...but hoping hard things pick up. Roger's being a trooper about it, but I can see he's kind of disappointed. Sorry, man. Remember that it's only the first half of the first day.

I feel terrible and feel like I've let my buddy down some, but a few shots anyway I'll share. STX is asleep on my couch behind me, as I sit desperately trying to figure out how I'm going to turn this thing around.














[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0244_zpsa0546064.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0243_zpsd46f8f02.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0237_zps8b394520.jpg[/img]

The shame I feel is really beginning to tug at my soul here, lads.













[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0361_zps50189a4b.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0339_zps7a9f39f6.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0329_zps1284909f.jpg[/img]

Time spent with friends equals quality time spent. If the fish are biting, good. If the deer are moving, good. If not, no big deal.

Enjoy the fellowship.

Time spent with you has got to be both interesting and a blast, Leighton.

Looks like a pretty good day to me!

Not according to STX. He was just mumbling in his sleep, talking about "damned Yankee half-breed...knew I shouldn't have trusted...rrrrr...Mama...Pearl Harbor...Meatball sandwich...should just have let Petey...zzzzzz....they'll eat anything...ain't even human...messed with Texas...joke's on him...and Ed..."

I'm surprised you posted those embarrassing pics.

Shame on you.

Leighton,

Looks pretty successful to me! I couldn't fish my way out of a paper bag! But man, I live time on the water with good friends.

It's always the mental toughness that counts most! But I know most of what you write is in jest. Go sleigh 'em, drink some cold ones, tell the dirtiest jokes you know, and have a blast!

Appreciate the pictures!

Bob

sarcasm and humor noted.



looks like you guys are having a great day!

That's it, rub some salt in the deep cut in my heart. If things stay this way, it'll be seppuku for me by Friday to save what little honor I still have.

Dave, have you been drinking by any chance, BTW? I can't figure out how else you're the only one who feels, and understands my... pain.

that's the tiniest bottle of coke I've ever seen!


you miserable sumbitches deserve the crappy weather, the crappy fishing and each other!

I'm about sick here. "Roger, I'd like to discuss the reasons things didn't work out quite like you'd hoped. Can we have a dialogue without judgment and..."

That's when he spit at me and pulled the Snuggy over his head and hissed, "Cono tu madre, pinche chino! Largate ya, pinche cabron!"

I dunno' what that meant, but at least we got a dialogue going. Sort of...

I gotta say, I posted before I saw your second post full of pics. Glad to see that the fish apparently are biting...

Ya'll have fun.

Jeez that looks miserable.

"Ue o muite arukou
Namida ga kobore nai you ni."

Did I get that right?

Not drinking at the moment but it's hotter than fat albert's arm pits outside and a cold beer sounds pretty dang good.

(I sip a couple in moderation now, much slower pace than I was drinking at prior to "stopping")

The only way to save face at this point is cancel all the fishing trips, head to NYC, and see a Broadway musical.

Dinner and a show. That's it.

I was wonderin' why Roger has his picture taken with the bait....

Laffin, great thread!

Love it when a plan comes together.

buck up, lads. you can't catch them every time.

Roger will get over it.

You should refund Rogers return airfare for such a poor showing Leighton.

Oh man, that's a tough act to follow.
Looks like I'll have to work extra hard to equal or surpass those dismal results.
Looking forward to you boys showing up Wednesday eve to sample some bad fishing and equally bad cuisine.

i told Leighton i wound get a turdy pounder next is going to be fitty pounder.

Congrats...those are some nice fish

You should have told him your catching a "grandaahhh", then he would be impressed. lol

Good eating, too.

LOL!!

As a landlocked ignoramus, are the striped ones 'stripers'?

I've never wet a line in saltwater...but hope to one day.

Had striped bass for Thanksgiving dinner one year. Pretty tasty, just baked simply with sesame ginger sauce

Correct. But do not get them confused with strippers, which are far more expensive to catch...

At first, I was going to upbraid you for seeking to steal my identity, but after looking at it more closely, I am willing to allow you to be simply a landlocked ignoramus, as long as you acknowledge me as King of the Landlocked Ignoramuses.

