January 3, 2000:

I hope everyone's New Year's was safe and I hope you all go a chance to get out there and catch a few stripers! I made my first ever January striper trip just this past Saturday, it was just DanO and myself. The fishing was anything but January like, it was so warm that any efforts resulted in sweat...we didn't even start fishing till midnight, and within an hour, I was just wearing a turtle neck and my waders. I had taken off my sweatshirt and my jacket...and I was finally comfortable! We plugged a few places from Belmar north to almost Long Branch....with the exception of one spot, all the others had fish at them. Not your normal "end of season" sized fish, but many in the 25" and up class...the biggest landed was around 13# on my now suspect digital scale. I say the scale is now suspect as Paul double checked his 12# 12oz fish (my scale) and found it to be 13# 4oz on his scale. That's a 1/2#...enough that I'll double check my scale! The fish ate black bombers and the big schoolbus hackle teaser, a.k.a. "Paul's Teaser." Dan got his hooks straightened once, got broken off once, and fought his New Years hangover fog all night! Both our backs were killing us after but a few hours of plugging..we suffered through the pain and ended up with good numbers for January, I had 14 and Dan had 5...and there were a few keepers mixed in as well. I love it when the fish just ignore the calendar like this! Actually, they are starting to wear on me a little...the fishing has been so good that I've been trying to get out as much as possible, and my backs not getting much chance to fix itself...I might have to pack it in before the fish actually leave....I dread that thought! :)

Last night, DanO, his roommate Chris, and I fished 2 spots, a couple hours all together and I had the only single short. That was it for me, one hit, one landed...no errors ;) Dan had a bump or two, none for Chris...what a difference from the past 10 trips or so. I'm guessing we could have found them if we looked elsewhere, but I didn't have it in me, I was still shot from the night before. I'm planning on giving it a go in the September like weather, but I really need for my back to straighten out before I can seriously entertain the thought!

Y2K was a dud, just like I had figured. I'm sure there are problems, just none of the big ones that we warned about. I have but one Y2K glitch, the date at the bottom of my pages is not showing correctly, it's not major, I think I found a fix for it, now I just have to go through the motions of writing the JAVA script to fix it. The entire technical world deserves kudos for keeping everything important running right through this period of expected doom and gloom...I'm glad the world didn't stop on Saturday, I still got a long list of "things to do" before I'm ready to pack it in! :)

I put up a brand new FishingReports! section over the weekend, it's pretty sharp. I'm going to work on having it display the reports in descending order, right now the oldest (first) reports are first and the new ones are at the bottom. I'll make it put the new ones at the top. The idea for this type of report came from a friend, Augie, he has a similar one on his Round Valley Trout Association pages. I changed it drastically, but his basic form gave me the insight to make it happen..thanks Augie! Every time I go to Surf Talk I am impressed by how many people are now frequenting this board, you guys are all deserving of my thanks, and to each one of you, thanks! It's like a stroll down memory lane to look through the registered users list and see all of you, many names from the past, many new ones that I look forward to exchanging ideas with...together we can make it the answer place for surf fishermen! I'm working on some cookie problems there right now, I have a couple ideas and will do what I can to make sure the cookies are working the way they are supposed to. Some people have to enter their name the first time they post each day...a few each time they post...but for the majority, it's working as it should, it fills in the blanks for you each time you attempt to post or respond. I'll do what I can to make it work that way for everyone...as it should!

Thanks again to all you fine folks, I hope to continue adding to this site until you no longer have to look anywhere else for all the best, most honest and thorough information on the entire web when it comes to stripers and their ways! I look forward to growing this site with your help and input, keep it coming!

Charlie Fact: According to my records, I've caught 165 stripers since Charlie's last trip on December 4th...a fair number of them were keepers...the fishing just continues on, even though the weather is becoming less and less pleasant, they keep on eatin'!

Sincerely,

Tim Surgent

January 4, 2000:

Last night I did drag my sorry butt out there and fight the hard south wind. The night before was a washout and my body is certainly screaming for a couple nights with no walking on sand and rocks. It just doesn't seem fair to stay home on a night when the low is tickling 50 degrees...I keep telling myself that these nights are so rare that I should take advantage of these unique conditions...then it's 50 degrees at night for 4 nights in a row! I think the weather is the only thing that really isn't Y2K compatible! I'm running into a couple little things a day that don't like 2000, but nothing serious....at least the fish are compatible!

