Cranberry Wilderness Update!

Please see the original post HERE for the total info.
Some things are being reconsidered due to some discussion on the phone and over a frozen creek today...
1. What about meeting at Aaron's on Friday night and leaving early as possible Saturday to get into the woods one day earlier- seems like a lot of people may not be able to stay until Wednesday - but I am, even if its solo and thats fine with me - I don't mind and will enjoy it. Its an extra day in the woods with me - But I need to know if that would work for Aaron.
2. BOTH of the extra rods I have are spoken for (Greg and Adam got back to me the fastest, sorry everyone else and Mike is planning on buying his own) So Sean, Blair, Matt, Brad - check what you have or see the info I posted previously about some recommendations, or call and I can give recs. It would be worth it, perhaps someone has one that can be borrowed.
3. Today Mike brought up some questions about tents and other gear - Comment on the original post to get a discussion going.

This is going to be a killer trip! -John

Fishing Addict

Warmer days on Linden Pond, a slab of a sunfish on a 3 inch popper.

Blair and Greg have been concerned for my mental health as of late due to my complete obsession with fishing. Fear not my friends, I am not the only man who sits in his apartment iced in for several days, with not much else on his mind whether asleep or awake. (Oh, I have gotten quite a bit of painting done, the show opens in April)
Here is my proof: Fishing Addiction?
And more proof: Trout fishing and addiction
I don't think I'm the only one who has it. After all Blair, who has spent most of his time off since Rockfish season ended, locked in a drafty garage, painstakingly caressing the teak on his Boat? How many times did you sand and recoat? Seriously man, I think you have stroked that boat more times than you have a woman! And Greg, you are just frozen over for the winter and distracted with snowboarding, You are bragging about waxing patterns into the bottom of your snowboard. We all have it, and there is nothing we can do, either all is lost, or all is to be gained...

Cranberry Wilderness Here We Come*

THE AGENDA HAS CHANGED IN A GOOD WAY - SEE THE RED TEXT FOR CHANGES - LEAVE A COMMENT! See you very soon!

(*Rochelle has pointed out that I shouldn't really call this a Bachelor Party: 1. because there are no strippers involved, 2. even if we weren't getting married, I still would be planning this trip and 3. every time I want to get together with my guy friends to be manly, have beers, catch something and eat it, I call it a Bachelor party. I guess she has a point, but I'm still going to call it that, and you can too if you want)

Backpacking, trout, good friends, what else could be missing? (OK Art, but I'll be sure to bring a sketchbook and camera). I am excited to post the info about the trip and I hope we can all make it work. I know everyone (Blair and my brother Dan for example) won't be able to make it, and some may have to head home early, but we can still make it a blast! Greg and Sean are in 100% for fishing and camping; Shad is in for the camping (he said, "the only fishing I will be doing is fishing a cold beer out of the creek"). Let me know as soon as you can, so I can make the proper arrangements with Aaron and Emily, who are letting us meet at their place in Lewisberg, WV before we head to the wilderness. I have provided some motivational photos from my last backpacking trip there with Aaron, Jason Walker and Shad last spring. This will be my first fishing excursion on one of the top 3 trout rivers in WV, and top 10 below New England. I have provided initial details below the photos, so you can know what is required (permits, equipment, etc.)
There are numerous large campsites for 2-4 tents like this one near the river - and obviously, campfires are permitted (but they don't have to be that freakin big).
A view upstream of the North fork of the Cranberry - as you can see, plenty of room to cast and this river is full of Rainbows and Brown trout. It is a cold water river that holds trout all year long. (But it is also stocked in winter and spring)
A view down stream of the Cranberry, in a more wooded section - I've seen guys filling up their stringers in sections like this!
This is one of the larger tributaries that holds native brook trout for you purists, certain areas are open to harvest if you are interested in keeping some for dinner - I hear they are the tastiest of the WV trout, but much smaller.
For those of you more interested in Hiking, day hikes can be planned and the environments are AMAZING! The river flows through the heart of the Cranberry Wilderness, with well over 100 miles of trails - at this time of year - you can be the first person to be up on top of some of those mountains this calendar year- there are Alpine forests with fairytale moss a foot thick and trees growing right out of it on top of rocks like this. Cranberry also has the southern most Tundra environment in North America - Unusual wildlife like carnivorous plants are located there! Circuit hikes of 5-35 miles can be made from our base camp. Its a great place to hike and take photos.