Lol.

I know what a walleye looks like, that's good enough for now.:)

Walleye, northern, and throw in a muskie once in awhile and I can be very happy.

Yeah, well, it's worse than you know. I phoned my wife to check on the official rules, hoping for the best but fearing the worst for you. Snake eyes, dude. If you don't manage to do better, you have to disembowel yourself too. Sorry.

A [bleep], plus...you lucky bastards. Tear that countryside and waterways up, gents.

I didn't know Roger slept. The man goes 24/7, it seems.

Leighton...please take a pic of Roger eating shark testicle sushi.

Have a blast, gents. I'm officially more than jealous.

I have a few rusted Mauser bayos around here someplace. The skuzzy bait knife will work in a pinch too.

There it is.

Great pics and good times.

What are the size limits on stripers up y'all way sir?

I hats you guys...........and I hate that I'm missing another Roger trip. [bleep]!

George

The best way to redeem yourself would be to have 2 tickets to tonight's B's game in your back pocket; that might make up for the poor fishing.



Good start to good times.

I see alot of bait there, No fish at all?

Maybe manana.....

Hi Shreck. Rec limit is 2 fish @ >28".

Commercial gets cranking in a couple weeks, and we can take 30 fish per day >34" T, W, TH, Sat. 5 fish on Sunday. Rod and reel only.

Cheers.

I'm sure it's OK, Leighton. Roger knows you meant well when you invited him to come up

After all, it's called "fishing", not "catching" for a reason, right?
Oh, I see that you even violated that trust, too, by allowing him to catch some. I now see why you would feel so badly.

Perhaps things will be better tomorrow.

You guys are killin' me! I know you will comtine to have a great time. These are memories to be cherished for the rest of your lives.
Good on you two! (Three, 'cause I expect Mrs. Honda is right there with you! )

Ed

Here it's the same offshore but inshore it's 18" and no keepers on the Cape Fear River. Some river systems have slot limits as well. Just to keep it confusing.

I learned the other day from Bucktales that in CT they have at least one limit measured not in whole number, but in a *fraction* (1/2"). Lame.

You all have an offshore fishery for bass? Sheeit. We have the EEZ in place; 3 miles offshore and they're off-limits. Illegal to use gear deemed to be designed to fish for bass (?), no bass in possession and illegal to enter --even to travel-- from a legal <3 mile spot with fish in the box across to another legal <3 mile spot. You get stopped running across, you're going to take a skewering...

EEZ? Is this one of these game fish refuges that I hear about? Is it for all fish, or just the stripers?

Are they good eating? The freshwater version is eaten but not particularly revered where I occasionally caught them.

Economic Exclusion Zone. Google it, B.

Freshwater version? Bah. No self-respecting wild bass would stand for any such comparison, on any level!

I think the three mile limit is he same here for striped bass, I do know it is for red drum. Reds are slotted 18"/27" IIRC.

Yep, don't run over to Lung Island with Ct. legal 17.5 inch Fluke. New Yawk has a 19 inch min. length.

Thats some fun fishing. I do miss fishing stripers on those warm summer nights. Using live eels or surface poppers brought a bunch to hand, and it was a lot of fun doing it.

The WIKI looks like it goes from the "base line" (mean low water) to 200 nmi offshore. 200 nmi is a long ways. Must not be reading it right.

I dunno about the freshwater striper. Ate one or two long ago. Perch and walleye and misc. trout are top of the heap for me.

Anyway, good luck fishing and I hope you finally catch something BIG. We need a good adventure story here to cut through the slime of all the political posts.

I wish she were, friend Ed. She's working in CT/NJ/NYC. Hating it, but hell, someone's got to work...

Yo, inscrutable one,......

Got a package from up your way,

All appropriate,munificent thanks, blessings, and invocations for a Bail Bondsman free expedition.

GTC

Well, 'big' is a pretty subjective term. I was hoping to get STX after one of these, but doesn't look good for this week.

