May 8, 2000:

    Well, much as all the other ones I've lived through, this weekend went way too fast! :(  It didn't pan out exactly as planned either, but it was, other than too short, a very interesting weekend! As planned, Jim-DE and Art made it here exactly when they were supposed to (I admire folks that can do that....I'm workin' on it!) After the shopping frenzy, Dubs and I wrapped up what we were working on and we hit the road, looking for some fish to catch! The incoming tide and failing daylight left me with but one suggestion...we got hunt the large weakfish that were due to be filing into the Raritan Bay...inside of the Hook type stuff. Art and Jim enjoyed seeing the Hook...even though we only saw a small piece and it was getting towards dark...they both vowed to come back and see it in the daylight. Jim recognized the twin light houses on the Highlands as being the very same ones he saw on a fishing show recently...funny, I never really noticed how cool they were until I saw the whole fort in the daylight. I've been fishing these areas for many, many years...but each time I see it all in the daylight it all seems new to me! We hit the ranger station, get Jim a pass for his truck and head for the fishin'! As we're parking, the rain comes...not bad...kinda nice actually. We suit up, take the walk and start firing away. I picked my lil spot carefully, knowing where the weaks like to stack up as they maraud the baits in the area....and on my way wading there, I notice all the big bunker hangin' nervously in the water I'm walking through....always an encouraging sign! The other three fellas stayed close to shore and a little south of me. My second cast with the slab fly is slammed and I'm tight with a good critter who almost burns my fingers as it rips the braided mono shooting line from my basket...a short but very strong run...and I'm working the fish back...another strong run upcurrent and it sakes the hooks...grrrrrr!  No big deal...a couple casts later and I snag a big bunker...not much of fight, but another good sign. Whenever the bunk are nervous enough to not notice a fly coming towards them, they likely have their minds on something of the predatory nature sneaking around below them. I let the poor forage fish go and a couple cast later, I land a nice 4 or 5 pound weakfish....and honest 4 or 5 pounder...weakfish are, in my eyes, the most over estimated fish that swims when it comes to weight! I keep hearing about these 7 and 8 pound weaks that are all over...if these folks would stick one on a certified scale, they'd be shocked to see that they really only weigh about half that! I'm serious, they look much, much heavier than they really are and I wish folks would weigh them before calling them all 8 pounders...a pet peeve of mine, ya think? ;^) So, I let this one go...and let the other fellas in as best I could from the distance between us...but they appear to be up to something as well. To make a long story short (sure!), I landed another big weak, lost a few more, missed a couple...then I figured I might try another fly...they just weren't hitting the slab as much as I thought they might. A 3/0 30#er bucktail practically jumped into my hand...I had to put it on. Good choice, my first 3 casts resulted in hooked fish...2 landed, one lost. I think I found what they were really into! The tide was creeping to a halt...not a good thing in this spot. Now I had all the guys out with me before the tide was too slow...but once we were all together, the fishing dropped off considerably...I missed a couple as did the other fellas...but no more were landed. Once we gathered on shore, I found out those guys didn't land one...I was surprised...I figured they'd have them as well! Oh well, such is fishing...it's all about angles!

  A quick stop for the tide change further up the river and Charlie scored a nice bass on a slab fly, 30+ inches. I missed one on the end of the incoming and one on the outgoing there....but Charlie stuck the only one. I did take this opportunity to throw one of Jim's GIANT fly rods...a 16 footer!?!?! That's two normal sized rods in one! The thing was a bit unwieldy for me...but my first 3 botched casts still went a comfortable 80 or so feet! I'm guessing with just a little practice, I could cast that puppy 150 feet without even trying...I made a mental note to check into one of these...a little lighter perhaps, that sucker was just to heavy for this one handed fly rod guy, but I did see all kinds of new avenues opening up in my mind for a rod that could throw 150 feet without all that much effort! Thanks Jim...my arm is recovering nicely! ;^) Now...coffee...a bagel...and a new plan.

