Striper fishing.....NOT!

Yesterday I took my brother in law and 2 nephews striper fishing at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. When I was getting clams at the tackle shop I was told the first parking lot was hot the day before; so that is where we went.

I had 2 poles set up with sand spikes, both baited with clams. I had the bait runners set so I wasn't really watching the lines, just waiting to hear the reels scream as giant stripers hit. I never heard anything but noticed that one rod was bending a bit but not letting off any line. I checked it and felt something so I set the hook and felt it, dead weight. I knew right away what it was. A skate.

I re-baited and cast out and waited. About 3 hours later we had 4 more skates on the same pole. By now it was getting dark and the boys were getting restless so I decide to re-bait the other pole with a fresh clam and start cleaning everything else up.

All of a sudden the reel started screaming. I ran to it, pick it up and set the hook. I knew for sure I had a striper. Skates didn't take out line like that (at least not the ones I caught) and when reeling in I felt a fight. As I was reeling it in closer it felt a little weird. Then all of a sudden it was like an anchor on the end of the line. I knew it! Another skate! But this one was pretty big. It went about 7+ pounds (or at least felt that heavy).

When the day was over, We had 6 skates. 2 were pretty big. But no stripers. In fact, everyone I talked to caught skates, no fish. Oh well, it beats sitting at home.

Tight lines!!!

Best Cheeseburger In Monmouth/Middlesex County, NJ???

I've eaten a lot of cheeseburgers in my days and some were REALLY good. Here are my picks for tops in Monmouth/Middlesex county.

The best is at Barnacle Bill's in Rumson, NJ. Nice big fat juicy burgers cooked to order right behind the bar. I've had a few of these and was never disappointed. Always cooked to perfection and filling. They go good with a side of fries or onion rings. And of course a few beers!

A close second is Huddy's Inn in Colt's Neck, NJ. Also cooked behind the bar and to perfection. Huddy's was my father-in-laws favorite stop after golf. I've had a few with him there.

A not too distant third is Buzzy's in Piscataway, NJ. I used to work in Piscataway and only had a couple but they were good. If I'm in the area at lunch time Buzzy's is definitely worth stopping in.

A few other places worth mentioning are 25 burgers, Chili's, Aberdeen diner and Red Oak Diner.

At the other end of the spectrum there is...
5 Guys- over priced 'Wendy's'
Friendly's- burgers made from sick cows
TGIF- too greasy

Skunkville USA, population.....me!!!!

So I had a fishing filled weekend with no fish. It started Saturday night in Red Bank NJ. I fished the Navesink River from the banks from 5:00PM to about 7:40PM in a 'hot spot' I heard about. Not even a hit. But then again, I used frozen clams and fished the outgoing tide. Next time I will try the incoming tide with FRESH clams.

On Sunday it was the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell, NJ. Again from the shore. I was hoping for some large and small mouth bass. But once again, nothing. I threw jigs, spinners, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and plastics....not even a hit! There was a tournament going on and of all the boats I could see not one fish was boated. Never did find out how it turned out.

Well, I capped off a crappy fishing weekend with a few cold ones and watching the Giants beat Brady and the Patriots, so it wasn't a total loss of a weekend. :)

Tight lines!!

Fishing Bucket List

I've caught a lot of fish in my days and a lot of species too. I've caught large and small mouth bass, rock bass, trout (rainbow, brook and brown), pickerel, sunfish, bluegill, crappie, catfish, fluke (summer flounder) and striped bass. I even caught skates and dogfish. But there are a few species that have eluded me over the years for one reason or another. So I've put together a 'fishing bucket list'; a list of fish I want to catch before I 'kick the bucket'. Here they are in no particular order....

1. Northern Pike- I've tried to catch Northern Pike a few times to no avail. I've tried in lakes and rivers. Even some 'hot spots' but nothing. My last attempt was the Pompton River in Lincoln Park, NJ. The latest hot spot I've heard about. I hope to get on soon.

2. Muskellunge- Ahhh, the 'Fish Of 1,000 Casts'. Or as I refer to them, the fish of unlimited casts. I've tried time and time again to catch a musky. There are few places in New Jersey to fish for them and I've only tried a couple. My last attempt was rained out. Me and my buddy were going to try Lake Hopatcong in north Jersey but the weatherman was calling for some bad weather...which never happened!!.