So I meet Paul when he was changing spots last night north of Shark River Inlet...which was good, saved me a walk! He tells me the waves were making the fishing there difficult, not a hit from the fishes either. I'm not worried yet, I had heard they at least caught tiny ones during the day, I was sure we could probably find the tiny ones if we looked around...but tiny ones were what we were really looking for! Second place, Paul gets a bump...a few minutes later, I hook a smallish one...it shakes the hooks right in the white water 5 feet away. No big deal, at least there's action. We moved on, taking a few casts along the way when I get a good shot...we investigate...Paul gets two quick shots that escape immediately. We can tell they are tiny, likely the ones caught during the day. We stay for a minute, neither of us had actually landed one yet...Paul puts on in his hand, and yes it was small! A few minutes later, I stick one, as I'm yanking the little thing towards me, it comes off...that was the way my night started.....continued....and ended! We make a bigger move this time, heading further north yet...the plan is check these two spots and go home! At the first of the two, Paul hooks up...it's a keeper...barely...but he said he wanted one more for the reserves at home, he secures that one. Me, I'm still waiting for a hit here....Paul's in again, this one's bigger yet that the first keeper....a good, fat 12-13# fish...now Paul's thinking he'd rather have the bigger one for home. After some discussion, he decides to put the bigger one back...I was a little surprised to be honest, but I was happy for the fish! So, I'm wondering where my hit is, when it comes while watching a waves sneak up on me, and I miss it....I'm still fishless, Paul's got 3...then he's in again, a fat 25-26" short. I'm starting to wonder what kind of "pox" I must have gotten infected with in the last 24 hours! No big deal, I look for a better angle for myself...with the hard S wind, it's often all about angles...casting into the wind and reeling it towards you is often least effective, a good quartering retrieve across the current is better...that's the angle I need to find. I pick little spot north of Paul and am rewarded with a solid smash on the first cast...after some doing, I was looking at a nice fat keeper, 10-12#...I released it and fired another cast...a hit. I was into a little something for a change here! A few casts later, I land a fat 25-26" fish and release it. We both miss a couple and shake a couple here...we need a new spot.

Here we go again, Paul's in on the first cast, loses one on the second cast...and misses one shortly after that. I'm only 20 feet from him, but the difference in angle to where the fish are laying is huge...my plug slides over their heads being pushed by the winds...Paul's catches enough current to cause it to dig and wiggle in the right spot. Not many other options, I look around for an "angle improvement"...no chance. He's still getting shots, I finally get a hit...but miss it. Paul gets another fat keeper...I might as well be throwing rocks in the water! My only shot from where I'm at is if the fish come around the corner where I am, the current would then be able to grab my plug instead of pushing it. Things are looking bleak, I'm catching my plug on my sweater, my Korkers, my jetty bag...I'm a mess...I knew this coming out last night. I think I even complained a little bit about the fish still being around at one point....but that might have just been in my head and never vocalized ;) I just got splashed in the ear and side of the face...I think just to rub it in. Paul's got 7 landed and many other missed or lost...I've landed 2 and only missed a couple...I dropped a few smaller ones. It's all about angles...possibly also the way mono and braid handle oncoming waves and a strong cross wind...but that's for another discussion. Finally, the fish come around the corner, I can now get the plug to dig a little and hook up...a fat keeper, back in the water. A couple casts later, I get clobbered again, a fat short...but not by much! A few more casts and another solid hookup...as I'm letting the fish dig deep and wear itself out a little before I lean into it...it manages to get my leader across a very sharp rock...it cut it clean! Paul just lost a plug to a fish that somehow opened his snap on the hookset...suddenly, these fish are full of tricks! We decide we should move on towards the trucks, checking the last spot we did on the way out...we're tired, and I'm not interested to see what new tricks those "educated" fish were going to pull next, I mean a guy only has so many black bombers in his bag! ;)

