I’ve read a lot lately on the boards about frustration. Fish popping, swirling, breaking water, slurping…but not hitting.

If you have fished for few years you learn to accept this. If you don’t, you’ll be frustrated as hell.

I remember a night behind the old OBI few years ago when weakfish run was good. The bass and weaks were running between my legs on the sandbar, slurping the bait all night long. I thought I found heaven only to throw every plug in the bag and get exactly one hit on a jelly worm. To ad to the misery, I dropped that fish too.

Silver Fox and I were fortunate this week to get on a consistent bass bite. But it was frustrating as hell. One night I had a 16 and a 17 pounders on consecutive casts then I sucked wind for the next hour while the fish were rolling around me. Then a quick three schoolies, then lull again. Fish are there, sometimes breaking water so close that they startled me. But they refuse to hit the lure. And it wasn’t for lack of trying…

We went trough just about every plug in our bags but the only consistent producers were small to medium plastic swimmers. Again, nothing unusual about that either.

And how about foul hooking? You expect to foul hook a bass in the blitz but not in the spring when they are feeding leisurely and there is an hour between hits sometimes, right?

Wrong

Some nights I managed to foul hook more fish than I hooked into the mouth and almost all of them were hooked behind the head. Which tells me that bass rushed (what he perceives) bait then turns around at last moment and tries to stun it with a tail? I have no other reasonable explanation. But spring can be maddening

Then again, that is the lure of this sport, as the season goes along, the bait changes, the productive spots change, your lure section and their feeding habit. They all change.

Which is kind of neat if you like to be challenged…but which sucked with a capital S when I was just starting up and could not for the life of me understand what I am doing wrong and why these fish, which are obviously on the feed, are not hitting your lure.

Seriously, its not you…for once J

Btw

I get a lot of offers to try out lures. And I politely decline most of them. In fact, I prefer contacting a maker of particular lure and ask for one to test. I mean, how many dudes are out there making metal lip swimmers? Way too many if you ask me.

Then there is Frank C, the dude that makes Guide Choice plugs. He is a boat guy. You tell him he has to walk twenty yard and he is looking for a Loran and GPS.

Lmao

But I like Frank. He is a strapping Italian dude with a mustache that would make Ron Jeremy proud. He does a lot of work with Fisherman Conservation Association and is actively involved in education of our youngest anglers. And for whatever reason, for a guy who runs a charter boat, he makes some great plugs. That is the only way I can put it. So far, his Old School Swimmer is my favorite, it cast well, it holds up and it produced personal best at Cutty for our Chef Andrew few years ago. This spring I switched mainly between two plugs, and the reason was that these two were the most effective ones. First is a standard cant-miss-school-buss Bomber. No brainer there. But some night they were ignoring that too but hitting Guides Choice Mucho minnow

My first impression of this plug? Cast well for its size. In fact, just about everything Frank makes casts well in comparison to other lures of same type. But even in comparison to Bomber, this is smaller lure at 4 3/8 and weighing in a 3/4 ounce.

Yet I felt it casted as well as Bomber. And caught fish pretty good.

As many of you know, I am not a small plug guy. The smallest plug for 99% of the time d

uring the season is either a 7-inch redfin or 1 3/4 Super strike needlefish. Everything else is 2 ounces and up.

But right now, when fish are often ignoring big plugs and feeding on small bait I found

that switching between Mucho Minnow and a School Buss bomber works for me.

In case you are wondering what color is the Mucho minnow. I will give you one guess. Because that is all you need.

Yup, its yellow, as it’s the Mag Darter, Choopy Darter, SS needle, some small metal lips swimmer and most of other plugs in my bag77.

Hi, I am Z and I have a yellow problem…Wait..There is Chrome Redfin in there. How can you go out without chrome Redfin?

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

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

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

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

In “Part One” I outlined some of the more obvious changes happening in this tourist-fishing town, knowing full well I’d get a mixed response. And I did. But what I didn’t do a particularly good job at was explaining (in my opinion) how this very recent round of changes was nothing compared to the more dramatic changes that have been observed over a much longer period of time.

So here goes:

I guess all this complaining about “change” should rightfully start with the Montaukets, right? These were the only real “locals,” after all.

Today’s locals cry about having to deal with bankers and trust fund citiots (Urban Dictionary: More commonly from New York City, citiots venture out to their summer homes in the Hamptons from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They usually have fancy cars and are usually wealthy. They drive like they own the place, and they walk around town and in stores like they own them too. Citiots are very snobbish. See also snob)

But the Montaukets certainly had it much worse. Try as they might to live a peaceful life in the land of wampum and plenty, those Pequots from up in southern New England (no doubt future Red Sox fans) seemed hell bent on making life miserable for the Montaukets. What do you think those Montaukets thought, seeing those bass rolling on the south side in 1500? All the seafood, deer and turkey, only an arrow shot away?

