Fishermen's Confessions

Scudder Beach

2011-06-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Teaching my daughter to use a spinning rod at Scudder Beach.

Cigars For Fishermen

2011-05-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Fishing, Tuna, Stripers

2010-10-07T22:48:00.001-07:00

Gaming, Weight Loss, Job Hunting

2010-10-07T22:43:00.000-07:00

Fun at Rock N Roll Wine's Kickoff Event in AC

2010-02-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

Ft. Lauderdale's Flamingo: Don't Bother!

2010-02-02T23:15:00.000-08:00

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I fished the Flamingo. The website claimed fish can't hide from it. It should have said, fish look for it because the mate doesn't understand customer service or how to instruct newbies in proper party boat etiquette.

The mate spent more time fishing off the back of the boat than taking care of customers. Rather than bring bait around in buckets to each group of customers, he insisted that the bait was communal and in the back of the boat. In addition, rather than netting fish or gaffing them, everything was swung over the side. This resulted in losing a nice Trigger because lines were tangled as a result of slack lines being permitted to travel from the aft to the bow on the starbird side of the boat. Even my girlfriend commented that this was an awful experience and she has not been on nearly as many boats as I have, but she clearly saw the difference in service. Despite the poor service, I gave the mate a tip because I don't believe in stiffing them as it's bad fishing karma. However, it should be known that a six dollar tip for two people is a terrible tip from yours truly. Yet it was better than most of what the mate received. The winner of the pool had the mate keep his fish as a tip. Then the mate complained about getting stiffed and said he would remember the guy for next time. I really wanted to tell the mate to get his butt moving and to start taking care of the customers, but it was not my boat and I was on vacation. It was funny how the mate and captain commented on how I was not from around the area and how my braided line was frowned upon, yet I was easily the high hook on the boat with just 4 fish! If fish can't hide from the Flamingo, then where the heck are all of them? Truth be told, I had a better experience on the boats out of Pompano, which were also a bit slower than I like to see on the service side, but at least the mates took care of the clients. I not only found myself to be removing hooks from the fish I caught, getting my own bait, and untangling lines, but I also had to assist the Mate's daughter who was allowed to stay out of school to come out on today's trip because a baby sitter could not make it. Well, the customers were put in the babysitting role when the daughter's line wrapped around the starbird side and the mate claimed, "it will straighen out" rather than moving his butt to fix it. Needless to say, I was quite upset by the experience and would urge others who take fishing seriously to find a boat that is more focused on customer service because the Flamingo's mate clearly has his head in the sand when it comes to making fishing a delightful experience.

Iguana runs up Palm Tree

2010-01-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

Beware of Falling Coconuts

2010-01-29T09:55:00.001-08:00

The Iguana "Hunters"

2010-01-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

Iguana Pic

2010-01-29T09:53:00.001-08:00

Iguanas Running wild outside IGFA

2010-01-29T09:53:00.000-08:00

Funny how toys get more expensive as we get older!

2010-01-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

IGFA Photo

2010-01-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hoover was right about this one.

2010-01-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

Another Nice Fish

2010-01-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

Trophy Striped Bass

2010-01-29T09:48:00.000-08:00

Nice Fish

2010-01-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

Bill School

2010-01-29T09:46:00.000-08:00

View from IGFA Museum

2010-01-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

Another Gator

2010-01-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

See the Gator?

2010-01-29T09:42:00.000-08:00

Cute Couple

2010-01-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hemingway's Fishing Spots

2010-01-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

Tarpon

2010-01-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

Baitcasting Fundamentals

2010-01-29T09:38:00.001-08:00

Spinning Fundamentals

2010-01-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

Fly Fishing and Reading the Water

2010-01-29T09:37:00.001-08:00

Fly Line Hand Position

2010-01-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

Flyrod Hand Position

2010-01-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

Flycasting Video

2010-01-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

Flycasting Fundamentals

2010-01-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

Other Fishing Techniques

2010-01-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Surfcasting Fundamentals

2010-01-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

Guy Harvey Tribute

2010-01-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

Nice Catch

2010-01-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Fishing ID Photo 2

2010-01-29T09:18:00.001-08:00

Fish Identification Photo

2010-01-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

Red Snapper

2010-01-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

Me and My new "Buddy"

2010-01-29T09:16:00.001-08:00

Nice Fish Sculpture

2010-01-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame

2010-01-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

This is a very impressive museum that is a must for any serious angler. It is located next to a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World located at 200 Gulf Stream Way Dania Beach, FL 33004. www.basspro.com (954) 929-7710. Stop in the pro shop first and you can get 2 for 1 admission to the museum with a basspro receipt.