My dear friend from ID (native Bostonian who escaped west in his late 20s) saw the same movie. Twice he flew in to chase giants, and twice we were foiled by heavy seas. I can only try my best to suggest a good time to get here, but as most folks don't have the freedom or luxury to be able to wait for a phone call telling of a monster tuna bite under way right NOW, and be able to drop everything to grab a jet, well, you take your chances with dates set in stone months in advance. But persistence will about always pay handsome dividends. The third time in, we clobbered market fish.

Skipper calling the shots is Nat of First Light Anglers. The consummate crazed, dedicated, professional tuna slayer. For me, this is high adventure caliber. Oh BTW, is this one big enough, B?

You may want to check on the bank account. I would bet Roger has canceled his check to KG Tours by now, must be why he can rest so easily.

Y'all using live bait to catch tuna bait, is that it?

Yeah, I'd feel bad too Leighton!

Leighton saw 3 giant sturgeon jump today, i wasn't looking when they did.

Yeah. I can attest to that. Big time.

Glad it got there Jefe, and it was entirely my pleasure. As ma Wee Muther would say: 'Ah wish ye the health tae use it'.

I used it today, checking a cast bullet sizing die. WAY faster than what I had been doing.

Will get a pic of that beaut and put it up here, ma�ana.

Keep the great pics coming !

GTC

I was talking about something even more maddening: say you catch a limit of bass in waters 100% legal, 2.5 miles out. You then happen to see a pod of blitzing football tuna say, a mile beyond where you are, and blast over to try to hook one. If you get approached by fish cops there, and they see that you have striped bass in a box, you are in violation of the law. Fines and other punitive measures apply. And yes, people have, and do get charged in situations like this. Even if all gear is stowed, and on the way home, if a vessel is stopped in the EEZ heading for port with bass on board, and strays across that imaginary line, you are doing something illegal. Pretty crappy.

Excellent, and glad to hear. And see that? It's gotten more use in one bloody day with you than it had it 20 *years* in my care.

At least, I suppose, I could be complimented on my stellar stewardship of a fine, precision instrument for many years...

Y'know, if legal I'd consider it.

I'm guessing it's one of those things where a value has been assigned to certain fish (whose job that is I have no idea but would like to know), but using striped bass as tuna bait is illegal. So-called 'game fish' may not be used either, generally, but there are exceptions. The lowly, misunderstood bluefish IS legal to use.

Perhaps it's because of their habits when they belly up to eat dinner. Bass have table manners, and hit/eat bait fish from the front/head. Dastardly blues, the yellow-eyed demons, devoid of any notion of manners, ethics and fair play, do so from behind. True story. The tunas are not held to the same standard, obviously. But then bluefish do not deliver a slice of heaven when served, especially raw.

Ah, the mud hole.... back in the day the boys had quite a bit of fun there with the boats from montauk and RI.
I Love the old photos of the fleet in the summer.
That boy best be careful in MA wearing a Texas tee shirt. I am pretty sure some Harvard Professor with a Senate Seat or something is making a law as we speak to make that a homeland security offense.
They dont let us stick Bass with a Gaff down here. I guess that they think we might hurt one...
The squid never showed up in big numbers this spring but the fish still came. Looking to get out up your way to hit the bottom dwellers in a month. Should be a freezer filler like last year.
Enjoy the sleep. The hot weather makes fishing very hard work!!!

The Whistler being moved in RI to fit out the house and rigging so she could head to the grounds for lobstering and sword fishing off Block Island.

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0409_zps117f60f7.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0403_zps495f5d99.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/STX%20Fish%202013/IMG_0401_zps4bd834b5.jpg[/img]

Good on you both....envious here. If I told you how long since I have been fishing (I have a lifetime license here ) you would put me in jail.

a wonder we made it back to Leighton's, he was starting nod off so i drove. hit Boston at rush hour,i was sleepy also but woke up real quick in that traffic. bad but not as bad as Houston.



in the tunnel

Christ man, are there any stripers left? How's that fare for sushi? Tell L I left him a pm about Saturday Roger.

Responded to. It's a date, boyo. As long as you bring that lovely lass of yours along, that is. Come hungry. Seriously.

