When Surfcasting Around the Block was published, it became a required reading for anyone serious about targeting trophy striped bass. Dennis Zambrotta collaborated with top striped bass anglers and expanded on the Block Island surfcasting story by publishing his second book: Surfcasting Around The Block II.

Surfcasting Around The Block II provides a cross-sectional view into fishing Block Island from the surf, kayak, and boat via plugs, eels, flies, and chunks. Dennis Zambrotta also covers freshwater fishing on Block Island, which is a fantastic option while waiting for a specific tide stage. This is the first book that I have read where the role of fishing clubs in preserving access to the surf for fishing is mentioned. Fishing clubs are the universities of recreational fishing! I enjoyed reading this book and I think you will too. Howe

I have been researching and working on a book on striped bass fishing for several years. When I completed building my custom Gloucester Light Dory in October 2020, I started collecting all of my research and writing my book. After three years of writing during the hours that I should have been sleeping or fishing, I completed my book: Plugging the Water Column for fishing fanatics.

Fishing for striped bass with plugs is a specialized method that requires a specific rod, reel, line, leader, and terminal tackle combination optimized for the platform from which you are fishing: surf, boat, kayak, or SUP. After you have the proper gear, the next step is knowledge. What plugs catch fish? What plugs require modification to hold a trophy striped bass? What modification enhances a stock plug’s action? How do you select a plug’s color? Where do you fish certain categories of plugs? My book answers these questions and how to plug the water column for striped bass— from spooks to jigs and everything in between.

The path from October 2020 to October 2023 was not linear. At times, I felt like I was writing a book without an ending. After the first full end-to-end draft, a structure started to emerge. After the second draft, I realized that the “book” had two different focuses, hence, I split the book project in two. I am now working on my second book.

Catching a 50 pound striped bass is like winning the gold at that the Olympics.  There are thousands of anglers with this 50 pound striped bass gold medal.  Interestingly, there are just over 100 anglers with a recorded striped bass over 60 pounds!  Tony Checko tells the stories of some members in this exclusive club in his book The striped bass 60+ Pound Club.

In addition to the 15 epic stories of 60+ pound fish, Tony Chemo has packed the covers of his book with practical fishing information:

• Fishy Websites on Striped bass
• Hot Spots for Striped bass
• Best spots and times to hunt trophy Striped bass based on the historical record
• Tips from Trophy Striper Hunters
• Conservation Challenges
• IGFA Weighing Stations

Experience is the best teacher.  You can learn from your experience.  You can also learn from other anglers’ experiences.  If you want to gain years of knowledge in hours, then read The striped bass 60+ Pound Club by Tony Checko.

I met Greg Myerson while I was the President of the Plum Island Surfacaters. Greg and I have a lot of things in common. He played college football. I played high school football. He is a licensed Electrician. I studied electricity at my first high school. He started fishing at an early age for fun. I stared fishing at an early age for food. He bought his first boat with money he raised from trapping. I bought my first bicycle with money I raised from recycling cans. In 2011 he caught an 80+ lb striped bass. In 2011 I caught an 8+ lb striped bass. After reading “Born to Fish”, I know why he and I connected and understood each other without explanation.

Grey Myerson knew from a very early age what he wanted to do: fish. When he was just ten years old, he caught a 50 lb striped bass. In 2010, he caught 3 striped bass over 60 pounds. On August 11, 2011, he caught an 81.88 lb striped bass just after sunset while drifting an eel on a 3-way rig with a RattleSinker at dead high tide (slack outgoing). In 2013 while fishing with his cousin, he caught a 75 lb striped bass, which he harvested after it died during the fight. On the same night, he caught a fish that bottomed out a scaled rated for 90 lbs; he measured it’s length, girth, and calculated its weight to be 106 pounds! He released this fish without hesitation.

Greg’s life path is not ordinary. He overcame significant challenges in his life. These challenges are what propel him to catch the world record striped bass, invent a product that is revolutionizing the fishing industry, and win a deal on Shark Tank. Greg Myerson is an outlier!

