02.07.13 With signs of Sandy still around we now await Nemo

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     Today the air and water were relatively calm. A NE wind created a little white water but I couldn't find a striper in it to bite. Things looked peaceful, even the lingering signs of the devastation that Sandy left.....and now we're waiting for Nemo.
     I don't know who to trust anymore. The media is just so out of control that even some snow forecasted becomes "StormWatch 2013". I know this is being tracked as a historic storm in terms of snowfall for New England, but others are saying the 40N 70W intersection is going to be were the fronts collide. We can POSSIBLY expect flooding, high winds to 50 mph, rain, and snow with accumulations along the Jersey Shore up to 6 inches with 12-18 inches in New York City, that according to the Weather Channel HERE .
     There seems to be a line E to W that falls somewhere along northern New Jersey, and another N to S that runs along the Turnpike, and it looks like we could be spared....but who knows.

02.08.13 Great day at the vise with Steve Farrar

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     Following the Fly Fishing Show I wrote a post about some of the fly tying materials that I had purchased. In the days that passed I tied, well attempted to tie, some flies using Steve Farrar's Flash Blend. He developed the Blend around 15 years ago by mixing the materials by hand. I worked with Steve back at the old (The) Fly Hatch days, but never paid attention to the saltwater fly fishing as I was all about the trout and the Upper Delaware.
     After my post I received an email from Steve offering to help me out as I started tying with the SF Blend. The SF Blend, a mix of Angel Hair and Slinky Fiber has been around and makes for great baitfish flies when tied properly. As with anything else, there is a learning curve in tying with this material. Several times Steve would say, "Half as much", as the fly was too bulky and had to be trimmed down. Steve ties his flies with the Blend with almost no waste and minimal trimming, which is the way the fly should be tied.
     Not only fantastic tyer but he's a super nice guy and is willing to help anyone who has questions about fly tying or fly fishing. He is a true Ambassador to the sport and I am grateful to have been able to spend the afternoon with him.

02.10.13 Beautiful morning on the beach....water's looking fishy

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     On any morning in the summer along the Jersey Shore you will find bunches of people out at dawn taking in the sights awaiting a beautiful sunrise. I drove down to the beach on this cold post snow February morning to find no one had ventured out just yet. With high tide (new moon) at at just before 7, and sunrise at the same time, it was nice time to see how the water looked post Nemo. As I drove down past the snow covered trees and plowed out driveways I figured I would find off color water and crashing waves with big swells. Surprisingly I didn't find any of that. The water was clean, relatively flat, and very fishy looking. I wanted to know what the water temps were, but with thermometer in hand I was ready, but with Crocs on my feet I wasn't.


      When I got back to the office I pulled up the RU COOL website and took a look at the sea surface temps in the NY Bight. It is a great resource that I first learned about in Rich Murphy's book, Fly Fishing for Striped Bass. I really enjoyed reading this book, and refer back to it often. At this years Fly Fishing Show I had a chance to stand and talk with Rich over a beer, but honestly, my inebriation, his low voice, and out-of-this-atmosphere thinking on striped bass had my heading spinning. I had asked him his opinion on our two year run on winter striped bass fishing and his take on where these striped bass were from. He said the most accurate way to know was to count the striped bass' ear stones....."Bartender I'll take another!" Then we got into mitochondrial DNA....."Bartender, I'll take a double!"



     But back to RU COOL. It is part of Rutgers University and one of the many things they do is compile real time data from satellites, underwater gliders and radar to track things like sea surface temperatures. For me, getting an overall idea of what temps are up and down the Jersey Shore can help in planning my fishing trips day to day, and even every 15 minutes! You can see it for yourself HERE.
   As we continue to have striped bass winter over you can look at the above RU COOL report from this morning and imagine where the striped bass just might be. If you look closely you can see that shore temps might be around 40 degrees, but in certain locations off the beaches it goes up to 45 degrees. Are the bass moving out to warmer water temps and then coming in to eat? Is that why when you make your jump from beach to beach or jetty to jetty you find no fish and then a bunch? We all like to see the birds in the air and give chase, how about the birds swimming in the water? From last year we all saw and learned about how important crabs were in a stripers diet, and that has continued into this year. So, is it fair to say the bass are hovering in water warmers just offshore and then coming in in schools to find and eat crabs?

As with you, I love this stuff, and love trying to figure it all out. And just when you think you "got it", it all changes or something totally blows up your theory.

If I didn't go down to the beach this morning I probably wouldn't have thought about all of this. I think the fish will be coming in to eat over the next few days.
   

02.22.13 Gearing up for Ramsey Outdoor's "Cabin Fever Day"

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Tomorrow, Saturday February 23rd, I'll be presenting an "Intro to Fly Fishing the Jersey Shore" seminar at Ramsey Outdoor in Paramus. It's their "Cabin Fever Day" and major manufacturers, conservation groups, and vendors will be at the store. Below is a schedule of the speakers and their seminar topics,

Rich Strolis- 10AM- Streamer Tactics

George Daniel 11AM - 2012 Trout Lessons

Colin Archer - 12PM- Saltwater Fly Fishing

They'll be great deals at the shop and it's a great opportunity to learn about and pick up new products, new techniques, and even a new fishery.

See you there!