White settlers eventually invaded the place, these strange looking white men (that’s you and me, Bub) would eventually would change the place forever. Anyway, somewhere along the way these settlers managed to buy almost 9,000 acres of what we now recognize as most of Montauk.

By  the 1700s, Montauk was used for livestock (watch your step). It was finally “rediscovered” by Arthur Benson of Brooklyn, who bought all of Montauk for $151,000 in 1879. He didn’t buy the property from Barbara Corcoran or Sotheby’s,  no, he bought it during an auction, from the steps of the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse.

Fuhgeddaboudit.

But at least Benson was a sportsman at heart, his only intention was to use the place for hunting and fishing, for his sons and friends. Not a bad guy to have been friendly with at the time. So there, the Brooklyn-Montauk fishing connection actually goes way back. I always got along great with the Brooklyn crowd anyway.

Imagine what a comeback line: “YES, AS MATTER OF FACT, I DO OWN THE WHOLE DAMN MONTAUK POINT!”

Next turn at trying to screw the place up came from Carl Fisher, who reportedly acquired most of the land from Benson’s heirs  (so that’s a $151,000 purchase flipped for $2,500,000 in 1925). Most of you know how this story ended – probably the only good thing to come from the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, which clearly prevented Fisher from realizing his dream of an exclusive resort here.

Since then, Montauk has seen vast amounts of development, but has resisted just enough wholesale change to keep the place special. We all piss and moan at the changes, but thankfully, there are/were enough people in the right places  (some no longer with us) with the means and talent for making important things happen, often behind the scenes.

Quite striking when you really think about it. How many acres are still undeveloped? How many acres survived the threat of a mass housing development, or even a golf course? How many times was a big sale threatening to go through, or a development being contemplated, until one or more tenacious people stepped in and convinced the town/county/state to buy the land instead? All that state and county land? Shadmoor? Amsterdam?

These could have been gated communities, or an amusement park, or a private club? Instead, there is land. You can practically live out of your truck for a few days, and fish non-stop. You probably won’t get bothered as long as you don’t screw it up for yourself: you know, get drunk, pee in front of others, leave a mess, or complain too much about your “rights” while you blast all the other people who want use the land and beach for what they enjoy too. You can still drive on the beach too, and if on East Hampton or County property, stop to build yourself a fire. Maybe even spike a rod and cook something you just killed (or bought at the IGA)…you know, live out your true inner caveman.

Try that in New Jersey.

More to write on this…maybe an “Occasional Series?”

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

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.

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

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.

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

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

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

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

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

At one stage of my life, my interest in Montauk was limited to rips, rocky shores and surfcasting. My plans were based on NOAA forecasts and tides, maybe tweaked with up-to-the-minute fishing reports. Most trips were 24 to 72 hour fishing binges, with sleep limited to a couple hours here and there, always in the truck. Showers consisted of a gallon of cold water poured over my head, and food meant a cold slice of pizza, or a soggy hero. Contact with loved ones was limited to how much change I had for the payphone.

Marriage and family changed all of that. It didn’t take long for me to realize that if I wanted to carry on fishing like this (and stay married), I was going to have to find a way to bring the family along. This meant making the whole experience much more inviting to the diverse interests of women and children.

Most of the surfcasters like me – who decided they had a long-term interest in a single place – found ways to make this work. Many invested in a condo or time-share, others found the funds for a slide-on or RV with every imaginable creature comfort! Still others bought property and/or moved to the east end of Long Island, full-time.

Today, for many readers, I am sure Montauk means much more than just fishing.  I pick on “Montauk” but I am sure the same type of observations I am about to make can be noted for other Northeast surfcasting/tourist destinations. For those among us, what is happening in and around town is just as important as what is happening on the beaches.

Good or bad, Montauk remains a working fishing village with a significant portion of its survival reliant on the weather, and pegged to the whims of regional tourists.

I write this knowing I can easily draw a chorus of “things ain’t like they used to be.”  I could be writing this in 1960 and yearn for the good old 40s. Someone a generation from now will no doubt yearn for how good it was in 2020. Many readers might have personal stories of a Montauk that used to be, but some sound like the cranky old fart  who tells us how he used to walk to school barefoot in the snow, uphill, both ways.  Likewise, I also risk painting a picture of how rich city money found its way to Montauk – and stole that salt-of-the-earth fabric that made Montauk such a wonderful place to begin with.

America prefers a story told this way, with an easy-to-follow plot, and where you can quickly tell the good guys from the bad. This is how Hollywood taught us, and even journalists jump for a story where everything is black and white. Seldom is it ever so.