DATES: Saturday March 31st - Wednesday April 4.
PRELIMINARY TIME-LINE: THE AGENDA HAS CHANGED:
FRIDAY, MARCH 30TH: Meet at Aaron's by9 or 10 - Adam, sean and I will be there hopefully by 8 or so (maybe 7:30, its about 245 miles from DC), get our gear together, We will eat dinner there(I say we bring the food and beer since Aaron and Emily are offering up their place for the night) and party it up a bed by midnightish (I CAN ALWAYS HOPE to be up early!
Saturday March 31st:rise early, eat LEAVE BY 9 AM and drive to CW (about 35 miles or an hour and fifteen minutes drive on back roads from Aarons) - check in at ranger station, fill out back country permits, HIKE IN 3-5 MILES ON A GENTLY SLOPING FOREST ROAD THAT IS CLOSED TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. Set up camp, fish a lot for me or hike and then have dinner and celebrate.
Sunday April 1: Do what you want! - Fish, sleep in, hang around camp, do a day hike, or all of the above - we all hang out for dinner and the party continues around the campfire.
Monday April 2: Do what you want! - Fish, sleep in, hang around camp, do a day hike, or all of the above some people may leave today, Aaron will be meeting those remaining to stay until Wednesday- we all hang out for dinner and the party continues around the campfire.
Tuesday April 3: Do what you want! - Fish, sleep in, hang around camp, do a day hike, some people may leave today or all of the above - we all hang out for dinner and the party continues around the campfire. Do some preliminary packing for the hike back.
Wednesday April 4: I plan to get up early and fish this last morning, then pack up my stuff and hike out - we need to leave the wilderness by 1 or 2pm to get back at a reasonable time so people can go to work on Thursday.

$ LICENSES AND PERMITS:
If you want to fish, here are the costs associated with it and the way to get you license (your responsibility)- let me know who is fishing so I can put the trout tackle kits together for you - In order to do that, I need to know who is fishing no later than FRIDAY, MARCH 9. IMPORTANT NOTE:If you do not have a license, you can not hang out with the guys who are fishing while they are fishing, even if you don't have a rod - we can all hang out at the campsite, meet up for lunch, hike together, etc. - but the regulations are clear and there are park rangers/game wardens there. For this reason, we also cannot fish at the campsite.
Back Country Permit for the wilderness: FREE
WV NON-RESIDENT FISHING LICENSE: total cost: $66 (including the transaction fee for online purchase) This license is good for one year. There is a one day license that is $3, but you would need to purchase all of the required stamps anyway, so that one day would cost $34. Here is a list of the required stamps and the website - Be sure to purchase all required stamps.
Trout stamp: $15
Conservation/Law enforcement stamp: $12
Annual License: $35
National Forest Stamp: $2 (Cranberry Wilderness is located in Monongahela National Forest)
Online Transaction Fee: $2
PURCHASE LICENSE HERE
John's Special tackle box: I know most of you are not trout fishermen (although we will have some serious fishermen who know all the basics) - by buying lures in semi-bulk packages I can save you a ton of money - As your guide I will put together a small tackle box of lures that I know catch fish from experience (It is up to you to catch them though) I will also include one or two lures that I have tied myself as part of this package - I will list the things you will need to pick up below under required gear (you can get that stuff from bass pro shops or Dicks sporting goods). I need to know if you want this box of lures no later than March 9. If you purchase this you will have lures for your next trip (provided you don't lose all of them). Cost: $30 or so depending on the number of guys who want it - I highly recommend this as the way to go.
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO FISH: I know this seems like a lot of money - so you don't have to fish, not everyone will be, and there is plenty to do if you choose not to, don't let the $ cut you out of the trip - it will be fun! If you do get your license, I will surely be fishing in WV again this year, so you can come along and get more action out of the license. Look at it this way - if you went on a pro-guided fishing trip in WV or out west, you still have to buy the license and you would pay $150-$250 per day - my trip is a steal.