The last spot, I get one right up to the rock in front of me, as I'm sliding him up, he pops off...the way last night was going, I counted that one!! My theory is if I had the fish under control and could have gaffed it if I wanted and it falls off on it's way up...it goes in the win column! Paul lands one, I think another keeper, I can't remember for sure...that's 8...I'm looking at 4 now. Another hit and I miss...then I hook up again...the fish give me some fits getting it near me...as I go to lift it to my hand, the leader snaps right at the plug! Luckily, the fish lands in a "pool" near me. Wonderful, now I'm standing there, waves crashing pretty good...watching this fish swim around with my backup black bomber in it's mouth! It takes me a good 10 minutes to snag the plug with my teaser...but I finally get the plug back and put the fish back in the water, a near keeper. I spend another 10 minutes redoing the entire leader....a few more casts and we're out of there after that.

After all the problems, it didn't end as ugly as I thought it would...hell, I even corrected Paul when we were at the trucks and he said he had 7...I told him he had at least 8...then he recalled the final one at the last spot. I had a meager 5 fish. Out of our 13 fish, I'm pretty sure we had 6 keepers...not 28" keepers, but 32-33" keepers...and they were all fat, "cod bellies" on them. This is strange for January...it's actually strange altogether, catching nearly 50% keepers. Hey, who's complaining?!? My back, my knees, my legs....and my neck...that's who! :) I'm shot, I don't care if the fish are committing suicide, if my wife is staying home tonight, so am I...I'm beginning to miss her! I'm also going to be asked shortly when "Carole season" starts this year...in general, but Christmas time it's Carole season...this year, the fish won't leave and they won't get smaller! It's much easier to stay home at night when it's cold and the fish are small...lately, it's been neither!

I put up a brand new FishingReports! section over the weekend, it's pretty sharp. I'm going to work on having it display the reports in descending order, right now the oldest (first) reports are first and the new ones are at the bottom. I'll make it put the new ones at the top. The idea for this type of report came from a friend, Augie, he has a similar one on his Round Valley Trout Association pages. I changed it drastically, but his basic form gave me the insight to make it happen...thanks Augie! Every time I go to Surf Talk I am impressed by how many people are now frequenting this board, you guys are all deserving of my thanks, and to each one of you, thanks! It's like a stroll down memory lane to look through the registered users list and see all of you, many names from the past, many new ones that I look forward to exchanging ideas with...together we can make it the answer place for surf fishermen! I'm working on some cookie problems there right now, I have a couple ideas and will do what I can to make sure the cookies are working the way they are supposed to. Some people have to enter their name the first time they post each day...a few each time they post...but for the majority, it's working as it should, it fills in the blanks for you each time you attempt to post or respond. I'll do what I can to make it work that way for everyone...as it should!

Thanks again to all you fine folks, I hope to continue adding to this site until you no longer have to look anywhere else for all the best, most honest and thorough information on the entire web when it comes to stripers and their ways! I look forward to growing this site with your help and input, keep it coming!

Charlie Fact: According to my records, I've caught 170 stripers since Charlie's last trip on December 4th...a fair number of them were keepers...the fishing just continues on, even though the weather is becoming less and less pleasant, they keep on eatin'!

Sincerely,

Tim Surgent

**Update: The NW winds are flattening out the 7.5ft seas we had last night. The water temp is up to 47.7 degrees...things are looking good for our extended striper run! If you're going tonight, bring yer gloves and a nice warm hat! Brrrr.....

Well, no fishing last night, the south winds gusting to 40-50kts made just the thought of standing near the water a little unpleasant! If it calms down quickly from the blow, I'm looking forward to the fishing picking up right where it left off! I know, almost everyone has been saying it's over since December 10th. Not me, only because I don't count on others to feed me reports, I do it a far more reliable and trustworthy way...I go out and check to see if they are still biting myself! I take issue with people that put reports on their web sites, even their main pages, yet they are simply a second or third hand story told for the readers enjoyment...and in hopes that they can name enough specific lures that you'll buy them from him before you go. I hate that. When I recommend something, it's not because I'm trying to sell it to you. I may sell it because I use it and recommend it, but not the other way around. Sure, there are items that you can't make much money on, but if they are the best, then it's those that I would recommend to you. I'm thinking that there are basically two types of striped bass sites that can exist. The first is one where honest and unadulterated conversation and discussion are shared among all the people that wish to be involved and where tackle is available. The other type is where tackle is sold and all input, discussion, and talk is monitored and edited to promote maximum sales among all the people that don't bring up competitors products or speak poorly of an item currently being hawked by the proprietor. I plan on maintaining as priorities all the things that help honesty, freedom of speech, integrity, shared input, and just that plain welcomed feeling that you all deserve. I do plan on adding things along the way, both items for sale and more features for you guys/gals. I'm always seeking input from the people using this site in any fashion, tell me what you want, what you don't want, it's the only way things will change.