3. Walleye- I've never really tried to fish for walleye although I fish in some waters known for them. One of the places is Monksville Reservoir in Ringwood, NJ. Monksville is also known for muskies. The only time I really concentrated on them was a few weeks ago fishing the Delaware River.

4. Tarpon- If I had to pick a #1 bucket list fish, the tarpon would be at or near the top. Especially with a fly rod. Since I live in New Jersey, I won't get the chance to fish for them any time soon. But I would love to see a giant tarpon jump with my fly in his mouth.

There are some more species I'd like to catch but not as much as these. Some include, halibut, salmon, gar, and sturgeon. Although I have been fishing for over 20 years, I have been taking it very seriously the last year so I hope to be taking some of these off my list.

Till next time, tight lines.

Customer Service Alive And Well At BASS

Back on September 12th I joined BASS ( Bass Anglers Sportsman Society ) for 1 year which includes a subscription to their magazine, BASSMASTERS. I got my BASS packet, which included an ID card, a BASS window decal, BASS patch and a free tackle bag (given away with every new membership). I was looking at my ID card when I noticed it had an expiration date of July 2012. I e-mailed their customer service to let them know about the wrong date and that I didn't want it to affect my year subscription to the magazine. I got a response back stating that they will adjusts their records to reflect the error and send a new member kit out to me.

I get home today and find the member kit in my mailbox. In it I find an updated ID card with the correct expiration date, another BASS window decal, BASS patch and a free sample pack of Berkley PowerBait 7" worm. They could have just sent out the corrected card and nothing else. But they went the extra step to satisfy me and I really appreciated that. I guess good customer services is still alive and well.

Thank you BASS!!!

What happened to 'Customer Service'

I was going through some bass rods and reels I haven't used in a while and getting them ready to put back in service. I came across a reel I haven't used in about 5 years or so, a Rhino bait cast reel model# RBC20. I don't exactly remember when or where I bought the reel but do remember using it a lot a liking it. It was an easy bait casting reel to cast. If any knows bait casting reels, they are not the easiest reel to cast.

While I was cleaning it and putting new line on I noticed that the spool adjustment cap (which later on I found out is really called a clutch adjustment knob) was missing. I e-mailed Zebco, the parent company of Rhino, the following e-mail:

'I have a Rhino bait cast reel model# RBC200 and I lost the spool adjustment cap. Would it be possible for you to send me a new one? If so, I have included my address. Please let me know either way. Thank you.'

3 days later, I receive this response from Zebco:

'We are sorry but this is a discontinued model and we no longer have the part available.'

I could not believe that was the response I got. The fact that the part is missing (which shouldn't have come off on it's own)makes the reel very difficult, if not impossible, to cast without getting a birds nest. So, I sent the following e-mail back to them:

'So that's it? You don't have one that is compatible? Or make any suggestions? Just sorry we can't help? Well, when it comes time to buy new rods and reels, I will have to look at some other brands.'

A little while later I get:

'We are sorry but we do not have one that is interchangeable for your reel. This reel has been discontinued since 2002. We would be happy to send one to you if we did. The reels made now are completely different. You might try 4R rod and reel at 317-773-7723. he carries some older parts and might have what you need.'

Why did it take threatening to buy another brand of rods and reels to have them tell me about 4R Rod and Reel? Why couldn't Zebco have just told me about them in their first response.

I guess days of Customer Service with a smile are long gone. Hell, I don't even need the smile, just some good old fashioned customer service.

10 years later......

It's hard to believe that the terrorist acts of 9-11-01 were 10 years ago. Just like most (if not all) Americans I still remember where I was when the events took place. I also remember the entire day as if it were only last year. It seemed that everything was put on hold for a day as we as a nation mourned the massive loss of life. Just like many, I was angry, scared, upset and confused by what had happened. To this day the New York skyline looks weird. I don't think I'll ever get used to the way it looks now.

This year, just like the past 9 years, I ask that everyone remember not only those heroes who gave their life that day (and continue to do so years later), but also the people who perished doing what they did everyday; going to work. It seems that they are all too often forgotten or not mentioned.

Also this year, my wife and I were faced with the task of explaining 9-11 to our 6 1/2 year old daughter. As I was explaining what had happened and how our country, as well as other countries, came together to mourn, I started to get teary eyed. I guess I always will. I think for the most part she understands what happened but doesn't fully understand why. It's hard to explain to a child why there are terrorists and why they want to do bad things to our country.

God bless all the firemen, policemen, EMTs and other first responders as well as all the civilians who perished on that day. But most of all, GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.