April 8, 2000: 

   The new is up! Sorry, it was late...I was out all night chasing the elusive unicorn and completely let DPowell's weekly funny slip my mind! I did manage to put the 'toon up before 10pm...but usually it's up by noon at the latest....sorry DP!  

    The unicorn hunt last night, as we suspected, was successful, we landed 11 or 12 of them...one keeper that was released. I got one on a clouser....my first one of the spring, just to stay with the tradition that I've kept since I started this obsessive/compulsive delight of surf fishing with a fly rod! After that, we busted out the conventional gear and ripped some lips! ;^) We fished to conventionals only for an hour or so....and the stripers were quite interested in the 1/2 to 5/8oz ball jigs with Fin-S style trailers...I had one decent one destroy a 1/0 teaser on me....and I landed my first keeper since mid January! All in all, a nice night to be out there. I put up the report in the FishingReports!  We're currently checking the radar to see if a repeat of last night is necessary....it doesn't look real good...but that isn't usually enough to keep us inside once the bite is on! One notable observation....millions of adult bunkers.....millions....all flippin' and splashin' around...unmolested, but just plain happy to be enjoying the night with us! We spent most of the night in Raritan Bay for those that are wondering :) 

Sincerely, 

Tim Surgent

April 10, 2000: 

   Oops....err, the new   is up! ;)  Boy, DP's gonna get a complex if I keep this up! I put it up on Saturday night and put the link here...but then, in my efforts to put up the rest of this info, I had removed the blurb from the main page! Sorry! Anyway, check it out, much as we've become accustomed to, Dave shares his (slightly waterlogged? ;)) sense of surf humor with us! 

   Well, wasn't that an interesting weekend?!?!?! What's that all about, a beautiful Friday night, the fish cooperated, the weather was nice...damp, chilly, and breezy...and then Saturday it's an all out wind storm followed by a blizzard on Sunday!  Geesh...can't catch break it seems on the weekends...it's not a matter of how hard will the wind blow, it's which direction will it be blowing 30kts or better from!  We had an excellent time out there on Friday, caught fish right through daylight...I was caught outside that gorgeous morning without my Dracula shades! It was scary, but I survived by letting Charlie drive home so I could hunker down in the passenger side and avoid direct sunlight...devastating to the night vision it is ;^) Crazy Alberto is still harassing the "Disneyland Trout" as he calls them up at the Connequot River...that place can give you a false sense of reality in just one trip....this poor man is there constantly...therapy will certainly be in order for him if he doesn't get outta there for a reality check soon! ;^) Come on Crazy...leave them poor trout alone and go chase the elusive and wondrous unicorn for while! Next time you get a night, lemme know...I know where they are! A couple cold, damp night throwing 6" flies will straighten him out....but he'd better hurry, too many trips to "Disneyland" might cause irreparable damage! The fish are continuing to act up in the salt...we need some nicer weather to really get them going nuts....soon my patient hunters....very soon!