Dude, I was born hungry.

I don't think much of striped bass for sushi/sashimi. In my humble opinion, I find it quite bland, surprisingly tough and a tad fibrous, with inconsistent flavor from fish to fish.

Speaking of though, and this saddens me, let it be known that STX is a culinary coward. I bought a few pieces of nigiri at a local market along with other provisions for the outing. He turned and looked at me and what I was happily eating while underway to the fishing grounds. I recognized a genuine threshold moment, and I thought to myself, 'this cat ain't soft. I bet he tries a piece'

Well, he didn't even respond when I offered, but got a shocked, frightened look on his face. He then proceeded to pretend to be rigging up a bait. I am shamed. He is getting leftover Chinese tonight. I hope he chokes on a pigeon bone in his plate. I mean chicken bone.

i was going to take you up on it but it was gone before i could say sure.

Lie. But that's OK; now you're in a right pickle, actually. Did you forget that you're here for another 2+ days? This is going to be good. I think I'll start you off with some easy stuff, then start slipping some curveballs into the mix. And no, you can't know what it is until the session's over.

Been having a blast, and looking forward to making the best of the last couple of days STX has. The only thing I regret is not being able to make plans come to fruition with Bucktales. Ed, grateful and humble thanks for putting the effort into getting us down there and out with you. As a lifelong salty bugger, you understand that even the best laid plans...well, you know. Apologies that things didn't pan out on our end, and again, I'm grateful for the generous and kind invitations. Next time for sure, be it down there or up this way.

Glad to see you two are having a good time......

Great pics!

A real man would use a dip net and snatch 'em out of the air.

Remember, always release the strippers. Never take one home to eat.

Thats ok, I like it pan fried, striper is some good eats fried.

STX does it again. He's one fishy SOB, he is. From the surf today.

Leighton's been working his ass off putting me on the fish.

That's the way I fish.

It's heartening to finally hear you recognize the kind of hardships I've been going through to keep you happy while here. It's been brutal, actually. You know how much concentration is required for a man to will himself to pass out in wet sand on the beach on a cool, rainy day?

You know you're setting the bar pretty high if anybody else pays you a visit....

Funny you should mention others. I invited 9 people here to join, and ole STX was the only one that showed. Some were very short notice, but I'm beginning to think Roger's mom made him come out of pity. Kind of like every birthday party I ever had as a kid, where only one kid would show up. And that was my brother...



The fat broad's getting the pipes warmed up, and tomorrow she hits the stage. Wish us luck. Or wish STX luck, anyway. He's confident that he will be hauling a 50 pounder over the rail tomorrow, and if not, will be taking a swim in the Atlantic. We shall see.

Weather sucked. Roger still got her done. We had a nice run.

All right Roger, what did you buy for the video cam.
Something special?

go pro 2

Rrrrr.

You guys suck...................and i mean that in a good way.

That's a good pic,..didn't know STX ever grinned...

Don't forget to send me the details of travel, yo.

you didn't see that...

PM sent yo.

Nice!

Thanks Patrick and all. Last pics. Cheers.

What are they breaded with?

nice looking rock fish!

Fine ground corn bread stuffing, AP flour, paprika, S&P, cayenne pepper, cumin, a lick of saffron and another spice or three. Dry breaded (no egg wash). Peppered malt vinegar and coriander/mustard tartar sauce.

You guys have sucked very well this week!

Great thread. Thoroughly enjoyed the stories, pics and vids. Looked like a fantastic trip.

Well done gents.

Living the good life!

Thanks, guys, for sharing your adventure!

Ed

Thanks kindly, Ghostman. Roger has become a trusted and good friend, and is welcome in my home anytime, any place. He's also as goofy as I am about chasing feesh. Hard to beat a good friend's company, doing what both love, have spent a lifetime doing, and are getting done what we set out to do.

Good times.

lol. And a true Lord of Insanity would bury a long handled gaff in one's head as the giant porpoised alongside the vessel*.





*Members of TLOI club must be very, very powerful swimmers.