The recent Montauk “changes” themselves are easy to identify, but in reality, the driving forcesappear to be coming from a number of different directions. I pen this as a “Part One,” knowing I might need more space to complete some thoughts. We’ll see. Remember, this is just one person’s view…and some mighty touchy subject matter here…so just don’t get your knickers in a twist.

The most easily documented change in Montauk comes from trends in real estate. We all have our stories of property that couldda wouldda shouldda been purchased for a song back in the 80s or even 90s, on Block Island, Nantucket, Cape Cod, take your pick. No different here. But what was particularly telling in Montauk was the more recent invasion of larger agencies buying out / pushing out the mom and pop one-location businesses that used to dominate this very local market.   There was a time, not so long ago actually, when the bigger agencies seemed uninterested in the hamlet – when they seemed to prefer the choicer listings in East Hampton and Southampton.   Today, all the big agencies are here, and a Montauk oceanfront parcel is likely to be mentioned in everything from the East Hampton Star to the Wall Street Journal.

Go ahead, curse the bankers if it makes you feel any better, lump in some celebrities if you must.  But ongoing inspection of real estate transfers over the past ten years will find a fair number of enterprising Montauk locals doing their own fair share of house flipping, thank you very much.

True, more celebrity and corporate types have found their way to Montauk – a well-known name buying a property in Montauk is hardly news-worthy anymore – but the rocky shores have hosted the likes of Dick Cavett, Paul Simon, Andy Wharhol, Jacqueline Onassis, the Rolling Stones and countless others, looong before many readers here ever beached their first Montauk striper (myself included).

If you are hauling your wife and kids out to Montauk again this year (as will I be), you will encounter the most striking changes in the options for eats and drinks.

Trends?  Less fried fisherman’s platter joints and bars with stale beer smells, and more Asian-fusion, gourmet wraps and other globally-inspired offerings. At the risk of over-simplifying the trends, “soul surfer chic” best sums up what has been happening in eating and drinking these days. Don’t worry, you’ll still have enough drink-til-you -puke bars, where it is still possible to get a front row seat for an authentic bar room brawl.  (I won’t mention any here by name, but scan the police blotter section of the local newspaper if you must have details.)

Perhaps the Montauk trend in eats and drinks only mirrors what is happening in other parts of the country –establishments known best for fried food and mass-produced domestic beer are fast falling out of favor, are they not?

A growing number of tourists, it seems, do have an interest in surfing and fishing – if only the image. Put a little more bluntly, there is no shortage of recent establishments that have somehow worked “surfing” into the theme. Hey now, we fisherman can’t curse the surfers –nothing prevents any one of us from jumping into the market with a “Surfcasting Shack,”– and there is ample opportunity as almost every long-established place of business is either for sale right now, or has recently changed hands. And we can’t associate all these changes to “outside money” either, since enough of this is being driven by local entrepreneurs. The bottom line is that (a) it’s going to be harder and harder to find affordable places to eat and drink this year, but (b) it seems more and more tourists (and some locals) want it that way.

Don’t worry, as of now, Rick’s Crabby Cowboy and John’s Drive-In remain open for business.

Is Montauk really becoming a place where celebrities and hedge fund managers are having all the fun, and where the good old hard-working locals are being pushed out? This is where it gets most confusing.

The math clearly evades me  – the cost of living must be driving the “community fabric” – fisherman, teachers, administrators, policemen and others  – out of town. Quite frankly, I do not know how anyone in one of these occupations can make it work, not when a deli sandwich costs $10, a gallon of gas $5 and a “starter home” is listed at $750,000.

Here’s the real hard part – I seldom go for long without running into/ hearing of a successful local businessman or tradesman, who has found a way to devote a good portion of play time to Florida, Costa Rica, or some other exotic South Pacific surfing/fishing destination. I asked a waitress why a particularly popular restaurant was closing so early last fall. The place was mobbed, with an hour wait at peak. He could easily have filled the seats, at least on weekends, all winter long. “He just wants to spend more quality time with his family…skiiing, fishing…” I was told.  OK. So, I’ll spare you the stories of months of sailing or extended surfing quests.  But just how much of this ability to take extended time is afforded by the influx of that “evil” city money?

My current inability to negotiate my own “bi-coastal” living arrangement is reason enough why I am still very much on the outside, looking in.

More to write on this…maybe.

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]

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 ?

[issuu width=420 height=162 shareMenuEnabled=false showHtmlLink=false backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120311004957-aa2402a5155442c7ab27bce503b9ff57 name=surfcasters_journal_issue_12 username=surfcasters_journal tag=fishing unit=px id=38ba2ca8-adb8-1562-d125-ebdeb78a3d97 v=2]