I started blogging seven years ago because the recreational fishing literature that I was reading at the time was not publishing on topics or gear that interested me. Monthly magazines like On The Water have taken the recreational fishing literature to a new level. But, I am still blogging. Why? Because I enjoy field testing gear, building gear, discovering new patterns, developing novel techniques, and sharing my experiences with the recreational fishing community. Along these seven years, I have come across other fishy blogs. Some good. Some bad. And some wicked fishy!

Jimmy Fee and Kevin Blinkoff from On The Water have some wicked fishy blogs. Their writing style is clear and approachable. Be sure to cast into their blogs. You will be surprised what you reel in!

Why Knot Fishing is a welcomed new comer to recreational fishing. They are absolutely fanatical anglers! They target all species using all methods. Their blogs are worth reading. Hint…hint!

I have recently discovered Freshwater Girl’s blog. This blog is honest and real. It’s really refreshing to read Donna’s blog articles. If you fish for striped bass, subscribe to her blog for new articles and project updates! ;-).

For the foreseable years to come, I will continue to read great publications like On The Water. I will continue blogging. And I will continue to read and search other fishy blogs.

As an all species and all methods angler, I am blessed to live in New England. We have no shortage of species to target year round from shore, boat, kayak, and ice. On The Water has been fishing and filming our great fisheries for 11+ years now.

The diversity of the species featured in seasons 1 – 11 are a true reflection of the biodiversity in New England:

1. Striped Bass
2. False Albacore
3. Bonito
4. Fluke
5. Sea bass
6. Cod
7. Tautog
8. Tuna
9. Shark
10. Bluefish
11. Pollock
12. Haddock
13. Black Drum
14. Wahoo
15. Weakfish
16. Pike
17. Largemouth bass
18. Smallmouth bass
19. Salmon
20. Trout
21. Steelhead
22. Salmon
23. Perch

One of my favorite episodes is “Nantucket Albies” in Season 6. My friend Kevin Blinkoff and the On The Water crew were on Great Point, Nantucket targeting albies. Kevin unexpectidly hooked up with a bonito! A local chef prepared sashimi right on the beach. From ocean to plate. It does not get fresher than that!

If you are looking for a holiday gift idea, look no further.;-). On The Water has a special box set with all 11 seasons for only $100.00.

During my last trip to England I had the opportunity to stop by Grangers Fishing Tackle in London.  The shop is right next to the South Kensington stop (Circle or District) lines.

 
When in London, shop Grangers Fishing Tackle.  You will catch more than fish! 😉

The spawning stock bio mass (SSB) for striped bass has declining since 2004. A wise man once said, “United we stand. Divided we fall”.  Stand with us and comment on the Striped Bass Draft Addendum IV. Here are the details:

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Email: Douglas.Grout@wildlife.nh.gov

MASSACHUSETTS
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Nantucket Community Room, 4 Fairgrounds Road, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Email: jared.silva@state.ma.us

Tuesday, September 2, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall, 101 Academy Drive, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Email: jared.silva@state.ma.us

Wednesday, September 3, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
MA DMF Annisquam River Station, 30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, Massachusetts
Email: jared.silva@state.ma.us

Thursday, September 4, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Viking Club, 410 Quincy Avenue (Route 53), Braintree, Massachusetts
Email: jared.silva@state.ma.us

RHODE ISLAND
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
University of Rhode Island, Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island
Email: nicole.lengyel@dem.ri.gov

CONNECTICUT
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Marine Headquarters, Boating Education Center, 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme Connecticut
Email: deep.marine.fisheries@ct.gov

NEW JERSEY
Thursday, September 4, 2014
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Galloway Twp. Branch of the Atlantic Co. Library, 306 East Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway, New Jersey
Email: russ.allen@dep.nj.gov

Monday, September 15, 2014
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Toms River Town Hall, L. M. Hirshblond Room, 33 Washington Street, Toms River, New Jersey
Email: russ.allen@dep.nj.gov

NEW YORK
September 16, 2014
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Stony Brook University Wang Center
Room 201
Stony Brook, New York
Carol Hoffman at 631.444.0476
carol.hoffman@dec.ny.gov

September 23, 2014
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
NYSDEC Region 3 Office
21 South Putt Corners Road
New Paltz, New York
Kathy.Hattala@dec.ny.gov

DELAWARE
Thursday, September 11, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
DNREC Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, Delaware
Email: john.clark@state.de.us

PENNSYLVANIA
September 17, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Silver Lake Nature Center
1206 Bath Road
Bristol, Pennsylvania
elevis@pa.gov

POTOMAC RIVER
September 23, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
222 Taylor Street
Colonial Beach, VA
martingary.prfc@verizon.net

VIRGINIA
September 22, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
rob.oreilly@mrc.virginia.gov

NORTH CAROLINA
Monday, September 29, 2014
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Dare County Government Complex, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo, North Carolina
Email: michelle.duval@ncdenr.gov

A quality fixed blade knife is required gear for extreme surfcasting. I use the TUSA X-Pert II dive knife on the side of my right leg.

The lock on the sleeve keeps the knife secure while you are swimming to remote rocks or skishing. The release button is large enough so you can release the knife with gloves on.

