with an increased demand there was a noticeable shortage. But I know personally that Mr Musso has been working his ass off with his staff to catch up. In fact he canceled all appearance at all shows this winter so he can stay in the shop and crank more plugs. this includes Striper Day, so you know he is taking this stuff seriously. But I guess its easier to go on these sites, where people who would find reason to spit on Mother Teresa if she ever comes down from heaven, and spread garbage instead of facts. Because facts take time to research, garbage  just comes our of their mouths naturally.

Anyway, back to why. I understand some of you (probably very few) are new and truly do not know how deadly this things are. But it wont take long until you get your own appreciation  for those lures that might equal or exceed my own

Little Neck Popper

2 3/8  black eye, cast like a missile , pops like a champ (deadly at night on a slooooooooow retrieve) , deadly with eel skins. One of the best all around popping plugs ever made

Needlefish

Pick em’….short, long, fast sink, slow sink. They are one of my favorite. Any time but particularly at night, generally first lure out of my bag. I don’t care if there is one or zillion sand eels or none in the area, May or November or August, I would never went to beach at night without one.

Bottle plug

Good in  rough water, good fast water plug, good big bait profile. Extremely underused and under appreciated plug

Darter

No need for intro here. I own maybe few hundred SS darters. Yes, I like darters. In calm to moderate surf, any day of the week and twice on Sundays. You can get them working a little faster in slow water but they really excel in the fast shallow water, like ones found around Montauk Point.

Merry Christmas to all of you !

Blog post by SJ Rod Guru Lou Caruso

Some time ago I was chatting with the owner of ODM rods. We spoke of the lack of variety when it came to one piece rods here in the northeast. You have the old standby Lamiglas, Cousins in 9’ and 10’ lengths and CTS. The problem with the one piece is shipping and availability. It has become cost prohibitive to get one piece blanks without buying a large volume of them to offset the shipping costs. Jokingly I suggested ODM get into one piece blanks as there 2 piece rods have proven to be quite nice. Little did I know it was already in the works. Last month the prototypes arrived. There are presently 3 blanks. A 10’ rated 1-5 and 2, 11’ rated ¾-4 and 2-6.  I built all 3 in a few days and went and tested them. Usually we shoot a video when testing, and it’s 5 degrees with a 25 MPH wind blowing but due to conflicts in schedules we just couldn’t get it done. I went to a local pier and spent 3 hrs testing all 3 rods. I casted within their limits, below their limits and all types of plugs and tins. All of them handled the load beautifully. I have to say, casting is effortless and all 3 rods casted with very good distance. All of them casted directly into a 15-10 mph wind that was blowing at the time and handled it well.

From the beginning, I was really liking the 11’ 2-6 and it didn’t disappoint. That rod has some serious power and I can see it handling big water, big currents and big plugs with ease. It will also be an excellent rod where you need to manhandle fish to keep them out of structure and away from rocks and obstructions. The thing I found interesting was that it also threw an SP minnow well. ODM did a fine job designing all of these blanks with a tip soft enough to throw lighter plugs with enough mid-section power to also throw heavier plugs with ease.

The other 2 are both excellent and all 3 would handle places like Montauk or Cutty very well.

After I was done testing, I offered them up locally to anyone wanting to join me and give the rods a shot. First test was in the parking lot. I had one of the guys hold the rod while I pulled down on the line. After almost pulling him out of his shoes, I had him cup the spool and hold on. I was pulling so hard the 30 pound braid let loose. This was on the 10’ 1-5. That rod has some serious backbone.

We went down to the water where they threw a variety of lures in different weight ranges and of different types. The rods were all sensitive and all handled poppers and pencils well. When the guys figured out they didn’t have to put a lot of effort into their casts they all got some pretty impressive distance on the casts. After we got back the guy were posting their reactions to the rods on the internet. There was some feedback as to whether or not they would handle fish and fight them well. Unfortunately the season was over and I never got the chance to fight fish on them, but have caught fish on similar ODM 2 piece rods. The ¾-4 weight class handled 30 pound plus bass in a strong current with ease, and would I not hesitate for a second to hook up with any fish that swims our waters with these new 1 piece rods.

These with only be available as blanks for rod builders. There will be no factory rods due to shipping logistics. The blanks will have distribution points at least in NY and NJ and possibly Mass. in the beginning so either you or your builder will have the ability to go pick them up.

I wanted to get this out before the show season begins, because as I always say, go check them out for yourself. ODM will have them on display starting with Striper Day here on Long Island. Prices are listed on ODM’s website.(www.odmrods.com)

After few years of fishing with 10’ rod , mainly one piece fused Century Armalite Noreaster,my elbow finally felt up to going back to 11’ foot rod this year. In the fall I fished exclusively with a new ODM Genesis rod and I am planing to write a review now that season is done and I get some time after the holidays, hopefully for the March issue. But they were occasions during the last two years where i need a  solid two piece stick and one rod filled just about every need I had. It sticker price might shock some of those who like to spend a weeks pay on a stick, but I assure you this one damn fine rod . I am talking about Tsunami Airwave Elite series of rods. I am particularly fond of a 9’ 6” model rated 3/4 to 3oz and retails around $180!

in beginning I thought this would be strictly a “back up” rod. Hell, I still remember the day Tsunami Rep Nick Cicero showed me a prototype at the Surf Day at River’s End Tackle in CT. He said it would retail around $200 and I said to myself how good of a rod can it be at that price? We’ll I was wrong because it not only fills  most of my needs at home but I thought enough of it too carry it to south to tangle with some reds and snook too. Could it be your primary rod? I think so. Does it do everything great? No, but show me a rod that does! I am not a 100% up on their warranty but I have heard nothing but great things about dealing with their customer service, another surprising fact for a $200 rod.

