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.

Tim Coleman (1947 – 2012) fished from early spring to late fall. I have read many of his articles published in The Fisherman.  I delight reading his books.  His passion for surfcasting is inspiring.  I recently read Bass from the Beach, Volume II.

Bass from the Beach, Volume II is full of practical advise that is as useful today as it was back then:

• How to select a rod based on your experience level.
• How to fish eels and eel alternatives.
• How to surfcast without breaking the back or yourself.
• What to look for when scouting spots.

In addition to his priceless parking advice, his insights on needle fish plugs alone justify the cost of the book:

A needle fish plug fished with short jerks of the rod mimics the movement of a squid.

Tim Coleman landed a 51.5 lb striped bass and a 67 lb striped bass from the surf on needle fish plugs.  I will be fishing needle fish plugs in a whole new way this upcoming season. Bass beware! (Evil Laugh)

Bass from the Beach, Volume II is unfortunately out of print.  Fortunately, there are many used copied for sale on the Internet.  This book has a permanent spot on my book shelf. Get a copy while you still can! 😉

The Cape Cod Canal (a.k.a. “The Ditch”) is the surfcasting paradise of the world. In order to safely and successfully fish this unique fishery, you need specialized gear and knowledge.  In his book Seven Miles After Sundown, Eddie Doherty explains the gear and techniques required to successfully fish the Cape Cod Canal.  He also provides patterns and practical information like parking, 24 hour coffee shops, 24 hour gas stations with air pumps, tackle shops, and where to get pork chops for breakfast!

Eddie Doherty’s passion for fishing the Cape Cod Canal jumps off the pages into your imagination as you read his book.  His simple and straight forward writing style makes you feel like you are having a conversation with him.  I like his dry humor.  While reading “Tackle Shop Triage”, I found my self literally laughing out load (LOL)!

If you see a car with a “Cape Cod Canal Tunnel Permit” sicker, remember the only way across the Cape Cod Canal is by boat or bridge!  If anyone tells you otherwise, tell them to read Seven Miles After Sundown.

If you are planning to fish the Cape Code Canal, then you must read this book.  If you already fish the Cape Cod Canal, then you must read this book.  Eddie Doherty has packed his book with information for Googans, Sharpies, and everyone in between.

Sherwood Lincoln was a high school drop out who fell in love, got married, and discovered that he was a workaholic. Along his journey, he discovered striped bass and became a proud pin-hooker. He makes no excuses for hunting striped bass legally for profit. He shares his personal story and fishing adventures openly and honestly in Striperman: Confessions & Secrets of a Commercial Pin-Hooker.

I found several of Sherwood Lincoln’s stories entertaining. They are so real, that they are stranger than fiction. The value of his book for me was the 64 pro tips and his detailed descriptions of boat fishing techniques:

• Yo-Yoing
• Rip Fishing
• Eeling
• Live Lining
• Flat Lining
• 3-Waying
• Drop Wailing
• Chunking
• Diamond Jigging

Whether you fish for striped bass for pleasure, protein, or profit, Striperman: Confessions & Secrets of a Commercial Pin-Hooker is a must read! This book will entertain and educate you! 😉

Tim Coleman spent two years researching and navigating the sea to find fishable wrecks and rock piles.  He used the most advanced tracking technology he had at the time: Loran sat-c.  He published “Fishable Wrecks and Rock Piles” with Charley Soares in 1989.

Tim Coleman and Charley Soares identified 75 wrecks and rock piles worthy of an angler’s attention.  For example:

• Addie Anderson
• Angela
• Aransas
• Cape Fear
• Celtic
• Chelsea
• Chester Poling
• Condor
• Coyote
• Delaware
• Submarine G-1
• Glen Island
• Henry Endicott
• Herbert
• Heroine
• Hilda Garston
• Horatio Hall
• John Dwight
• Kershaw
• Kiowa
• L-8
• Lake Crystal
• Lexington
• Mars
• Mary Arnold
• Onondaga
• Pendleton
• Pinthis
• Poling Brothers # 2
• Port Hunter
• Pottstown
• Romance
• St. Francis
• Thames
• Trojan
• Vineyard Lightship
• U.S.S. Yankee

“Fishable Wrecks and Rock Piles” is out of print. You can buy a used copy online or at used book shops.  The descriptions and the nautical maps are of great value.  I recommend getting a copy and doing some research on these wrecks.

In Night Tides Michael Cinquemani tells the story of his mentor: Billy Legakis (a.k.a. “Billy the Greek”, “BTG”). For some fishing is a hobby, a passion, a pursuit, or an addiction. For BTG, fishing is the thing beyond addition: life’s purpose.

The stories in Night Tides are entertaining and a pleasure to read. As I read through the book, I began to think that BTG was mad. When I finished the book, I realized that BTG was not mad, but mad in craft. BTG’s ability to catch large fish on a consistent basis can be attributed to his skill and the methods he exploited:

1. Fish a specific spot or a set of spots all season, during all stages of the tide, during all moon phases, under various weather conditions, and at different times of day to identify the most productive patterns.
2. Employ heavy gear to increase your changes of landing big fish and not exhaust the fish to a premature death.
3. Fish from boat, surf, and bridges to expand your knowledge and perspective.
4. Read fishing reports to forecast where the fish will be.
5. Selectively harvest fish to feed your family. Release the rest.