The knife comes with a 420 stainless steel blade or a titanium blade. I chose the high carbon stainless steel blade because it keeps an edge better. The higher carbon in the stainless steel protects against corrosion. After each trip, I quickly break down the knife and rinse down the one piece blade.

A blunt point blade or a drop point blade is available. For extreme surfcasting, I use a drop point blade. Why? Just in case I need to make a point! 😉

A fixed blade knife with a bleeding sharp edge is useless if you cannot hold on to it. The smart engineers at Tusa did a great job designing an ergonomic handle for the TUSA X-Pert II knife.

If you need a knife for extreme surfcasting, pick up a TUSA X-Pert II knife with a high carbon stainless steel blade and drop point. Great knife at a price that will not break the bank. 😉

The striped bass fishery, like other fisheries, is a self-replenishing resource. But, if we harvest striped bass at a faster rate than the fishery can replenish itself, then we will delete our oceans and rivers of a vital resource. This nearly happened in the 1970’s. Fortunately, regulations were put in place and the striped bass population was restored to self-sustaining levels.

Over the last few seasons, I have have observed a significant reduction in the number and size of striped bass on the Atlantic seaboard. Other anglers and organizations have also noticed this decline.

The 1@32 Pledge is a new movement in the recreational fishing community that was started on by Ross Squire from New York. In short, anglers and organizations are pledging to harvest 1 fish at 32 inches or greater per day.

The creation of smart regulations and legislation occurs on a political time scale. Striped bass live and die in real time. I am not a politician. I am a recreational angler. As a recreational angler, I am taking the 1@32 Pledge.

I am centrally located to many saltwater hot spots.  But, to my pleasant surprise, I am even more centrally located to many freshwater hot spots.  Using an old guide book, I recently went out on a scouting trip.

My first destination was a “large” lake.  I know this lake houses bass of respectable size.  But, working a large lake from shore with limited access, a sandy bottom shoreline, and little structure proved to be a challenge of marathon proportions.  :-(.

My second destination proved to be more optimal for shore fishing.  Good access.  Lot’s of structure.    When I return to this location, I will be armed with frogs, Sebiles, and Rapalas!  😉

The old guide book proved helpful in finding these two fishy locations.  But, it’s dated!  Some of the landmarks and street names are gone or have changed.  The Google Maps app on my iPhone kept my Suburban’s fuel bill from breaking the bank.  ;-).

The Plum Island Surfcasters is a grass-roots fishing club with a deep history and tradition that spans over 50 years.  These years had tides full of fish.  These years had tides of change.  With each tide, the club has held true to its principles and values.  Currently, the club is experiencing a new tide of change: technology.

New and existing members have adopted technologies like email and the internet.  The board of directors hence accepted the motion to adopted these technologies.  With a budget of $0.00, the club’s website was completely rebuilt to communicate with the fishing community and members.

Visitors can now quickly view current events, articles, and news on the site’s home page.  And with just a few clicks, visitors can learn more about the club’s current programs, tournaments, and the Junior’s Program.

Members can log into the site and access the members area. This area has the current tournament standings, fishing reports, recipes, events, photo galleries, how-to videos, and club / board meeting minutes.  Novel content is posted monthly to this area based on input from the club’s old salts, who have fished Plum Island for more years then they are willing to admit.  This area is quickly becoming the club’s knowledge base, which is fully searchable.

The Plum Line, the club’s newsletter, was traditionally printed and snail-mailed to members.  This was the primary form of communication.  During a club meeting, members requested that the club “Go Green”.  Members now receive an email message when the Plum Line is published to the website.

A dynamic member-to-member network is currently being built for members.  This social network will help members connect.  Members will be able to exchange ideas, coordinate fishing trips, and find a rod builder or plumber.

The new website has not changed what the club is.  The club still has monthly meeting with a seminar from a top angler; year-round fishing trips; freshwater and saltwater fishing tournaments; annual shows that are 100% fishing; awards banquets with turkey, ham, and a plethora of side dishes; and a Junior’s Program staff by the club’s best anglers.  Members still fish for anything that swims from their boats, kayaks, and the surf.  The new website has simply improved communication, reduced costs, and increased membership at no additional cost to the club.

The tide will continue to ebb and flood.  Fishing methods will evolve.  Technology will continue to change.  But, the Plum Island Surfcasters will still be here focusing on what matters:  its members.   New members welcome.

I have always thought of a calendar as just another temporal tool to help us schedule our daily lives. That is until I saw The Reel Women of Fishing calendar.

Each month has a portrait of an angler from our global fishing community. The fish are beautiful. The anglers are exemplary and their stories are inspiring. For example, there is a brown trout by Eleonora “Eli” Troksberg from Argentina; a rainbow trout by Lucy Bowden from the United Kingdom; a striped bass by Elizabeth Schmitt from New York; an 82 lb cobia by Dr. Julie Ball from Virginia; and a 200 lb bluefin tuna by Allison Miles from Massachusetts.

The Reel Women of Fishing calendar is a great holiday gift.  It’s only $14.99.  If you order before 01-JAN-2011, you get a 10% discount.  Just enter “GOPOGY33“ during checkout.  Now that’s fishconomic!

The proceeds benefit a brave child who is fighting leukemia.  My cousin lost his battle against Leukemia at 21 years of age.  He was built like a brick house.  I cannot image a young child.

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.