I usually pair it with a VS 150 and its my go to rod to fish the jetties on south shore with Silver Fox in sping. Ok, those of you who know me know I eally prefer a 7 foot rod and flip flops on jetties ,but for my own safety and that of a fish, this rod does a much better job taming a fish then a short stick, never mind its longer casting distance. The other problem, particularly with those long, green (and often pissed off) spring run bluefish that are all head and lean bodies, the little longer rod goes a long way in trying to “discourage” them from going around the tip of the jetty and cut me off. I win most of the time but sometimes on a screaming moon tide I have been on a  losing end of this fight. I also own a 3-5 oz rated 9’ 3” model of this rod and only only use for eels and heavy shads. Its a little too stiff for most plugs but the one rated 3/4-3 is an absolute pleasure to fish with..and easy on a wallet.

Not everything we use has to have a giant $ sticker attached to it. Maybe you’d be surprised that 99% of lures in my bag are made from Super Strike. Status has never been something I ever yearned for. For Christ sake I am driving now a 15 year old Ford Explorer. Its a solid truck on the beach and gets the job done. I never really felt at disadvantage  while using it. kind of like my Airwave rods.

Of all the “tools” I use and carry over the years, two sticks out like sore thumbs when out comes to longevity and their usefulness. My VS pliers which have been on  my belt for a dozen years and still look to me like new and my 30 Boga Grip. I did tried a a plastic gripper tools, just never took liking to them. There was a time when I really did not care for Boga banging against my thigh as I walked. But once Silver Fox made this simple Boga carrying tool out of a thin PVC pipe, I don’t even feel its there until I need it. Please be advised that you still should use a lanyard to attach the Boga to your belt. this is just a holder, it will not preclude the tool from falling out.

I honestly use Boga few times a year to actually weigh a fish. The primary use of the tool for me is to unhook the fish. I understand each of us have its own methods of doing this. Some guys like to grab a plug, some leader and some try to get a good grip in the mouth. Last few years, unless I am fishing a bucktail I could go a whole year without touching a fish. Does it takes me a little longer to sometimes get a tool in the mouth that it would otherwise be using my hand? Yes, but where am going that I am in such a rush?

You might poh-poh at 30lb scale. Yes there were few nights this year where not only I but also my fishing partner Silver Fox bottomed out our scales multiple times. I think I did it on three consecutive casts on a  Sebile Stick shad during a Noreaster while he did it on a heavy weighted SS needle. Did it bother me that I don’t know the exact size? Not really. What about if its a 50? It could be a 70lb but it will only still be reported as 30 if I submitt it to my club. Not sure when I stopped carrying Manly scale few years ago, but it does not feel weird. I used to fish for points, to compete, for the club, for a lot of things other than my pure enjoyment. These days I just fish for me. The way I want, when I want and Boga is definitely one of my favorite things

I was writing about Otter Tails ( http://otterlures.com/) yesterday, then I looked in my basement and realized I have few extra jars that i could share with out readers..so I said to myself, giveaway time!!!!

I got three jars of Otter Tails to give away. We’ll pick three winners in few days randomly via app and notify them of being a winner via email.

To enter , please enter your email in the box bellow..that’s is all you need to do

Good luck to all

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The fact that I have to disable the comment box so you guys can’t  put “im in”  is really disheartening….just saying 

I guess this would be  the perfect time of the year to list a few of my favorite things. It is remarkable that every video we put out and even though we take pains not go into specifics of gear that we might be holding in the video(for crying out loud they are just props most of the time, stuff you need to hold to make point)  we get  “what rod are you using where can I buy that’?

So if time and life allows I will try to do a list of my few favorite things this holiday season.

The first one and probably the strangest want to Most of you probably think that I am going to sing praises to some thousand dollar reel or newest nanotechnology rod,  but this is about as low-tech as you can get. And most of the time simplicity is the beauty of things.

When I heard that uncle Josh is discontinuing pork rinds I swear to God I almost had a mini stroke.

Because of my elbow injury I’ve fished  bucktails as much as probably any of you and probably more than many of you combined. Then my elbow got better but I realized that bucktails are so damn productive that I just kept on using them. And you know what, the more I used them, the better I got. The better I got the more I used them. Kind of a catch 22.

But to me the pork rind is as important as the bucktail itself. In general I used to striper split tails and stripers strips so when I heard that Uncle Josh will discontinue making all pork rinds, it was a big deal.

