Peter D

Marcel: I always enjoy your posts. Have a pleasant and healthy new year. When will you start fishing in the new year? Peter DiGiovanni

See LL Bean's Travel Series spinning roads. I have one in addition to a 4 pc Fenwick SF-74 -4 spinning rod - like them both. Also, check ebay.

Place stuck rod behind you knees with ferrule between knees. Bend down locking rod behind knees. Spread knees open creating significant in line tension in joint. Works every time.

There's an airport named Gadabout Gaddis, now private, used by Gaddis in Bingham, Maine near Wyman Lake. Often pass it on my way to bird hunting.

For heavy duty use try a 18" compound bolt cutter.

There is an email scam stating your Windows Defender (protection) is ending in 5 days you will be charged $299 for automating renewal. They give a tel no. to call if you do not want the protection. When you call that number it becomes obvious they need your credit card no. to credit you the $299. It's a transparent scam. PS Windows Defender is free with with Microsoft Windows.

My wife and I received the first of the two shots yesterday run by my town, Chelmsford MA. Made on line appt day before, no lines, no wait, smooth as silk.

My experience also. Very happy with both my decks and railings which replaced pressure treated lumber.

Look into PEAK rotating vise. After using the PEAK will never go back to my Renzetti. Can get with midge and large jaws.

KF: I'm not sure how Smith paid for the Susan B. Another Smith story. In '65 I took my new wife with me for a week at Cuttyhunk. She didn't fish although Bob said why don't you take her with you on a calm night this week. We passed on his offer. I did bring him a magnum bottle of good Canadian whiskey for his afternoon ritual down at the dock rigging and otherwise discussing striper issues. In one week he finished the bottle-but never drank at night while fishing. I had brought an 11 WT. Fenwick glass fly rod with me. When I dropped it off in his shed he exclaimed what the H are you going to do with that GD thing. I said Bob your going to take me out during one day to fish the rip at the PIGS or MV's Devil's Bridge so I can fly cast for stripers. Well we did. During the day you could see stripers in the curls of the rip. I put on a large SW streamer which they initially ignored. I had Bob cast a large green Atom swimmer into the rip with all hooks removed. The bass would follow his plug banging away at it. So I cast my streamer along side the plug and the bass began hitting my streamer. We , or at least I, had a ball catching stripers into the 20 lb range until my arms nearly collapsed. I told Bob I appreciated that and could have the night off paid. He said like H, we're going out tonight. We did and got a fifty that night. Those were the days. PS- He was always a gentleman in my wife's presence. She did get a kick out of him and asked If I knew how he got that deep scare down the side of his face. BTW he had two somewhat elderly women who fished with him every other Wed. night.

On the rips: large swimming Atom with eel skin turned inside out. Tail treble replaced with 8/0 Siwash. Or large barracuda with pork rind. Of the beaches: eel skin rig.

Fished with Sabatowski in his old boat. Many an interesting story with Smith. One that stands out. My mother’s MD was a striper fisherman and heard stories about the large stripers I caught with Smith. He asked me if he could join me on my next week’s trip with Smith to which I agreed. Smith asked me if this guy was a good striper fisherman and I told him he appeared OK- although I never fished with him. So, we’re out in the PIGS with wire (monel) line and the doc, a surgeon, has his gloves on because he afraid of cutting up hand with the wire. (With monel one had to be very careful letting out line, hand over hand not free spooling to avoid a starl in the wire on the spool. Smith sees this guy with his gloves on and blows his top.I was able to convince Smith to give the doc some slack which he did. Smith then “asked” me to never bring this guy to Cuttyhunk with me again. I knew Don Nee, who caught a sixty lber at Cuttyhunk. He was a member of the defunct fishing club (I was president), Mayflower Anglers out of Boston. Nee began fishing with Charlie Haag. I have several interesting stories describing Smith - Haag interfaces both on the dock and out in the rips. Although I had planned to, I never got to fish tarpon with Smith in Florida. I believe he lost his boat in Florida. Another Smith – Haag story. We’re trolling in the PIGS and Smith is next to Haag on the rip. A guy fishing with Haag spots me in Smith’s boat. Turns out the guy is a member of Mayflower Anglers and hollers hello to me. Smith growls and asked who the heck is that guy. I told him and Smith says you GD well not tell him how we fish or what baits we use. Smith was a PIA until you got to know him. Then there’s his whiskey/Budweiser chase in his Cuttyhunk dock room while rigging lines during the day. A story for another time.

Fished with Smith for 10 yrs, late 50’s into 60’s late may into June. Would book a week with him and usually fished by myself, He knew the rips (Pigs, Quicks and Devils Bridge). Fished the backsides of Nashawena and Nashon. when fish left the rips. Got 3 in the fifties with Smitty. I got to know him pretty well and we got along well. He had no mercy with rookies or those who didn’t know how to wire line. Monel in the rips, led core along the islands. Susan B a great boat but wet as heck. He had it built with the bow low so he could operate the boat from the stern and see-- would stand with the tiller on his backside however rough it got. Had some hair standing runs at night from the vineyard (Devils Bridge) back the Cuttyhunk.

Squidder 140 w/metal (steel) spool. Better with Newell parts upgrade. Newell 332F.