  Our final destination to catch some outgoing tide.  Things were looking just perfect when we got there, we grabbed our floating lines and headed out.  The fish were right where they were supposed to be...and they were exactly as frustrating as we remembered?!?!! Grrrrrrrrrrr...... Hours and hours of casting all kinds of creations into the boils yielded nothing...well, almost nothing! I watched Charlie drifting an ugly black floating shrimp just long enough to watch a fish visibly pop on it...I called it as a bluefish...I had seen the pop and seen the shiny critter jump on the hookset. Charlie gets the fish in and announces that a bunker had just inhaled his shrimp fly. Sure enough, I saw it, a bunker had popped on the shrimp and was landed with it inside it's mouth...strange for sure! I walked away from the guys and found a bunch of nice weaks that were dying for a small epoxy foam slider fished quickly across and down...some over 5 pounds couldn't get enough of this thing fished this way! It was a revelation and I called the troops to see as dawn was interrupting the fine darkness we had been enjoying. Charlie and Jim (Art was nursing a very sore neck :( Hope ya feel better Art!) showed up and we began to really bother these weaks. I had only one small epoxy slider (remedied this that evening at the bench!)...Charlie was getting bit on a 3/0 snake fly...and Jim had one massive explosion on a popper pulled steadily across the surface...I'm still wondering what made that noise, but it was lost after but a few seconds! As daylight got unbearable (easy to do!), we headed for the trucks...I announced I needed to score at least one unicorn and headed for their dawn haven as those guys headed for shore. Sure enough, second cast, I stuck my only unicorn of the trip! Two casts later, I stuck and landed a 2# razor lips! I figured mission accomplished, time to go home and nurse the wounds of that evening! We said good bye to Art and Jim, to of the finest gentlemen I've had the pleasure to fish with, and Charlie and I put the truck on auto pilot and somehow made our way home. Best I can tell, Jim really angered the striper gods when they caught him throwing chicken parts down in his neck of the woods! ;^)  Till next time Jim and Art, we'll keep 'em honest up here for ya and the invitation is always extended.......

**Update: The

page is up!

Also...I just put 3 new assortments on the SurfAuction...Mag Minnows, jigs, and MirrOlures...check 'em out at  e-SurfAuction!

Best wishes and big fishes!

May 9, 2000:

   It seems every year lately that we are being robbed of honest spring weather. This being my favorite time of the year, equal in my book to the fall, I'm beginning to tire of the weather going from frost to sauna in a few days! It's 90 today...it was 90 yesterday...but a few weeks ago, we had inches of snow. As I tell Charlie, something's broke! The rapid warming of the shallows is a good thing and a bad thing...it's certainly not natural, it must stress the fishes, certainly the spawning fish. It's good in that in the course of a week, most areas have really started producing fish. Sure, the fishing's good...but I miss those damp, cold spring evenings.

  We didn't fish last night (hey, it happens...Paul Naj was "too busy" putting his bait habitat together! ;^)) Many others did fish yesterday and last night...the reports are all encouraging, the fishing is getting better and better. Phil tells me things are looking up as the fish drop down out of the Delaware River after spawning. This fish should exit that area and be found on the coast in no time...actually, in Fling time! The way things are going, the Spring Fling should be timed perfectly to put lots of us in front of lots of fish. All we need is the weather gods to smile upon us and the fishing just might be as interesting as meeting Dave Powell! ;^) I can't tell you how much Charlie and I are looking forward to the Fling, there are so many of you that we've known on-line for quite a while, but have never met. I've met lots of you guys in the past 2 seasons...but there's about 20 times that number that I've not met! This get together will be the biggest of it's kind, ever, that I'm aware of. So many people have talked and talked about a web site get together...but other than small groups of 5 or 6, this will be the first one actually seen to fruition.  I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday night in May than to do it with 70 or so folks who share the same passions as you do...this will be one for the photo album! Everyone bring you cameras...if you have to, pick up one of those disposable ones, whatever...this will make a great page of photos for those that are unable to attend the Fling. I normally don't bring my camera on the beach with me...I'm still not sure if I should...but I'll bring something! I think a great picture will be the group photo that we can snap before we let the Flingers all lose with their gear. If we time it right, we can get the picture with all of us on the sand, sun setting in the background over Spring Lake. We can also get one with everyone in front of the surf. So, all we gotta do now is say some prayers for the right kinda weather...maybe a nice clear sunset...followed immediately by that thick kinda hanging fog...just one percent from drizzle....or maybe just good, thick cloud cover and light NE winds...maybe even light NW winds to help get the little plugs out there that we like to throw this time of year. Hey, even without the fish, this will be an event to remember...but the fish would certainly be the icing on the cake! We will be fishing near the full moon...which has always been a hit or miss moon phase. Early in the season, it's not as big a factor as it is in July-Sept...but the full moon can shut the fish down, it happens....but it could also get them going! It does increase the tidal exchange, adding to the currents of the beaches...coupled with the right wind and cloud cover, we could be in for one of those nights where the fish are eating everything you throw at them! That would be nice......