Tim Gallagher’s words captures Greg Myerson the man and Greg Myerson the angler. I am a better person and angler for having read Born to Fish.

I am an all species, all methods angler. I have spent the past 20+ years hunting striped bass with bait, plugs, and flies from Maine to Montauk via shore, kayak, boat, and skishing. The more I learn, the more I discover what I do not know. Before I start forgetting more than what I learn, I want to capture and share my personal experience and knowledge. Hence, my book project!

I will continue to write blog articles during 2021, just at a lower publishing frequency. I will also continue with my monthly newsletter, which in 2021 will have subscriber only content! Do I have a project for 2022? Do fish swim?

I purchased Monster Shallow-Water Stripers after I met Capt. Jim White at a Plum Island Surfcasters fishing show. The book collected dust while it rested on the top shelf of my striped bass library because at first glance, it looked like a “boat fishing” book. OMG. I was wrong!

After reviewing this book, I calculate that approximately only 40% of the book is focused on targeting striped bass via boat; 80% of which, is directly applicable to targeting striped bass via kayak or surf. In addition, Capt. Jim White has chapters dedicated to kayak fishing, fly fishing, surfcasting, weather, and electronics. After reading the “Working with your Captain” chapter, I started catching quality fish on my charter trips. Coincidence?

Capt. Jim White has done us a HUGE service to the saltwater angling community by documenting the hard and soft structures that attract and hold striped bass:

• Flats
• Rivers
• Points
• Sandbars
• Coves and Bays
• Docks and Piers
• Rock Piles
• Bridges
• Breachways/Inlets
• Shadow Lines
• Baitfish Schools
• Water Color Lines
• Scum Lines

I will never look at a coast line the same way again. Fish beware!

Bottom line, if you target striped bass in shallow water from boat, kayak, or surf, then you must Monster Shallow-Water Stripers by Capt. Jim White with undivided attention. The field proven tips for targeting striped bass via fly from a boat alone are worth the small cost of this book.

Largemouth bass are aggressive predators. The American Anglers who targeted these fish from 1888 to 2009 are equally aggressive. In his book, Steve Price captures the first hand accounts of 42+ men who made largemouth bass fishing an All-American sport.

Some of the stories provide great historical insight on the origin of modern lures. Some stories are hilarious! Some of the stories are inspiring. Each story is unique and worth the cost of the book.

Since 2009, the largemouth bass fishing sport has entered a new chapter. We have international largemouth bass anglers. We have multiple tournament trails, which include kayak bass fishing! Women are playing a larger role in the sport. I am looking forward to reading the next book (2010 to 2030).

During my annual surf fishing trip to Cuttyhunk this past June, I picked up a copy of “Cuttyhunk and The Elizabeth Islands”. I now have a deeper understanding of the role that these small islands off the coast of Massachusetts played in the formative years of the American Experiment.

This book provides a historical overview of the Elizabeth Islands (Cuttyhunk, Penisese, Nashawena, and Paque); from when they were founded to modern day. The first commercial interest in these islands was timber. After the timber was harvested, farming took root. Recreational fishing soon followed. The Cuttyhunk Fishing Club and the Pasque Island Fishing Club were established. The members of these clubs fished lobster tails from DIY stands perched on the slippery boulders studding the shorelines of these islands. Landing a 60 lb striped bass in the surf through a boulder field with a graphite rod, braided line, forged hooks, and a water proof reel with 40 lbs of drag is a challenge for a skilled surfcaster. I cannot image how a CFC member landed a 64 lb striped bass with gear from 1882!

According to this book, Charlie Cinto landed his 73 lb striped bass from his boat off the coast of Nashawena Island. However, an old salt on Cuttyhunk, who recalls the catch, told me a different story. One thing is certain, recreational fishing on the Elizabeth Islands was and is legendary. I hope with prudence, fishing on the Elizabeth Islands shall remain legendary for my grandchildren’s children and their grandchildren’s children.