If all goes well, tonight I will give the fish another shot...soon enough it will be the last shot, just not sure when that is! I wouldn't be bothering with the fish this late in the year, but they aren't the typical little winter rats that signal the end of the season, these are substantial fish. It appears to be a huge body of mixed sized fish, they really haven't moved in a couple weeks, they cover the coast from Sandy Hook to Ocean county. They appear to drift in and out of the surf as they feel like, but they apparently are always there off the beach doing their thing. If this school is migrating daily, then it would show that this school is of enormous proportion for they are still in the areas now that they were in two weeks ago. When I assume the same "school", I do so only based on the note of the similar sizes and range of sizes we've been catching. The size has not changed much lately, they are mixed from 22" to 34"...those are the average range of the fish, there are some bigger, some smaller...but the absolute average of them during the past trip would have been about 28"...that's right, the average fish would have been within an inch either side of legal. That's not to bad for January, it's not a localized fishery, and it's the norm for the past few weeks. This past December/January have both been quite memorable, the little Charlie fact at the bottom can attest to that, 170 stripers since December 4th...not counting the ones caught on December 4th! Out of those 170 stripers, there been a much higher incidence of keepers caught, I won't guess other than to say a good number were keepers! The 170 is just for me, not including the guys that have gone with me. Some nights the guys with me score more than I do, sometimes they don't...but I'll bet I've seen some 400-500 stripers caught since December 4th....just between me and the one or two guys that can be found out there with me at times...and that's not too shabby! Another note, since December 4th, I've seen exactly 5 stripers caught by people other than the guys I am with. It's been a very good season finale, I am almost anxious now for it to end, possibly with the rough surf from the big south winds yesterday...but I really doubt it! The waters still plenty warm enough, 47.5 right now, it's up 3 degree from where it was the other night when we killed 'em....so again, I ask you, Will they ever leave this year?!? To be perfectly honest, I think there may be a fair chance that there will be fish in the area through the entire year...it wouldn't surprise me that much! I know they are supposed to leave, I've given them all my blessing and encouraged them to scoot along...they just don't want to leave...so I will have to continue my trips, keep moving them south. They better hurry, January is one of my 3 months that I can sleep soundly at night...February and March are the others. It's no small feat to store enough sleep in those three months to get you through the next 9! So get along little stripers, there's a lot of guys out there that need some sleep!!!!

I put up a brand new FishingReports! section over the weekend, it's pretty sharp. I'm going to work on having it display the reports in descending order, right now the oldest (first) reports are first and the new ones are at the bottom. I'll make it put the new ones at the top. The idea for this type of report came from a friend, Augie, he has a similar one on his Round Valley Trout Association pages. I changed it drastically, but his basic form gave me the insight to make it happen...thanks Augie! Every time I go to Surf Talk I am impressed by how many people are now frequenting this board, you guys are all deserving of my thanks, and to each one of you, thanks! It's like a stroll down memory lane to look through the registered users list and see all of you, many names from the past, many new ones that I look forward to exchanging ideas with...together we can make it the answer place for surf fishermen! I'm working on some cookie problems there right now, I have a couple ideas and will do what I can to make sure the cookies are working the way they are supposed to. Some people have to enter their name the first time they post each day...a few each time they post...but for the majority, it's working as it should, it fills in the blanks for you each time you attempt to post or respond. I'll do what I can to make it work that way for everyone...as it should!

Thanks again to all you fine folks, I hope to continue adding to this site until you no longer have to look anywhere else for all the best, most honest and thorough information on the entire web when it comes to stripers and their ways! I look forward to growing this site with your help and input, keep it coming!