Best wishes and big fishes!

May 10, 2000:

   After yet another head butting match with DaveC, I'm forced to turn to reflection in my quest for understanding. It seems that Dave and I just get all in each others faces sometimes, we're used to that. Failure to communicate...it can be devastating. My apologies Dave for belittling the fact that you did catch some fine fish this spring. I am guilty, I did try to make it known that you were fishing from a boat over pre-spawn fish, and I did it to quantify your recent successes....guilty as charged, written apology here for the world to see. Much as fishermen are fishermen, fish are in fact, only fish...they aren't worth arguing about, they are worth straining friendships, they are just fish. I've got quite a long posting history on a few different sites, I hope people can continue to accept my opinions as just my own personal opinions, much as they did before I ever started my own site. I value each of your opinions, I don't take your opinions as suggestions that I feel the same way as you do, please don't take my opinions as my attempt to have you think like I do. I never realized that my opinion would somehow become perceived differently when this site came to be.  I sincerely apologize to all who have taken offense to my opinions lately, I've always been one to call 'em like I see 'em...to tell it just like I think it, but recently, this has caused some friction where before it would just be dismissed as the rants of a crazy man! Please, just cause I'm running this site, don't think I'm still not capable of ranting like a crazy man! ;^) Take no offense, I assure you, personal offense is not some hidden agenda of mine! We won't always agree, we shouldn't always agree, but even in disagreement, we can agree to remain civil.

   So, Charlie and I got out last night....we were planning on educating some weakfish on the Hook. Everything was right on schedule for a change...including the oppressive heat! Even a short walk across the sand wearing neoprene when the air temp is 85 and the air is heavy with humidity can be quite stifling! It was a pleasure to wade deeply into the river. I tossed my fly in the water in front of me, stripped line of the fly reel and put it in the basket. As I was lifting the fly line to make the first back cast, I realized something had sucked my fly from the bottom! It was, I'm pretty sure, a good sized fluke, it came off shortly as I never set the hook...but it was odd to say the least! After my amazement subsided, I fired a short cast...which was thumped immediately....I missed the hit. Then a fair period of nothing! A couple fly changes later, I was into something pretty decent....I was expecting a nice weakfish...but it was fighting more like a decent bass. Just when it was about two arm lengths away, it exploded in front of me like a small tarpon...it was a razor lips! Also, it was one of the bigger ones I've stuck at night on the fly rod in this area, a good 7#'s...and I'm almost blushing when I tell you that it was indeed a noble warrior and an impressive wrestling match on the limber 9 wt! I told Charlie I wouldn't mind the blue fish so much if they were all that size or bigger...it's them little ones with the wildly snapping fly trimmers that I can't stand. With what sounded like little blues snapping on the surface around us, I decided to take a walk to another rip. Once there, I heard the good stuff...weaks and bass feeding on top. A dozen casts later, I realized the futility in my efforts, they were out of range! Just then, Charlie walks up, something dragging beside him....curiously, I inquire. It turns out Dubs had hooked, landed, and wrestled to shore an 8lb 15 oz weakfish...the biggest one I've seen in many years...and on the fly rod no less! A nice fish, a LARGE as modern day weakfishing goes!  I'm intrigued and hoof it back to Plan A to look for my LARGE trout.  My first cast is met with a good shot and I wrestle in a respectable trout of about 6 pounds. Second cast is substantially further than the first and my fly makes it back to me untouched....so I cast short again....BAMM! I land and release another fat trout....ditto on the next 2 casts. That's 4 nice weaks released in 5 casts...I was reveling in the sudden showing in a place that full of teeth an hour ago! Charlie's not hooking up, so we swap spots...and then neither of us is scoring. I did land another bluefish, maybe 4#'s...another good tussle. We swap spots again, Charlie's intermediate line lost the Orvis installed loop as he was changing from a Type III head to intermediate, so he's stuck using a line that's a little too fast sinking for this spot...we're certain that's the problem as our flies are identical as are our methods. Once back in Charlie's boot prints, I'm into another nice trout to release. One peek at the watch tells us it's time to get going, we sadly leave the feeding weaks for the journey home....Charlie noting it's been a long time he walked a trout out of fishing location that made a tail drag in the sand......

