Surfcaster's Journal Issue Nine

SURFCASTER’S j o u r n a l

A

Surfcaster’s Paradise...

Located 12 miles off the Massachusetts coast.

1 hour boat trip from historic New Bedford MA.

Open

May Until EarlyOctober Mid

Since

1864 For reservations or brochures call

508-992-5585

Or visit us online at cuttyhunkfishingclub-bb.com

I have fished through fishless days tha

at I remember happily without regret.

- Roderick Haig-Brown

There is a definite chill in the air this morning as I board the Long Island Rail Road on the way to work. The ever-present stifling humidity seems to be loosening its grip, and in its place there is cool, refreshing air filling the atmosphere. For all the surfcasters in the Northeast, this can only mean one thing, the beginning of the fall run. The young of the year baitfish, which spent the summer months unmolested by predators in our back bays, have grown to a size the gamefish cannot ignore any longer. They are gathering in numbers on the backsides of the inlets and with every passing day their numbers increase. They nervously anticipate that first strong cold front which will signal to them that the time for their migration has come. They will pour out of the inlets by the thousands ( or maybe the millions) searching for safety in numbers. They will hug the shallow beachfront on their way southward, hoping that they will make their journey unnoticed.

But predators are spurred by the drop in the water temperatures too.

They are ready to attack. They spent the summer months in the deeper waters, eating whatever they could find: sand eels, crabs and squid.

Now it’s the time for their annual feast. They will turn the water into a froth with their powerful tails. They will chase the helpless baitfish onto the dry sand and they will leave a trail of destruction as they pin the baitfish against the beach.

Yes, it’s a glorious time to be a surfcaster in the Northeast. You’ve waited patiently as your kids frolicked in the summer surf. You’ve barbequed without complaint in stifling heat and you’ve done your “honey-do” list without being nagged. You've got your tackle ready in preparation of the fall run. Now it’s the time to cash in your chips and hit the surf. Happy hunting and tight lines.

Zeno Hromin Sept. 2011

Surfcaster’ s Journal Issue #9 September 2011 12-Geared Up 33-The Rod Corner - Caruso 39-Plugaholics Anonymous - Anderson 47-Beach To Table - Chase 56-Rollin’With The Rock - Paoline 65-Fly Fishing Update - Papciak 77-Jack“The Professor”Frech - Pintauro 103-Confessions of a Wetsuiter - Papciak 109-The Target Hour - Lentini 131-Angelo Peluso Interview - Hromin 151-Big Swimmers - Muller 171-The Mullet Are Here - Hromin 180-Contributors editor in chief head photographer/treadmill: Zeno Hromin art director/dj jazzy jeff: Tommy Corrigan head copy editor: Roger Martin boss of the head copy editor: Marie Martin rod guru: Lou Caruso executive chef: Andrew Chase plug guru: Dave Anderson fly guru: John Papciak 4x4 guru/enforcer: Russell Paoline cover photo: Zeno Hromin advertising and other inquiries info@surfcastersjournal.com Surfcaster's Journal is published bi-monthly by Surfcasting LLC. Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising submitted for publication. Surfcasting LLC and Surfcaster's Journal assume no responsibility for errors made except to republish in future issue any advertisement having an error.

Use of this material without express written permission of Surfcasting LLC and Surfcaster's Journal is strictly prohibited.

Tsunami Airwave Elite Rod There will come a time in every surfcaster’s life when his wife will ask him “Do you really need another rod”? To which he will reply “Do you have enough shoes in the closet”?

This will take care of this age old question for the moment. Our wives can eloquently explain why you can’t wear strappy sandals to church or high heels to the beach. You should be able to explain why an eleven foot rod is not well suited for fishing from a jetty or why a seven foot snapper rod will not help you catch a monster striper off Montauk Point’s rocks. But your wife will get one over on you when she reminds you that your rods cost hundreds of dollars while she just bought a great pair of pumps at Marshalls for $49.99. What she doesn’t tell you is that she bought them in eight different colors…

Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, we can change rods like they do shoes. Many of us have rods that we are “married” to. They are our favorite rods, the ones we use most of the time. Hell, as sad as it sounds, in the fall, we even sleep with these rods more often than with our wives. But we are always on the lookout for a specialty rod, something that will fit the bill for a specific situation yet won’t break the bank in the process. We don’t know about you but most of us can’t afford to own many rods which cost five bills any more than we could afford being married to more than one wife who buys eight pair of shoes at a time.

We have been big admirers of Tsunami Airwave rods for many years. We loved that they made quality rods, within the reach of any surfcaster’s budget. They might the most popular line of rods in this price range. Why? Because they are designed by local surfcasters who are in tune with what their customers want. Recently we had a chance to play with their newest line of rods, the Tsunami Airwave Elite Series. These new rods from the folks at Tsunami are lighter and stronger yet more powerful than their other offerings. They feature Fuji Concept K-series guides which should help cut down on line tangles and wind knots considerably.

We had a chance to play with a 9 foot model, rated from 3-5 ounces and we have to admit, it has filled a huge hole in our arsenal. Most of the nine footers we own are made on the light side. Most people assume that a rod in that size will be used for light tackle fishing. This is true until you find yourself on a jetty with a five ounce, fifteen inch rigged eel or until you have to lean into your light stick with a big pencil popper only to wonder if it's going to explode! We liked the low profile textured vinyl grips, we liked that the Elite rods recovered fast after a cast, we liked the Fuji reel seat and we liked that they were light as a feather. But what we liked most was that our rod had the guts to sling a heavy plug or an eel into the wind. We would even recommend that you look at these rods if you are looking for a good chunking stick.

Of course, being cheapskates, we loved that we could actually afford to buy one without having to tell our wife to return the other seven pairs of shoes.

GEARED

UP INFO

Power Pro Line What can we say about Power Pro, one of the world's most popular braided lines, that hasn’t been said before? That it is rounder than most other braided fishing lines? That it’s thinner than other braids? That you will cast further than monofilament? That its hook setting abilities are second to none? The best advice we can give you is to spool some on your surf reel and see for yourself. We don't recommend that you use anything less than 30 pound test on your big surf reels. Let's be honest, the there is a fine line between having a thin line and fishing with string. For example, the 30 lb Power Pro is similar in diameter to 8 pound mono. Would you seriously consider fishing with mono that thin even if the rating was at 30 pounds and not 8? Most seasoned surfcasters use 50 or 65 pound Power Pro which are equal to 12 and 16 pound monofilament.

Power Pro’s round profile is a dream to cast which should make those who ply the sand beaches very happy as they can reach the offshore bar without much effort. Jetty jocks love its thinness too, because it cuts through the water with ease and helps them get their bucktails close to the bottom faster in wicked inlet currents. Power Pro features almost zero stretch and that is one of the primary reasons why braided lines in general have become so popular in the surf. This means that your hook sets are instantaneous and you will miss less strikes. However, you should lighten up on your drag to reduce the chance of straightening the hook or snapping your graphite rod.

We recommend that you use monofilament backing under your braided line, not only because spooling totally with braid on a big surf reel can get expensive but also because it’s unnecessary. If you hook a fish that peels 300 yards of line off your reel, you might as well call the TV news crew because what you have is neither a striper or a bluefish. We also recommend that you buy a good pair of pliers to cut the braid. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a quality tool. A pair of pliers from Hansom Tackle will fill the bill and leave some change in your pocket. Last but not least, we recommend using a Palomar knot to attach your Power Pro to the swivel that is connected to your leader. Why a leader you might ask? Not only do leaders have better abrasion resistance than braid but if you ever grab your braided line with a bare hand while a lively fish is attached to the other end, you will quickly regret it. The thin braid will slice your hand to the bone. In closing, yeah, many of our staffers have used Power Pro with great results for many years and we have no qualms about telling you to try some.

INFO

Afterhours Needlefish If you haven’t heard about Afterhours Lures you are probably living under a rock. Or in a place where there is no internet in which case we wonder how are you reading this magazine. Do you also have a donkey in the back yard for plowing the soil? We are not all that swift when it comes to most things, but we know a good lure when we see one. And Don Giumeli from Afterhours Lures makes some good ones. One we liked the most from the day Don first started making lures to the present is his 2 ounce needlefish. It's an excellent lure when the conditions call for a slower sinking needlefish. It’s a deadly lure when stripers are gorging on sand eels but it also is a great imitation of squid, needlefish and eels. Retrieve it straight or with a little twitch once in awhile, and hold on to your rod.

Don uses premium hardware in assembling his lures: VMC hooks, SS wire, Wolverine Split rings and more. We always admired the fact that Don does not cut corners when making his lures, neither with his components nor his attention to details. We are impressed with how durable the finish on his lures is. We would venture to say without reservation that Afterhours Lures have one of the most durable finishes of all wooden lures. Considering they are reasonably priced, made with high quality components and have a long history of producing in the surf, it is the kind of lure we have no reservation recommending.

INFO

Tsunami Holo Replica Sand Eels As we often mention when reviewing products, we are hesitant to be the first to stick our toe in the water. Over the years, we’ve seen many “can’t-miss” products end up on the garbage heap. However, when Tsunami weighted Sand Eels showed up on the wall of our favorite tackle shop, we were all over them. Sand eels have been the predominant baitfish in our area the last few seasons and Tsunami weighted sand eels were a dead ringer for a real thing. Featuring a big, strong hook, a simple body and a holographic finish, it was hard to tell the lure from the real thing. In this case we weren’t disappointed as they became one of the staples found in the lure bags of northeast surfcasters. They are not designed to be cast onto the offshore sandbar but instead to work the trough between the bar and the beach. We like them so much that we wished Tsunami would design the same bait without the weight so we could use it as a teaser ahead of our lure.

The folks at Tsunami must be mind readers because they recently unveiled six and eight inch unweighted models of their popular Sand Eel lure. We think you will like their versatility a lot because not only can you use them as teasers but you can also cast them with light tackle as a primary lure. They feature the same holographic finish and quality hooks as their weighted siblings. Check them out at your favorite tackle shop, we promise you will not be disappointed.

INFO

GotStryper There is no denying that there has been an explosion in popularity of rubber baits in the surf. Sand eels are not the only reason why every surfcaster carries a few in his bag. The massive schools of sand eels that have found their way to our beaches the last few years definitely increase the effectiveness of these rubber baits. Stripers often zone in on any lure with a long, slender profile. But rubber baits were effective long before the recent influx of sand eels. Those who preferred artificial instead of live eels have long been fans of Sluggos. Many of us have gravitated to Hogy’s in recent years as they are more supple and the company keeps expanding its product line with casting and swimming heads. In addition, they have a quick rigging system which will get your bait rigged up in no time. We recently took some twelve inch rubber baits from GotStryper on our annual trip to Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts. These baits feel heavier, more rugged than any other rubber baits we’ve used before. That is not its only distinguishing characteristic. These baits feature large indentations along their tails which help the lures slither like snakes through the water. We rigged them any way we could think of: with a single hook, weedless, double hooks, and caught fish every which way. Two things stood out right away.

First, because of their weight they cast further than most rubber baits which is an important thing for a surfcaster. Second, they hold up as well if not better than most other rubber baits on the market. We managed up to a dozen fish at times before we had to rerig our baits.

INFO

Commando 3 Tube Surf Bag In the past we wrote about why you should consider investing in a custom surf bag.

Durability and functionally are the main selling points. The fact that you can customize a bag to fit the way you fish is a huge plus for any angler who has ever fished a tide with a cumbersome surf bag slung over his shoulder. Many of you have spent good money on so called “quality” bags, ones that cost in excess of a hundred dollars, only to watch your hooks get implanted in the fabric or have had the misfortune of seeing the stitching on the bag fall apart after a single season. For you, we only have one advice, get your fingertips to work and look through the pages of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine for an ad from one of the custom surf bag builders that we count on as our supporters. We have had the pleasure of fishing with a new 3 Tube Bag from Commando Surfcasting this spring. Yes, we know that one spring season is not necessary an accurate measuring stick of the durability of anything. We have had products disintegrate in our hands after a single tide but we have been around the block a few times. Trust us when we tell you that if you purchase a Commando Surf Bag you might pass it down to your kid…in great condition! Where do we get the gall to make such a prediction? Some of our staffers had made custom bags before they became all the rage. Heck, one of them briefly worked for Hunter bags. So yeah, we know what we are talking about.

The three tube Commando bag we had a chance to test this spring featured three large round tubes for plug storage. Just the way we like it. We never were the fans of square tubes or those who tell us that round tubes waste too much space in the bag. Au contraire, we feel that square tubes are for those who are, well…square. We always felt we could fit more plugs in round tubes. Three large swimmers are standard and if you want to squeeze in a half a dozen needlefish lures in one slot, you can do that too. Why would you do that when everybody knows that all you need is one yellow and one black needlefish plug. The bottom of the bag is one of the toughest, most durable bottoms on

the market today. In fact, the whole bag gave us the feeling that you could run it over with a tank, pick it up and use it again. The top of the bag features three layers of material, the only bag on the market currently to be constructed this way.

We are not sure to what extent the bag is customizable but feel free to drop Tom at Commando an email through his website and ask him personally. We feel that our bag, which we assume is a standard model, was built perfectly for the way we fish. In fact, it was probably built perfectly for the way you fish too. You can see that a lot of thought went into the design and construction of this bag. Even the wetsuiter, a hard to please customer when it comes to surf fishing products, will be happy. The large drainage holes on the bottom will let the water flush out of the bag quickly. On the side of our bag are two pouches. The larger one is designed to fold the flap inside and hold a 20 oz Gatorade bottle (won't float out even when empty). If you like, you could carry two 4oz jars of pork rind or two cans of Spam, in case you get hungry! Or an extra large jar of KY Jelly. Or was that Smelly Jelly? We are not sure and we certainly do not intend to pry into what you do on the beach under the cover of darkness. What we can tell you is that you will have plenty of jelly if you decide to lather something with it.

You could carry a smaller bottle and flashlight or you can follow our lead and pack a spare reel spool and tape for your finger. In any event, you won’t spend much time worrying about your stuff with a 4 inch industrial Velcro enclosure. On the opposite side we have a smaller pocket that will hold a 4 ounce bottle of Uncle Josh pork rind. You will get a workout when you first try to fit the bottle in but trust us, it will fit. So will the smaller one obviously. The reason for making it tight was that once the material eventually softens, the pouch will become almost custom made for the jar. Wait, this is a custom made bag!

You just didn’t know that your bag will get even better with time!

Our bag has three inside compartments. In the back of the tubes there is a pouch in which we carry our leader wallet and a spare flashlight. To show you just how much thought went into the design of this bag, even this small pouch had drainage built in the corners of the pouch. In the front of the tubes there is a bucktail and tin holder and in the front of that there is another internal slot in which you might carry large tins or even Pocket Rocket style lures. Our bag featured an outside pouch, perfect for carrying a night's supply of rigged eels. Of course you can always choose to carry other, less slimy stuff like rubber baits and even a camera. Just like the front flap, it features plenty of Velcro to keep all your stuff in one place while you wallowing in the surf like a beached whale. What, you never fell down? You know, the waders you are wearing are meant to get wet. We are just saying...