Charlie Fact: According to my records, I've caught 170 stripers since Charlie's last trip on December 4th...a fair number of them were keepers...the fishing just continues on, even though the weather is becoming less and less pleasant, they keep on eatin'!

Sincerely,

Tim Surgent

They won't quit, the fish just keep on coming...I'm beginning to think they are just here to stay! The water's been down to 44.0 degrees this winter...they didn't leave. In fact, they bit very well on the coldest water night I fished, it was 44.5 degrees that night, the fish didn't mind a bit! Now the water's back up to almost 48...the fish are still there, still biting, and still some bigger ones around. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen, but then, I'm usually done fishing by December 28th. I stop when the fish get to the point where they are all small. Yes, I enjoy catching stripers, even in the cold, but when I'm freezing my appendages off, I need the expectation of a good fish to keep me going!

Last night, again, almost 50% keepers, and Dan won the "pool" with a fat and healthy 15#er! It had the "cod belly" so typical of these winter stripers this year, and it was feisty! I helped Dan land it, the fish was a handful along the rocks. Like so many nicer fish since December, this big fella ate the "Paul's Teaser" a.k.a. schoolbus hackle deceiver, in "big a$$ size." That teasers really put together a good showing in it's short existence...it reminds me of Charlie's first words when he saw the first batch....he said "Now that's a practical teaser." By that, he meant that it embodied all the things the bass were asking for at the time, they wanted yellow, long, thin, some flash, and an orange chin. So I whipped it up for them, they haven't stopped thanking me yet! I ended up with 6 fish, Dan with 3. Two of mine were keepers, one of Dan's. The keepers, once again, were not mere 28" fish, but 30-34"...very rewarding fishing to say the least. My initial fears last night were kind of humorous to Dan. I had taken two casts in a spot where I should have had a hit on both...then I hooked a 10-12# fish on the third cast. I admitted to Dan that I was beginning to worry if the storm had driven the fish off and was already planning on another spot. He pointed out that was kind of insane after only two casts...I reluctantly agreed! That's just the way I am, I'm expecting the fish to be where I think they are, it's just the kind of arrangement the fish have afforded me over the years...and two good cast into a place I was expecting them to be was enough to make the initial fears of a pattern change enter my mind. I don't mind trying to unravel new mysteries, but it sure is nice after a 9 month season when the fish are reliable and usually, right where you left them! Well, the 10-12#er I stuck on the third cast bent up 3 4X Mustads and was rewarded with his freedom...I would have let him go anyway, I guess he didn't hear. It was a bit after that hit before the next, but the worries were gone, if there was one decent fish around, there were likely more. I got 3 more there, Dan got one landed there as well. Strange thing last night, we were both missing a large number of solid hits...real rod benders that just yielded air on the hookset. That was the theme for last night, good solid hits with no results on the set up. It happens like that, sometimes they hit plugs hard but in such a way that safe for them. Sometimes they eat the plugs real good, sometimes they bat them around...I think they were batting them last night! Through the night, I bet I missed 25 good hits. I also lost what I'm sure was a 20#+ fish...maybe upper 20's...hard to tell. It creamed a schoolbus bomber, ran line hard to the east, then to the south...then it steamed right for the rocks to my south...by the time I caught up with it, my plug was stuck in the rocks and the fish was gone! I've seen this before, but not by normal sized fish. The strange thing was that none of the hooks on my plug were bent, not even my teaser. It's almost like when the fish got slack in the rocks, the plug or teaser just fell out. Good for her, yet I'd like to see the first LARGE of the year come in January...that would be cool!

Our second spot was where Dan scored his 15#er, one of his best on a plug this year....in January...I keep saying that because I've never fished January before, but this one blows away October and November in ocean plugging. I missed a few there, and finally landed one. Dan and I watched one blow his plug out of the water...kinda neat, but it wasn't hooked. A quick trip back to the first spot...where I lost the biggest one I've stuck in a while. I fished the spot I had the bigger one, but had no action. A few yards to the south, however, and I missed 7 hits in a row before finally sticking a near keeper on the 8th cast! Dan needed to get home, so we bailed. I did manage to take 3 mutant waves in a row from head to toe. Dan thought for sure I was soaked to the bone...not so...luckily, the mercury was hanging low at 29 degrees! My thick Carhart hood took the brunt of all three waves...the 5 mill neoprenes took the rest, not a drop got on me...other than my hands. Man, the fishing is still unbelievable...but it's not for the faint of heart, 29 degrees, waves, and wind chills in the 10-0 degree range will have your fingers and toes up in arms in very few minutes if you're not dressed accordingly. If you go, be prepared, bring wool gloves, a hat, wear a splash jacket, and carry a gaff...you just never know when that surprise January LARGE is going to come calling! :)