Best wishes and big fishes!

May 11, 2000:

   With the Fling approaching rapidly, it's time to get yer stuff together! For the average angler, you'll most likely need a light surf plugging rod, and possibly one capable of lobbing a bunker chunk or fresh clam 50 or so feet. That's it, 50 or so feet...maybe 100 feet at the absolute outside...any further than that and you're likely fishing outside the critters. For plugs, it really depends on the water for that specific evening...we'll have to be general here and assume average conditions. 1-3 foot waves, most likely coming from the S to SE, light winds of 10kts or less, either S or SW. If the fishing gods are smiling on us, it will be very cloudy and a light NE wind will be breezing in our faces. You should have an assortment of 6" bombers, 5" Mambo type lures, smaller wooden swimmers like the Surfster, Lex, or Dani, Mega Baits, and Yozuri's....I like the Delta Sword 5 1/4" inch (Decoy Series now)...and the 5 1/4" floating crystal minnow. Oh yea, don't forget the 4 1/4" inch blue back Tobimaru, it sometimes is the magic lure this time of year in the suds! Bring some jigs, nothing more than an 1 or 1 1/2 oz is ever needed around here except for extreme conditions. I'll probably bring some rubber rigged eels just to throw them if things are right for that. Teasers...teasers are a must this time of year, the wash, I was just told, is loaded with 3-5" spearing. Last May, we had a bunch of tiny sand eels in the surf. Herring are present in good numbers as well...again, that's based on a very recent report from DanO who's been keeping the Fling area honest for a couple weeks now with clams and herring. He's catching some fish...I think he'd catch more if he were covering more ground with plugs, but he's keeping his promise and fishing bait till he lands the one he's looking for! Teasers can be anything 5" or less, I like the 30#er, red over white, or silicone spearing...but anything in the right size range will work. The moon will be just past full, sometimes realism is very important if the sky is clear and the moon is bright. Charlie and I had a night last May near the full moon where we landed 57 stripers in the Fling area...and the majority of them ate the silicone spearing in less than 2 feet of water. We tried other teasers, that night they weren't interested in much else. We picked an occassional fish on the mambo minnows, but most ate the teasers. JohnM and I had a few good nights in mid May in the Fling area, one night we had a bunch of keeper sized fish mixed in with a good showing of shorts. That night the wind was howling SE and only a 6" bomber would get out there...the fish ate the bombers when worked at just the right angle with the waves...and they are the 30#er that night...it's especially effective in the stirred and dirty water from good sized waves.

  If you are planning on bait fishing, we rarely use sinkers over 6 oz here...4 is usually more than enough. There is basically no current on our beaches, unless there's a real good heave, then you'll get the current along the beach. Even then, the jetties that are every couple hundred yards make sure you'll be able to find water without much current. 8oz tops...for extreme conditions. Bait should be as fresh as possible. Bunker, herring, clams...it doesn't matter until the fish go on the shedding calico crabs in June...then they'll ignore everything but crabs....or rigged eels as night...but that's for another day! I'm going to try to acquire a bushel of clams for you guys that might not make it down in time, but try to get bait if you can! The Fishermen's Den is located on Shark River right in Belmar. If you are following the Fling directions, at the point where you get on Hwy 35 south, you'd get on Hwy 35 North instead to get to the Den. Follow 35 north for about 1 1/2 miles. On your left, you'll see a big marina....go there! The Den is well marked and should be open till around 8pm by then....could be more like 7 or 7:30, they kinda close based on the amount of traffic in the store on some nights. I'll see if they'll stay open a little longer on that night. They will have fresh, live clams, frozen bunker, frozen mackerel...and possibly, live herring...but the herring are like $4 a piece! There are a lot of hickory shad in the suds now from what I hear...worse case scenario, you could load up on these fellas for bait...God knows they stink enough!

  Bring a change of clothes...or at least a clean shirt so you won't stink in the morning after we fish all night! ;^) 

Best wishes and big fishes!