There are more bells and whistles. On the back of the bag you will find loops for attaching your bag to your surf belt if you chose to do so and two D-rings, one on each side of the bag. These little suckers are great for attaching your bag to the belt when swimming or just clip it and have it out of the way when you are casting.

So you figured that is it, right? Tight stitching, triple layer on top, compartments for all your accessories, ample room for lures. Not so fast. This bag features one additional item that we haven't seen anywhere and we absolutely fell in love with it. Our bag came equipped with a chafe guard on the shoulder strap. It's a neat product that wraps around the strap and makes carrying the bag and fishing with it so much more pleasurable. If you ever struggled with a heavy bag that dug into your skin and made your shoulder sore, you are going to want to get one of these puppies. It is made out of padded neoprene and is secured with Velcro around the strap. From what we have been told this accessory is also available as a separate item through some local retailers.

Check out this bag on

INFO

Berkley Turbo Glide Cordless Fillet Knife We know you are a manly man. The kind that likes to make his own lures, pluck your own feathers for hooks and melt your own lead for bucktails. You brim with so much self confidence that peeing in your wetsuit in front of a hundred other anglers comes naturally. And why wouldn't you be confident, after all, your mother has the word "son" tattooed on her arm. But as much as you try, you can't hide the fact that your fish filleting skills leave a lot to be desired. How do we know? We've picked up the carcasses of the fish you filleted and have been able to feed a village with it. Don't worry, there is no shame in not spending your youth as a party boat mate, practicing your fish filleting skills and smoking weed. We are not too swift when it comes to cleaning fish either. For one reason or another, our knife is always dull, the sharpener is nowhere to be found and this is often reason enough to kiss that keeper and toss it back into the water. Then we got ourselves a Berkley 110 Volt Cordless Turbo Filet Knife and now we can't stop looking for stuff to filet. But how we got there is a story in itself.

We were wrapping up a third all-nighter in a row. We stood on a rock, going through the motions, thinking about a last mile-long trip over the rocks to our rented house. We had ferry reservations in a few hours and were in bad shape with creaky knees, burning shoulders and cuts all over our hands. As luck would have it we hooked into a cow striper that took most of the energy we had left to land and release. But luck can be a double edge sword as we quickly found out. Our cow striper floated belly up after the release.

After fruitlessly trying to revive it, we carried it, dragged it and pushed it over the rocks until we collapsed on the deck of our cottage. The thought of filleting this big striper with a dull knife was daunting so for the first time we whipped out a Berkley Cordless Turbo Filet knife. We assembled it in seconds and let its 7.5 inch, serrated stainless steel blades slice the bass along the spine. It was so easy, even the Caveman could do it. Darn it, if we

knew this before, we would have bought it long ago. The specially designed motor and housing keep the motor cool, even during extended filleting jobs. Once we were done trimming the filets, we cleaned the knife, disassembled it and stored it in the handsome nylon zippered case that came with our knife. And yes, the knife does have a trigger lock which greatly reduces the chance of you coming home with less than ten fingers. How many products do you use in the surf that have "Turbo" in their name? We are just saying...

INFO

WileyX Flare If you are a regular reader of the Surfcaster's Journal Magazine you know that we have long been fans of polarized shades, particularly ones made by WileyX. Hey, we know that there are many quality polarized optics on the market today but not many have been supplying elite members of our Armed Forces for over 25 years like WileyX. Their Selenite™ polycarbonate lenses feature 100% polarization and 100% protection against harmful UV rays, for superior glare-cutting performance and all-day eye comfort. Their newest model is called Flare, which features a stylish matte black frame matched with the company's advanced Filter 8™ polarized Emerald Mirror lenses, resulting in a brilliant combination for serious saltwater fishermen. You know that a company that takes care of our guys and dolls in uniform is making their products to the highest standards in the industry. In fact, Wiley X is the only premium sunglass manufacturer whose entire line is certified to exceed ANSI Z87.1-2003 high velocity and high mass impact plus optical performance standards.

This is all nice and dandy but you are probably asking how will the pair of WileyX help you catch more fish? Or more chicks? Ok, here is an example but first we should mention to you that WileyX shades are very stylish and might improve your appearance not only when fishing but also when socializing. Hold on a second! You might need more help than just a good looking pair of shades. Maybe a nose job, toupee and a Ron Jeremy style mustache would be a good start. All kidding aside, here is a true story that happened to us a few weeks ago in Europe. We were strolling over a little bridge on the Adriatic Sea with a local fisherman. This dude is one of the best fishermen in the area but he (like most there) believes that investing money in anything other than line, hook and bait was a waste of money. As we got to about mid-span of the bridge, we took a

look in the water and with our WileyX Josh shades we noticed a school of "market size" fish, about a foot under the surface, behind the bridge abutment. If you are wondering what "market size fish" is in the Adriatic, the easiest way to explain would be "anything that swims!� He couldn't see the fish because of the sun's reflection on the water's surface. After helplessly looking through his knock-off Hong Kong Ray Ban's he finally gave up and asked for our Wiley's for a peek. Once he put our shades on, his mouth opened up, his dentures fell in the water and he ran away with our Wiley's mumbling something about getting a boat and a net. We are kidding about his teeth but we are not kidding about our pair of Wiley's Josh shades. We've never seen them since. The second pair we brought on our trip, Wiley's P-17 with emerald green lens were "misplaced" by a neighbor who asked us to borrow them while casting surface lures to a school of foot long needlefish. So now we are in the market for shades again, and new Flare from WileyX just might be our next purchase.

INFO

Regal Medallion Series Fly Tying Vise Once you’ve made that giant leap to join the saltwater fly fishing ranks, you’ll quickly discover the need to tie your own flies. Yes, there are good professional tiers out there, and you’ll find tons of patterns through various retail channels. Trust us on this one - after a few months of searching for must-have patterns, in very specific colors and hook styles, you’ll see why most saltwater fly fishermen end up doing most of their own tying.

But if that argument doesn’t sway you, your first schools of bluefish are sure to get you tying to replenish your stocks.

(Pssst, you’ll need a tying vise.)

You’ll hear passionate arguments over “true rotary,” while being bombarded with a wide range of models and prices. Let’s make one thing perfectly clear, the vise, however fancy, serves but one basic purpose - to hold the hook in place as you combine thread, feathers, and synthetics to build your own creations.

We’ve tied with a few, but our favorite for volume tying of local saltwater patterns remains the mid-priced Regal vise. Remember, we said “local saltwater patterns.” Some of the features found with pricier offerings may only be cost-effective if you intend to do volume tying using specific techniques for certain freshwater patterns.

Most Regal models start with the same basic spring-loaded lever, and offer upgrades to the all-important hook-holding jaws. Regardless, the key selling point of any Regal is the ability to switch between a wide range of hook sizes without ever having to make an adjustment. This concept is invaluable if you see yourself as an “impulse tier,” switching

between a range of hook sizes as you tie whatever comes to mind. Just squeeze the handle and your hook is firmly in place.

We’ve been tying with the equivalent of the “Medallion Series” Regal “Standard Jaw,” using a C-Clamp, for over ten years with zero “buyer’s remorse”. The company literature suggests the standard jaw supports hook sizes from 22 to 1/0, but don’t tell anyone that we’ve actually squeezed in hooks as large as 4/0. We’ve even used this model to bring countless leadheads and bucktails back to life.

The jaws, when anchored firmly to a tying table using the C-Clamp, are strong enough to keep a hook firmly in place, even when bending extrastrong saltwater hooks into a “bendback” pattern.

Prices for the Medallion series range from $165 for the “Standard Jaw C-Clamp” to $195 for the “Big Game Jaw” (supports hooks up to 5/0). If that money is still burning a hole in your pocket, you can drop another $100 for the handsome bronze base.

INFO

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Lou Caruso

WE HAVE CHOICES With all the hoopla about 2-piece rods, I received an email from Mike Kulick of KM Custom Rod who is a distributor for Century Blanks. He contacted me to see if I was interested in their line of Century Blanks. I was interested, as I’m always looking for the latest in blanks to have available to my customers. He was coming up to attend the Long Island Stripers-On-Line spring fling. He stopped by on the way so I could check out the rods and blanks. These rods are known for their long distance capabilities in casting competitions and I was interested to see how they handled when fighting a fish. Turns out their importer Ryan White along with Mike had designed some blanks specifically for East Coast fisherman. They are the “Sling Shot” and the “Stealth” series.

They provided me with a SS 1327 (formally the HJ series) rated 2 – 5 oz and a 11’ Stealth rated 1 - 5 to build and test. Mike describes the blanks this way: “The Stealth line is moderate, the Sling Shot (formerly HJ) line as mod-fast action”.

The action on the Stealth is very parabolic; meaning it flexes right through the blank. The Sling Shot flexes more in the top end and not through the handle. Both have their place in a fisherman’s arsenal.

I would like to say I have built and tested both these rods, but I’m “up to my arse” right now building rods for my customers. I recently finished the Sling Shot, but have not had the chance to test it. Right now the goal is to get the Stealth built and test them both during the fall run. I will provide feedback in a future article.

We now have a wide range of surf blanks for the fisherman to choose from in the 2-piece market. You have St. Croix legend blanks for custom builds, the CTS Vapor Trail, Plug and Jetty and S8 Surf series, and we have Century’s Stealth and Sling Shot. There are other 2-piece blanks from well-known manufacturers out there. I didn’t include them here, as they are not in the same class as the blanks described above.

It’s a wonderful thing that we now have all these different actions. For the fisherman looking for a very parabolic rod you have the Stealth, in a little faster action you have the Vapor Trail, a little faster still and you have the Sling Shot and faster still the CTS S8.

Each has its merits and place in the surf. All of these companies put out other blanks but these are the blanks I feel are most advantageous for the surf caster. All these choices are readily available and allow customers to pick the blank which most fits their needs, price point and casting style.

Do your homework. Visit the web sites of these companies and see how the blanks are constructed. If possible, test them. Both the CTS and Century distributors have casting days up and down the East Coast. You can attend and test cast their rods.

In the words of my favorite rock band of all time: U2 “It’s a beautiful day“!

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DAVE ANDERSON

Plug bags can be pretty heavy and very frustrating when they are overstuffed. Taking your next selection out of a crowded bag often results in pulling out a daisy-chain of custom plugs. Once in a while it can result in a crushing loss. This happened to me last fall when I was trying to remove a parrot needlefish from my bag. I got the parrot out fine but a one-of-a-kind custom mackerel needle bit the dust when it rode out with the parrot and took the plunge into the murky nighttime surf. This frustration is multiplied by a figure of roughly 7 million when you’re in a bite of big fish and you’re trying to change plugs!

Stuffing the bag is a compulsive disorder that might be closer to classic hoarder behavior than it is the behavior of someone who’s trying to prepare for a night’s fishing. It’s something that requires a ten step program; it’s something that stems not from needing to have something but from the fear of not really knowing what you need—it’s something that has to be stopped!

First of all, if you routinely lug an eight tube (or larger) bag around with you in the surf you’re asking for trouble. Not only because you might slip a disk during a treacherous wade. You also are giving away the fact that you’re that guy who takes a bite of every doughnut in the box because, “Oooh they all look sooooo good!” If you weren’t picturing a small, chubby child jumping up and down with chocolate, powdered sugar and jelly smeared around his mouth, you are now! And we all know where that gets us, “Mommy I don’t feel good…” In much the same way that an overstuffed and oversugared child needs to purge, if you are one of these guys that think they need to bring 35 plugs every night, you need to purge too; best news is you can do this without ruining your bed clothes or a priceless Persian rug.

I think the first step in your recovery is to buy a smaller plug bag. This year I have been limiting myself to a three tube MAK Bag. I actually enjoy the challenge of putting together a dynamic selection of plugs every night that I head out. Now of course there are times when more plugs are required. Take for instance a night where you know you’ll still be

fishing when the sun comes up. It is likely you will need a few different plugs in the daylight. This presents a big dilemma since I used to lug out the old Van Staal 8 tube. Now I limit myself to my MAK four tube in these situations.

I’m going to level with you here and you need to level with me as well. No matter how many plugs I bring I tend to throw the same three or four every night (conditions depending).

There are a few staples that always ride with me. I always have a blurple and a bone-colored loaded Red Fin with me even during the day. I always have a Sebile Magic Swimmer with me and I always have at least two rubber baits on leadheads. Luckily most of these lures can be stashed on the outside of a tube or in an inner pocket. From here the secret to surfcasting sanity comes from making educated choices and not giving in to the temptation to bring three styles of plugs that essentially do the same thing. You really don’t need three Dannys, three Big Don’s Roundnoses and three Surfsters!

Let’s start with the most important part of surf fishing, the “c” word, not COLOR sorry, CONFIDENCE! If you are not feeling confident in a lure that you are stuffing into your bag then you really don’t need it. Are you walking away from the computer in a huff right now? Wait! Ask yourself this: when do you start throwing a plug that you have no confidence in? That’s right, when you’ve already exhausted all of your go-to and secondary options. This means that you have already pretty much determined that there is not much out there in front of you. Toss that lure you already have no confidence in out there and watch it become one of the many that die in a bin in your garage, destined to be flipped onto a buy/sell/trade forum on an internet message board near you.

It’s a universal goal of all fishermen to become better anglers. A huge part of this is knowing what you need and also what you don’t need. Do I think I can tell you what you need and don’t need? Not for a millisecond. I can tell you though that there is less science to plug choice than most of us want to believe. When packing your bag think about the conditions you’re going to face. If the wind is honking 20 mph in your face you can leave the Surfsters in the truck, maybe pack one Danny just in case the fish are in tight but load up on plugs that will get you out through that wind. Pack Super Strike Needles, Beachmaster Wadds, rubber on a leadhead, bucktails and of course Bottle Plugs. If you’re fishing an area that features shallow boulder fields, you can forget about that Conrad, leave the loaded Super Strike Needles at home too, instead pack some Afterhours Needles, a Beachmaster Danny or two, Atom Juniors and 40s. Heavy sweeping current or a fast river? No need for the Surfster here they get too wild in fast water, pack your darters, pack an A40 to let swing in the tide, throw some heavier bucktails in there and when selecting metal lips, remember that the closer the line-tie is to the center of the plug, generally speaking, the better the plug will hold in current—the lower the line tie the wilder the action will become.

Packing a plug bag is about making calculated choices, it’s not about carrying a Beachmaster Cowboy Junior in Rainbow just so you can drop the jaws of fellow casters with the fact that you put hooks on that thing! That is unless the conditions you face call for that plug. As I’ve said in previous columns, the best thing you can do as a plugger is take the time to get to know the action of your plugs and learn how they react in different situations. From there you will be confident in your choices and not feel like you have to have a tackle shop on your back to cover all of the bases. Do this and both your back and your brain will thank you—and hell, you might catch a few more fish too.

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Whole Fish

Cooking a Whole Fish is Easier than you Think!