Pelicans

2010-01-29T09:12:00.000-08:00

Pelicans of Pompano

2010-01-29T09:08:00.000-08:00

Hot Dog on the Helen

2010-01-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hot Dog on the Helen

2010-01-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here I am with the "Hot Dog" caught on the Helen in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Fish City Pride of Pompano Beach, Florida.

2010-01-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

Fished on the city pride's sister boat Helen. Fishing was a slow pick and the conservation efforts limited what we could keep. Fishing here is different from drifting in NY. The sinkers are 1 oz when fishing the reef and you have to really feel for the bite as you let out line. I found that tail hooking the bait works best, but it helps to cut the tail fins with a scissor to cut down on the bait looking unnatural. The patrons that hooked the bait through the eyes had alot of short bites where they pulled up just a head. In other words, the fishing were going after the tail on the first bite. Put a hook there and BAM...FISH ON!

The attitude of the mates on the boat is more laid back than NY, but what do you expect...it's Florida. I found that they were quicker to cut and retie a line than deal with a tangle. Not bad if you have a full spool, but it can be frustrating if you've spooled with braided powerpro, which is pretty expensive compared to standard monofilament. I personally prefer the braid because it feels more sensitive to my fingers and I like the idea of having a 50lb test with the diameter of 8lb mono. I feel that this allows me to pursue bigger fish with lighter gear.

The most frustrating part of the trip was getting off at the dock and seeing 50LB Tarpon in the water in an area marked "No Fishing". I guess we now know how that Tarpon got to stay so big. Anyway, he has to come out of his hiding spot sometime and I will be waiting for him with my flyrod. I'll keep you posted.

Pompano Beach Light House

2010-01-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

Pompano Beach Light House

2010-01-29T08:53:00.001-08:00

Pompano Beach Light House

2010-01-29T08:53:00.000-08:00

Fishing the Lighthouse at Pompano Beach, Florida

2010-01-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

Fishing Pompano Beach, Florida

2010-01-29T08:43:00.000-08:00

Pompano Beach, Florida

2010-01-29T08:41:00.001-08:00

Pompano Beach, Florida

2010-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

Pompano Beach, Florida

2010-01-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

Pompano Beach ,Florida

2010-01-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

Pompano Beach, Florida

2010-01-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

2010-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

Parrots at the Aquarium

2010-01-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on 1-24-10 in Miami.

Big Tuna

2009-09-17T23:18:00.001-07:00

The Speedy Express of Captree State Park on Long Island will be sailing for Tuna. If you have never been out on the ocean for an off shore Tuna trip, I encourage you to get out there and experience the majestic views, the crisp sea air, and the quest of Man vs Fish. Tuna are not like the small fish you catch with grandpa. They are the equivalent of hooking into a Freight Train. The last big eye tuna that I caught was fighting for two hours and I felt the aftermath of that fight for a week. It's a workout that is not for the feint of heart, so eat your Wheaties, take your vitamins and get on the boat to the Hudson Canyon! If you don't know where it is, Google it in a Satellite view. You will be amazed by what you see.

Getting Skunked

2008-09-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

Any fisherman who claims they always catch is either a compulsive liar or has not been fishing very long. If fishing meant you always catch fish, it would be called catching, not fishing. You see, the point here is not just about catching fish and finding a nice little meal at the end of the hook. There is a bigger metaphor behind the act of fishing. I view it as connecting with nature. Finding those moments where you can feel the wind's breath, feel the warmth of the sun or the sting of the cold, hear the gulls, turns and waves, smell the rich clean oxygenated air, see the stars, watch the clouds, and if you're really lucky...feel the wonders of life below the waters tugging on your line to let you know there are miracles and wonders in places we can not see. Perhaps the real reason some people get so upset when they don't catch a fish is that they feel like they've been cheated from having those additional wonders and miracles check in with them too. Then again, perhaps these same people are having too much tunnel vision to really get the experience of the entire journey. If that's the case, they truly are getting skunked.