   So, Charlie and I got our first good taste of some action on Friday night...we had all these grandiose plans for a repeat on Saturday night...but the rain and winds kept us from going. This turned out to be a good thing, I got to spend quite a few hours with Carole as she questioned my health.  Seems she figured I must not have felt good as I only worked a couple hours on Saturday! That's sad...I need to start putting aside a few hours for her each night...I enjoy our time together and the brownie point jar can never be too full!  (I know Sue, you're not a big fan of the brownie point jar....but it's a necessity from our end!)  So, we did encounter LARGE schools of very adult bunker on Friday night...they were big fellas and they were very well spread out...both good signs for our upcoming months. The sad reality is that they will be mercilessly scooped up...every one of them, by the commercial netters pounding Raritan Bay unregulated round the clock! It's not just the loss of these very important forage fish that saddens me my friends, it's the loss of all the LARGE fish that will be scooped up and suffocated right along with the bunker! It's obscene...but it will continue unchecked....rest assured. Until we can get every single non-commercial fisherman involved in one organization...with one loud voice, we will have to sit back and watch as all these great fish are wasted for a couple bucks. Not to mention, we seem to be fighting not only the commercials, but also a wolf in sheep's clothing...the charter and party boat folks. They don't want to see anything regulated as strictly as would be necessary for recovery as this would certainly affect their pocket books. It's true, not all are like that, but when it comes to maximizing the number of dead fish on the docks after a trip, most are guilty. For them to vote for conservation would be to limit the dead fish numbers...and dead fish get fares...fares pay the bills...and then some. It seems we are in need of a purely non-commercial voice...one that doesn't cater to party and charter boat owners. I know, that sounds rough, but sometimes I do believe that the only ones who really have the fish's best interest in mind are the recreational anglers. We're the ones that put the most $$ back into the states where we fish. We're also the ones that contribute the least $$ directly to the legislative process and we have the least $$ to lose should there be tighter regulations. It's a sad thing, but money gets results...and so long as we keep spreading our monies around the way we've been doing, we won't see any results. We also just give the semi-commercials, the charter/party boat owners, more power by supporting groups that take their lead from the dollars contributed by these folks. It's confusing, no doubt, but I'm going to do some looking around and see if any of the major conservation organizations doesn't contain a large contingent of the "semi-commercial" sector...and that's where I'll be putting my $$ and my efforts in the near future.  I'm tired of watching all the horrible things that continue to plague the fish stocks...it truly does appear that no one is paying attention to the fish...just the money! Sorry for the rant here, I'm just a little wound up about the whole thing, it was triggered by an article in the local paper about how the Porgies are being miss-managed again. The quota wasn't enough for the commercials, so they somehow borrowed the entire quota for next year and applied it to this year. No doubt, when next year rolls around, they'll complain that there should be a quota for that year...then they'll possibly borrow the following years quota to double next years quota...and so on and so on...it's truly obscene...and it goes on not just in NJ, but in every state where there are commercial interests.  It's too bad.

    So, we saw all these big bunker, we didn't notice anything eating them, but the fish were all around the area where these big baits were. I landed my first one on the fly rod since January. Then we let loose with the conventional rods and landed another 10 or so on 1/2oz and 5/8oz jigs with Fin-S style plastic trailers. It was decent fishing and it felt good to get solid hits and hook solid fish! Nothing against trout, bluegills, largemouths, crappies, and pickerel, but they just don't hang tough like stripers when you hook them! I'm planning on getting out again as soon as this killer wind drops out...more than likely, Monday night. I'll keep you posted! Check the FishingReports! it seems Phil is landing some nice one...they are catch and release only as the waters he's fishing are closed to harvest...but they are still nice fish! Jim-DE told me of the enormous amount of boats fishing the Chesapeake...he said it was disgusting! All those boats, hundreds at a time, all targeting the fish that will make up the future of the striped bass....not one of them caring about it at all! Poppers with many treble hooks are the norm there, no doubt ripped from the mouths of these precious fish on their way to do the sacred job of carrying on the striper population. Again, it's sad...I think this area was just recently opened...and it was quiet for the first year...now it's common knowledge that these fat (egg laden) bass are suckers for almost anything you throw at them. I hope anyone fishing there uses thier head and uses barbless or single hooks to try and give these fish a chance to finish what they are there for. It's bad enough they have to dodge nets to get there...they should be given a chance to spawn now before they get hammered by so many boats that you can't even see the water! I won't lie, I'm planning on going there if I get the chance, but I'll do it with a heavy fly rod and barbless single hooks. I like easy fishing as much as the next guy, but I don't want to leave all those bass with deformed faces and ripped up gills like multi hooked plugs can do. Especially with bigger fish, they'll often get a popper deep inside their mouth...and near the gills. I don't blame anyone for going, just please do what's best for these fish, they are on a mission! ;)

Sincerely,

Tim Surgent

April 12, 2000: 

     The weather has, in a word, been.....well, poor! :( We're in one of those storm-clearing-storm-clearing patterns that is the scourge of the spring-time striper folks! It seems that the wind screams from the SE or E....then it storms (snow even!) then it screams from the NW.....then as the next front approaches, there's a tiny window of time that the fishing is good...then it screams from the SE again! Over and over again...it's getting old to say the least! It never fails, it's always the worst on the weekends...but that's the way it's historically always been. If you are lucky enough to be able to time your excursions just right, bingo, you score. The time is right, I'm expecting that there are going to be some memorable fish caught in the next 7 day period of time...things are looking just about right...if you don't count the weathers! Yesterday I was sent a new form of email torture, it's just now that I am strong enough to put it up here...the envy and such is slowly subsiding...and in the words of the captor, here goes:

      "I though I'd submit a photo to you for photo pages or wherever you see fit.  I had an amazing day of fishing on Sat., fishing southern Raritan Bay. I lost count after 15 fish, ranging between 15 and 30 inches, with 3 of them being keepers.  Towards the end of the day, with that ominous storm front closing in, a big school of adult bunker appeared.  I noticed an occassional LARGE splash or a sedan-sized swirl, and started throwing a big pencil popper at them.  After three misses, and with the impending storm, I said "what the hell" and snagged a big bunker.  I put a hook behind the dorsal, waded as far out as I could, and began swimming him.  Twenty minutes later, I watch the line begin to come taut, and I watch and hear my Bait-runner begin screaming.  After a nerve-wracking 10 count, I engaged the gears, and drove the hook home.  Those first few head shakes told me that this was not a small fish.  Fifteen minutes and a tough tug of war later, I was able to slide this fish out of the wash with the help of another fisherman.  42 inches long with a 23 inch girth, and what I imagine to be a little shy of thirty pounds (my best to date)!  I was shaking and laughing and in sheer amazement at that beauty lying on the sand in front of me.  Just thought you might appreciate the story to accompany the photo, and to get you more excited (although entirely unnecessary, I'm sure) for the season. By the way, my handle on your fantastic board is "Linesides".  Hope to see you on the beach sometime!"
Take care,
Chris

  Geesh, Chris really knows how to break a guys heart! ;^) This isn't the only nice fish I've heard of lately, there were others....quiet whispers of mid-20 pound fish, taken from land, not a bridge, not a boat...flat land! Chris' is the biggest though! I need to get out...perhaps tomorrow afternoon...the tide will be right for a lil' spot that I'd like to visit....if the wind is cool, I'm gone! I'm very busy...too busy to really go fishing, but I'm not counting it as fishing, I'm counting it as a mental health trip. It's a question of maintaining (what little) sanity I have left...without a bend fly rod this time of year, I'm certain to end up talking to the cat and tying bimini twists in my shoe laces!?!? I hope the wind is at least "normal" tomorrow afternoon...I'm not worried about 10-15kts, I'll fish the fly rod into that stuff...it's the 20-25kts with gusts to 30kts that keeps me home....and that's what it's been doing! This afternoon would have been good...except I couldn't swing it...there's a lot of stuff leaving here everyday! ;) I'm almost afraid to put up the pages for the new stuff that I've already gathered....but I'm going to need to.  I've got lots of MegaBaits, Sampo snaps and swivels, Tuff-Stuff fluoro, Bronco Bags, 3X Mustad replacement trebles, and a large assortment of stuff for the e-SurfAuction! By the way, I'm not seeing too many of you guys putting your stuff on the auction?!?!  It's free...you can't lose...we all got stuff that we aren't using, sell it! Buy new stuff!  If I have to, I'll completely empty out all the many boxes, bags, fly boxes, and rooms of all the things that I'm not currently using....whatever it takes, I'm gonna get you guys to sell stuff on the e-SurfAuction!! There's plenty of buyers nosing around the auction, just not a lot of sellers. Are you wondering if maybe the stuff you wanna get rid of is junk? I'll make you feel better, I'll put some real junk on there, that way your stuff will look great! ;^)  