Someone recently gave us a beautiful black sea-bass that they’d just caught and I immediately filleted it without much forethought. Staring at those two paltry fillets I cursed myself for not keeping the fish whole; it wasn’t really enough for dinner.

My number one reason for cooking a smaller fish like a porgy or a black seabass on-the-bone is that it’s so much less wasteful than filleting it first. Once cooked, there’s more meat to be picked from the carcass and the fish tends to be more moist and flavorful. It also makes an impressive presentation.

As far as cooking time, I can assure you that it’s just as easy to judge doneness with a whole fish as it is with a fillet. It’s also harder to over-cook because of the added protection of bones and skin.

To show just how easy it is, I asked our bartender Amanda to prepare this dish without giving her any advance notice. I armed her with the cleaned fish and the recipe and photographed the results. The optional tomatoes and olives were Amanda’s idea after she declared that the dish needed “more color”. Good call!

It was delicious.

1 whole fish, between 2 -3 lbs., scaled and gutted salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4 tablespoons good olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 5 or 6 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 lemon, thinly sliced ½ cup dry white wine 2 small ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (optional) small handful good olives (optional) 2 tablespoons butter (optional but really good) Preheat the oven to 400F. With a pair of scissors or shears, snip the fins off the fish. This is optional but makes serving easier. Dry the fish well inside and out.

Use an oven-proof dish just large enough to hold the fish comfortably. Smear half the olive oil over the bottom of the dish and scatter the onions and garlic evenly over this. Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil into the fish’s cavity and insert a few sprigs of thyme and some of the lemon slices. Lay the fish over the onion/garlic mixture and rub all over with the remaining olive oil.

Arrange the lemon slices over and around the fish and tuck the thyme sprigs around, as well. Pour the white wine into the bottom of the baking-dish.

Bake the fish for 25-35 minutes depending on the size. Baste the fish 2 or 3 times with its cooking juices; if it starts to become too dry, add a spoonful or two of water or wine. If you’re using the butter, distribute it over the top of the fish during the last 5 minutes or so of the baking time. This will add a little richness and texture to your pan juices. Check for doneness by inserting a small paring knife into the thickest part of the flesh. It should look just opaque at the center.

Present the fish whole at the table and remove the fillets with a fork and a small spatula. Serve some of the onions and other vegetables (if you used them) as well as the pan juices spooned over each portion of fish. Don’t forget the lemons, they’re really good!

Note: our fish weighed 2 ½ pounds before cleaning. We cooked it at 400F for 30 minutes on the dot and it was more than enough for two hungry people.

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With

THE ROCK Russ “Big Rock” Paoline

In the last issue, we went over the basics of beach travel. This month let's talk in greater depth about traveling over the sand. Here in NJ, our beaches have soft sugary sand for the most part, at least on most of the beaches we can drive on. Tire pressure is a big issue here, as in the softer sand you need a wide tread profile as well as a soft tire so that you don’t dig in. I run 16 psi in most situations, except in the fall on Brick Beach where I drop to 14 psi due to the extreme softness of the sand. Excessive beach traffic creates a lot of tire ruts and spots where it is easy to dig in. There is a lot of beach erosion during storms and there is a very short distance between the water and the dunes. Getting stuck here is common place, even when you know what you are doing.

Driving on the beach doesn't have to be a problem if you follow a few simple guidelines. First, try to follow existing tire tracks. There is no need to make another set of tracks. Try to travel in these tracks till you get where you are going. Then when you find a spot, for Pete's sake, PULL OUT OF THE TRACKS!! I see so many anglers who follow a track and stop suddenly when they see what they are looking for. They then shut off their rig and grab a rod and run to the water. The result is that the next truck following the track is forced to go around this rig. Most people get stuck trying to maneuver around another vehicle. When you start to turn out of the track, make sure you reduce your speed and turn gradually, letting your vehicle ride up over the track and not plow through it, making a dig out that the next vehicle will have trouble crossing. Let your vehicle ride over the tracks until you are on smooth sand, making sure of the tide’s direction. If the water is coming up make sure you are above the high water mark if you plan to stay there any amount of time. It sucks when you have to step out of a hot bite to pull your vehicle out of harm’s way.

When parking at your spot, it is a good idea to pull forward then back up again, creating a good tire track that you can count on to allow you to pull out. It's much better to worry about this before you get out of your rig. You might be the last one at the spot and have trouble finding someone to pull you out. Another major consideration is angle and pitch. Are you parked in a spot where your vehicle will have to climb up to get back on a set of tracks? If it is you will want to make sure you have plenty of room to build speed and gain momentum to allow it to assist you in climbing up. I generally try to discourage drivers from dealing with climbs on sand, one moment’s break in momentum and you will stop dead in your tracks, unable to go forward or back up. This is also the most difficult position from which to recover. It requires a lot of torque to tow a vehicle up an incline. Pitch is also a problem: parking sideways on a slope. This can be the factor that will cause you to roll over. It also shifts weight onto one side of your vehicle, causing that side to bog down and dig in. Besides this, there is always the added bonus of rolling a tire off the rim, breaking the bead. There is nothing worse than trying to jack up your truck and change a tire while stuck and buried on a grade. I hope you never have to find out.

I usually look for the exception to the “driving in the tracks” suggestion and that is driving on the sand left by the receding tide. Now I know what you are thinking, “Man this guy is nuts, I'll totally get stuck down there!” Yes you would, as I don't mean the water soaked sand left as the wave recedes. I am referring to the hard packed sand left by the falling tide. It is only damp and not soaking wet and packs down like concrete and gives the best ride on the beach. Frequently, there is a drop off at the high water mark, so this isn't always feasible, and care must be taken not to descend down an opening and not be able to find a way up. If this happens and you don't have a lot of room to

maneuver, I sure hope you are skilled at driving in reverse. Situations such as these rarely happen on gently sloping beaches.

Now for the fun part, getting stuck! Let’s face it. It will most likely happen at some point, almost a rite of passage if you will. Drive on the beach long enough and sooner or later it will happen. First thing to do is assess the situation and find out why you are stuck. If you hit soft sand and ran up onto your skid plate, you are going to either need to be pulled off or you have a lot of digging to do. Hopefully you took my advice on that long handled spade I mentioned last time. If you hit soft sand and the tires are still making

contact, drop your air pressure to 14 psi, shift from 4high into 4low and back out of the spot. If you can’t back out, try to pull out forward. If this fails, try shifting from drive to reverse and rocking the vehicle, but do not lose traction and let the wheels spin. If they do, you will bury the rig and it will require being towed out or you have a lot of digging ahead of you. Sometimes being pulled out is the only way.

I frequently see guys get their trucks stuck trying to pull out another truck. Be realistic about your vehicle, I have a 2009 Nissan Pathfinder, plenty of horsepower and fast on the road, but not a lot of ground clearance and not much torque, so there is not a lot of pulling power. If a vehicle the size of mine or bigger is pretty well stuck, there is no way I will be able to pull it out. I am all for helping out my fellow beach drivers, but getting stuck doing it isn't a good situation. Towing from the beach is a costly act, and hopefully you have the funds to do it, or a friend with a big truck who will help you out. If you are not sure if your vehicle has the torque to pull another truck out then proceed with caution.

This hopefully gives you a few guidelines to make your time on the sand as painless as possible and keeps your line in the water rather than your shovel in the sand. Tight lines, my friends...until next time.....

Fall is Here Enjoy it While You Can

This time of year finds me back where I began the year, poking around in the salt marshes. A new year-class of young critters is getting rambunctious back there, and it is always interesting to see what’s on the menu for the fall.

Mullet are congregating at various points in the bay. The snapper blues are chasing the spearing, and the snappers themselves are being chased by teen bass and blues.

Weakfish are few and far between these days, but do not be surprised to connect with an outsized tiderunner working under the snappers or mullet. All told, conditions are ripe for all hell to break loose in the back bays, if you catch it right.

I found it helpful to logically separate the bay into “upper”, “middle” and “lower” portions. In

my mind, each segment represents its own little ecosystem. The tidal flow is different, the salinity is different, even the bottom composition is different. Sure, it’s all part of the “back bay,” but what is happening directly behind the inlet has sometimes zero to do with potential goings on further up on the mud flats. I try to plan my trips so that I visit various portions of the bay, just to keep them honest.

If the game fish have not found bait, all is not lost, so long as you’ve made contingency plans. At this time of year, there are large blue claws and quahogs for the taking (assuming you are in certified waters, and have the permits). I get more satisfaction out of my time on the water when I can take advantage of whatever mother nature throws my way.

No need to stress it if the fish are not where I think they should be. I’ll usually connect with the fish after a day or two of hide and seek. Point is, it’s never a wasted trip.

By mid-September, I know my days of enjoying the bay in shorts and a T shirt are numbered. The bay is alive with diversity - and possibilities - but that can change rather quickly. The first nor’easter can empty the bay of many species in a matter of days.

I am not a big “catch and kill” fisherman, but at this time of year, I generally do go home with something, whether it be a small bluefish that will find space on a cedar plank on the grill, or a bucket of crabs or cherrystones, to be steamed with beer, Old Bay, or some other spice that I am experimenting with (oops, this is not the cooking column, this is about fly fishing).

The first crisp days of September have generally been good to me in the bay fishing wise, so the albies at the inlets are usually safe, for now anyway. Fly choices are simple – white deceivers with plenty of flash. Multiple shades of blue bucktail make a fly look nice, but I can’t say that layering extra colors ever made a difference. I’ll stick with four-inch deceivers most of the time, maybe a little bigger, five to six inches, if I find the snappers or mullet are being harassed.

I have to give Glenn Mikkelson credit here for the inspiration for how I tie these deceivers. I was first introduced to Glenn many years ago when he was a member of NY Salty Flyrodders. Back then, he was a professional fly tyer (Atlantic Flies, Orvis) and a surf guide. I met him selling flies at one of the tables at a Salty meeting in Queens. I was buying flies by the bunch and ordering special patterns, and while he was happy with my patronage, he told me that I should really be tying for myself. So I got myself a vise.

One of the things that he impressed upon me was that I needed bullet-proof flies for surf fishing. Glenn used a two-step epoxy process. He would tie in the tail feathers, epoxy the shank, then epoxy the eyes and head over the bucktail. When surf fishing, it is important that your fly hold up to the fish as well as occasional encounters with the sand or sod bank. Stopping to change flies on a rock, in the dark, in waist deep water, can be a bit of a challenge - to put it mildly.

The time spent tying this way is slightly longer, but what you pay up front, at the tying table, you generally save on the water.

Confessions of a Two-Timer (Part 2) “Confessions of a Two-Timer” is an occasional series on experiences fishing with both fly and spinning gear. The intention is to compare and contrast the effectiveness of the fly rod with plugs, fished side by side, under similar conditions.

This installment of “Two-Timer” recalls fishing with the late great Al Bentsen. For those of you who may not know, Al was considered a giant, even among the surfcasting elite, and a pioneer in rigged eel fishing.

Funny to say this, but as many times as I fished alongside Al, I do not think I ever saw him in broad daylight. We would talk on the phone once in a while, or trade emails, but we only crossed paths on dark beaches, or along secluded sod banks, almost always in the middle of the night.

Late one night I was working a small rip when Al showed up. I knew it was Al before he got to the rip. Nobody else was using a conventional outfit, not at this location anyway. I put down the fly rod and picked up my spinning gear. Fly casting is not something that works well when fishing with others in tight quarters.

“Is that you John?” he called out. “Didn’t you just have a flyrod? Why did you put it down?”

I explained that I was not exactly slaying them, more like trying to avoid a skunk. It was time to give plugs a try.

Al was a traditionalist in many ways, but he clearly had some respect for fly fishing.

There was some history there, I had read about it.

Frank Daignault, the author of many great books including “Striper Surf” and “20 Years On The Cape,” had several passages in his books concerning fly fishing on Cape Cod during the great runs of the 1970’s. He mentioned certain “highliners from New York.” I do not think Frank ever mentioned Al Bentsen by name in his books, but after readying it, I knew it had to be Al.

One of my favorite Frank Daignault stories centers around fooling respectable bass with small bait imitations on the fly rod at Race Point. A number of expert fishermen were reportedly using traditional gear on those nights, but could only watch.

As we started fishing, it was as if Al picked up right where Daignault’s writing left off.

“So there we were at the cape, Frank Daignault was casting with this fly rod…yes, a fly rod… there were fish, but they would not take,” explained Al. “I tell you, Frank really did a number on those bass,” Al continued, “…All on that fly rod. It was the darndest thing…To this day I swear, I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself!”

There is obviously more to be learned from these accounts, all of which can be read in “Fly Fishing the Striper Surf” by Frank Daignault (Burford Books). Daignault does this topic (fly fishing in the surf) justice, and I highly recommend the books.

That night casting with Al turned out to be one of the highlights of the season for me.

Fishing-wise, it was a dud, but I got a glimpse into a treasure-chest of stories from the glory days of bass fishing on the Cape, straight from the source. We fished for almost two hours. Al talked, I listened.

Finally Al interrupted his story-telling.

“I don’t think it is going to happen tonight John. I am beat.” he explained, “Nice talking to you anyway.”

And then he was gone, his silhouette walking along the water’s edge, with that conventional stick.

By now it was hours past my bed time, and I began to stress over how I was going to get through a full day at work on three hours of sleep. I really had to get going myself.

I finally picked up my fly rod. My running line was still coiled in the stripping basket. I loaded the rod to make a few more long casts before getting the line back on the reel.

My fly landed in the rip, and I barely got two strips before something pulled back hard.

With so much line out, I was immediately into backing.

This turned out to be the only fish of the night, a fifteen pound bass that fell for a white sixinch deceiver. I have no way of knowing how long the bass might have been in the rip, nor how many times it might have watched our various plugs go by.

I caught up with Al the next day.

“You are not going to believe this Al,” I offered, “but just after you left, I made a few casts with the fly rod, and nailed a teen bass.”

“Oh, trust me, I believe it,” he said.

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Fishing the Bucktail

Mastering Bucktails from Surf and Boat

JACK “The Professor” FRECH Rich Hasenzahl’s first encounter with Jack Frech happened at False Bar in Montauk, New York in the fall of 1965.

The way he remembers it, this bigger than life shadowy figure came out of the night mist with three thirty-pound bass on his back. From that moment on, Rich knew he had to get to know who this very secretive Montauk sharpshooter was. They would go on to be great friends and fellow High Hill Striper Club members.

By:Frank Pintauro

One of the last photos of Jack Frech taken on Cisco Beach, Nantucket in May of 1980 by Fisherman writer and photographer Ed Nowak. Jack fished with a 14-foot surf rod.

Fred Schwab, another High Hill member and striper sharpie himself was a fishing partner than two years. He noted that the most valuable thing he learned from Jack was the dis he brought to the sport – something that Jack learned from his days as a Marine in World Captain in the Corps he fought in Okinawa, Peleliu, and the Philippines.

