Merry Christmas

Sorry for how long it's been since my last blog post here!  Trying to get caught up on some of the things that I neglected during the fishing season....  Stay tuned for more soon!

Merry Christmas to all!!   May there be peace on earth and plenty of  big, healthy, stripey fish in the sea!

Custom Surfcasting Rod Raffle!!

John from Stripercoast Surfcasters Club is raffling off a truely custom surfcasting rod to help out a brother in need.  This isn't an off the shelf "custom"  this is a "you pick the blank, wraps, seat, guides, handle, etc. and I'll build it for you" kind of custom!  Check it out HERE !!    You can see some of John's work HERE.

Don't delay... Deadline is November 10th!!

SkishingNewEngland.com on Google

After MUCH hard work, http://www.skishingnewengland.com/ is back to near the top of the first page on Google results for "skishing", following the hacker attack that got me banned completely from their listings for over a month.  Did I ever mention that I do not particularly care for hackers and those who employ them to do their dirty work?  They suck....

Montauk, Oct 2010

Just got back from Montauk last night after 4 days of skishing & rock hopping.   Had a blast!  Frankie & Sonny both got their first skish fish on this trip, so big thumbs up to them!   I had a couple fish largest around 15lbs while skishing, and some gorrilla blues from the rocks.   Lots of small bass on small bait there this weekend.  I had to swim far offshore to find the 15lber...  Bad wind for most of the weekend, but it turned southeast on Sunday and the south shore turned on with blitz after blitz along the shore. 

Now.... back to the grind ;)

Ugh

This whole underwater photography thing is weird.  This photo was taken at about 9am on a sunny day about 25 feet under the surface.  Underwater visibility was cloudy beyond 10 feet, but not dark at all. A photo taken without flash came out just black.  With flash I got this (yeah, my stinkin mask fogged up,,, I've since fixed that problem).  I don't get it.  Looks like I was diving in the middle of the night....

Stripercoast Surfcasters Club forum is open for public registration

Just wanted to give you all a heads up that there is a new section of the forum hosted by Stripercoast Surfcasters Club that is now open to the public, where club members and non-members alike can read and post. The majority of the forum is still private and viewable by current club members only, but I'm in the process of putting together a nice collection of forums for public use as well.
It is still a work in progress, but just wanted to let you know that you can now log in and post in the public forums, even if you are not a current Club member. We'd love to keep up with you and know how you are doing!

Here's the link:
http://www.stripercoastsurfcasters.us/forum/index.php 
If you have any troubles logging in, just let me know and I'll be glad to help!

Fishing in RI has sucked lately

I don't know what the heck is going on.  Places that should be on FIRE this time of year are ghost towns.  It's been nearly 2 weeks since I last caught a fish and it was a scrawny little bastard.  I skished with Ed last on Friday night and I think he caught the only fish that was around,,, probably not more than 15" long,,, and this place should be full of good fish right now.  Fished it again Sunday night and was skunked then too.  Gotta shrug it off and keep trying.....

Last weekend

Had a couple good swims last weekend.  Didn't find many fish though.  One baby striper caught off Brentons Reef saved me from a skunk...

On a good note, think I've finally figured out the intricacies of the tidal currents around Brenton's Reef, and how to hit the trough in the reef on the outgoing so that I don't get swamped by the point break.  I'm much more comfortable getting close to the main reef and working it's edges that I was last fall.

Tonight

Should be a great night for a swim!  Looking forward to getting pulled around.  Might do some diving after sunrise if the underwater visibility is decent.

Hey Ed.... I'll say hi to the sharks for you.  They'll be disappointed you can't join us tonight!  [insert tongue wagging emoticon here]. 

Apnea training

I just held my breath for 4min and 23 seconds,,, new personal record.  Learned some great techniques & training excercises to increase tolerance to CO2 buildup and low O2 levels.

Should really help improve my bottom time when freediving.


On a skishing note,,, tides look great for a  Friday night swim this week. I'll post a report sometime Saturday.
Tight lines everyone!  Stay safe!

This weekend

I didn't get out at all this weekend.... Spent the weekend re-roofing my house instead. Man am I sore!!
Thanks again to everyone who stopped by to help out!!  You all rock!!

What's under there??

I've been doing some snorkeling & freediving lately around some of the places I like to skish, armed with a camera.  I'd like to put together a photographic diary of sorts, showing the submerged structure in some of the areas I love to fish.  Underwater visibility has really sucked lately, making this (so far) a somewhat fruitless endeavor, but I have seen some nice quantities of bunker and sand eels, even though visibility in the cloudy water has been limited to 3-6 feet.

Hopefully the water will clear up soon and I can get some better photos....

SOL

So a recent thread on SOL has triggered some good conversation about skishing over the last few days, and for anyone who is reading this as a result of that, I must apologize for the lack of fresh content. 

Spring/summer is the absolute busiest time of the year for me at work and adding new content to this site just hasn't been a priority.  Over the next few weeks things should be slowing down for me and I'll have a bit more time to devote to this website and adding some fresh content, skishing photos, articles, reports, etc.

In the mean time, if you're someone who already skishes New England waters and would like to contribute an article on the subject, or would like to have some of your own photos hosted here, just shoot me an email and I'll add them to the to-do list.

If you're new to skishing and have questions that you would like some answers to, I'm easy to get a hold of.
Just shoot me an email:  jake@skishingnewengland.com

Be safe everyone!
    Jake

The New ZeeBaaS website!