These methods produce results. No question. But, you do not need to fish 7 days a week and risk divorce or being terminated at work. The key to success in fishing while balancing life is to maximize your limited time on the water by keeping a smart fishing journal and building a small network of trusted anglers. Work hard. Fish harder!

A legend is someone who has accomplished extra-ordinary things in a particular field. In “Legends of the Salt”, Charley Soares remembers 25 anglers who accomplished extra-ordinary things in saltwater fishing.

I have heard stories on some of the legends in this book. Reading Charley Soares personal stories on these legends has given me a greater appreciation for what they accomplished as anglers and their impacts on present day fishing. I also enjoyed reading and learning about other great anglers for the first time. The names of these legends are worth repeating. I think it’s purely a coincident that there are six Charlies on the list! 😉

• Frank Woolner
• Bob Pond
• Bob Smith
• Ralph Gray
• Danny Pichney
• Roland Coulombe
• Curt Gowdy
• Charlie Murat
• “Uncle Arthur”
• Joe Desrosiers
• Jay Vee John Viveiros
• Captain Larson
• Charlie Cinto
• Charlie Tilton
• Charlie Haag
• Tommy Togger
• Jerry Hill
• Tim Coleman
• Bobby Bryder
• “Magic Mike”
• Frank Sabatowski
• Bunnie Dipietro
• “The Caretaker”
• Charlie Soares
• Stan Gibbs

The stories of these great men shall live beyond their days on the water because of “Legends of the Salt”. Whomever writes the second edition of this tile should include Charley Soares and present day women anglers who are taking our sport to a whole new level.

I started fishing for striped bass after the moratorium (1985 – 1990). All that I knew of the moratorium was based on second hand information. Having now read Striper Wars, I can say that I was ignorant. I am now educated. The breath and depth of political, legislative, and scientific information in this book is extensive. Exemplary journalism!

In his 368 page book, Dick Russell illustrates that striped bass management is a multi-dimensional problem:

1. Dams, Pumps, and Turbines
2. Commercial Harvest
3. Recreational Harvest
4. Illegal Harvest (Black Market)
5. Disease (e.g. mycobacterium)
6. Bait Fish Depletion (e.g. Menhaden and American Eels)
7. Pollution (e.g. PCBs, PDBEs, and Pesticides)
8. Climate Change
9. By Catch

Hypothetically speaking, if striped bass were to become a game fish and therefore would only be harvested by recreational anglers, then the population could go up because two of the parameters are removed from the equation: commercial harvest and illegal harvest. However, if the population does not have sufficient food (i.e. bait fish), then the increased population will starve to death. In addition, if recreational anglers, who greatly out number commercial anglers, can harvest large breading fish (30, 40, 50+ pound fish), then the population may still increase, but at a much slower rate than then model would forecast. Hence, each parameter itself is multi-dimensional.

The Striper Wars is not something that happened. Striper Wars are still happening today! We must learn from warriors of past Striper Wars and apply a systematic approach to win the current Striper Wars and save America’s fish: Morone saxitilis.

While trolling through the isles at the New England Saltwater Fishing Show this past March, I hooked a new book by DJ Muller: “Fishing the Cape Cod Canal”.

First, this book is the only guide book for fishing the Cape Cod Canal. Second, this book is comprehensive: plugs, jigs, chunking, rods, reels, lines, terminal tackle, traction control, transportation, spots, and tides. The explanation of breaking tides is the simplest and clearest I have ever read! I found the short history of the Cape Cod Canal enlightening.

Do you fish the Cap Cod Canal? If you want to land a trophy striped bass, then you should be! Before your next trip, buy and read DJ Muller‘s must read book! 😉

Striper Pursuit is John Skinner’s latest book on surfcasting. Like his other books (Season on the Edge and Fishing Bucktails), Striper Pursuit is well written and overflowing with knowledge.

The breath and depth of the topics that John Skinner covers is extensive:

• How to fish artificial lures: poppers, swimmers, needles, darters, bucktails, metals, and soft plastics.
• How to keep eels alive, how to fish them, and how to rig them after they die.
• How to read the water to identify structure.
• How to fish under various weather conditions.
• Striped bass migrations, tide, time of day, and moon phase.
• The bait fish targeted by striped bass and their and migrations.

John Skinner extends the knowledge in his chapters via 46 QR codes that navigate you to videos related to the respective content. Learning the knowledge in these chapters will make you a good surfcaster. But! To become a great surfcaster, you must learn how all of this information integrates together. John Skinner’s chapter “Pattern Fishing and Large Stripers” will help you with the theory. In practice, you must keep a fishing journal to identifying patterns. Patterns will not only help you catch more fish; they will help you catch more quality fish consistently!

Are you a seasoned surfcaster? Do you want to take your surfcasting to the next level? Then buy and read Striper Pursuit. Page for page, you will get you money’s worth from this book.