REQUIRED GEAR AND SUPPLIES: This is for everyone - we can work out the details of who brings what, the personal gear is on your own. Add a comment to let me know what you have - we'll work that out once we figure out who is going. I know between us we have all of this gear (I have at least one of everything)
GROUP GEAR:
3-4Tents (no leaky tents - you'll freeze)
2-3 tarps
3 sets of cooking gear (lightweight pots/pans and utensils)
2-3 backpacking stoves and fuel
3-4 water pumps/filters
6-10 collapsible water containers (platypus brand is great)
2-3 packable saws (for deadfall only - don't worry Blair, we won't chop down trees)
Group food (we'll figure this out later, and yes I plan on eating fish, but its never a guarantee)
2-3 bear bags (Ziploc makes a super strong bag that is 24"x24", they come in packs of 5)
150lb nylon cord (for bear bags and tying tarps)
2-3 first aid kits
2 trowels/ pack shovels (there are pit toilets about every 1/2-1 mile in most sections along river)
PERSONAL GEAR:
1. Backpack and pack cover to keep it dry
2. 20 degree or colder sleeping bag
3. sleeping pad (thermarest or a cheap foam pad keeps you so much warmer, you'll freeze with out it,ask me if you have questions, I have an extra, but it is bulky)
4. Small daypack or fannypack for dayhikes and to hold fishing gear
5. Rain gear (its April, a few showers are likely, but will not ruin the trip, I think pants are a must and keep out the wind at night, there are inexpensive options, ask me)
6. Clothing: The temps range from 30s-60s everyday, layers are a must, long underwear are required and remember - COTTON KILLS - it doesn't wick moisture or insulate when damp so you will be wet and cold), light snow is possible - Lightweight, packable gear is best, no bulky insulated parkas.
7.Hiking boots (you may also want to bring a pair of sandals, crocs or light tennis shoes for wearing around the camp)
8. Gloves and warm hat: leather work gloves from the hardware store home depot keep hands warm and let you move hot stuff on the fire (ski gloves don't seem as useful, but can work)
9. SHARP pocket knife
10. A cup for coffee and tea as well as a bowl or plate to eat from, also fork and spoon
11. Water bottle(s)
12. Personal food for lunches and snacks such as GORP or power bars
13. WOOL SOCKS (several pairs)
14. Toilet paper, biodegradable soap, and pack towel or a towel cut smaller
REQUIRED FISHING GEAR: fishermen only
1.Ultralight or light action SPINNING rod and reel (your big catfish/bass rig won't work with the light lures and the small fish - it will only cause frustration) - I have one extra ultralight set-up and one extra light action set up (not quite as good). First-come first serve - let me know - but I recommend buying your own if you can. You can spend $35 to $50 or more for a set-up that will work and last you if you take care of it. I have recommendations for this here, here, and here. Read the reviews for a clear idea of the quality. A one piece rod is sturdy and is responsive but you have to carry it when packing in, a two or three piece rod is packable (you can use the tube they mail it in to strap it to your pack with bungees, or buy an ultralight rod case) . You can also just hit Dicks or bass pro shops. If you want to purchase one, I can help with any questions: BE SURE TO GET THE ULTRA-LIGHT SPINNING MODELS. IF PURCHASING ONLINE ORDER 3 WEEKS IN ADVANCE TO AVOID HIGHER SHIPPING COSTS AND ANY SHIPPING SNAFU's. Mike picked up an Ultralight Pflueger rod/reel combo from Dicks.
2.Metal stringer to keep your fish fresh and in the water until back at camp (get at local tackle shop, dicks or the hardware store if you live in the country)
3. Berkely "VANISH" fluorocarbon fishing line - 4lb test - If you don't know how, don't put it on the reel yet - I will put it on for you at Aaron's- I have a reel spooler that prevents line twist and a bunch of headaches. They come in 115 yd spools or 250yd spools (the 250 will give you extra in case your line gets all twisted and you have to put new line on, the 115 will do one reel)
4. Toenail or fingernail clippers (for cutting line, knives suck at this)
5. 3-4 cheap caribeaners from home depot or hardware store for attaching gear to yourself
6. fingerless wool gloves are highly recommended, get in the hunting/fishing dept at SG store
7.Polarized sunglasses help you see into the water - totally worth it - don't have to be expensive, just make sure they say "polarized" Lighter lenses are more versatile in low light
8. Waterproof chest waders, hip waders or knee boots* Optional but helpful for getting to the trout and unsnagging lures, felt soles don't slip on wet rocks - you don't have to have them and they add 4-8lbs to your pack and a lot of bulk (they have to be strapped to the outside of your pack) - so it is up to you, I'm bringing mine - ask me for help if you want to pick some out
9. Fillet knife is helpful, we need a few but everyone does not need one - but - you catch em - you clean em - I'll show you how or check here
10.Trout net not required unless catch and release fishing, but can help for bigger fish or if wading- bulk is the only problem ask me for advice
11. Fishing forceps are very helpful for getting hooks out of the fish's mouth or for straighting bent hooks look here, or you can get a pair of extra long needle nose pliers ( forceps are lighter, more inexpensive, work better, and don't rust; but you may have the others already in your tool box)
12. Your daypack or fanny pack to put gear and a water bottle in, or a fly-fishing vest (Vests can be expensive, they are nice because everything is at your fingertips, but don't go out and buy one just for the trip - Matt gave me mine, but otherwise, I probably wouldn't have bought it, but am glad I have it)
11. PATIENCE - this is required and its free!