May 12, 2000:

   Last night, I had a plan. We all make them, sometimes they work...sometimes they don't, but we still all make them! Charlie and I were headed out for some more giant trout. We knew the elements (mainly the tide!) were against us. I had plans for toying with the world fly rod records, a spool of 2# and 8# IGFA rated tippets in my pocket...something I rarely carry....one of the few things ;^) We met JonS and Cheen (Jim) at the Hook and after a few greetings, got down to it.  Nothing but small razor lips...and even they were tough! As the tide slackened out, I had to escort Charlie off the Hook as he had his own car parked outside, knowing he would have to leave earlier than me. Upon my return, I noticed the tide was now headed the right way...weakly, but it was starting. Jon and Jim were right where I left them. I gave them the run down on what to expect, right down to where, when, and even why I thought it would happen the way I described...I had been there 3 times previously that week and had a good handle on what the critters were up to. Much as promised, the bluefish showed up first as I donated a very pretty 4/0 Slab fly to whatever toothy cause these fish represent. I lost another razor lips on a slab...lucky for him he didn't get that one. Jon's fly reel was outta commission, so he was lobbing small jigs and was first to stick a nice weak fish.  Unfortunately, it refused to right itself and we noticed blood flowing from it's gills...it was weighed at 5lb 8oz and then slated for the cooler. Jim stuck the next one, a similar sized weakfish which was released. Me? I had landed a horseshoe crab so far, but wasn't deterred. I'm not sure who struck next, either Jon or Jim, wasn't me! Then I got my turn, after going through a bunch of different flies, I found the fish greedy for a yellow silicone mullet...unfortunately, I had removed 10 of the dozen that I usually have and left them home to wait for the mullet run that's still months away! I had but 2 with me...and after 3 hookups in 3 casts, I felt compelled to give Jim my spare one, nice guy that I am ;^) Next cast, I busted off mine?!?! I tried another yellow fat fly...they didn't want it, but Jim was now hooking up regularly and that made me smile! Jon was still getting fish on the little jig he was throwing, and he did note that he'd need some of my jigs with "real" hooks as even the weaks were destroying the wimpy hook on his jig! My next fish was a good one, on a yellow rabbit strip clouser, I had tied them on tiny sharp hook in anticipation of going for the 2# tippet record. This fish was extra nice, but it had inhaled the fly so deeply that during the fight, it's stomach was sticking out of it's mouth...the fly was actually in it's stomach! It was weighed at 8#'s even and slated for my cooler. I was now in a dilemma....do I rig up the light tippets and shoot for a record or just keep enjoying these sizeable trout? I decided I'd shoot for the record. After whipping together some Albrights and triple surgeons knots, I was armed with a 2 ft piece of 8# IGFA tippet and a short piece of 15# fluoro to protect the lighter line. Two cast later, I was into a good fish, my very next fish! After a decent commotion, I beached a big fella! After removing the fly, I put this one on the digital scale - 11 pounds, 4 ounces (unofficial, but the digital scale is never off by more than a couple ounces!) Knowing that the current world record for 8# tippet was a meager 5lb 3 ounces, I knew this one was substantial enough to submit. Now, the big decision....do I give the 2# test tippet a shot? I've caught lots of nice fish on 2# test, but it's always been Trilene XT 2# test...probably more like 5# breaking strength! Ah, what the heck, I did the Albright/Surgeons knot stuff and announced to Jon and Jim the 2# record was coming! I meant this almost as a joke, the 2# stuff looked like it would break on the back cast! First hit, as expected, I busted off on the hookset...just about what I expected. I now had only one of the yellow flies I made for this occasion left, the other was wrapped up with the tippet, leader, and other goodies the IGFA wants to process a record...the 4th one I had given to Dubs when he saw them and thought they might have some merit! I figured one more try with this wispy stuff, then back to the heavy stuff and keep playing. Next hit, I missed. The following hit I lifted gently, like hooking a fresh water trout on a nymph and the battle was on! After some considerable run against almost no pressure that I was applying, I led the fish towards the sand. A few more runs and some left and right stuff, I picked it up and put it on the sand...looked to be about 6#'s. The current record is 3# 2ounces...this one was probably double that.  Mission accomplished.

   Sometimes you just gotta love it when a plan comes together.........

Sincerely

May 13, 2000:

UPDATE: 7" MegaBait page is up!

     the new is up! Again, dpowell has outdone himself with this one! resident cartoon expert bill klein has dubbed it "best one yet!"