02.25.13 Changes they are acoming......

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     Yep, that's me. Now you'll know everything. After 45 years of battling up and down, mostly up, weight issues tomorrow is go day. Instead of heading down to the beach at first light to check conditions I'll be heading to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch for bariatric surgery. The procedure I'm getting done is called a Vertcial Sleeve Gastrectomy or VSG. Most people are familiar with the gastric bypass or the lap band procedure, this is the newest form of weight loss surgery.      I, like millions of people, have an eating disorder. Some might call it a lack of willpower, or self esteem, which may be true, but there is also a bigger problem out there. It is a form of addiction. Some have a nicotine, alcohol, gambling, or sex addiction, some have a food addiction. It's usually misunderstood or overlooked because hey, everybody eats, just some of us more, or a lot more, than others.      I have been through the ringer of diets and lifestyle modifications over the years. Things like Nutri-System, Atkins, Weight Watchers, diet bars, diet shakes, and even just plan starvation have all worked for a bit, but eventually things go back to (ab)normal. Most people have been up and down with their weight, and like me, have seen big swings over time.      In 2008, my latest hard core attempt,  I "started anew" and went all out slimming down to just under 210 pounds and feeling, and looking, pretty good. Then reality resumes....and so does the eating. My weight creeped up, and on. 210 became 215, then 225, then 240, and so up to 260. When I was at my doctors in September and was told I was approaching a BMI of 40, which is the cutoff for being labeled morbidly obese, I knew I had to do something.     Besides what being "fat" does to your self esteem and physical and emotional self, it's just not healthy. With high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol and a plethora of weight related co-morbidities that occur, my time bomb was started to tick. I realized that this was my doing, but "Hey, stop eating!" or "Change your ways!" was and is easier said then done.      Later that same month when my doctor informed me I was approaching a new weight class, I decided to check out the Weight Loss Center at Monmouth Medical. I was familiar with weight surgery as my mother had a successful gastric bypass in 2004. If it was available years ago I think her mother too would have had it done as she was a very eligible candidate. 


     I initially thought of a lapband, but learned of the VSG, or sleeve. There's no doubt it's invasive, and it's surgery, and yes it's permanent.....but it was time to be done as I was done with well, being fat. Numerous people say "Hey, you're not fat.....your big, husky, large, big boned, broad, heavy......uh, it's fat." According to the "scale" where they look at height vs weight ratios I should be coming to the fight weighing in at 185. That's 75 pounds from where I am at.     So with the sleeve in my mind I started the 6 month process of changing my diet, going through tests, visiting with a psychologist and nutritionist and my surgeon. Of course all of this had to be presented to my insurance company which signed off the same day they got the paperwork. In addition there were monthly support groups meetings that I attended religiously. One thing they all said, "Don't have a last hurrah!", I had about 25. But now, with only hours away, I can say I am ready, although growing more nervous for life after gastric surgery. One thing I hear is, 'The only regret I have is that I didn't have it done sooner!", which makes me feel a little better.     Yes, the picture above is well, just embarrasing, but it serves me well in seeing that that's what I really look like. Not the me in my limited daily wardrobe of clothes that fit and hide what's underneath from the outside world.
These next few weeks, into the next month or two will be a challenge as I use this "tool" and with a new mental approach to eating try and make myself a healthier, and hopefully happier me. In cliche' but, "I will be eating to live, not living to eat."
Have a laugh while you can  (hey it's a half nude fat guy wearing a stripping basket standing on the beach)  as I hope to come out of this looking like Brad Pitt, and not a shar pei!
I'll be ready for those drift trips down the Delaware starting in April and jumping up on the poling platform on the boat in the Navesink in late March. See you out there.

Credit Card That Allows You to Track Your Kid's Spending

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  If you are a parent who gives your child an allowance, then you need to check out this credit card that not only allows you to load their allowance, but also track how they spend it. The benefits of giving your child a credit card over cash are primarily safety from them losing the money, as well as them knowing you will be able to know where they spent their money.
  The Bill My Parents credit card goes way beyond that. The card will actually send you a real-time text or email letting you know where your child is attempting to make a purchase. You then have the option of allowing it or "freezing" the card. This cannot only be helpful in stopping your child from wasting their money, but also give you some insight into what they may be getting into.
  The card can also be loaded by friends and relatives for special occassions like birthdays or graduation.
 For more information click on any of the links in this post or the one below.
Bill My Parents

Martell's Tiki Bar Deal and More

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  Memorial Day weekend is here, and it looks like we are going to have great weather here in New Jersey. The choices of things to do are really unlimited, but should certainly include some outdoor time.
  One of the things us Jerseyans love to do once Memorial Day weekend arrives is head to the Jersey Shore. Whether it is the beaches of Sandy Hook, with it's view of New York City, or the free, wide beaches of Wildwood, or anywhere between, there is surely a beach for everyone in our state.
  My personal favorite is Point Pleasant. The beaches are clean, there are great rides and games for my son, and of course the great food. If you are anything like me then you need to check out this Martell's Tiki Bar Deal that I had emailed to me. You can purchase a $50 certificate for use there for only $25. When do you ever get a 50% discount on a meal, especially one at Martell's?
  Another offer I had emailed to me which I thought was very intriguing was a $40 certificate for only$20 good towards a whale and dolphin watching trip off of Cape May. The offer, along with many more, is available at the KGB deals.
  I hope you will be able to take advantage of these specials, if not this weekend, then in the near future. Meanwhile get out this weekend and enjoy this great state of JERZEEBABY!