If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out the brand new ZeeBaaS website!  It's a huge step up from the old site and worth a look.   I was especially thrilled to be asked to provide some content for their page dedicated to skishing, which you can see here:  http://www.zeebaas.com/skisher.html . 

Rocky Point Foundation

I got a chance to stop by the Rocky Point Foundation booth at the Saltwater Fishing Show in Providence, RI last weekend. Good stuff and I'd recommend that you all check out their website at http://rockypointfoundation.org/ .

Remember the Rocky Point Amusement Park on Warwick Neck in RI? Closed in 1995 and has been vacant since that time. In 2008 the city of Warwick acquired title to 41 acres of the property's 1 mile shoreline, with plans to develope permanent public access to that waterfront property for fishing and recreation. However, not having control of the remaining 83 acres of the property is preventing that goal from becoming a reality.

The Foundation believes that the best long-term solution for Rocky Point is acquisition of the entire property by the City of Warwick and/or the State of Rhode Island, for use as a public park. To that end, DEM Director Michael Sullivan and Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian are exploring possibilities for acquiring for public use part of all of the rest of the property. Their vision is to create a sustainable public park with appropriate facilities to take advantage of this superb resource, provide for vehicular access, and make sure the property is forever accessible to and enjoyed by the Rhode Island public. However, making this vision a reality will require the cooperation and support of city, state and federal authorities and charitable foundations, as well as the enthusiastic support of the public.

Check these photos of the shoreline we could all have access to, if this becomes a reality...

Not bad, huh? Go to http://rockypointfoundation.org/ today and sign up as a friend or make a tax deductible donation.

 
http://www.skishingnewengland.com/

New England Saltwater Fishing Show

Went to the NE Saltwater Fishing Show put on by RISAA today.  Good show again, as usual, and busy.
Sophia and Ben had a blast!

Skishers in Training

My kids, Sophia & Ben.  Next generation skishers in training.

A group swim off Scusset Beach, MA.

Sophia and Ben checking out a cool piece of seaweed.

Ben looking cool after a swim.

Washdown after a swim at Gooseberry Island, Westport, MA

Skishing Gear and Safety

Skishing can be a thrilling and rewarding method of surfcasting for striped bass.  However, it is important that anyone looking to get into skishing for the first time do their homework and make sure that they are properly equipped and prepared.  Safety is paramount. 

The article I wrote on Skishing Gear and Safety is a great place to start.

I would also recommend to, as much as possible, use the buddy system.  Learn the currents in the area you intend to skish, before getting in the water, and go with an experienced skisher whenever possible.

If you have any questions about Skishing Gear and Safety, don't hesitate to ask questions and learn the answers.

http://www.skishingnewengland.com/

A photo to whet your whistle:

NOAA Saltwater Angler Registry

Keep in mind, that before fishing for striped bass this year you'll need to purchase your state's Saltwater Fishing License, or if your state (like Massachusetts) has not yet implemented their own registry, you'll need register with the NOAA directly.  Registering with the NOAA is free in 2010 and covers you in any state that does not have its own Saltwater Fishing License in place.

To register, go here https://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/

I took care of mine today...

http://www.skishingnewengland.com/

Spring is in the air!

Today dawned bright and clear.  A layer of frost coated the windows of my truck, and had a be scraped off before I could leave for work.  Despite the tempurature this morning, it feels like spring.  Striped bass, fresh from the ocean to our south, will be swimming through our waters before we know it.

Time to start getting the skishing gear in order......

Why Skishing?

So here’s the question, “Why would YOU choose skishing over surfcasting from shore in waders?"

Some well known skishers have said, “I skish to get away from the billion morons on shore.”  I must say I strongly disagree with that mentality, and it saddens me that this philosophy is one that is being thrust to the forefront as a primary reason for skishing. 

True, skishing does put some distance between you and the more conventional surfcaster, but to use that as your primary reason for skishing is a small minded and haughty position to take, in my opinion.

Whatever happened to the attitude of helpfulness and mentorship? Why allow yourself to become so jaded toward those who prefer to keep their feet on the rocks or sand that you look down on them as somehow inferior to you?  For me at least, that is NOT what skishing is about!!

For me, skishing is about many things that have absolutely nothing to do with feeling like I have to get away from other surfcasters in order feel better about myself.  It’s about pitting myself and my abilities against the power of the sea.  It’s about the serenity of floating along, weightless in the darkness, and feeling current and the waves roll under me, knowing that at any time a battle could begin. Skishing is about the thrill of fighting a fish in its own environment, and winning.  It’s about putting myself in a position to work productive sections of shoreline and submerged reefs from a different angle, or which would be inaccessible to me in waders or by boat.  It’s about reaching the blitz that is beyond casting range from shore.  It’s about being able to release caught fish in the best possible condition with a minimal amount of handling.  This is what skishing is all about to me.

Skishing is not always the most productive approach to surfcasting in some areas or in some conditions, and I have nothing against donning the waders and dry top instead of the wetsuit in some situations.  The choice has nothing to do with how I feel about other surfcasters in the area, nor is it an elitist or hostile attitude that drives me to don the wetsuit and go for a swim.  Some of my closest surfcasting friends are not skishers, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

My goal, and the whole point of http://www.skishingnewengland.com/, is to provide a balanced and realistic view of skishing in New England waters, and to help (to the best of my ability) those who decide to get into skishing to do so as safely and as well prepared as possible.

http://www.skishingnewengland.com/

http://www.stripercoastsurfcasters.us/

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! Stay tuned for lots of new content coming soon!!

SkishingNewEngland.com