IN CLOSING: As you can see I am so excited about this and I have already put a ton of time into the planning. There are still details to be figured out, but I think I have covered the basics. I will be using this blog as the "home base" for discussion of the trip, so please post comments and read them as well. Of course you can always call me, so don't hesitate if you have any questions. I am so looking forward to this trip!!!! Fish on dudes!

NOVA Trout season Begins

Monkey is checking out the three rainbows I pulled in Friday after work. Trout stocking began Friday at Accotink Creek and I managed to make it there for the last two hours of daylight on my way home from work- the air temp was just about freezing, maybe a little less by the time I left. It sure isn't fishing in the mountains (the stocked trout are bigger here and you are fishing almost elbow to elbow with guys, but they are all a trip). I fished one hole that had a ton of trout in it. It was too cold for spinners so I got these guys on jigs fished under a bobber. I CAUGHT ONE ON A MINI JIG I TIED - WOO HOO! Sorry I don't have too many pictures - there was ton of action (As usual, I missed 5-7 trout, one would have gone 2-3lbs, easy), and I was pressured for time.

This was the funniest thing about the trip. I had a trout on and was about to net him, when he made a hard run, pulling my drag. I squatted a bit more and reached, which allowed me to get the fish, but I stuck my ass into the cold water (I was wearing hip waders). The trout still in the hole had a good laugh at me. I'm sure you will too. This made the last hour colder than it needed to be, but thank God for polypropylene underdraws.

Natural Resource Withdrawal Part Two (Back to Passage Creek)

Saturday morning I woke up and it was 21 degrees outside so I went fishing. Blair and Greg would be glad to spout off about my "Natural Resource Withdrawal". It may be true, and my response is "Who is actually catching fish, and who is just thinking about it?". I have no problem wearing two pairs of long underwear in order to catch fish.
There was a middle-aged fisherman at a pull-off in George Washington National Forest, sitting in his running classic unmarked white work-van with ladder, waiting for the temp to rise a little. When I pulled up, he got out and talked for a bit about trout fishing strategies in the cold. He said his wife and friends thought he was nuts, he took a swig of his coffee put on his gloves and said "Pussies, all of 'em - a day like today separates the men from the boys". Here is a shot of Passage Creek I encountered that morning.