Surf Talk continues to grow! The past couple of days have seen some of the most respected reel experts going over the pros and cons of both the Abu Mag reel and the new Penn 525 Mag. A real meat and potatoes discussion, including one of the designers of the Penn reel! It's chock full of excellent info, if you're in the market for either one of these reels, there's more info there than you'd find in 10 manuals! Thanks to all who are contributing there and to all of you who continue to utilize the resources that I am putting together here for you. As always, if there's anything you'd like to see here, please let me know!

JohnM put an awesome weeks work (fishing) in down at the Oregon Inlet in NC. He also blessed us with a very detailed report in the FishingReports! Sounds like John had a banner trip down there, I am envious for sure! I've always wanted to catch some red drum, especially if I can do it without having to use fish parts for bait...John had all of his fish on Smilin' Bill jigs and on my red over white deceiver. He's had a love affair with those red-n-whites since the first order he picked up here...many bass for him as teasers, as flies on Block Island, and now again as teasers at Oregon Inlet. It's funny, that's also the preferred fly/teaser from the two trip Charlie and I took to the Cape Cod Canal this past fall! It seems the stripers everywhere, and now the drum as well, can't get enough of this fly. Charlie and I did very well fishing them on intermediate lines at the CC Canal during both the day and the night...and we tried many flies before finding that one their favorite. So much for color not making any difference! :)

And, for a newly confessed daily reader of this page, hi Dad! Love ya lots....

Charlie Fact: According to my records, I've caught 176 stripers since Charlie's last trip on December 4th...a fair number of them were keepers...the fishing just continues on, even though the weather is becoming less and less pleasant, they keep on eatin'!

Sincerely,
Tim Surgent

January 7, 2000:

Once again I bring you reports from the suds that are becoming very hard to believe that they are from the month of January! It's not like the weather has been abnormally warm since December. Sure, we've had some warm days...but we've also had our share in the teens and 20's at night. The water's been down to 44.5 and is now at 46.8, down from yesterday's high of 47.8. Although the winter's grip is supposed have squeezed all the stripers from NJ's grip at the end of last month, there are more of them now than there has been in quite a while...months anyway. I love this kind of fishing, late in the season, too cold for most people to bother, and we all know they don't bite at night! I'll bet the day bite would be excellent should people actually get out there and throw lures, teasers, and flies. People seem so bent on "looking for birds" that they forget stripers will eat lures/flies/teasers regardless of whether or not there are birds hovering overhead. I've said it before, I know it takes the "birds" for some people to feel confident enough to even bother casting....I think that very sad. For it's the times of daylight, calm surf, and no diving birds that I feel offer you the best opportunity to "get to know" your stuff. Diving birds and breaking fish produce an air of urgency that I cannot even always overcome, that's exciting stuff with bunker spraying on top, birds diving down to grab the ones who hesitate, and big striped mouths blowing holes in the entire mess...kinda makes my mouth dry just thinking about it! Those are obviously not the best times to test plugs and teasers in the water. It's an excellent idea that you should check out the way your lures work...at night this is difficult...during blitzes it's also difficult...your average daytime trip is the best time. To know what your lure is doing based on how hard it's pulling against your rod is certainly a key point to catching more fish. If you can feel your plug pulling to a certain degree and you remember from watching it in the daytime that pulling that hard would mean the plug is digging quite deep, then you'll know to ease up on the retrieve....even feed line to the plug by lower to tip slowly. I'm referring here to the "pull" produced when your plug is on the front side of an oncoming wave. Likewise, when your plug is on the backside of the wave it's pulling....then you'll get a period when you really should quickly pick up the slack...and it starts all over with the next oncoming wave. Knowing when your plug is doing what you want is a function of working different plugs in the daylight.