    This week should be a big one here, I've been on the phone with some very important people...it looks like I'll be able to wrap up a lot of the deals that have been taking forever to get going. I am placing an order with Hab's Plugs....man, that guy can make a poppers!!! I've never seen anything like it in all my days, a work of art. The finish is perfect, the hooks and layout of these things is very well thought out. Much as Tony's been a good friend for many, many years, there's just something in me that wants you guys to get some of these poppers! I talked to Tony about it tonight...I even suggested that maybe he and Hab should talk. They both have "needs" and they both are excellent at what they do...Tony hates to make poppers, Hab's doesn't make any swimmers....see where this could go? Ah, it probably won't go anywhere, but having spoken to both of them a number of times, I think it couldn't hurt to have them speak to each other...you never know...picture Lex Lures with Hab's finish on them!?!?! Whew, they would be too nice to fish, we'd have to sell shadow boxes so you could frame them and put them in the den!  There's not a thing wrong with Tony's plugs, they are perfect for catching fish, but when it comes to artwork in the painting and the finishing, Hab's has it down to a science! The two of them doing something together would certainly be nothing short of outrageous! I know, I'll stop foaming at the mouth, they both have their own gigs going on, they will probably not do anything together at all...but I guy can dream, can't he? ;^)  The other things that I am putting together an order for are some of Gibb's finer pieces of work...those things that Tony doesn't make...and those things the Hab's doesn't make...there are some things that Gibb's just seems to have the market cornered on! I'm going to start putting bucktailed 6/0 Siwash hooks on the rear of some Stumpy Needlefish soon...just thought you might like that finishing touch! If that goes over well, I might be offering all of Lex Plugs with a 6/0 Siwash bucktailed hook. They are expensive, it will add .50 to the cost of the plug on this end...I'll add the .50 to your cost, nothing more. Sooner or later, I'll figure out how to get the pictures of all the white w/ pearlescent pink striped plugs that are sitting here collecting proverbial dust! What a pain, all the pictures just show a white plug...but the pink stripe is plainly visible to the naked eye! 

   That's it for now, other than the Photo Pages! have been updated...yes, there's still more pictures to put there, if yours aren't up, rest assured, I didn't forget you! Please read, go there, and fill out the sandmining protest email form at the HRFA site....all the info you need is found directly below here...it's something that really needs to be done! The worst part of the devastation they are proposing is that it's a precedent that cannot be taken lightly! Not to mention the killing and smothering of many, many square miles of near shore bottom!!! Go there, it's your duty as a surf fisherman/woman!!!! :)  Take care, till next time, have a wonderful day, may your hands smell like fresh caught striper!

Best wishes and big fishes,

Tim Surgent

April 14, 2000: 

    Greetings folks! Hope this message finds you all well this morning! A lot going on around here lately, all good stuff...all good folks...things are moving along quickly! Fishing....oh yea, that's what this is all about! Well, Charlie and I got out for an abbreviated trip last night. The cold south wind had us wearing fingerless gloves, straining to get our clousers to fish right....Charlie got one on the fly rod...I got cold, wet hands :(  Anyway....it was tough, 36 degrees, and windy.  We then grabbed the jigging sticks and jigged for about an hour. The only fish I hooked was just over 29"...and released....Charlie got another short on the jigs. We headed home shortly there after. Did I say it was unpleasant? ;^)  Tonight will be the second "real" trip of the spring for us...we'll chase them all over tonight, I would guess that we'll score pretty well...there's not much we wont try on one of these "real" trips....'cept bait...we won't try bait! Well, usually we wont try bait....sometimes it just happens...snag a nice sized bunker and the bass just happen to be chasing the bunker....then it's almost inconceivable to not put a hook in it's back (I know Steve and Paul wouldn't forgive me if I didn't!)  I do enjoy the occassional swimming of a nice sized bunker...it's odd, but I revel in trying to figure out what the baits reacting to. There's no anticipation like that felt when your 1# bunker goes on what Charlie calls the "bunker death dance!"  That's the circular, on the surface dance a bunker will do when it's got no more tricks left...the death dance...if all goes well, the dance is interrupted by a VW sized swirl and line will peel steadily off your reel.  Remember when I said there's no anticipation like the bunker death dance? I lied....when the lines peeling of the reel after the interruption...that anticipation is almost enough to turn your knees to Jell-O!! You have no idea how big the fish is....and you won't know until you lock up the spool, drop the rod, and bury the steel! Each time, you never know, it could be the fish of your dreams...it could be just another decent fish...it could be the world record...a 1# bunker is just that kinda bait!  Geesh, now I'm talking about bait fishing...and from the sounds of it, you'd think this is something I do all the time! ;^)  It's not...but I have done it and I do enjoy it...but it's just not for me!