I started fishing a little after nine. Yes - it was that cold, that is a frozen spinner, the same thing happened to my line. I had to let the sun come over ridge until I saw a fish, they were a bit dormant and keeping under the ice ledges.

Once it warmed up, this is the upper part of the hole I caught two fish in (after several hours of thawing). I crept so slowly as not to spook the fish and I sight fished the whole day. I watched each trout I caught take the lure (and more often than not pass it by) I fished this one hole for close to three hours as I watched trout come and go.

The two rainbows caught came from the above hole. I caught them on two different plastic jigs. I had to horse them up onto the ice to pull them in (yes thats ice at the bottom), it was too far to net them.

My creel for the day, two Rainbows and a Brown, the Brown (at top) came from just above the previous hole. I crept up on him and two other trout, within 10 feet in the middle of the creek, calf deep in the water and watched him chase the spinner a few feet and then another cast caught him chasing hard and he took it about 5 feet from me. the other two wouldn't look at anything I threw.

What a great, yet tough day of fishing, I worked for those fish. I only ran into a few other fisherman. I was the only one who caught anything. This is a view upstream of where I decided to hike back to the road, theres another few miles of this section of the creek, I only covered about a mile. Ah, more left to explore. Tight lines.

Natural Resource Withdrawal

Yeah buddy it was that cold on Green Mountain in The George Washington National Forest. At one point my rod tip got wet, a few minutes later I went to cast and I got this horrible backlash - I thought my line had wrapped around the rod tip, but instead THE LINE WAS FROZEN TO THE ROD TIP. Damn I wish I had brought my gloves.

This is a view down stream of one of the better holes on Peters Mill Creek in GWNF, The biggest holes are only 8 feet across and 2 feet deep - most places it is only inches deep - Fly Fishing would be better for this spot. I was too busy staying warm by hiking and fishing to take a bunch of photos, sorry guys.

In trying to curb my "natural resources withdrawal", I decided to get up at 5 and roll out to the Blueridge. Who else, but someone trapped in the city would actually go fishing when its 30 degrees outside? I started out by driving to Hawksbill Creek in Luray, got there around 8:30 and it was overcast and chilly (mid to upper 30's) - It seemed like there were a bunch of cars in the lot, but it really wasn't bad at all. Cool medium sized stream - very clean, I fished the lowest part downstream from town and was impressed with the cleanliness of everything else too - the stream has its own park that runs through the town - a few riffles, lots of runs. I fished downstream from the town and did well. 3 small rainbows on the stringer and I caught my first Brookie, but he was tiny so I carefully returned him to the creek (he was pretty cool looking). I lost a few fish as usually, including the biggest rainbow I saw there of course. By lunchtime I was cold and needed a break (my thumbs couldn't squeeze my clippers anymore, but my finger tips were not cold ). Halfway to my limit and feeling confident, I decided to leave the Massanutten Valley for Green Mountain in the George Washington National Forest.
REMEMBER THIS RULE: Never leave a place that you know currently is holding biting fish for another spot - you ALWAYS get busted - and I did. It was an amazing drive - Gorgeous! I also scouted Lower Passage Creek - which looks like a real Beaut, ideal really (sorry, no picks) - I'm going back there the next time it is stocked - its near the trail head for the Massanutten/Tuscadora Trail.
I took the Scion up the forest roads with no problems, although I was the only guy up there not in a pick-up. I had consulted my guide, and it warned that the stream was small, but could be fished with ultralight gear; what it didn't tell me is that Tower road (a state maintained dirt /gravel road) is closed in winter before you get to the highest elevations, so I missed probably the best pools. The lower parts were too shallow and I'm sure I could find more than the 6 or so little (4x5' to 7x15') pools if I had the entire day to hike and look. I did find two large rainbows hiding in a pool, and I snuck up on them from behind, but they wouldn't take my lures. If Greg was there, I'm sure he'd try to snag them, but I'm more of a sportsman than that. So I hightailed it and scouted out passage creek until it got dark. I drove home, cleaned my fish and overall, felt like I got a pretty good dose of the outdoors, but all I could think was.... hmmmm backpacking, trout, good friends, campfires and a little of the "Turkey" - I can't wait. I have even talked Rochelle into a backpacking fishing/photography safari in Shenandoah (she of course will take care of the Photography and eating all of my fish). Tight lines.