Big deal enough for me to run to Kmart after work in Penn station and buy every damned jar they had. With about 12 jars I figured I was good for a while.

He is the funny thing….. I fished all year and I still have 11 1/2 jars !!!

I understand many of you feel that government regulations are the way to get things done or at least to correct things that are ” wrong” or “missing” in our society. But the way our system is designed , private businesses will step in and fill any gaps where there is more demand that supply. As soon as Uncle Josh announced that they were discontinuing pork rind I am sure the light bulbs went off in people’s head.

And now in a very short time we have bunch of products that  are as good if not better than Uncle Josh was. I am primarily talking about Otter Tails strips and Fat Cow strips, two products that are on the market that might be actually a better product than the one they replaced.

I used them extensively, especially in the fall and I have to say I was damn impressed. What is worse than opening your surf bag and finding a shriveled piece of bacon on your hook that you forgot to remove two night ago? Not many things . Maybe finding a live eel that you “lost’ three days ago on 95 degree august night…Seeing your shriveled up pork rind is a plain torture… and removing it is not that easy either.

I am a little more familiar with Otter Tails  (http://otterlures.com/)so  that is the brand I am primarily going to be referring to. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think these things are better than pork rind. The only thing that I actually miss is the thickness of the pork, but everything else it’s as good or even better some cases. How can you not love the product that holds a scent, that is very hardy,  almost indestructible yet you never have to worry about putting them back in the jar. You impale them on your bucktail and you can leave them forever and they will never dry out. I will be the first to admit that I have not fed them to as many bluefish as I would liked but this fall did not have a lot of blues until very late in the season. I do know that I landed over a hundred bass on the single Otter Tail trailer and it looked great. What I also liked about them is that they are made in bunch of different configurations so if you want to split tail or if you are fan of using curly tails or you just want a long striper strip, they make it and in different lengths too.  I have a video I am hoping to complete to show the action underwater but  low water clarity as usual is dreck where I fish. So there is one of my favorite things, nothing crazy expensive but definitely something that I am glad is around to replace the pork without significant or actually any loss of quality, underwater action or fish catching ability.

Van Staal reels national sales rep Craig Cantelmo and SJ Zeno Hromin are discussing how to pick the right size and type of reels for the way you fish.

Here is an unedited and very raw, phone video from Mexico that Ryan took while i was hooked up to a jack

I figured some of you might want to see what these travel rods look like i action. The quality is what it is, pretty good  for a phone. I made it unlisted so basically just for the guys on the blog

And yeah, that jack kicked my ass. I never want to catch one twice its size

Still home sick as a dog but tomorrow, we got the  SJ Holiday Flea Market coming up tomorrow so we hope to see a lot of you there

all the info you can find here lifishingshow.com and all the special offers are on SJ FB page
Two free seminars by John Skinner
PENN Reel giveaway every hour
First 200 attendees receive Otter Tail Lures
First 400 attendees receive door prize (we are going to sweeten up the pot with some books,  Spro bucks, Tsunami, Gag’s lures and Game hooks giveaways)

I promised you a  story about the unusual guides

So here it is in a video form

Sorry about the delay but I’m sick as a dog….

I hope all of you have had great holiday with your families. The fishing was great to nonexistent, depending on where you were. Long island has a ton of “death rats”, under 10 inch fish that usually signal that the end of the season is near. Not even a hundred miles away in NJ, the fishing was on fire during Thanksgiving  weekend. This is a picture from Asbury Press, not sure if i’d participate BUT I am trilled that our NJ surfcasters had a BITE to tend too. They have had a rough seasons lately with a lot of gaps with no fish as they migrate, so I am happy to see a lot of guys catching on FB.

Today’s blog will be kind of info related today, well get back to Mexico stories and some new videos this week if possible. Just a note about the new Tsunami Shield reel. I wish people would chill the #**** out ……its a $100 reel. If it performs as half as good as their Airwave Elite rods I will be trilled. Its not designed to be a replacement for your VS, Torque or even Slammer. Its an entry level reel that is supposed to hopefully be better than anything in that price range…Thats it

Next Sunday Dec 4th

SJ in association with PENN Reels and Otter Lures is presenting Holiday Fishing Flea Market at Hofstra U (same location as Striper Day in January). We have a good mix of vendors and John Skinner on hand to spice things up with some free seminars (please be advised that sitting is limited to first 50 people for seminars)

All the info you can find on the show website www.lifishingshow.com

including hours, directions, who’s coming and seminar info

Here is a short version

Two free seminars by John Skinner

We are going to PENN Reel giveaway every hour

First 200 attendees will  receive Otter Tail Lures

Next 400 attendees receive door prize from SJ and other sponsors ( lures, books, hooks or  terminal tackle)

Here is a link to out FB Event page https://www.facebook.com/events/320449191657750/

if you are thinking of coming, please click on this link on FB https://www.facebook.com/events/320449191657750/

Next, few things back in store for the first time this year at www.surfcastersgear.com

pullover Sleeping While Creeping Hoodies

and Sleeping While Creeping blue t-shirts

figured I let you know before they sell out again