Have you ever walked through a minefield? Not the real one, but an imaginary one, the one where you have to choose every word carefully so it doesn’t get interpreted in the wrong way. Welcome to my world….Some of you have probably noticed page 9 of the current issue of the magazine were Tommy slipped in head photographer/hater magnet..Zeno Hromin..sad but true
Sometimes I delete stuff that takes me an hour to write with this one finger of mine. Sometimes mention of a certain products has potential to create firestorm of emails and complains. Fortunately that does not happen too often but it happens enough to make me consider carefully what I say. Which kind of sucks considering I am “shoot from the hip” kind of a person who likes to just write whatever happens to be rattling in my head at the moment.
Like right now, when I am looking at my gear in the garage. I’ve written about the changes that we go through before, something many surfcasters refuse to accept as part of life. They finally save enough money to buy that custom stick that someone recommended in a book years ago, only to find out that this author moved on to other things. I’ve always said that anything written on the internet and in print for that matter should be a starting point in your research, not a final answer to your question. There is so much advice floating out there you could go broke. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve probably recommended few clunkers over the years.
What surprises me the most when I look at my gear is how basic it has gotten over the years. You’d would assume that someone who gets to read about all the new toys and sometimes even get offered stuff to try would be outfitted like a Nascar race car driver . Yet I find myself going back to basics every year more and more.
I wear a Grunden plain pullover jacket most of the time. About 99% of the time actually. Its green , it keeps me from getting wet, sometimes, and it does the job. It’s not breathable, the cuffs are neoprene and the water will run up your sleeves if you take a dive. Does that bother me? Not really. Its water, not hot oil. It is uncomfortable in the summer heat, and you need layers in the November surf. I like layers…
I’ve fished with Lamiglas rods since I got my first custom rod built years ago on recommendation of a former High Hill member Doc Muller. In all these years I never broke one on rocks, never snapped one on a cast. They served me well and they were good value for the money. They still are. After trying Mojo and Legend rods from St Croix Rod Co last year I decided to get some. Unfortunately the reel seat placement on the factory rods does not work for me so our resident rod guru Lou Caruso built me two Legend blanks with custom configurations. Going back two to piece rods after years of fishing with nothing but a one piece stick was kind of exciting..and scary at the same time. Especially since everyone keeps telling me I’ll live to regret it. Time will tell but I don’t think so.So far I have zero regrets. I am trilled the way St Croix rids have preformed. I was fortunate enough to luck into some good fish at Cuttyhunk last year and the reds excided my expectations.I do understand that two piece rods are not for everyone. Some will never, ever even give them a try. And that is fine. That is why I say whatever you read on the net and in books should be your starting point, not gospel.
Speaking of two piece rods. For someone who is looking for a great store stick, a gloomis imx are great rods. I abused mine this early fall and was extremely pleased with it.
If you are thinking of custom, I’d take a serious look at CTS Vapor Trail. After hearing a lot about these rods I finally got one this fall. Light as a feather, crisp and joy to cast. And yet lots of balls to turn the fish. Whatever you decide to do, give Lou Caruso a shot. The man does not have one bad bone in his body and he always puts your interest first when it comes to recommending a stick.
They said no one on Wall Street ever got fired for recommending to buy GE stock. We’ll, same can be said for recommending GSB blanks from Lamiglas. If you want one rod to do everything for you, from casting bombers to casting eels, even chunks, the GSB might be the rod for you.
Waders are another thing. I can’t tell you how many times I returned my waders to Orvis for repair. I am so sick of doing that !!! So after taking their stupid gift cards in return because they keep discontinuing shity waders and buying some fly gear with it, I am down to one pair of their waders which I alternate with my LL Bean waders. LL Bean pair of a stocking foot I often wear in Montauk with Korkers shoes. Under $100 and incredible warranty. Probably one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Korkers is a product you need but you’ll end up hating. These are really nice people in state of Washington but they don’t know their foot from their ass when it comes to making anything for surf or saltwater. Every product they made so far had issues in salt water. Great ideas, nice looking but soles popping, studs falling, shoes peeling…now they come up with yet another interchangeable design shoe..I have to tell you, it’s their best product yet…but I’ve said that before and ended up eating my words
tomorrow some more stuff but first winners of Point Jude giveaway that picked pictures that were our editor’s, Roger Martin favorites
- stephen.stepanian@gmail.com
- leggoemyeggo@comcast.net
- jkavanaugh3129@comcast.net
- richard.w.fuchs@gmail.com
These are the winners of Point Jude giveaway…sorry, no one guessed picture # 5. The winners, please contact us at info@surfcastersjournal.com with your addresses
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Thank you and my address is on the way.