Before the United States Coast Guard, volunteers from Cuttyhunk and Nashawena rescued people, live stock, and goods from ships resting on the rocks and reefs around the islands.

• Aquatic, 1843
• Mary Givan, 1872
• Anna Mitchell, 1875
• William H. Thorndike, 1879
• Rob and Harry, 1892
• Joseph Oakes, 1896
• Stephen G. Hart, 1911
• Wanderer, 1924

The volunteers were family men. These family men were selfless and always willing to help others at the risk of their own lives! Why? Because that was the right thing to do. Reading these acts of bravery makes me proud to be an American.

I enjoyed reading about the families who lived on the Elizabeth Islands. Family is the basic unit of humanity. I also enjoyed reading about the birth of America’s recreation fishing industry. Work hard. Play harder.

Janet Messineo is an icon in the surfcasting community. When I learned that she published her first book, I ordered it that day! “Casting into the Light” capture’s Janet’s story from her humble begging in Lawrence to present day in Martha’s Vineyard.

Janet’s life has been full of challenges: alcohol, drugs, infertility, and Hepatitis C. These challenges are real. Many people have them. How she overcame this challenges is extraordinary. I have always had respect for Janet as a surfcaster. I now have an equal respect for Janet as a person.

In her stories, Janet mentions at least 20+ spots. However, what her stories reveal is that knowing where to fish does not guarantee fish. Knowing when to fish a spot is more important. Having the right gear and skills are also critical to success. Hint: look for the spots that are mentioned several times across the chapters. 😉

In 1980 Janet landed a 45 pound striped bass. In 1984 she landed another 45 pound striped bass! Her life time goal is not to land a 50 pound striped bass. For her, that would be pedestrian. Her goal is to be the first woman to win the Martha’s Vineyards Derby Shore Grand Slam. She is a determined, systematic, and innovative. I hope she realizes her goal. I know that if she hooks a 50 pound striped bass, she will land it. She’s a professional surfcaster who leaves nothing to chance.

Before Janet became a professional taxidermist, she worked at several restaurants: Black Dog, Helios, and Home Port. These experiences expanded her pallet and culinary expertise. She shares several of her recipes for bluefish, striped bass, and several other specifies: squid, scallops, herring, sea robin, white perch, sea bass, and halibut. Her sea robin recipe turns “trash fish” into a tasty dish.

Janet attributes her success to her mentors. She writes articles. She delivers seminars. She conducts workshops. I hope others in our community follow her exemplary leadership.

Helping a novice angler is more effective than intimidating them out of your way.

Janet is also a great story teller. Her simple, direct, and honest writing style will hook you in the first chapter. She will reel you in until the last chapter. “Casting into the Wind” will become a classic in striped bass literature. Order your copy today!

Capt. Tom Mikolesk of Grand Slam Charters Montauk has been hunting fish full time for the past thirteen years.  In his book BASS BUFF A Striper Fishing Obsession Guide he shares his experience and expertise on targeting striped bass. In the first part of the book, Capt. Tom Mikolesk describes how he got hooked on striped bass and how he became a charter captain.  He also provides a historical and biological overview of striped bass.

In the second part of the book Capt. Tom Mikolesk shifts focus to techniques for targeting striped bass from a boat.  He explains in detail how to properly and safely troll umbrella rigs, bunker spoons, parachutes, tube and worm, and plugs.  He also describes how to drift eels and 3-way bucktails.  The value of this book is in the proven practical technique tips.  For example, how you rig a bunker determines if it will swim on top or towards the bottom.

Are you a surfcaster looking to fish from a boat?  If so, then this book is for you. Are you already targeting striped bass from a boat and would like to improve or expand your techniques?  If so, then this book is for you.  Are you looking for the latitude and longitude coordinates for the secretes spots to hook and land a 50 pound striped bass?  If so, then this book is not for you.