Bass Class 2010: New England

Posted on August 24, 2010October 28, 2017 by Julio Silva

I attended the Plum Island Surfcasters fishing show this past February, which hosted DJ Muller. DJ gave an awesome presentation on wet suiting. I just learned that DJ and Dave Anderson have crafted an eight hour class on striped bass and surfcasting: Bass Class 2010 ~ New England~.

If you are a novice or an intermediate surfcaster and you would like to take you fishing up a level, then attend the Bass Class. This class is the most comprehensive class on surfcasting for striped bass and it’s going to be off the hook. Trust me!

The class will cover:

Surfcasting History
Striped bass biology: spawning, reproduction, and migration
Equipment
Techniques: eels, chunking, bait, snag and drop, and artificials
Plug Building History
Understanding lures and how and when to use them: pencil poppers, red fins, shads, and jigs.
Striper Variables: tides, moon phases, wind, and time of year
Reading the water
Bait fish patterns and movements
Finding Stripers
The mental and physical approaches to surfcasting
Cape Cod Canal Basics

The segment on Finding Stripers will be an in depth discussion with pictures and illustrations on what to look for and how to read water. In addition to these topics, there will also be workshops on how to load Red Fins and Super Strikes and how to rig Slug-Go’s and eels.

The Bass Class is being held on Saturday, September 4th from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, Rhode Island. The class costs $125.00 per person. But, as a Fish360 blog reader, you can attend the class for only $100.00; and if you bring a friend, you and your friend can attend the class for only $75.00 per person. As an attendee, you will also receive a notebook and a Bass Class T-Shirt. Now that’s fishconomic!

Seating is limited, so register today by sending DJ an email (be sure to mention this blog article) and a non-refundable $50 deposit. So, am I attending the class? Absolutely! If you knew a blitz was going to happen, would you miss it? I hope to see you there.

Striped-Bass.com

Posted on August 22, 2010November 24, 2016 by Julio Silva

I was fishing one night when I bumped into a fellow surfcaster working pencil poppers. I asked him: “Any luck?”. To my surprise, he replied “Just a dozen schoolies”. During our conversation on night time versus day time plugs, he mentioned that he hangs out on “SB”. “SB, what’s that?”, I asked. He replied “striped dash bass dot com” and then vanished into the dark. I did not catch any fish that night, but I did catch S-B!

Striped-Bass.com is an online community (based in Rhode Island) that was started in 2000 by John Redmond (Handle: JohnR). Two ways to participate in this active community is via forums and events.

The forums are a great way to interact with other members and learn. If you are new to S-B, then I would suggest posting in the Meet & Greet forum and then wade slowing into the Striper Talk, the main forum. Read some posts. Search before asking questions. Comment on existing threads. And then create your own threads. But, keep in mind that online communication is not the same thing as face-to-face communication— lots of visual and non-verbal information is lost in translation. The Plug Building forum and the Rod Buildingforum are two additional forums that you can cast into and retrieve some great knowledge. Although you can learn a lot from these forums, do not forget:

“Knowledge is earned and shared – not instantly downloaded.” — JohnR

S-B has “formal” and impromptu events year round. The events are attended by anglers from nearby states like Vermont and from distant states like California. The two go-to events during the off-season are Plugfest and TFCTFN, which host 100+ members.

Plugfest is a grass-roots show where plug builders from all experience levels can display their hand crafted lures and exchange ideas and experiences. The thing that makes this event unique is its purpose: to celebrate the work, skill, and ingenuity of lure builders from near and far. The lures at Plugfeast are truly amazing creations that simply must be seen and held to be fully appreciated.

TFCTFN is an annual dinner / entertainment night. This event gives members a chance to wish away Old Man Winter and turn towards a new season.

During the season, it’s all about fishing. There are fishing trips to Cuttyhunk Island, Cape Cod, Narraganset, and Plum Island. There are also many impromptu fishing trips organized via private messages (PMs).

If you want GPS coordinates to the best hot spots, then join another community. If you want to learn what works and what people really think of fishing gear based on their direct experience with the products (reels, rods, plugs, etc), then join S-B. If you want to fish with avid anglers in the Northeast, the join S-B. If you would to be part of a community who is passionate about fishing, then join S-B. I hope to see you on S-B. My handle is Fish360.

AquaPac Water Proof Bag

Posted on August 6, 2010October 29, 2017 by Julio Silva

I was wet wading with a friend on Craine’s Beach in Massachusetts. We started fishing before sunrise. As the sun started to rise, a fish rose up and smacked a Stillwater Lures Smack-it popper. The fish was pulling line like the drag was not set. We were waist deep, so we waded back to the beach. We had no idea what fish was on, but we knew it was big. After some tough give and take, my friend landed the fish: a 15 pound bluefish whose girth had gator-like proportions! My friend pulled out his mobile phone to take a picture and to his unpleasant surprise the phone was swimming in sea water. The “water proof” bag he bought to protect his electronic devices failed! Unacceptable.

Fish360 AuquaPac

The following day I was in Maine motoring through the Kittery Trading Postwhen I noticed the same “water proof” bag that failed my friend and a bag by AquaPac. I purchased the AquaPac. But, before I could recommend it to my friend, I tested it. I placed a dry $100.00 USD bill inside the AquaPac and held it below water via 16 ounces of lead:

After 36 minutes, I removed the AquaPac and recovered my money. The AquaPac kept my $100.00 USD bill 100% dry! I now use the AquaPac during my fishing trips and when I go to the beach. I may forget my bait or sunscreen, but I cannot afford to forget my AquaPac. ;-).