↓Now I would be REALLY disappointed to find out that the Penn Torque is a clunker as I am saving my pennies to get my hands on one.
There was once another dude who loved to fish, who was super intelligent and who had some detractors. To them, this is what he said: It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,who strives valiantly,who errs and comes up short again and again,because there is no effort without error and shortcoming,but who knows the great enthusiams,the great devotions,who spends himself for a worthy cause;who,at the best,knows,in the end,the triumph of high achievement,and who,at the worst,if he fails,at least,he fails while daring greatly,so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. The dude was Theodore Roosevelt and he said this at a speech given at the Sorbenne in Paris, April 23,1910. I’m pretty sure he walked thru minefields both literally and figuratively. He also shot from the hip but i think he hated 2 pc rods as he spoke softly but his big stick was a once piece.
↓Great posts guys, thanks for sharing the awesome quote Jerry. So true. Z I totally hear you….Its all a minefield these days. no matter how passionate and steadfast you are about your thoughts these days if you post it you gotta put IMO or someone will make you eat it….IMO of course. But hey if no one is hating then your probably aren’t saying anything worthwhile either right! and LL Bean waders rock! warranty second to none….imo lol
↓p.s. I was interested in what pgs Rogers fav pics were on. Its always interesting to maybe get a glimpse of someones personality through photography.
↓p.p.s. I read your 1st book hundred times and never took anything as gospel. Just really appreciated and related with someone with great passion for fishing that would put themselves out there and give us a glimpse into his plug bag so to speak.
HEY…for all the haters, you have guys that respect and admire what you do. I’ve got your books, and read the blog/magazine regularly. I’ve never had someone to show me first hand how to fish, for me, I have to soak in all the information I get and make something out of it. The Art of Surfcasting with Lures really opened my eyes and helped a great deal. I don’t always agree with what you say but I always listen.
↓Thanks for the PJ guys. Z, I know it’s easy for me to say, but who gives a shit what the haters think? This is a fishing blog. You give us a wealth of knowledge, and you write you OPINION about products on the market based on how they have performed for YOU. Keep up the great work!
↓Z I’ll continue to read the work of any man who can mispell the word rods two different ways in one post. If thats not a guy I have something in common with I dont know who is. Carry on brother.
↓Fishermen are a jealous breed! Id like to think most of us are humble and are genuinely happy for the success of our fellow anglers. All of us have been there and are next to 3 of our buddies all hooked up and are very excited but deep down you wish it was you hooked up to a bigger and better fish than everyone. Its really human nature for people to bash and disdain rather than praise in these tough times. Keep on doin what you guys do! Bottom line you guys give out great information and sacrifice valuable time putting together some great artwork and info!
↓🙂
↓Zeno, For the last 2 years I have been emailing Sam houser samh@korkers.com at korkers trying to get someone to meet the needs of surfcasters in terms of footwear/spikes. Everyone I meet agrees that korkers while necessary, fall far short of meeting our needs effectively. My hope is that others would contact Korkers and express constructive criticism and provide input on what they need from their foortwear. I have currently been using screw-in wearbars, as have many many other anglers. While they have their downfalls, they meet our needs better than Korkers best products. I wish they would make a boot with the threads built DIRECTLY INTO the sole, so spikes can be threaded directly in, and left there. I hate the sandals, and I dont want a detachable anything on the bottom of my foot!
Thanks for your time…
↓And yes… I walk through a mine field everyday… as do all of us who are married!
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