    The fishing last night was borderline pathetic! We hung home till the tide was right...were met by lightning...a good thing for bass, apparently, a bad thing for weakfish! We checked a couple spots, scored one nice trout each, Charlie and I, and called it a night...errr, a morning! Phil showed up with his spinning rod (after he asked me what flies they were eating?!? ;^)) and landed 4 or 5 weaks to our one each. Such is the benefit of casting 3 times further than a fly rod...you can just plain cover water that can't be had with the long rod. The bluefish were a bit of a nuisance evening last, but before daybreak, a couple small bass showed up just for some variety...they too were victims of the plastic plug!  I did release a nice fluke that musta chased my fly for 20 feet, nipping at it all the way before finally getting the hook...and lost what I suspect was a LARGE weakfish when the hook pulled.  Oh well, if the winds/rain/lightning's not too much this evening, we might just head for the Fling stretch to give it the first look of the year!

Sincerely, 

Tim Surgent

gettin' ready to Fling....and the prettiest jigs you ever saw!

May 14, 2000:

  Last night was to be the inaugural run at the area from here on in to be known as the "Fling Area." Paul was planning on meeting Charlie and I for some pre-Flinging....I was planning on dragging Charlie down there around 8pm. Well, much as sometime is the case, it didn't work out that way! I needed to go to mom's house to celebrate Mother's Day...we did it last night as mom and dad were away for the official Mother's Day. No sweat, a couple hours tops....uh uh, a little over 3 hours later I was on my way home. Seems mom's PC had a brain freeze...actually, it took a hit somehow from the telephone line coming into the house...not a lightning hit, just a funky hit from a line that then went dead. After much effort trying to unravel what I thought was a problem with the registry, I was informed of the problem with the phone line. Had I been really on the ball, I'd a suspected such a thing, but everything looked cool. We did dinner, dessert, and some presents for mom...then I sat in a chair and tried to make sense out of a PC that wouldn't let me boot it far enough to really work on. After too long, I called it quits.....I'm starting to not like computers anymore! They used to friends of mine, now all computers feel like strangers!  So, bottom line, we got a later start than planned. We did throw about 50 casts in the Fling area, but we missed the best part of the tide and quickly thought of places we'd rather be! Turns out we'd end up with just one striper, one fluke, and one small bluefish to show for our combined fly rod efforts anyway...we shoulda stayed in the Fling area! ;^)

   The weather turned interesting early this am, the wind switched to 15kts NE, the clouds thickened up, and I'm pretty sure some rain is on the way. Nice stuff as we approach the full moon on Thursday! I'd like to throw some plugs this evening in the Fling area...we'll see how that goes. It did feel nice to stand in the surf and dodge the splash from the 2 foot waves as I hurled the MegaBaits and Mambo minnows into the waves...but we got nothing. This doesn't worry me a bit, we really didn't put in any effort there, I expect to find the fish in the zone when we really put a little time into it! I hope we can get this same weather for the night of the Fling...that would just really get the blood flowing!

  I received the first of the MegaBait jigs yesterday...and all I can say is WOW! I've never seen metal jigs that looked as fishy as these do, and they are cheaper than similar sized Crippled Herring. The finish on these is protected so well that I doubt even the toothy aggressors will be able to mess it up! Very nice indeed! I immediately took some photos and put the page together for you guys that throw metal jigs. We will carry the 1 1/2, 2 1/2, and 3 1/2 oz jigs for now...if there's any call from you guys for the big fellas, I'll get the 4 1/2oz jigs in ASAP!

That's it for now, I'll be sending out emails to all the registered Flingers at some point today, just to get a solid idea how many are still planning on being there. It looks like almost 70 folks...that's a lot of folks indeed! Also, I'm taking orders for folks that would like to pick up tackle at the Fling, it will make life much easier on us if we can have everyone's order packed in a nice little box and paid for prior to the Fling. We do understand that there will be some folks that are paying for the goods at the Fling and some folks who want to look at some stuff before buying it. We'll accommodate all of these folks, but certainly would prefer to have a solid idea as to what to drag to the Fling so far as tackle is concerned. I have two pretty big orders due here tomorrow, all kinds of new stuff, restocking some old stuff...I'll bring as wide a selection as possible to the Fling, but there's just no way we'll be able to lug a bunch of everything down there! If you can, let us know ahead of time what you'd like to see or purchase. If not, no big deal, but to be certain you'll get what you want there, better to at least let us know, even if you'd like to pay then, to have it in a box with your name on it would be sweet! ;) 

the new is up! Again, dpowell has outdone himself with this one! resident cartoon expert bill klein has dubbed it "best one yet!"    

Sincerely