Twist and Trout

I headed out to the Shenandoah Valley yesterday morning to meet up with my buddy Mike to do a little trout fishing, and we had tons of action on a warm January day. We caught all of the fish on small panther martin spinners - I was using my ultra-light rod and it was a ton of fun. There were tons of people fishing the deep holes on this creek - so we hoofed it up stream to fish any structure we found in the more shallow runs and little holes here and there. Within my first 15 casts I hooked in to a fish (which is so much more fun because they are only 10 or 15 feet away, and sometimes almost at your feet) but lost it before I got it to the net. Two casts later, I had my first Brown Trout ever in the net - good fight!

As you can see by the cooler of Browns and Rainbows, we had a great morning (we fished from about 8am until 11:30am) as I said earlier. There were a ton of trout - I was getting hook ups back to back sometimes (but I lost 7 or 8 fish), and I went for no more than 10-15 minutes between hits. Drift-fishing for floundercan be tricky, but I have learned that trout can be just as hard or harder to get from strike into the net. It was great because I could see every hit and the trout just seemed to materialize from nowhere - an extremely fun way to fish. I can't wait to do some more of this kind of fishing.

We headed back to Mikes place and decided to smoke some of the trout for lunch - that's Dakota in the lower left hand corner - waiting for me to give her a trout - no dice girl.
This is Mike homemade smoker - it works well!

Mike stoking the smoker - Oh man were those trout good!

Happy New Year!

New Years Eve on the lift, yeah it was fun, obviously. Does anyone have a good group photo with the girls too?

New Reel for Christmas = fishing the day after Christmas

Greg prepping the skiff late in the day.

Hauling ass - thats no photoshop, just pure Carolina Skiff speed.

A beautiful evening, but quite rough!

It seems like a no brainer, I get a new fishing reel for Christmas, I'm fishing the next day, right? Well there are always complications, such as having to leave Rochelle at my parents house while I fish, because she wants nothing to do with 15 mph winds from the SW, the dropping temperatures and a bit of drizzle here and there and especially... fishing. She does understand wanting to try out the new reel, but that means my fishing time is severely limited - Greg and I are determined to limit out, we have 3 hours or so to fish and we feel like WE HAVE TO CATCH FISH as the season will close this weekend while the whole crew (Blair, Wendy, Me, Rochelle, possibly Erin, and Greg) is snowboarding in Snowshoe. The pressure is on...
The ride there is beautiful, but choppy with the wind in our face and we have the skiff planed out perfectly, a great ride. It is sunset and we head to a familiar spot and fish the hard running current in a spot that is glassy and guarded from the wind. The lights on the docks cut on and we expect a ton of action. In an hour Greg lands five on soft plastic topwater lures, I miss a good follow with 3 short strikes but no takers - almost desparate to get something to work, I spy a large mullet subsurface plug in my tackle bag - tie it to my leader and cast it out - bam hard strike on the second cast, its only 17 inches, but fat - I return the fish - hmm, Greg has one in the box and a bunch brought to the boat, I'm feeling the pressure - we have little time to fish. We agree to hit our favorite night time (and sometimes day time) jigging spot.
We haul ass only to find another boat in the best location - CRAP - and the wind is howling with the current pushing the boat at trolling speed - its going to get tricky, being pushed toward the dock, we have to stem the current and fish the structure. It is choppy as hell greg looks nervous - the topwaters arent looking too possible in the wind and chop, but all of a sudden in front of us, we see huge splashes from a few breaking fish. I cast and start catching fish almost immedidately. I land one in the 19-20 inch range and toss him in the box. The topwater is tough with all of the huge chop and the wind continues to pick up.
We catch a few more fish and Blair calls asking how its going. He wants to know if we will make it to the Green Leafe by 9pm for our annual Christmas pint between buddies - I look at my watch, its 7 - I tell him we just got into the fish and yes we will make it by 9:30 - He tells me we are assholes and we suck because he's not on the boat.
Greg looks at me and says "You know we have to limit out and take a picture just to bug Blair right?" I say "Of course" - The fishing goes on, its really difficult to stem the tide and get accurate casts in because the wind is getting worse, but the fish as still there - I land a few more and catch up with Greg. We switch to our own bucktails and I caught a ton on my signature orange and white combo on a white head - but I keep catching schoolies just undersize. We got quite a few double hook-ups, with me taking Greg's fish off his line for him while he is trying to keep the boat off of the dock in the strong current and wind - the action is so crazy I even accidently throw out a keeper from gregs line and tried to keep the smaller one I caught because I got confused. We caught around 20 rockfish in just over 3 hours, all fat and we managed to limit out, I went to pick up Rochelle and we still got to the pub to meet up with Blair and rub his nose in the picture of us with our fish! Merry Christmas Blair!