My first recollection of Jack was the “how to” articles in the Long Island Fisherman that addict through the long winter months tinkering in their basements, trying to make a Belu W-Y Popper or Montauk Darter. Jack was as meticulous with his plug making as he was of surf fishing and plug making gave him the competitive edge he always sought. It is like is small due to the fact that he did not sell lures but would only give them away to frien members.

From exploring an untapped striper resource in Nantucket to pioneering wetsuits in M making innovations, Jack was always at the head of his class. His untimely death in a b 1982 off the North Shore of Long Island was a shock to the fishing community.

Little known shot of Jack Frech on Nantucket Island appeared in the Bo Photo was taken by Stan Grossfeld for an article written by David Halbe

r of Jack’s for more scipline and routine d War II, where as a

got many a striper uga, Banana Plug, s with every aspect ely his body of work nds and fellow club

Montauk to his lure boating accident in

oston Globe Magazine on May 30, 1982. erstam.

What follows is an interview with Willie Young, a good friend of Jack’s who adds insight into his unique character.

FP:

Tell me, do you remember when you met Jack?

WY: The first time I met Jack I was stuck with my Volkswagen bus at Montauk and we got it pulled out and Jack yelled at me for not filling in the hole. That was my first introduction to Jack.

FP: And when was that…?

WY:

I would say 1967 or ‘68.

FP: And so how did you get to be friends?

WY: I really became friendly with him by joining the High Hill Striper Club. Jack was a member and that’s how I really got to know him.

FP: Where was the High Hill – where were they based?

WY: They were – used to meet in Wantagh. By the old German Bavarian place there. Jack was a member for a long time.

FP: As you were?

A boat fisherman’s desire to troll a darter behind his tin boat would result in this extra large Montauk darter which was just as successful for Jack under the Montauk lighthouse.

WY:

Nah, I just joined about ‘69. Jack had been in years before.

FP: And did you know right away that Jack made lures and stuff like that?

WY: It was common knowledge because I was fishing heavy with Frank Arendt and Chip Albion. Frank and Jack fished a lot in Montauk. They were Montauk fishermen.

FP: Where did Jack live?

WY: Jack lived in Mineola. He built his own summerhouse in Southhold. Then he had a place eventually in Nantucket, also at the same time. A three house thing or three houses and a garage there.

FP: What did he do for a living?

WY: He was a principal. When I knew him he was a principal in junior high school in Great Neck.

FP: Oh that’s right, Great Neck. And so did he ever sell lures to guys?

WY: No, he never sold anything. He never sold lures. When he came across a good lure he designed, he wouldn’t tell you for a year. And then he would give it to you.

He had a great competitive nature. Jack had to be the best. No matter what, he had to be the best. He was driven by that.

FP: So when he made the darters, he only made a limited amount and then used them

Two carved eye Montauk darters attributed to Jack that came out of his basement after his death.

himself but would give them to select people?

WY:

Yes, he gave them to select people.

FP: So if somebody went up to him and said – I hate to be so specific but it’ll help us figure out the body of work that he did – “Hey Jack – would you make me six darters?”

Would he do it?

WY: I don’t think so. Somebody found one of his darters once – that he had lost the night before and the guy wanted to make his own from it. He convinced the guy the only way you’re really gonna know how to make it was to cut it in half. The guy did it and so he never could fish it. <laughter> FP: Faked him out, right?

WY: Yes, he did. But Jack was good. He was very good at like, the banana plug.

He always came up with new ideas and new stuff.

FP: Did he fish that banana plug a lot?

WY:

Oh yeah.

FP: Did you ever use it?

WY:

Oh yes.

Two Banana lure knock-off’s, probably made in the early 1990’s

FP: Did you catch with it?

WY: Yes. Not as good as Jack though. That first year he used it he did very, very well with it.

FP: And I assume it was to simulate bunker, right?

WY:

I only used it when there’s bunker

FP: I can’t imagine it’s easy to cast.

WY: It doesn’t cast very far. I think he started making them in 1971 or ’72 when there was bunker on the North Shore of Long Island.

FP: So did he give stuff to you to fish with?

WY: Yeah, I gave him a plug that I had made and caught a lot of fish on – after that we became real tight.

FP: So he started making them based on your design?

WY: Yes...he changed it slightly but he named it after me. You should read about what he says about that plug. It can be fished at night – perfect for striped bass and bluefish. He named it the “W-Y Popper.”

BJ: How big is that bluefish on the wall? You catch that on a “W-Y”?

The construction detail for the extra large Montauk darter.

WY: Yes, that’s 16 ½ pounds. I caught that in 1974 – just before the big bluefish showed up. All those years - Jack was primarily a blue fisherman; that’s what he enjoyed and looked to do. He never broke 15 pounds that year. In those days a 10pound bluefish was considered a monster.

FP: Did Jack have any children?

WY:

Jack had two daughters.

FP: I had heard he was in the Marines?

WY: Jack was a lieutenant in the Marines in the Pacific. First Marine division, first Marine regiment. He fought on an island off of Guadalcanal. They left him on an island that headquartered elite Japanese troops; to fight them in hand to hand combat. They left them with no supplies. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the US disproved the myth that the Japanese fighters were the best in the world.

FP: Well, that whole Pacific theater was brutal warfare. Tell me, where did he primarily fish?

WY: He fished Jones Beach, Montauk, North Shore, Nantucket â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the guy got around. He did fish the North Shore a lot.

FP: Way out east?

WY:

He fished east and west. We caught a lot of fish out of the Kings Point area.

FP: What about Orient Point? Did you guys fish Orient at all from the beach?

WY:

He showed me a spot at Orient. I remember the lighthouse and deep water

The plans for producing the Banana plug. Designed to duplicate a medium-sized bunker, Jack felt it was the most complicated of his lures to make.

between the lighthouse and shore. Jack would swim at slack tide. But he would leave rope tied to the beach and he’d take it out with him and tie it around his waist in case he wanted to leave before the tide slacked – it ran hard there. There was big fish at the end of that island on the outgoing.

FP: I know some guys that use to fish there. And the problem there is once you go out and the tide runs, you cant get back in. It runs so hard out in Plum Gut. I fish out there in the boat all the time and it roars through there.

WY: Jack was a bit of a daredevil. He used to fish Penfield Reef. Now Ritchie went up there with him – I never went up there with them. They used to go out into the boat channel in Connecticut.

FP: So Penfield Reef was in Connecticut?

WY:

Yeah. Around the Bridgeport area.

WY: Paddy Abaty might know Richie – he makes the smaller Frech darter to this day. I know Barry Schwartz knows him because he’s had him over his house – that’s how I got to talk to this guy and he started telling me about Penfield Reef. Jack was trying to get me to go but I wouldn’t – they were walking like a mile off the beach into the shipping lanes…no, not for me.

FP: Did he fish with a lot of guys or was he pretty much a loner?

WY: No he would fish with a crowd wherever he thought there was the right place to go to fish.

Willie Young popper. Jack often said if he could only carry two plugs in his surf bag it would be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;W-Yâ&#x20AC;? popper and an Atom 40.

FP: How did you end up with his lathe?

WY: Well, after he died his widow gave everything to Richie Hasenzahl…plugs, templates, unfinished lures, designs…he gave me the lathe.

FP: Great. Tell me more about the contests?

WY: In the club you would have a contest for the most points for the year. He never was beaten. Some guys were able to come a little close, but he was never beaten. Let me give you insight into Jack. When I first joined – I knew a little bit about fishing and I was a hard fisherman. And they used to have a contest every other month. I won four of the eight of them. His friend Al would needle him about that.

And eventually – whoever was the best fisherman in the club he would challenge you to a contest, you know, to see who would get the most points. And he kept egging me every year til finally I said, Jack, you’re on. So anyway, that’s the year we had the banana plug. I guess that stimulated him to do things. He goes into Kings Point – gets three or four in the thirties. Low thirties, upper twenties. PS - June comes, I go out to Shinnecock and I get a bunch of fish in the thirties. So that started it off. He ended up taking a sabbatical for a year just to fish.

FP: Did Jack ever catch a fifty that you know of?

WY: He had two 49 pounders and broke his leg the same day he caught both. I know the guy who pulled him off the rock with both fish.

FP: Wow

This jig made by Jack was used to determine the profile and diving plane and placement of the front hook hanger for the Montauk darter.

Jack liked to use kiln-dried birch for his darters. The jig became the mother of all future darters.

WY: Jack was a rugged guy. He was not one to lean back with mountain waves coming in.

FP: Any fun stories about him?

WY: Well there was the time in Nantucket that we were slaughtering bluefish and his friend Al Kaich lost his lure. Jack gave him one of his but he cut the bobs offâ&#x20AC;Ś..Al could not figure out for the longest time why he could not catch a bluefish. <laughter> FP: He was a real maverick!

WY: Jack showed me a lot. You watched him and you learned. In those early days we made everythingâ&#x20AC;Ś.our own lures, gaffes, holders, fish chains and creepers. It was a real experience.

The one and only Willie Young.

Two Banana lure knock offs made by Willie Young.

Bridge fishing has always been popular on Long Island’s South Shore.

These two prototypes came out of Jacks’ belongings.

This shadowbox of lures was in all probability source material for Jack for future inspirations.

Note the bunker-like lures which in all probability pre-dated his Banana lure.

Jack gave much credit to Johnny Kronuch, Sr. of Montauk, Teddy of Teddyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tackle Shop in Ridgewood and Frank Arendt for the development of his Montauk darter.

The step by step process in the produ The bottom one, fished hard and mou

uction of the Banana plug. use-worn, is a Frech original.

(Many thanks to Tom DiGuilio, Fred Golofaro, Bob Hart, Rich Hasenzahl, Sal Inzone, Bob Jones and Fred Schwab for all their help with this article.

Readers wishing to contact Frank Pintauro may do so at (516) 741-7044 or at masterlure@aol.com. )

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CONFESSIONS OF A WETSUITER JOHN PAPCIAK

“In his prime, a Montauk "sharpie" is the hardest, most competitive, and often the most reckless surf fisherman to be found, a fact that visiting anglers from other states have noted. They have learned to adapt to the worst conditions, accepting the rips, rocks, mauling surf and a bone weary existence as challenges to be overcome by mind and body.”

- Fred Schwab, Surfcasting With The Experts, L.I.F. Publishing, 1994 Unless you are very new to surfcasting, you’ve read plenty about Montauk and wetsuiting. But few authors have been able to put the Montauk experience into perspective as well as Fred Schwab did here. He wrote this almost twenty years ago, but these words ring true, especially now, as I recount some of my own experiences with wetsuiting.

Some surfcasters look at wetsuiters with envy, but many others see wetsuiting as a death wish! It is hard for me to be fully objective. I’ve been fishing in a wetsuit for over twenty years. I simply cannot imagine a single season confined solely to waders. What I can do is offer some hard learned - and at times sobering – observations on wetsuiting, based on my own experiences.

First things first - I neither invented nor pioneered wetsuiting. But I think I can truly say that, over the last 15 years or so, I have been one of the most “adventurous” wetsuiters in Montauk. No rock was ever too far, no night ever too dark.

Some might consider wetsuiting “extreme,” but I see nothing unusual about desiring to venture out beyond the breakers. I’ve met many people, some surfcasters included, who are terrified of the water. Nonetheless, history provides us with thousands of years of proof of man’s eagerness to leave the safety of dry land behind – in search of fun, food or conquest.

My introduction to wetsuiting took place in the late 1980’s, years before ever setting foot in Montauk. Growing up, I was fascinated with the ocean and I was driven to connect with it in any way that I could: I surfed, I fished, and I dove with SCUBA gear. It was never enough. Even my choice of college was based on the caliber of the Marine Biology program offered.

This obsession with the sea only accelerated when I got out of college and started a career. I finally had the disposable income with which to pursue these interests with gusto. Each weekend I struggled choosing between surfcasting and SCUBA diving.

Soon I discovered I could have it both ways.

A typical dive charter would get me back to Pt. Pleasant NJ by around 3pm.This gave me enough time to grab a bite and then prepare to work the beaches to the north as light faded. The jetties of Spring Lake and Belmar NJ during this era offered a unique challenge, given the large gaps in the man-made rock formations. At the higher stages of the tide, it was impossible to get out to the tips of many of these jetties. It didn’t take long before I began jumping back into my diving wetsuit to enjoy exclusive use of these productive jetties.

Scary? Not at all. Swimming in between the rocks, even in the dark, was not at all intimidating, not when I was regularly diving with others to almost 100 feet on the wreck dives each weekend.

By the time I moved to Long Island in the early 1990’s, I had already logged a fair amount of time fishing in my wetsuit. This experience gave me the confidence to swim to any swirl or boil that suggested a potential casting platform.

It would take many more years before I came to realize how my unrelenting desire to catch more and bigger fish, coupled with overconfidence in my abilities, would eventually put me in harm’s way.

Boats I’ve long felt that the greatest danger to a wetsuiter comes not from sea, but from other land inhabitants.

It’s easy to criticize boaters here; I’m not really one of them. I’ve been in and around the boating community for most of my life. Agreed, most boaters are good, responsible people, but (in my opinion) an unacceptable number still participate in the ritual of mixing booze with fishing. They then attempt to navigate familiar or worse, unfamiliar waters. Similarly, it never ceases to amaze me how the same clearly marked obstructions and sand bars claim props and lower units year after year. If they can’t make out the rock, or the sand bar, or if they can’t heed the buoy clearly marking an obstruction, how in the world will they see a wetsuiter?

One night during some slow fishing off Montauk’s North Side, I jumped off a far rock in order to drift to another pre-determined platform, a bit closer to the lighthouse. A Maine Coaster style fishing boat had been working further out in the rips. Suddenly started moving closer to the point, in the direction of my drift.

As I drifted along, it soon became clear our paths would eventually cross, unless he changed direction. I could not swim quickly enough. I aborted plans for getting to the next rock and began swimming into shallower water as fast as I could. Would he stop? I took out my dive light and shined it directly at the boat? Didn’t he see me? Why didn’t he see me? Soon I could make out the faces of those on the boat, I could hear the engines and I could smell the diesel exhaust.

Then they stopped and began fishing. They were so close that they could have just as easily tore a hole in the bottom of this forty foot boat on a rock before ever getting to me.

I drifted by within 30 feet off the stern and offered an evening greeting to a very startled crew. Then I warned the captain that he was within a few feet of a number of rocks, sitting just below the surface.

I finally found a rock, away from the lights and noise of the boat. They moved shortly thereafter.

Things That Go Bump in the Night I am sure every wetsuiter has been haunted by visions from the movie “Jaws”, at one time or another. I would be lying through my teeth if I told you I never thought about sharks while wetsuiting.

I do understand that the odds of shark attack are extremely low. The statistics on shark attacks in the Northeast suggests the average swimmer has much better odds of winning the lottery. But I would venture that those odds, however small, do not consider swimming at night, with eels or a dead bass in tow. As a crude comparison, the odds of being struck by lightning are somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 in 750,000 – but this assumes you are not frequently putting yourself in a place where lightning is likely to strike. Plop yourself at the top of the Empire State Building, and you will be struck at least 100 times a year, sometimes multiple times in the same day.