Fishermen's Confessions

2008-06-07T04:58:00.000-07:00

Throughout the various ups and down in my life, the one past time that I've always turned to in order to relax, recharge my batteries, and clear my head has been fishing. It began for me as a child in Brooklyn, New York where the snapper fishing off the docks in Sheepshead Bay intoxicated my young mind like an addictive drug. In those days, fishing meant quality time spent with my parents and my brother. It was also the consistent theme around family vacations that usually involved fishing the freshwater spots in the Catskills or the rivers and lakes of Ontario. I grew up fishing the Rideau river, the Thousand Islands, and the Finger Lakes. I remember walking the Chemung River in old sneakers and jeans with dragonfly larva bait that we raked off the river bottom. These memories are just a few of the earlier special moments I can recall that revolve around fishing. As I grew older, my fishing abilities evolved to include the waters of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, California, South Carolina, Florida, and Las Vegas, where I was suprised to find Striper Fishing. I have been fortunate enough the catch several Striped Bass over 50 pounds and a big eye tuna that weighed over 240 pounds. The Big Eye experience was humbling, as it fought for two hours and even with the help of my friend, I still felt my body hurting for over a week. Tuna fishing is quite an adventure. Hemingway captures the contest of man vs fish quite well in his books and I remember feeling like a kindred spirit as the battle between man and fish raged on for a two hour time frame that seemed more like an eternity at the time.

Truth be told, the trip where the big eye was landed was the end of a quest that had been a week long vacation which included a road trip to Chatham, Massachusetts which began as a fun adventure, but became a dramatic quest when a 6AM boat trip was in jeopardy as my brother, my friend and I watched the last ferry leave Orient Point without us. The good night's rest we hoped to get was now a distant dream as we drove back through Long Island, and through Connecticutt in order to reach Chatham, MA in time for our departure. We did all we could to keep our spirits up and tried to sleep, but the adrenalin of the pending adventure combined with the despair of missing our ship caused yours truly to suffer from an insomnia that did not find relief until well into the Chatham fishing trip.

We did not land any tuna, but we tried. We were trolling all different kinds of rigs at different speeds, but Charlie just did not want to bite. Rather than allow the fishing gods to humiliate us further, we targeted a school of blue fish and regained our spirit as the familiar feeling of a blue on a light spinner recharged all the weary travelers in our party.

It should be no surprise that as a fisherman and an avid fan of ocean waters that I am also a fan of Jimmy Buffett's music. In addition to composing songs about boats and beaches, Jimmy is an avid fisherman and has written about his experiences fly fishing. Originally, I never really understood the appeal of fly fishing. Frankly, it looked like too much work for a past time that I thought should always be relaxing.

Well, after watching some of the fly fisherman on the Cape Cod surf outfish the other folks, I decided that perhaps it was time to add yet another skill to my repetoire. Now mind you, if you were to visit with me and tour my fishing gear, you would think that i was either insane or that I owned a tackle shop. Since I know it's not the latter choice, I will openly confess to the primary, I am a nut when it comes to fishing gear. When I come walking into a tackle shop, I am always interested in the newest reels, the more sensitive rods, the line that provides the best feel, cast, and durability. I also enjoy making my own gear.

The big eye was landed on rigs that my friend and I spent hours building and crimping. The reel was a new Penn. The rod was made by Star rods. The line was 80 pound monofilament because you don't use braided line on party boats with Giant tuna fish. Fishing for Tuna on a party boat is a love hate experience. You love hooking into the creatures, but when you are not hooked and someone who is comes zipping across your line, the mates will usually cut your line to avoid losing the fish. when this happens a few times after spending a small fortune on your own gear, you learn to pay attention to what is going on around you and get out of other people's way. There are always those few that remain clueless and protest, and to those folks I would like to say, please stay home. There is nothing worse than losing a trophy fish because some selfish imbecile does not understand that lines moving at the speeds tuna travel will cut and tangle. On a tuna trip, the courtesy is given to the person who has a fish on the line. Quite frankly, this courtesy should be extended on any sort of fishing trip. If you are not hooked up and the guy or gal next to you happens to be doing battle, give them room.