       SurfTalk  is really taking off these days, we're adding a bunch of new folks every single day...some of these folks are decision makers in our fishing world....it's nice to have them aboard! Not to mention I love to meet all the new guys there, it's a joy and a pleasure to get to know so many fine folks! The board here is actually quite impressive...and that's not even just coming from me, I hear it almost everyday! Where else can you find the most knowledgeable folks in the modern surf casting world who are willing to share and help out everyone....and all you gotta do it ask them! It's amazing, there's hundreds of people posting everyday, and the info that is being exchanged is just astounding! There was some talk a few days ago about a boating board....and I'm seriously considering it. While we are all surf fishermen at heart, many of us do find ourselves on boats from time to time (like Thill! ;)) and a boaters forum just sounds like a good idea to me! Not only that, it might also be time to start adding more fish to the list of things that we cover here....like weakfish, fluke, false albacore, bonito, and yes, I shudder to think it, but even bluefish! It's only natural, these fish enter our worlds every year and some folks really do enjoy chasing them. I can't imagine how they could still have the energy after fishing all night for stripers, but somehow they manage to do it! I think it's a good idea...the striped bass will always be the king to me, but these other fish are certainly enjoyable and do deserve some mention!
I'm finally starting to gather all kinds of stuff to offer to you guys, it's all coming together! It looks like the Whiplash drought is finally over! I got my first bunch of it yesterday and look to add it to the pages at some point today! I also got replacement trebles is size 1 and 1/0...of course, the size 2's were out of stock! I found another interesting hook for replacement trebles...but I'm waiting for that one now. My Mega Bait collection is looking pretty good now...and I got the pictures done...I'm writing that page now as you are reading this...it will be up ASAP! I finally got the Lex Lures  white w/pink sides pictures to come out! The pink kinda floods the white a little bit, but these pictures are the best I've been able to muster! The plugs are gorgeous and look to be an excellent daytime/full moon plug! We will be adding 5/0 and 6/0 Siwash white bucktail hooks to each and every one of the Lex Lures! It will add .50 to my cost and likewise, it will add .50 to your cost...nothing more. Tony has also given me 3 new plugs to carry! I don't know when that guy sleeps...possibly less than me...but two of the three plugs are unique...one is an old friend done the way the originator used to do it! It's a Surfster style plug...actually, it's called the "Lex 2 Surfster"....the one we've been offering is the "Lex 1 Surfster". This one has two belly hooks, the same Surfster style, 1" longer...and it comes with a single bucktail Siwash hooks put on at the Lex shop! It's a pretty plug. ....and it comes in a new color, a blue back, blue scale finish over white....very appropriate considering the herring that are milling about! The other plug that is spectacular is amazing...it's a 3 1/2oz swimmer modeled after the Atom 40...and no, he's not going to call it the Atom 40...that name's been taken already! Right now, he's calling it an "A-40"...I think that's just temporary. This plug is a monster with the big FatBoy type lip on it...I can't wait to swim one! I think you folks north of here (where big plugs are king!) are going to like this one, it should cast a mile and really stir up the water! It's going to be available in the near future in schoolbus and black-n-purple...but for now, I've got them in whiteflash, yellowflash, and the blue scale finish described above.  They are huge and at the moment, I've got but a half dozen of each color....I don't think they'll last too long! Tony tells me that each time he's made these public in the past few weeks, they were immediately sold out! The pictures (I'll include a ruler next to them!) will be up as soon as I can take them! I'll get more of these big fellas as soon as possible.

  There's a nice 10wt Orvis rod for sale on the auction as we speak...I think Charlie might have his eye on it...but I'm not sure. I took some pictures last night for some new auction stuff...but I gotta get the Mega Bait lures up first! So, I hope you guys enjoy your Friday....it should be a nice weekend for a change, now if we can just get the wind to stay down we should all score big time!!!  ;^)

       HEADS UP!   

The HRFA needs our help again...actually, we need their help! Please follow this link and fill out the petition to make your voices heard on the latest of the ploys to destroy your fishing! The sandmining....the gov't is planning to sell the sand just off our beaches. This will destroy all the living things in the sand....and the water will once again be churned up like the chocolate milk inshore waters we had all last year! The long term affects of the sand mining are serious....and the precedent that this sale will set will certainly be far reaching...public lands being sold to a private firm.  Think about it...what could be next?  Check it out...for yourselves and for all of us!

http://www.hrfanj.org/sandmine.htm 

Best wishes and big fishes!

Tim Surgent