One hot sticky night in August I was fishing live eels on Montauk’s south side. The water was brown, due to heavy rain from the previous day. Seas were flat, and it was an excellent night to swim to the outer rocks, those that are not easily accessed throughout most of the season.

I arrived at this particular rock to find that it was still fully covered in kelp – a clear indication that I was the first to fish it in months. Like a baseball batter digging into the box, I used my korkers to dig out a few bald spots for secure footing.

I reached into my mesh dive bag, hooked a live eel and began casting.

I’ll admit it – I hate fishing with live eels when it is slow. You cast and retrieve, ever so slowly, over and over, letting the eel do all the work. I can’t say there is much skill or imagination that goes into it. But I can’t argue with results. Once the summer doldrums set in, this is one of the few ways to connect with a quality fish.

My casting platform sat in about ten feet of water, and at this stage of the tide, the top came to almost three feet below the surface. My mesh bag holding a half dozen eels was suspended in the water, connected to my belt with a bungee chord.

The only sign of life was a single run off that turned out to be a small bluefish.

I could feel the mesh bag gently bumping against my knee with each rise and fall from a passing wave. I could also feel the kelp waving back and forth in the currents.

Then I felt a bump that did not appear to be timed with the wave. A minute later I felt it again. I put my dive light in my mouth, twisted it on, and looked straight down in the water to see a four-foot shark hovering on the side of the rock, near my ankle.

I let out a scream and frantically kicked at the shark with my korkers. It shot out from the rock and was gone in a faction of a second.

That was it! I was done! I emptied my eels into the water, and waited for about 15 minutes before cautiously taking the “longest swim ever” back to shore.

Looking back, my reaction was clearly unnecessary and embarrassing. I will never be quite sure of the species, but I can assure you that no shark looks small when you are standing next to it in the water, especially at night.

Out With the Tide During October of 1995 I was hit with a whole new set of wetsuiting challenges. There were fish regularly feeding off the north side of Montauk that fall. Only those who had secured one of the well-known â&#x20AC;&#x153;far rocksâ&#x20AC;? could reach them. I was willing to swim anywhere, but at that point, I lacked sufficient knowledge of currents and positioning that would allow me to get to the best rocks until later in the tide.

Others were much better at it.

In those days, Paul Melnyk was regularly fishing with Pope Noel, a local house painter from Springs. Pope knew how to get to certain rocks before they would show in the dropping tide. The daily routine was for Paul to join Pope late in the afternoon and fish until dark. The two would put on a show, catching fish after fish on live eels for an audience of frustrated surfcasters stranded on the beach.

One afternoon, after watching the two land fish that would easily place them atop the Montauk Locals Surfcasting Contest, I decided I could take it no more. I hooked on a live eel and swam out until I was roughly even with them. I made a pathetic cast as I floated with the dropping tide.

It worked, and I had a fish on before I could even bring in the slack. This turned out to be a classic case of “Be careful what you wish for,” as I now had to struggle with fighting a fish as I drifted closer to the lighthouse, then to open water. I could fight the fish, or I could get back to land before being swept out. I could not do both. I loosened the drag and swam in, miraculously staying connected to a bass that was later weighed in at fifteen pounds.

After a few more sessions of successful float fishing, this time in slower currents, I confessed to Paul Melnyk while sharing shots of tequila with him on the picnic tables beside Ann Breyer’s Cottages in Montauk. At the time, Paul ran Ann Breyer’s where he offered favorable long-term rates to surfcasters for the fall. Paul was quite close with several members of my fishing club, and while he was technically our “landlord,” he was always a willing participant in the afternoon BBQs and related shenanigans. He was fascinated with my description of float fishing and vowed to give it a try.

Many readers know the rest - by 1996 Paul had all but abandoned the rocks in favor of this combination of skiing and fishing, or “skishing,” as he put it. Paul took this style of wetsuit fishing to a whole new level, employing fins while developing special techniques for everything from carrying live eels to fighting fish.

What was not so well documented was Paul’s intimate understanding of conditions and currents in and around Montauk Point. This knowledge clearly helped him stay out of trouble over the years. Others have not been so lucky.

Rumors of wetsuiting mishaps were traded like stories of big fish, but a serious incident involving an extreme wetsuiter was documented by a local reporter for the East Hampton Star in October of 1999. According to the report, a young man from City Island NY was rescued a mile and a half off Montauk Point, after being spotted – at 10:45pm by the skipper of the Montauk dragger Donna Lee. The dragger was returning from a squid trip 60 miles offshore. "Then I saw a face in the top of a wave," Captain Cocuzza said. "If I'd been looking out the port side I never would have seen him.” According the account, the wetsuiter reportedly dropped his flashlight and was drifting in the dark for five hours before the chance sighting by the Donna Lee. Two later years later I would witness a repeat of the same type of mishap first-hand. It was early September and a number of younger members of my fishing club decided to circle the wagons at North Bar. For many, this was the first trek to Montauk for the fall run, so there was cause for celebration.

Scattered birds had been working over a wide area for most of the day. By 3pm, the dropping tide was running at full force. It might have been possible to pick a fish, but most of the crew were content to sit in beach chairs and enjoy the spectacular views of the north side and Block Island. After devouring a bag of pretzels, I decided to swim for a rock. Two others put on SCUBA fins and began kicking for the rips much further out.

As time passed, it became difficult for me to make out the positions of these “skishers.”

They were already among the fly fishing and light tackle boats, but they continued moving east with the tide, further from shore. Is this where they wanted to be? I finally swam back to shore and went to my truck to get the binoculars.

By now I could barely see their heads, even with binoculars.

“What should we do?” asked one of the younger club members. “Does anyone have the number for the Police or Coast Guard, just in case?”

The party atmosphere soured and became increasingly awkward. We didn’t know whether we were witnessing a practical joke or an actual emergency. Finally one club member broke ranks and picked up his cell phone. The rest of us hurried down the beach, most with binoculars, looking for any reassurance that our fishing buddies were still safe.

It would be almost nightfall before we would learn that the two were finally rescued by private boaters in the rips and safely brought back to Montauk Harbor.

It was only after moving further offshore, away from the drag of shallower water, when they realized how much stronger the current was. They could not swim in, against the current, even with fins.

Physical (and Mental) Conditioning Of all the potential hazards mentioned so far, I am certain that the most immediate risk facing wetsuiters stems from lack of physical and mental conditioning that might be needed when “what can go wrong, will go wrong.” How many of us are confident in our

ability to swim a substantial distance in waves and current, if necessary? Mental conditioning is equally important. I only understood the merit of mental conditioning after training for triathlons and distance swims. Knowing when and how to push yourself, and knowing when to conserve energy can be just as important as the aerobic conditioning itself.

What exactly is the problem? The profile of an aspiring wetsuiter is most often a male, about 10-15 years out of high school. At this age, oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind might still be living in his glory days of competitive sports. But by mid 30â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, that same body usually shows signs of sedentary living, accompanied with a steady diet of bad food, bad habits, and an expanding waistline.

I am reminded of this each fall, when I see surfcasters (sometimes with lighted cigarettes dangling from their lips) trying to squeeze themselves into a wetsuit before going out for a potentially exhausting swim. I will put it to you bluntly - few, if any, appear properly conditioned for this. I can assure you, wetsuiting is a really bad time to realize your physical limitations. Fatalities due to lack of conditioning, while rare, are not unthinkable.

I should know.

By September of 2001, I had a number of years of extreme wetsuiting under my belt, but I was still pushing the envelope. On this particular afternoon, there was a swell breaking onto the rock reefs of Montaukâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s south side. It was enough to deter some of my wetsuiting buddies from fishing the rocks that night, but I would hear none of it. My stubborn side insisted it could be done. I squeezed my 30-something year old body (at that time, almost

40 pounds above my high school weight) into a 6.5 mil farmer john wetsuit. I skipped dinner, downed a bottle of ice tea, and packed a plug bag with darters, needles and rigged eels.

I was on a mission. I had broken off a very big fish the week before, and I badly wanted another chance at bat.

The night air was warm and sticky. The water felt unusually warm, even for this time of year. My 6.5 mil wetsuit was clearly overkill, but it was too late to change now. I was sweating heavily even before I made my first cast.

The first hour into dark was uneventful, but as the tide changed, the waves began to build. It became harder and harder to keep my korkers planted in the kelp-free section of rock. The sets of waves came one after the other, and I was washed off my rock at least three times over the next ten minutes. My posture for staying firmly planted â&#x20AC;&#x201C; knees bent and body turned sideways to the wave â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no longer worked. Each time I was pushed off the rock, I needed more energy to get back into an upright position. The weight of my water-soaked wetsuit, together with the water-filled plug bag, made it especially hard to pull my top-heavy frame back up.

Several minutes later, another wave knocked me over like a bowling pin. I took a mouthful of seawater and vomited what little I had in my stomach. I had to swim with everything I had in the dark, finally grabbing a corner of the rock. Another wave broke over me as I tried to pull myself up. I was now standing, but doubled over trying to catch my breath, totally spent.

The sensation I felt in my chest is difficult to describe here. It felt as if someone was punching me from the inside.

Then it was over.

I was in a dream state. It felt wonderful. I was at home, at total peace, floating on a cloud for what felt like eternity.

I cannot be sure of what exactly transpired, but the mood of my dream eventually changed. I began to feel trapped. I began to feel pain. I began to feel fear. I dreamed I was drowning. I opened my eyes in a panic to find that I was!

I could now make out the silhouette of Montauk bluffs against the night sky. I coughed up more seawater as a rush of adrenaline filled my body. I was in trouble, this much I knew. I was in survival mode, and getting to shore was all that mattered. I had no energy, but something pushed me to keep swimming toward shore. My feet finally touched bottom and I tripped over coconut-sized rocks, finally collapsing on a flat boulder above the water line. I searched for lumps on my head or other signs of injury to my body. Then I remembered the sensation in my chest.

From out of the corner of my eye I spotted a familiar shadow on the beach, about 100 yards west of me. It was Mike, also slumped over a boulder. I had help, if I could summon enough energy to get to him.

“This blows John, let’s get the %$#& out of here. I can’t get out to our rocks in this.”

Mike also tried to fish the south side, but was pushed off the rocks before making any serious attempts at fishing.

There would be no cover up. He had to know, just in case.

“Mike, you are not going to believe this,” I gasped, “but I just blacked out in the water.”

Mike was a dentist by trade, with a medical school education. At least he knew more about signs and causes of syncope than your average surfcaster.

He shined his dive light in my eyes and took my pulse. Then we sat and waited to see if my condition was stable. My vitals appeared normal. I began to feel better with each passing minute.

We finally reasoned that I was probably dehydrated, and almost certainly exhausted from nights of non-stop fishing*. It sounded good anyway.

Mike normally would have wanted to keep fishing, but he insisted we call it a night. I would lay low and call my doctor as soon as his office opened.

As we walked off the beach, it dawned on me that I had just lost an irreplaceable custom rod matched with a very expensive reel. I didn’t care. – I wasn’t even sure I would ever go surfcasting again. Getting some food and water, and then some rest, was all that mattered.

Photos by Zeno Hromin.

The next morning I felt even better, well enough to revisit the scene on the south side, with one of the others in our wetsuiting crew, Manny. I was apprehensive at first, but glad Manny encouraged me to go back. I could not believe how inviting the place looked in the daylight, especially now with gentle waves rolling in. I swam out with Manny and quickly found my 10 foot custom Kennedy Fisher fitted with a VS300. It was just where we thought it would be - in about eight feet of water, directly under the rock where I had been standing.

We threw small metal lips to a handful of schoolies before heading into town for pancakes. *It would take ten years of visits with some of the top cardiologists in the country, before being diagnosed with a rare and potentially lethal (but thankfully treatable) cardiac arrhythmia. How and why I regained consciousness that night remains a mystery.

Respect the Ocean These experiences represent more than most surfcasters will face in a lifetime, but I think that at least some of this must be expected, especially if you are thinking of spending large blocks of time fishing at night in a wetsuit.

Have these experiences stopped me from wetsuiting? No! I still love to swim to rocks, and still do so regularly. These days I spend much more time in preparation and planning. Each trip is evaluated (and plans are sometimes changed) with due respect paid to mother ocean. Things can and do go wrong, however remote they might seem.

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The Target Hour â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was an old man who fished alone on a skiff in the Gulf and it had been 84 days now since he had taken a fish.â&#x20AC;? That story comes from a book. This one does not.

Pete Lentini

It has been eighty-four days since September 23rd, roughly the start of the striped bass migration in New Jersey - twelve weeks exactly. For this old man, there have been twelve sixty-mile rides to the edge where land becomes sea. This will be my last.

I am new to the obsession, possessed of boundless enthusiasm, but with humble skills that do not include the ability to read water. The fall has brought me no fish. The dying memory of a large spring striper peeling line against my drag takes me to my favorite spot in Ocean City. If I am to be skunked for the season, I want it to be on familiar ground. When you fish alone at night, a piece of land can become a companion and I am in the mood for solitary company.

The weather is as good as it gets in mid December. Forty degrees as I leave the house at six thirty. I am on the sand by eight. The Atlantic reflects the light of a full moon - a night that will never get dark. Eternal light? Hope? A good sign?

Something is going on somewhere, but not here. The air is dead calm, even at the water line, yet the surf is rough and the water dirty. Good. I dead stick clams on a bait runner reel while plugging with a short pole. Doing this causes me to leave my bait pole while casting plugs.

My hat and the roar of the ocean make it impossible to hear the bait runner releasing line if a fish is “on.” After each plug cast, I return my attention to the dead stick while playing my lure.

Each retrieve provides a moment of excitement as I check for motion. Hours with no fish do not dampen my spirits. The memory of that spring fish has been resuscitated by the sound and smell of the Atlantic. Conditions are good. Tonight is the night.

Around 10 p.m. I cast a plug, begin my retrieve and look to the bait pole. It’s spinning out line.

Not the spin of a big fish, but more spinning than any current can produce. “I’m on!” I lift the pole from its spike and make one turn of the handle to set my primary drag. This is enough to set my circle hook. I pull back on the rod for confirmation. I am not prepared for the resistance I meet. The pull on my line makes the past eighty-four days worthwhile. This is a fish. I can feel it. Now I need to land it.

My rod bends nearly in half as I reel in my catch. How big is it? I hear the clicker of the drag slipping as I pull. It’s big. This is no rat. This is no sand shark. This is a big fish. Is it as big as the one I released in the spring? I will not release this one. I will wake my wife to show her. The family will eat this on Christmas Eve. Stop thinking. Focus. Reel. Maintain pressure. Not too much. Don’t rip its mouth. Should I play it a little? Do I relax a moment to feel the fish - to get a better idea of its size? No. I’ll find out soon enough. Keep reeling. Maintain pressure. Don’t let the line go slack.

The pull is strong and steady. Then it is not. Is it off? No. I feel something. My line is angled to the wash - the danger zone. Reel faster. Walk backward and reel. Don’t let the line go slack.