Boy, I guess the point of the whole paragraph (chapter!) above is that you should try to get out there now, even during the daylight, the fish should be around and feeding just as well as they have been at night! Don't spend your trip driving and looking for birds...sure, peek once for birds, but then just do it...just walk down to the water and fish! Regardless of what others will tell you, just fishing is often the best way to catch stripers ;-) Some people would rather see you waste your time driving around looking for "action." Don't! If you don't run into any "action" on the way to where you'd like to do some fishing go ahead, dive in...otherwise...just go fishing! Cover some beach, walk around the area, throw little plugs and teasers...then try bombers and teasers...maybe even a tin squid, a fly rod if you got one. The fish are there and 29 degrees is only cold till you slide your second or third fish into your hands...and you realize that you are likely one of the very few folks out there, almost like your private fishery. Not all of us fish behind private locked gates and tell others to demand room on already crowded jetties. The solitude is nice, but who am I kidding, I really prefer to go with someone this time of year. Mainly due to the cold, a spill into the water this time of year requires the spillee to get immediately dry and warm. In some cases, you might need the help of a friend to get back before the effects of 45 degree water and air in the 20's can stop you in your tracks, especially if you got banged up on the spill. I don't fish alone much in late December either!

So, back to what started all this, the excellent fishing that just seems to continue to get better every single time we hit the suds! Let's see, last night I met up with Paul, Dan and Geddis threatened to show up...and out of the darkness unbeknownst to Paul or I, Jeepster materializes! Paul got out before me, such is the norm, even though I live 30 minutes closer than him, I've always got something to "wrap up" before I get in the truck. So when I got there last night, I was surprised that Paul was still in the same area...we discussed a couple options as to where we should meet, I was unsure of my departure time. To find him in the first of those spots when I got there surely meant one of two things: he was into fish or he was walking back and we'd meet on my way out. I was hoping it was the former as the latter brings two realities to light. First, either he didn't score or he did and they split. Second, it hurts my legs to walk out the first time...to get halfway and then see Paul heading off makes me realize how few trips across the sand I can make these compared to in the past. Both these things are bad, so I'm happy to make all the way to where Paul is without having him appear to be leaving...a good sign. He tells me he's been trying to leave, but the sucker fish are keeping him there. I know the feeling, get a few fish then it slows down...you mentally prepare to leave and then you get a hit or another fish...then another long silence from the fish. Sucker fish suck.

Paul's got three already when I get there...the first fact we always establish to begin the friendly competition....but he's rerigging, my chance to "better" my position on the rocks. I take advantage and promptly land one. I miss a few more, loose one or two...then Paul "betters" his position yet again! Now he's poking the fish at a regular interval, losing some, landing a couple...and I'm ready to stand on his shoulders for a better shot at where the fish are! :) We work something out where he can stand where he's at, I'm standing a few feet to the north...on an angled but somewhat comfortable rock. The only reason that we can fish like this is because I'm lefty...two righties or lefties cannot fish this close together...and we can't change sides...this is just the way it works, I'm casting over my shoulder, he his. He's still getting hits, I'm not. A change of plugs results in my next cast stopping dead...and heading the other way. The fish feels very heavy and strong. When it kicks, it moves a good distance. Something's not right, even though I cannot move the fish much towards me, it's heading for the sand...that's not normal. I'm leaning into this fish...and it's just not responding at all, I am perplexed. It feels like huge fish, anything else should move some when I lean the 10ft Lami into them. I gotta get closer to the sand, that's where the fish is headed and I can't turn it! Bad spot to walk through with a fish on...I get to a better position, at least the fish isn't headed for the beach anymore...but it's not coming in either! I'm really leaning into it now...it's moving towards me, but something is not right. Paul's got his gaff in case it's as big as it feels...it feels big. I put the light on the water near the rocks, looking for the critter...I finally see it. Kinda like I figured, a 33-34" fish...landed by the belly! Man, that's explains the fact that I couldn't move it but it could still run when it needed...I actually had firmly between the pectoral fins, in a human that would be the sternum. Regardless, it's a nice fish, I guessed 13#...but landed that way it was as hard to move as a beast many times larger. Who complaining, how many fish that big can you expect in January?!? That's it for that jetty, not another hit for the next 20 minutes or so...we're outta there.

