Pages

Home

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Don't Sit Down, It's Time to Dig Another One


I phoned Stanhope Bait & Boat before I left, sure the hours would be the same, and they were--Saturday and Sunday only. I really wanted to ice fish, and I thought if she was open, I might swing by and then head over to Budd Lake. Oliver Round had to quarantine, so our plans to ice fish Tilcon were dashed. Also, I woke two hours late this morning, having set my alarm for pm by mistake. I had to go over to Autosport Honda to get plates put on and pick up the registration. No way would I go all the way over to The Sporting Life--just as well, because I later found they closed at 2. And not Dow's, either. 

So I headed over to Round Valley in a nasty mood for yet another photo shoot. (And still need yet another because it seems I need to focus shift on a narrower aperture setting. In all that brilliant sunlight, it was hopeless trying to see images on the camera's display.) Before I left, I had a quiet moment when I told myself I would go over there and get taken out of the wretchedness.

It did take awhile. You go in and do your damn working-class job day after day and it changes you. Makes you bitter and depressed (anger turned inward). All day long you do little mundane tasks when you're the kind of person to do things that require much more intelligence. You tried to get a better job, but they required a degree. 

As I might have said before, one outing, even a short one like today's, beats a full week of all that nonsense saturated by music like Taylor Swift. 

Home, home again. (I like to be here, when I can.) I felt the certainty--on Sunday, I'm ice fishing. My brother Rick is also quarantined. Brian is going through back treatment and might not be able to go. If not, I'm going to Budd or Aeroflex. Reports from Budd speak of 10 inches and even with the mild weather and some rain, it should still be safe. 


 

13 comments:

  1. You got a new car?!?! No ice (or snow) in Barnegat, tried my luck yesterday, outlet creeks for white perch, then ponds for pickerel, no luck on either, the wind was killer. FM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fred! I thought of you today. I was wondering when I would hear from you. Wala! Sorry to hear about the perch, especially. I know you were into that. I know you don't seem to like using shiners, but they are deadly now for the pickerel....but....I used to nail them in the winter on crappie jigs. Hope you get some soon as the weather warms.

      I hit a dead dear on the road. It totaled my Honda. It had 177,000 miles and I could no longer lock it & didn't care to blow 250 or more on a new electronic key system or however that goes. So...it's a loss. I did want it to go to 250,000 and it ran like a dream. I missed it terribly. But we did get a 5400.00 settlement, and when I spoke to our mechanic about the cost of repair, he reassured me that with a settlement like that, it was the no-brainer I thought it was. He told me it would have cost 4 grand to repair. It's another Honda Civic. I passed on an SUV to save money, even though I could use an SUV. Especially on the beach sometime!

      Delete
  2. Congrats on the new car! If I knew you were shopping I would have recommended the HRV, we love ours and it was only a few bucks more. The last "SUV" I saw on the beach was up to it's axels in sand, LOL. AWD is not 4WD in my book. Killies for pickerel seems to be king down here, will try that, but all fishing reports saying the same, super cold water, no fish, that will change soon, need to be patient. Backbay striper season kicks off 3/1. Scouted some spots Wednesday, we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I forgot about the killies. How could I? Are they for sale this time of year?

      Delete
  3. Reports mention using killies, but no clue if they are purchased or netted. Will check it out next week as I will be picking up clams for stripers, at least that is the plan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't know if you can get bloodworms for the stripers, but I've heard good things about bloodworms early season--if I remember right. Killies probably aren't sold until fluke come in. I don't know how you pot them this time of year, but I can tell you, those cricks in Manahawkin are full of killies warm season. The briny cricks. I used to fill pots I put out.

      Delete
  4. Bloodworms rule for sure, shops are getting them in, the larger ones pushing $20 a dozen. OUCH. Will clam and try GULP Bloodworms until reports start showing some constancy in catches. Water in the bay is 40 degrees so bite will be slow for now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. $20 is a lot to pay to get skunked.

      Many years ago, Matt & I went in March to that spot behind Tuckerton somewhere. I can't remember the name of it, but you probably know. View of AC skyline...

      Delete
  5. Exactly, if the bass are actually present and actively feeding, they may like the worms but I figure they will not pass on an easy clam too, LOL.

    Graveling Point, right on the mouth of the Mullica, super popular. Will also give Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Area a shot and Tuckerton Beach. There is also a good public access bulkhead in Barnegat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graveling Point. That's where we went. You might be able to get on the big cows in the May/June/July surf. I guess that's a drive, but you're pretty close.

      Delete
  6. Can be there in about 25 minutes! Too windy for a couple days, might try Wed or Thur cause I can, but the water is really too cold to expect results.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Are you near Pebble Beach/Waretown? Winter 1983-84, I used to drive with my buddy George over there from Surf City day after day, walking off the bay beach to tread clams. Good memories. I even wrote a nonfiction story about Christmas Eve 1983, when I went alone and got in the water when it was about 6 degrees F out.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 7 Miles to Waretown. If there was a Pebble Beach, its long gone to development best I can tell.

    ReplyDelete

Comments Encouraged and Answered