Reel. Back up. Don't trip. Pressure. Start looking. You’ll see it soon. It has to be close. Any second. There it is. I see something. There. Right there. Where is the tail; the splash? What is it? It’s white? It’s not a fish? It’s a plastic Target bag that snagged its handles onto my hook to fill like a parachute as I dragged it deliriously to shore. I will not wake my wife to show it to her.

We will not eat it on Christmas Eve. I have been punked by God. I fished until 2 a.m. I knew at the Target Hour that I would not take a fish. A sense of duty made me stay until the last clam of the season was gone. A fox kept me company for a while. Some birds on the sand played games with the tide in the moonlight. They did not stay long. I left the beach tired, defeated and alone.

It has been 84 days now since I have taken a fish. It will be longer than that before I set foot in a Target store.

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ANGELO PELUSO

interview

zeno hromin

SCJ: Tell us about how Angelo Peluso fell in love with fishing?

AP: I grew up in the south Bronx. Aside from rooting for the football Giants and the Yankees I always enjoyed fishing, nature and the outdoors. At about age ten I developed a keen interest in fishing. I owe that to magazines like Outdoor Life, Field and Stream and Sports Afield, and to Gadabout Gaddis, the Flying Fisherman. To get to our fishing spots a friend and I would strap fishing rods onto our bikes and we would ride to Pelham Bay Park and City Island in the northern part of the Bronx to fish for winter flounder, tom cod and the elusive striped bass. My family would also spend the summers up in Putnam County where we rented a house on a small lake. One of the older women from the local town took me under her wing. She taught me how to seine minnows and the art of bait casting. She gave me my first bait casting outfit. I might add that I still have that old steel rod and knuckle buster reel; a far cry from my high tech fly rods. Nevertheless this outfit had character. I had a great time catching bluegills, crappies, perch and largemouth bass with that outfit.

The real fishing revelation came one evening while my dad was rowing me around the lake. My godfather had just given me a new spinning rod and reel outfit. Along with the rod and reel he also gave me my first artificial lure: a Pearl Wobbler (I still have that too). I was told it was an artificial bait and I would enjoy using it as a substitute for live bait. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just cast it out and reel it inâ&#x20AC;?, he instructed me. Well...my dad rowed me around that lake and I tossed the Pearl Wobbler everywhere I could pitch it, and then miraculously something grabbed it. It felt like a whale. But in the end it was a stocky 21/2 pound yellow perch. To me, it was remarkable to have caught that fish on a fake bait. It was like magic! I was hooked just like that perch and from that time on, I only fished with artificial lures with few exceptions. The next big milestone in my young fishing career was my first keeper striped bass.

SCJ: Now that you piqued our interest, do tell us about your first striper. We can't remember what we had for breakfast this morning...

AP: There are some things in life that are so memorable, you never forget them. As I've written in the past, you never forget your first car, your first dog, your first love, or your first striped bass...not necessarily in that order.

For as long as I am blessed to fish, and regardless of the species or size fish that I might be fortunate to catch, that first striper will linger in my memory forever. In the case of that bass, size didn't matter in the least. It was an early summer evening in 1964 and I couldn't get my regular fishing buddy to join me for an evening of fishing. So I gathered my gear and made the trek alone to the City Island Bridge. I got there a little before dusk. I was armed with a 7-1/2 foot Wright and McGill medium action spinning rod and a Garcia Mitchell 301 (left-hand version of the 300). A 41/2-inch jointed Rebel swimming plug, silver with a blue back was tied to the end of my line.

I had the entire bridge to myself and took up a position adjacent to the first abutment.

The tide had just begun to recede. An hour into the drop and there had not been a touch.

A nice rip had begun to form as always and I was confident that the fishing would pick up. I landed a few small bluefish but that was not what I had hoped for. I had yet to catch my first keeper striped bass. My heart told me my luck would change that evening so I kept casting and hoping, and then it happened! As the plug moved through the rip, it stopped abruptly. My luck had indeed changed. Shortly thereafter, I landed my first keeper striper. It just made the legal size limit at that time which was sixteen inches. It may have been small but it was the greatest bass I have ever caught!

SCJ: When you take a look back today on your journey through the fishing world, you wrote countless articles for local, regional and national publications, you have three published books and more to come, fishing trips all around the world…and to think it all started with a sixteen inch striper! Tell us, how did the fly rod become such an integral part of this amazing journey?

AP: Actually, the journey began with that yellow perch, but my saltwater travels started with the striper. For most of my very early fishing years I was predominantly a freshwater angler, primarily largemouth bass and trout. Somewhere around age thirteen I began to read about fly-fishing in the "Big 3" magazines and became intrigued by it. I would also watch Curt Gowdy and Lee Wulff fly-fishing on television shows and I knew I wanted to do that too. But it all seemed so complicated and the prominent writers of the day did little to dispel that perception. Then I read an article in one of the magazines which revealed that a noted fly angler of the day, Bob Swirz, had written a book, which explained fly-fishing in simple terms. The book was the Young

Sportsman's Guide to Fly Fishing. Swirz had a fishing shop in New York City called the Angler's Den. I hopped on the Pelham 123 and rode the train to lower Manhattan where I found the shop and the book. It was a short and simple book and I had read it cover to cover by the time I arrived back home. And then I read it again! After several reads, I started to save my money and eventually bought my first fly rod that I used exclusively for freshwater trout and bass. While I also continued to fish in saltwater, my journey in saltwater fly-fishing didn't begin until the 1970s.

SCJ: What is the most challenging thing you found early on about fly-fishing in saltwater compared to freshwater?

AP: Each form of fly-fishing has its own challenges and I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to minimize either but the biggest challenge that those who convert from freshwater to saltwater fly-fishing typically encounter is slowing down the casting stroke. I see that often with the casting lessons I give. Many freshwater folks (especially small stream trout anglers) are used to the more rapid and frequent false casting strokes associated with â&#x20AC;&#x153;dryingâ&#x20AC;? flies during false casts, since they often have less line in the air. In saltwater, false casting ideally is kept to a minimum. You want to load the rod quickly with one or two false casts and then shoot line to the target area. Situations where this is invaluable, for example, are feeding, cruising fish that you sight cast to (tarpon, bonefish, stripers, redfish), or the quick mini-blitzes of fast swimming fish (albies, bonito and southern bluefin tuna), or fish running the edge of the surf line. It is also impractical and inefficient to keep long lengths of heavy, high-density lines in the air for too long. It is counterproductive and tiring.

While in many small stream situations, for example, a fly angler can keep a measured amount of line in the air, it is imperative in saltwater to learn to employ the double haul to increase line speed and maximize distance. I have found that freshwater converts who’ve previously fished salmon and steelhead make the transition easiest since single and double haul techniques are an important part of their overall fishing. One of the other big differences between the two forms of fishing is with the hook set. Most freshwater anglers use the lift and set method to drive a hook home after a strike, while in saltwater the strip set is a much more effective technique. I could go into a number other situational challenges but the ones mentioned are the most fundamental. Yet, I would add one final note: You don’t have to cast a country mile in saltwater to catch fish. Sometimes the fish are right at your feet!

SJC: Do you find that last statement to be true in other places you've fished or do you find it limited to the northeast surf? Unlike you, we haven't traveled much since they kicked us off a plane because of our inability to control our flatulence.

AP: Gastric issues aside, let me respond with an example. A number of years ago I was fly-fishing for snook along the Gulf facing beaches of Captiva Island on Florida’s west coast. I was wet wading, casting away, not a care in the world. A voice rang out from behind me… “Nice casting stroke there, fella. Too bad all the snook are behind you.” I looked quizzically at the elderly gent standing behind me and got out of the water. We stood side-by-side for several minutes, and as he pointed toward the water we watched squadron after squadron of traveling snook run along the beach literally behind the position I had been casting from, and mere feet and inches from shoreline.

That was a valuable lesson and I never made that mistake again. I have had the same experience in places like Alaska on remote coastal tidal creeks where salmon often migrate right along the shore. When I fish those creeks, I always fan-cast an area before entering the water. I do the same thing right here on Long Island, when bass are on sand eels and especially when I begin fishing an evening or pre-dawn tide. The same holds true for areas that hold peanut bunker, silversides and rainbait. And sometimes you get very special surprises in close. A few seasons back I had albies corralled along a beach where, if you were patient, they’d make their way into calf-deep water, darting in and out after bait. That made for some interesting casting!

SCJ: You have written some highly acclaimed books on fly-fishing, including Fly Fishing Long Island and Saltwater Flies of the Northeast. Although we have read many books on fishing, very few were written in such a concise manner. Most of the time, the authors try to be all things to all people (and usually end up pleasing no one, if we might ad). You on the other hand decided that saltwater flies of the northeast deserved their own book. Tell us why.

AP: That is a very interesting and revealing question. The northeast has long been known as a bastion of fly-fishing innovation. After all, the freshwater streams and creeks of New York’s Catskills are credited with being the birthplace of American flyfishing, followed by Pennsylvania’s Pocono streams. What many people don’t realize is that our early American forefathers fished for sea run brook trout, “salters”, throughout the northeast so there is a long and storied tradition of casting flies into the brine. They used techniques brought here by the British. Long Island was long renowned for its native sea run brookies as were other places along the northeast coast. But beyond

that, I have been fortunate to fly-fish this coast from the tip of Maine to Cape May, New Jersey and all stops in between. That fishing has mostly been for striped bass, bluefish weakfish and all sorts of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hardtailsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Along the way, I have had the privilege of meeting and often fishing with many terrific anglers.

As saltwater fly-fishing took hold in the northeast and more people became involved in the sport, significant innovation and creativity began to emerge with fishing techniques and fly tying. Eventually, all eyes from across the country began looking toward the northeast for some of the latest developments in saltwater fly-fishing. While the southeast and Gulf Coast states have long been involved in saltwater fly-fishing, the decade of the 90s saw participation spike in the northeast. The region began to spawn some of the best fly tyers and fly anglers on the planet and I felt that Saltwater Flies of the Northeast could, in some small way, tell that story. The book has been well received across the country and abroad and it has worked to put a much-deserved spotlight on the talents of our region.

SCJ: We understand that you have a companion book to Saltwater Flies of the Northeast in works, except this new book takes a reader from Virginia all the way around to the Texas Gulf Coast. Since most of us will end up in that part of the country soon, tanned, broke and waiting in line for an early bird meal, we would like to know what you have in store for us in this upcoming book.

AP: The book is Saltwater Flies of the Southeast and Gulf Coast (Amato Publications, Portland Oregon) and it picks up where SWFNE left off. It is due to hit the shelves late summer or early fall 2011. This volume follows much the same format and design of its predecessor. The heart of the book is a collection of 342 fly patterns from some of the

best captains, guides, fly tyers, shops and clubs from Coastal Virginia to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Each fly has been digitally photographed and is accompanied by a description, materials list, tying instructions and tips for fishing the pattern. The book also contains still life images of flies and a number of anecdotal vignettes that tie the whole package together. One real ‘eye candy’ aspect of the book is a series of Japanese Gyotaku fish art by one of the southeast’s best artisans of that craft. The art includes images of most of the primary southeast and Gulf Coast game fish. The flies in the book cover all aspects of the region’s flyfishing: inshore, flats and offshore.

The book should appeal to a broad range of fly anglers since many of the flies are transferable to other species. For example, many redfish

and black drum patterns work great for stripers. The other neat thing about both books is that many of the flies also make great teasers.

SCJ: We sincerely wish you continued success with your books. Now that you have book number three on fly-fishing under your belt, we have to consider you an uber-fly. Those of you who are not familiar with this term should check Wikipedia. It is old Indian term for "a man whose fly is open". Ok, so we are embellishing a bit. But you are considered an expert on fly-fishing so we might be the perfect candidate to ask this question. We just bought our first fly-fishing outfit consisting of 9 foot St Croix Legend Ultra 9wt rod and Orvis Battenkill reel.

We were told that a 9 foot 9wt rod is an all-around set up for northeast beaches.

That was the easy part. Once we started looking at lines however, we got dizzy from all the choices. What's up with that?

AP: You made the right choice in an all-around northeast saltwater outfit. A 9-foot, 9weight is, in my opinion, an ideal selection for striped bass, bluefish, albies, bonito, Spanish mackerel, skipjack and weakfish. Many other saltwater anglers feel the same way. The 9X9 is a very versatile outfit for use from the surf or from a boat, especially with a fast, tip-flex action. I will admit that I have my favorite 8 and 10-weights but my go to rigs are my 9x9 rods. St. Croix makes an excellent blank and a few of their models are included in my arsenal of fly rods. The Orvis Battenkill is a solid workhorse of a reel, particularly the wide arbor model. A number of years ago I stress tested a few older Orvis DXRs and Battenkills on the tidal creeks of the Alaska Peninsula. Over those seasons all five species of Pacific salmon gave the reels a solid workout and they performed very well. The Battenkill reels can take some abuse and keep on going. Add to the reel a

spare spool and you can tackle most of the reasonable fly-fishing conditions one will encounter in the northeast. And with the exception of bigger gamefish like tarpon, the 9x9 also works wonders for southeast and Gulf Coast species like redfish, snook, bonefish, permit, sea trout, jacks, etc.

As far as fly lines go…ask 100 fly anglers about lines and you just might (no will) get 100 diverse responses. Some folks try to make fly-fishing a lot more complicated than it needs to be. My approach to lines is rather simple and in some camps may be a bit controversial. I rarely, if ever, use a pure floating line in saltwater. Freshwater is a different story. My line selections always center about fishing various levels of the water column so intermediate, moderate and high-density sink tips are my preferences. I will also use full sinking lines for some applications. Some of the slowest sinking intermediates also allow one to fish topwater poppers reasonably effectively. As a surf angler with a spare spool I would recommend spooling one with a clear-tip intermediate sink tip and the other with a highdensity sink tip like a Type IV or Type V. The other option for the latter recommendation would be a running line, alternating various shooting heads to match the fishing conditions. One of my favorite lines is a steelhead sink tip that I modify for local surf use.

There are a number of good saltwater fly line options out there from Scientific Angler, RIO, Cortland and Orvis.

Thank you Angelo and remember that we offered first to help in "researching" your new project: Saltwater Flies of Belize. Even if we must go to Belize! All kidding aside, thank you for being a great sport and we are looking forward to not only the “Saltwater Flies of the Southeast and Gulf Coast” book but we are hopeful that you might pen a piece for us in the future on how to put all those great flies into action.

angelopeluso.com

P U E M A G R U TS EP YO AVA I L A B L E N O W “Doc” Muller’s

The Ultimate Surf Fishing Guide

Lures That Catch Fish:

Big Swimmers William A.”Doc” Muller

Editor's note : This is an excerpt from William A. "Doc" Muller's newest book, Surfcaster : The Ultimate Surf Fishing Guide. Now on sale at your local tackle shop and Amazon.com More than any other style of lure in use today, the anglers who have developed, refined, and redesigned large swimmers are the most creative, precise, demanding, and artistic of the lure designers. In recent years, a new generation of lure designers, working mostly with wood, have burst upon the scene. These designers have hit on a number of successful designs too, and I admire their talents. But they are new to the angling scene, while the men who invented these lures and perfected them have been at it for decades.