Jeepster's with us now, we choose our next "area"....I say area cause we don't just stand in one spot and "cast-retrieve-repeat" like so many I see...we actually work an area, it feel more thorough that way! I caught a couple pretty quickly at the next spot, then Jeepster and Paul scored...Paul's was nice fat keeper that he released on his own accord! A couple more for me there, Paul and Jeepster dried up...we moved. Next spot was odd. Usually, there's immediately bites there, then they leave when you stir them up. Uh uh, last night, there was nothing for long enough that we almost moved on...glad we didn't. After a combined 100 cast, Paul strikes first with a feisty fat short. My next cast is met with a solid thud...a good fight...some nimble rock climbing/stumbling as the fish heads north just enough to mess me up...I land one bigger than the one I snagged, and this one ate the teaser. It's fatter and with a cool broken stripe pattern...I put it back and wish it well...and I thanked it for it's valiant efforts! Paul misses another shot. A few minutes later, I'm in again, another noble effort by my striped quarry, another good solid 30+" keeper...again on the teaser. This isn't the exact same teaser I've been using...on a few of them, I used black hackles instead of the yellow one. It really changes the whole tone of the fly that way...and these fish liked it better than the yellow one I was throwing just before changing to this one. At least, in my mind they liked it better, they may have just moved in coincidentally. Not knowing if the fish were there the whole time is the biggest difficulty in making scientific comparisons while fishing, instead we can only make assumptions. Jeepster now hooks and land a 33-34" fish...after quite a wrestling match...he releases it...he agreed to eat the one I dragged in by the belly that was waiting for him in my cooler! My backs getting sore, Paul's needing number 10, I'm at 8. I decide to give the ole black-n-purple a try, they've been eating it, but I hadn't thrown it last night at all...and I know Paul's out of them! :) Wouldn't ya know it, in three casts, I land two fish...one a tiny rat, the other a fat cod bellied barely short...both ate the black-n-purple. Paul's talking tackle shop before his next trip! My backs really begging now, and Paul's got number 10 in his hand...it slips, the hooks rips up his palm...not real bad, but it's a bleeder. That's a wrap, we're all outta there.

Final tally was quite impressive for all of us, everyone had a fat keeper over 33"...only one that was kept was the one that had it's belly torn out with the my plug. I had 4 definite keepers in my 10 fish, 3 of them were in the 32-34" class. Many of the shorts we had were big for shorts...maybe they should be called mediums! From where I'm standing there's a world of difference between landing a 27" FAT 8# short...and a 14" short....but yet they both are considered one in the same, shorts! I'm going to start deeming those between 25-28" to be mediums, just so it doesn't appear that we're out there mopping up on 14" fish with an occasional 34" fish...that's not the case at all! As a matter of fact, last night I had but one real rat....9 others that were better than 24". Same for the other guys, there's just not a real lot of tiny fish around. They are certainly mixed at least 50/50 with keepers...good sized keepers. Paul lost a big one before I got out last night. I'm waiting to see how Dan and Geddis did. I always wonder, on those nights when 50% of the fish you land are keepers, I wonder just what percentage of those swimming around are keepers? It must be substantially higher, the smaller fish are more aggressive, easier to fool, and easier to land. If 50% landed are keepers, I'll bet 75% swimming around there are keepers. Just a guess...and thought to ponder and mull over. Oh yea, Tim:10 Paul:10 Jeepster: some but I'm not sure how many...but one real nice one at least! :)

Man, sorry for the size of this one, it really got away from me! :)

Surf Talk continues to grow! The past couple of days have seen some of the most respected reel experts going over the pros and cons of both the Abu Mag reel and the new Penn 525 Mag. A real meat and potatoes discussion, including one of the designers of the Penn reel! It's chock full of excellent info, if you're in the market for either one of these reels, there's more info there than you'd find in 10 manuals! Thanks to all who are contributing there and to all of you who continue to utilize the resources that I am putting together here for you. As always, if there's anything you'd like to see here, please let me know!

Sincerely,

Tim Surgent