One aspect of lure design that all of them toiled over was to balance the lures so they would cast well and swim consistently. Success is as much a science as it is an art.

Unfortunately and sadly, many of these pioneers are no longer with us, but happily some of the best artists are still designing, tweaking, and researching ways to make the lures perform even better.

My long-term friend Don Musso is an excellent case in point. Donnie is the founder of Super Strike Lures. While some designers stuck with unreliable wood as a base material, Don realized the advantages of plastic and set upon adapting his wooden lures to a plastic format. Was he successful? You bet he was! Super Strike continues to produce high-quality fish catching lures.

I believe it is important to note at least some of the giants who have toiled in pursuit of perfection, and upon whose backs we ride to angling glory. Jack â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Professorâ&#x20AC;? Frech may get a lot of the credit for bringing bottle plugs and darters into general use among surf anglers, but his efforts would have fallen flat if it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for the designers whose skills turned simple wood into magnificent tools for fishing. But Jack did create a variety of other wooden lures including poppers, metal-lipped swimmers, and jointed plugs too.

Yet Jack never produced his designs for sale. His goal was to provide himself with an

edge in competitive fishing against other talented anglers. Regardless, I salute them all: all the big plug guys from Frech, to Bob Pond to Don Musso.

Another important consideration for this chapter is tackle size. If you are a devotee of light tackle, I respect that if it makes you happy. However, if you want to fish with large swimmers, you’ll need tackle that can handle the task. Please don’t write to me to tell me how your light nine-footer casts three-ounce darters and bottle plugs, because I know better. An eleven-foot medium action rod is best. Not only are these lures heavy, but they also boast considerable wind resistance since they are fat and not thin: with the exception of needlefish. Stout surf tackle is needed to “power” these lures to a respectable distance off the beach. An eleven-foot medium power, medium action rod, such as the one repeatedly discussed in this book, but specifically described in chapters one and two, are the best matches for the job. True, my nine-foot GSB medium gets the job done, but not if there’s a wind in my face. Large diameter spool reels and braided lines complete the picture of an outfit that will allow you to really cast and work large swimmers.

Bottle Plugs: Bottle plugs are so-called because their overall shape resembles a bottle. They do not have either a metal or plastic lip, but the head of the plug is carved away to a curved slope. It’s the curved surface that digs into the water and allows it to fall off to the sides, producing a wiggle. Bottle plugs imitate large prey items that struggle to swim. Although the action is regular and consistent, bottle plugs produce a distressed wiggle as opposed to a tighter wiggle more typical of a prey item in good health, and swimming normally.

Although these lures come in many sizes from about one-ounce to over threeounces, the most commonly used sizes range from two and one-half ounces to more than three ounces. Super Strike’s 2 ? ounce Little Neck Deep Swimmer; in plastic, is a

mainstay among devotees of bottle plugs. Gibbs, owning a long tradition of manufacturing large swimmers from wood, produces a variety of sizes, but perhaps this company’s most popular size is the 3 ounce Casting Swimmer (aka Bottle Plug). Other oldtime designs developed by the late Bob Hahn, included bottles in many sizes up to three and a halfounces.

Fishing With the “Bottle:” The following description presumes you have a rod and reel that can accomplish what I’m describing.

Cast the bottle plug as far as possible, lower the rod tip so that it is parallel with the surface of the water, and reel fast to first pick up slack line, and then to encourage the bottle to “dig.” If you’ve done this properly, you’ll feel tension on the line and your rod tip will throb as the plug wiggles back and forth. Just as these plugs offer considerable resistance to the air, so too do they resist the water. The drag on bottles is much greater than most first-timers expect. This completes phase one of the presentation: getting the plug to dig. If you fail to get the plug to dig, lower the tip of your rod and repeat the process. Do this as many times as needed until the bottle pulls and wiggles.

Phase two involves keeping the plug in gear, so to speak. Bottles are easiest to present and retrieve in

moving water, such as a rip, but I have fished with them successfully in the ocean too.

Generally, when the lure is fished in a rip, the current does the work of maintaining the lure’s action once you’ve gotten it to dig. Sometimes, in strong rips, I’ve cast, made the plug dig, and then, because the current was strong, simply held on without reeling as the current swept the plug down-tide in an arc towards shore. Most hits come on the “swing.”

Anglers need to work a lot harder when fishing in the ocean. Although on several occasions I have succeeded, let me say that I don’t generally fish bottles in calm water, because they just don’t seem to be all that effective when fish get long clear looks at the lure. Also, when the ocean is crazy, bottle plugs are very hard to control and do a lot of flopping even in the hands of an experienced skilled angler. On such days, I opt for a big heavy bucktail instead.

However, when the waves are in the three to five-foot range, bottles can be used successfully if the angler is on top of his or her game. What do I mean by this statement? Waves rise and fall; a process often referred to as heaving. When the “foot” of a wave touches bottom, it lifts and narrows. The net affect of this change in the wave is to push anything in front of the wave forward. At such times an angler needs to speed up the retrieve to maintain a throbbing action on the lure. This should be done at the first sign of a reduction in the pull of the water on the lure. Once the wave front passes, the lure is now on the back of the wave. Here, the water pulls down and back. Thus the drag increases and the angler should slow the retrieve and, at times, even stop the retrieve completely until the next wave front approaches. “Keeping in touch” with the lure, as experienced anglers say, is a key to the successful use of this lure in wavy surf. If an angler can’t keep the lure swimming, it will flop like a piece of seaweed or other flotsam and not attract or trigger a strike. To top it off, every time an angler loses contact with the plug, it must be dug into the water again before resuming a normal retrieve. Although sustaining a proper presentation takes focus and concentration, the results can be worth the effort when large food such as bunker, herring, snapper blues, or various young of year fish are in the ocean trough.

Although some anglers are fussy about color, once again I am not. I will concede the importance of using yellow bottle plugs and darters at Montauk. In addition I will concede the point that some colors work better than others at certain locations

because of the color matter. However, in m Darters: Without belaborin curved head of bottles less efficient at holdin off their motion causin than bottle plugs: espe Fishing With the Darte Darters are at hom rod tip, and make sev and the lure begins to lure its name. The da compared to a bottle p the water. However, if darting action mimics gamefish than any oth

of the bottom or seaweeds that cause bait to appear green, yellow, or reddish, for that most spots, “white is right!”

ng the discussion about bottle plugs, let’s move onto darters. Darters, unlike the arcing s, have straight, sloped heads, and it’s the slope that creates the action. A flat surface is ng water, so darters are less stable. The slightest disturbance in water flow can kick them ng them to roll over and come to the surface. As a result, they are more difficult to fish with ecially in the ocean. er: me in rips and these are the best venues for their use. Again, cast the lure out, lower the veral fast turns of the reel handle. Again, when the lure digs, water resistance increases o swim and dart. It is this irregular back and forth swinging or darting action that gives the arting action is in addition to a wiggle. It is a lot harder to stay in contact with a darter plug, and as I’ve already mentioned, darters are more likely to lose balanced contact with f an angler can develop some skill with the plug, the double action of wiggle and irregular s a wounded prey, and there are times when this lure attracts more attention from her lure in your bag. It is worth developing a comfort zone with bottle plugs and darters.

Bottle-Darters: A bottle-darter is a hybrid of a bottle plug and a darter.

NorthBar Lures makes this lure in a variety of colors in two sizes: three as well as two and a half-ounces. The plugs are available in both wood and plastic. The concept of the lure involves combining the actions of both a bottle plug and a darter while achieving greater stability in the water when compared to the darter.

Cast the lure out, get it to dig, and retrieve the lure so that wiggle and darting action is maintain throughout the retrieve.

Metal Lipped Swimmers: These large fat-bodied lures are niche lures. That is, they were designed for specific conditions and situations, and are not effective, day-in and day-out throughout the season, under a variety of physical conditions. What is a niche lure?

As mentioned, bottle plugs, darters, and bottle darters work best in moving water. Also, they are most effective when large baits are in the area. Finally, they can also be used in the ocean within a range of wave heights that permit continuous contact with the lures. Compare the use of big swimmers with bucktails or small narrow-bodied swimmers that can be used almost anywhere and consistently through the season, and the concept of niche lures quickly becomes solidified.

Metal-lipped swimmers are fat-bodied swimming plugs, typically made of wood, but some good ones are made from

plastic too. A bent piece of metal in the face of the lure is the lip, and it is this piece of metal that grabs and releases water off the sides as the lure pushes through the water, producing the wiggle and rolling action so familiar with fans of the metal-lip plug.

Unlike bottles, darters, and bottle-darters, metallipped swimmers work best in calm or relatively calm water. Metal lips may be used in a gentle swell as long as the angler is focused and maintains contact with the lure, especially when the lure is on the front side of the wave. In calm water, presentation is a snap.

Some metal lip swimmers have sloped heads.

This design is intended to grab the water with the lip and the inclined head of the plug, so that the plug pushes deeper into the water. Although effective is some situations and preferred by some anglers, I prefer a darter, bottle plug, or bucktail if I want my lure to run deeper.

There are many brands of metal lip swimmers on the market today. Like other large plugs, many are produced in small quantities and sold for the local market. However, several of the better-known and readily available brands remain Danny Plugs (by Gibbs Lures in standard and Pro Series) and Atom Swimmers. Gibbs’ Danny swimmer is made of wood and comes in three sizes: 1 ½ 2 ¼, and 3 ¼-inches.

Atom’s swimmers are made with compressed plastic foam, and also come in three sizes. The smallest is the Spin Atom, the middleweight is the Junior Atom, and the heavyweight is the Atom 40. The company also made a Reverse Atom 40 designed to be fished backwards. It has been said that the Reverse Atom had an action that mimicked the swimming of squid.

Historically, several terrific lines of metal lip swimmers were made but are no longer on the market. Don Musso produced several metal lip swimmers in wood that were favorite lures of mine. The Rattler was a slanted head swimmer in 6, 7 ¼, and 8 ¼-inch sizes. The Torpedo Swimmer with a round head also came in the same sizes as the rattler. Bob Hahn also produced a line of metal lip swimmers that are highly regarded.

Another item of information that has more historical interest than it does modern relevance is the eel-skin plug, not because the plug doesn’t catch fish anymore, rather because so few anglers take the time and trouble to rig them up. Basically, you take the hooks off a medium Danny or Atom Junior, and then you pull an eel-skin over the plug.

Finally, reattach the belly hooks, but leave the rear treble off. Larger plugs were also used, but I think the medium models were most popular for this adaptation. These metal lip swimmers, fitted with eel-skins wiggle, waddle, and rock and roll seductively and the design has caught many trophy fish over the decades.

Tuning a Metal Lip Plug: Although these plugs can be tuned to perform in different ways in response to different needs and conditions, it is wise to remember that expert lure makers have designed these plugs. Thus, I’ve always applied the idea of making careful, small adjustments in order not to undo the work of the artists.

The most common way to tune a metal is plug is to bend the front eye up or down.

When the eye is bent up, the lure will run deeper, while when the eye is bent down, the lure will ride closer to, or even at, the surface. I generally prefer metal lips to run at the

surface, thus creating a big wake, and they also roll from side to side. Therefore, I usually bend the eye down. The only caveat that I can offer about bending the eye is to make sure the eye is straight and not crooked or bent off to one side, to ensure the best balance. Otherwise, bending the eye is a safe maneuver.

That isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the case when it comes to bending the metal lip. I really try hard to stay away from manipulating the lip. Unfortunately, from time to time a fish will mangle it or tilt it off center, or manipulate a treble so that one prong grabs the metal and distorts its

shape. Also, from time to time, I want to change the wiggle a bit, but I need to be careful bec the action and possibly never to be able to get the lip back to its original shape and action. M Once for the flat horizontal portion that goes into the body of the plug. A second portion, down at right angles to the face of the plug. The second bend is made up towards the firs bend is also a right angle bend, but other times the bend is roughly forty-five degrees. The bend that produces a wiggle that is most compatible to the other qualities of the lure. For ins plug a straight, flat surface, or a rounded one? Or, is the dorsal surface of the plug slope body? Selecting the right piece of metal and bending it in a manner most advantageous t lure designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talent.

Some anglers also play with the action of these lures by changing the hooks or removin some surf rats will remove the rear treble and replace it with a few feathers or bucktail hairs shaft. Obviously, stainless steel is the best base for the rear teaser. Less weight in the rear larger and faster wiggle-wobble. An angler may also replace the treble hook with a single sometimes add some feathers or hair to this hook. Some anglers even leave the rear of the p Still other anglers will remove the hooks and upgrade to large treble hooks or stronge slow the action, while a change to lighter trebles speeds the wiggle up. Last reminder: be ca lip, and if you decide to bend it, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be aggressive.

Teasers Ahoy!

Some devotees of metal lip plugs like to fish with a teaser at the front end of the leader. the productivity of the plug. Although I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use teasers often, who am I to argue, sin repeatedly proven their mettle on the beach?

cause itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to distort Metal lips are bent twice. , metal face, is pointing st bend. Sometimes this e lure maker selects the stance, is the face of the ed? How fat is the lureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to the plug is part of the

ng hooks. For instance, tied around a thin metal of the plug equates to a e short-shank hook and plug bare. er ones. Heavier trebles areful about bending the

They claim it enhances nce these anglers have

Popping the Metal Lip: This maneuver can only be done with a metal lip plug that swims at the surface.

That need eliminates the use of sloped head metal lip plugs because they run deep.

Also eliminated are some metal lip plugs that run a few inches below the surface.

Although not in common use, some metal lip plugs sink: either because of added weights, or the use of dense wood, and these are also not appropriate for popping.

The concept of popping a metal lip plug is simple. The plug is retrieved in the usual slow manner so that it wiggles and rolls while throwing a wake to the sides.

Every once it a while, perhaps two or three times during the retrieve, the angler pulls back on the rod. Do not snap the rod up and to the rear because that could result in the lure either diving deeper or sliding across the surface. The pull of the rod up and back is executed with a moderately forceful pull. The plug doesn’t really pop, rather it sloshes ahead, spraying some water. The angler immediately returns to a normal retrieve. It takes a while to get the hang of this action, and different metal lip plugs will require more or less force on the pull back in order to get the right “slosh.” Anglers who “live line” bunker from boats have a handle on why this works. A common practice in live lining is to pull back on the live bunker swimming at the surface when a striper is swimming underneath. The bunker will be nervous, and change direction

Photos by Zeno Hromin

often when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being hunted. Should the bunker suddenly calm down, the angler may pull back, making the bunker slosh at the surface, and this action often re-energizes the striperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest in the bunker.

The pop or slosh is intended to elicit a reaction strike from fish that are following the plug but have not attacked it. If you overdo the popping action, that is do it too often, you negate the positive triggering action because the metal lip swimmer becomes more like a popper and less like a swimmer. Two or three sloshes per retrieve are about right.

AVAILABLE NOW

The Mullet are here,

the Mullet are here!

Zeno Hromin

The mullet run is considered one of the most significant periods for a surfcaster during the entire year. It can take place any time between early September to mid-October.

These baitfish do not operate based on moon periods or calendar dates, they let the water temperature signal them when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to head out of the bay. In late August, they start to congregate on the backsides of the inlets and this can be a great place to wet the line at the tail end of the dog days of summer. This abundance of bait, concentrated in confined area almost always attracts attention from the predators especially during the nighttime hours. Daytime fishing is still tough as too many boats crisscross these same waters looking for some late season fluke fillets. The real daytime action does not start until the mullet leave the confines of the inlet and head westward along the beach.

Since they will move once the water temperature has dropped, we can anticipate this event by being in tune with the weather forecast. Look for a strong cold front, preferably with some rain that will drop the temperatures dramatically overnight. Because of prevailing southerly winds in the early fall, the temperatures will most likely bounce back in a few days but once the mullet migration starts it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end until they all vacate the bays. Because they will be coming out of the inlets, you can bet your last dollar that they will use an outgoing current to help them get out into the ocean. With this in mind, the time of the outgoing current, particularly if it coincides with dawn can be a great time to cash in on the mullet run. Dawn is generally more productive than dusk although, if the mullet are present in large numbers, the action might go on and off all day as large concentrations of mullet will often draw large schools of stripers and blues from the deep waters and into the surf zone. Best part is, because of their large size mullet usually attract some quality fish instead of the usual small to teen size fish we encounter in the normal blitz conditions.

Mullet are fairly easy to identify in the surf. They travel in tightly packed pods, swimming just under the surface. They leave a “v” wake behind them. The most appealing part of their behavior, at least as far as surfcasters are concerned, is their tendency to stay very close to the beach. They will often travel so tight to the beach that you can almost touch them with your rod. Even when they stay off the beach, they still are usually found within casting distance. Look for rippling water that is nervously moving from your left to your right, particularly in the curl of a cresting wave. Since mullet always travel on the surface, the most productive lures are the ones that closely imitate their behavior. Pencil poppers, standard poppers and metal lip surface swimmers are particularly effective in fooling bass and blues into thinking they are about to take a swipe at an injured mullet. Cast slightly ahead of the school and retrieve as slowly as possible. I like to cast diagonally or even at times parallel to the beach to keep my lure in the most productive zone as long as possible.

Because most of the action will take place very close to the beach, make sure you retrieve your lure all the way to your boots. Many times stripers will cruise along the “lip” of the beach, right where the water meets the sand.

When it comes to the choice of lure color, one finish is considered a “must have” for the mullet run. Lures in a blue over white pattern have received almost a cult-like following over the years. I do agree they work well, but listening to some pundits, a person would think you can’t catch any fish unless you have one. This is hogwash.

I do just as well on white plugs as I do on blue but then again, when in Rome do as the Romans do. You will at the very least save yourself an earful from local sharpies. What I can tell you with certainty is that subsurface lures, including bucktails and rubber shads can at times be ineffective on sand beaches. The stripers and blues are zoning in on the surface action and they will often ignore any movement below them regardless how tempting your lure might look. In fact, I’ve seen bunker dunkers cry in vain as those casting artificial lures were banging fish right in front of them while their chunks went untouched.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? The pods of mullet usually move out of the inlets at irregular intervals and spread along the beachfront. It is obviously impossible to predict just how many mullet will grace us with their presence, but at some point you will have to make a decision to either chase these pods down the beach or to stay put and wait till the next pod arrives. I have to warn you that if chasing after breaking fish is what you chose to do you will most likely lose the school of baitfish as soon as you hook your first fish. Many do well walking the beach, looking for mullet that is spraying out of the water as they are rushed by the gamefish.

But this is a low percentage approach in my opinion, as the fish that rushed the school is probably long gone by the time your plug lands in the water.

The way to catch that fish is to cast before it rushes that school of baitfish. How can you possibly anticipate where the gamefish will attack the bait? Structure, structure and more structure! Find a structure that fish can use to their advantage and watch a occasional spray of fish here or there turn into an all out massacre. For example, I often have observed mullet moving unmolested down the beach until they reach an inlet jetty.

This jetty presents an obstacle for them as they are trying to reach the other side of the inlet. But they have no choice but to follow their instinct and swim alongside the jetty rocks and go round the tip. Stripers are well aware of this, and some part of the school of bass will hang at the tip preventing the mullet from escaping the confines of the jettyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pocket, while the rest of the school will slash through the mullet. They can pin them in this pocket for hours and this is why I said that seeking structure that will benefit the gamefish will always pay better dividends than chasing a few fish down the beach.

Same thing happens in between jetties along Long Island or New Jersey shorelines.

Stripers and bluefish will pin the mullet between two rock piles and hold them there for hours.

Unfortunately, jetties exist on only a small portion of the Northeast coast line but all is not lost. As seasoned surfcaster is well aware that even a small differential in bottom contour can and will be used by the gamefish to their advantage. Small points and bowls along the open beach can all serve as either an ambush point or a corralling location. In addition, most of the beaches that border the inlets have a massive sandbar on the west side that curves towards the shore.

Cedar bar, located within the confines of Fire Island Inlet in New York, is a prime example of this type of structure.

You might ask what is so special about this type of sandbar, one that curves toward the beach compared to parallel sandbars found on most beaches? Sandbars that curve toward the beach, and especially those that end up touching the beach are one of the best structures Mother Nature ever gave us. Because of its shallowness compared to surrounding areas, turbulence is created on the sandbar as waves are pushed over it.

The place where the beach meets the bar can be particularly treacherous. The mullet, which often travel unmolested up to this point, encounter the turbulent bar and have no choice other than to attempt to navigate over the bar and through the rough waters.

Stripers and blues are excellent swimmers and this turbulent water is their natural feeding ground. This is why they let the mullet travel up to this point unmolested but once the mullet get caught in the waves, they are tossed around like socks in a dryer. The fact that there is only a foot or two of water covering these sandbars does not seem to deter the gamefish one bit. In fact, I feel that the gamefish become even more aggressive and they often attack a lure with authority. Under these conditions the gamefish are feeding very close to the shore in very shallow water which necessitates using lures that will stay in the strike zone as long as possible. No lure accomplishes this better than a metal lip surface swimmer. In addition pencil poppers and standard poppers will take their share of fish during the day. When fishing this type of structure, keep in mind that gamefish do not have the time to inspect our offering before they lunge at it. Ever-present white water on these shallow, turbulent, sandy structures does a good job of masking the lure and fish on the feed will often slam a lure as soon as it shows a wiggle in the foam. What is imperative is to concentrate on your casting technique, making sure that your plug lands on the backside of a cresting wave every time. This way your lure wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tumble uncontrollably as it will if the wave crashes on it.

Day turns into a night The mullet run is revered for the daytime action it often produces. Do not let this discourage you from exploring the beaches during the hours of darkness. After all, if the mullet are in the wash at sunset, they won't magically disappear once the sun sets below the horizon. Will they? Of course not! Granted, I never have found this action to be as intense or as concentrated along oceanfront beaches as I have during the daytime hours.

You just know that with this concentration of baitfish, there will be predators lurking in the area. Yes, the visual aspect of striperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large tails slapping the water and the sight of bluefish chasing plugs out of the water is gone, replaced by the calmer scenery of ocean waves rolling in against the shore. But the fishing can still be good, sometimes even outstanding. Replace your popping plugs with subsurface shallow diving metal lip swimmers and needlefish lures. Toss in some rubber shads and Super Strike bottle plugs if your intent is to fish the jetties and slow your retrieve to a crawl. Again, target structures where gamefish will have an upper hand in corralling and ambushing bait. Work the cuts in the sandbars, swim your metal lip swimmer over beach points and into its adjacent coves. Cast your lures parallel to the jetties, making a few casts along each side of the jetty before moving on to the next pile of rocks. Retrieve your plugs all the way to your wader boots as stripers will often cruise the lip of the beach looking for leftovers from the daytime carnage or for an injured baitfish that escaped the daytime melee. Work your top water metal lips the same way as you do in the daytime by casting behind a cresting wave. Adjust the nose wire on your subsurface metal lip swimmer so that it crawls just a few inches under the surface. This way youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a whole water column covered, bucktail, shad and bottle plug for closer to the bottom, diving metal lips for under the surface and Danny or Pike style metal lips for the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface. Of course, you still have your needlefish and with it you can basically explore any water column by just adjusting your retrieve speed. In addition, you can get distance with a needlefish that these other lures only dream about.

If your plan is to fish the sandy beaches that border the inlets, toss some Super Strike darters in your bag. You should cast them up current towards the inlet and let them swing out and away from the inlet during the outgoing current. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overlook the inlets themselves particularly on the night tides. Concentrate on the ebbing current with subsurface metal lip swimmers by working them as deep as possible by bending up the nose wire loop. Large shad bodies and bucktails account for some good catches around deep inlet rips and jetties. And if none of this floats your boat, rest assured that well placed chunks have taken many cow stripers in nighttime hours during the mullet run. The same chunk, that they ignored during the day when their eyes were fixated on the mullet, will get eaten at night when stripers are prowling the surf looking for a easy meal. If you find yourself in the middle of the mullet run blitz, enjoy every moment. It is truly one of the most remarkable events a surfcaster will experience during a season.

Contributors

Roger Martin has fished the rocky beaches of Rhode Island, plowed through soft sand on Cape Cod beaches and navigated the treacherous rocks of Montauk. But most of the time, you'll find him close to home, on the sandy beaches or the back bay marshes of Long Island’s south shore. Over the last half century he has written numerous articles, authored a chapter in William Muller's book “The Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night” and given many presentations on the subject of surf fishing.

He was taught how to rig eels by his friend, the late Al Bentsen, and has passed this knowledge on to many others. Roger and his wife Marie are co-editors of the Surfcaster's Journal and they are the ones who labor over our sloppy writing, bad grammar and terrible pronunciation errors. For that alone they should be saluted .

Zeno Hromin is the author of two recent bestselling books, “The Art of Surfcasting with Lures” and “The Hunt for Big Stripers.” He is a budding angling photographer who has won numerous awards for his camera skills. He is one of the founders of the Surfcaster's Journal and a frequent contributor to the Surfcaster's Journal Blog. You can get more information about Zeno on his website www.zenohromin.com Email him at info@surfcastersjournal.com Lou Caruso is a long time member of the Farragut Striper Club, Surfcaster's Journal official "Rod Guru" and one of the most well regarded custom rod builders on Long Island, NY. His web site is www.louscustomrods.com Tommy Corrigan is an insanely driven, ridiculously talented dude who designs the Surfcaster's Journal magazine from his head. No guidelines, no drafts and no boxes into which to plug articles.

Everything that you see is the result of late night inspirations on those nights when his better half makes him stay home. When he manages to sneak out you will probably find him on a local beach, plying his craft. His talents are vast and range from music CD cover designs, to posters, books and tshirts. Don't be surprised if the design on the shirt you or your kid is wearing was created by our design guru. You can send him an Email at tommy@surfcastersjournal.com

Dave Anderson is an editor of “The Fisherman Magazine”, New England edition. You have probably read many of the articles on surf fishing he has written over the years for that magazine and other publications. What you probably did not know was that Dave is also a well respected plug builder who creates exceptional lures under the name Surf Asylum. You can receive his newsletter by dropping him a line at danderson_nef@yahoo.com Andrew Chase is a renowned chef and a passionate surfcaster. He is equally comfortable around the stove as he is casting his lures for stripers. Along with his partner, he is a proprietor of Cafe Katja located at 79 Orchard Street in New York City. It's a great place to grab a beer and sample some authentic Austrian cuisine. No pretentiousness here or sky high prices, just an intimate neighborhood watering hole with exceptional food. Chef Andrew might be behind the bar or serving food on any given night but as soon as the lights go off you will find him on his favorite rocks casting into the darkness, looking to catch his own dinner. For more information about Cafe Katja please visit http://cafekatja.com Russ "Big Rock" Paoline is a well respected New Jersey lure builder whose creations are some of the most sought after lures on the market today. He creates his lures in small batches, one at a time and the quality and attention to detail are evident on each lure he makes. Russ has been a fixture on New Jersey beaches for many years but don't be surprised if you run into him at Montauk, NY or even Cuttyhunk, MA. In fact, Cuttyhunk is where we met him for the first time. A mountain of a man in every sense of the word, Russ is imposing figure in the night surf but have no worries, he is one of the nicest person you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting.

John Papciak is a well known New York surfcaster who is equally comfortable with a fly rod or a surf rod. John is one of the most fearless surfcasters of this generation and one of the rare anglers who fish from the far rocks with a fly rod. As much as we all admire his fearlessness when swimming to the rocks in the middle of the night, we are even more impressed with his conservation ethic. He was one of the people involved in the Bring Back Big Bass campaign in recent years and he has been always on the forefront of the conservation movement among the surf fishing community. You can email him at info@surfcastersjournal.com Pete Lentini is a New Jersey angler who obviously has a wicked sense of humor.

Frank Pintauro is an avid vintage surf fishing lure collector and the author of many articles on classic lures and lure makers. Frank's work has been published in The Fisherman magazine and Fishing and Hunting Collectibles Magazine among others. He is considered the leading authority on the authenticity of vintage surf fishing lures and their origins. Readers who wish to contact Frank can do so via email at masterlure@aol.com William A. Muller, perhaps better known to east coast anglers simply as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Doc,â&#x20AC;? has been fishing since he was five years old. Doc began writing for magazines such as The Saltwater Sportsman and Offshore in 1973 and, of course, has been a member of The Fisherman family since that time too. He began surf fishing competitively in 1974 and between that year and 2000 finished first in a variety of competitive categories over 100 times. Although he still competes for his club, The Traditional Surfcasters, he has refocused the bulk of his efforts towards mentoring new surf anglers and writing. William

A. “Doc” Muller received a PhD in biology in 1972 and was a professor for 35 years. In addition to eight books on fishing, he has recently authored two novels: Plague of Terror (2007) and the critically acclaimed Vanishing Cures (2010). His newest book, Surfcaster: The Ultimate Surf Fishing Guide (2011) is in stores now and at Amazon.com.

Angelo Peluso has fly-fished the entire Northeast Coast for striped bass, from the waters of New Jersey to the coastal and interior areas of Maine, and much of the southeast. He now calls Long Island Sound home and spends much of his time on his boat or kayak, and wandering the beaches fly-fishing for striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, false albacore and bonito. Angelo is a frequent contributor to many local, regional and national magazines and writes a weekly fishing and outdoors column for seven Long Island newspapers. He has authored three fly-fishing books: Saltwater Flies of the Northeast; Fly Fishing Long Island; and Saltwater Flies of the Southeast and Gulf Coast. Angelo has also authored and published children’s books with outdoor themes. He is currently working on three new book projects: one that chronicles his flyfishing adventures in Alaska; another fly-fishing title that covers the entire east coast; and his first novel with a fishing-thriller plot.

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