Merry Christmas Blair, you should've been there!

Blairs Props

Blair - I thought I would honor you before I posted the next story - ladies and Gents -this is Blair's first season Rock fishing He just moved by the James River (He's a park ranger - very honorable dude), got married and bought a boat - His first two rock fishing trips ever, just going on advice from Greg and I over the phone - he caught a few fish like this, in a tough river he didn't know. This is extremely pretty damn good for a new boat and a new kind of fishing after being a complete hippie park ranger and not fishing for way too many years while living in New England. Quite frankly - he made a few of us carnivorous boys who have stayed true to VA quite jealous of his beginner's luck - and I will give him credit for it now, because soon, I will post a new blog entry, tearing him a new one, all in good fun, because he is my boy, and that’s how we show we care, by completely humiliating the other one, so Blair, grit your teeth and suck it up. I'll see you on the slopes bitch.

Rockfish veggiebake

Mmmm, my new creation from the fish caught last night, its great!(details of fishing will come later)
Rockfish Veggiebake
(serve on top of/side of couscous: add 1/4cup celery, 1/8 cup onion, garlic, salt and rosemary to taste all boiled into water before adding couscous)
Preheat oven to 350 f
1-1.5lbs rockfish filets (lightly oil and coat with OLD BAY Seasoning)
3 tbls olive oil
6-8oz fresh mushrooms sliced
4-6 stalks of celery chopped
1 small onion sliced
8-12 oz fresh baby carrots chopped into 1/2" pieces*
1/2 to 3/4 lb snowpeas*
Fresh or dried herbs such as basil, oregano and/or rosemary)
Salt and pepper to taste
*other fresh veggies such as squash, broccoli, green beans can be substituted - go with your garden or what available

Lightly oil lasagne pan with EVOO, add a layer of sliced onion and some celery, top with seasoned filets of rockfish. Put all veggies in bowl with oil and herbs and toss. Pile over fish filling pan evenly. Cover with foil, bake for 30-35 minutes. Test fish for flakiness, cool 2-3 minutes, serve over couscous. Enjoy that shit!

My Dads Christmas Light display - as promised

Well here it is as promised earlier - A view of my Dad's Christmas light display - It is toned down and a bit smaller this year because he had to work every weekend since thanksgiving, but it still looks good (sorry there is no total package shot - it was cold and raining a little) Let me know what you guys think - I'll tel my Dad. Hopefully I'll post the latest update of my fishing adventures later tonight.

Ok guys, tonight was -once again- insane. Went out at like 1800 to Amoco docks and picked up 15 rock! It was slow at first but once the tide started to come in the bite picked up and they tore up the sluggo. I also tied on that .5oz ultra minnow pictured below and pulled in my last three in like 15 minutes. All in all it was kick ass and the river was SO glassy.

Hope to C U guys over the holidayz

P.S. - that third rock pictured is for my pop and he caught it - guiding my cast over the cell phone...

Ultra minnow...

Ok, here's my first attempt at a .5oz powder painted ultra minnow with googly eyes and bucktail! The powder paint is a pearl white with a second coating of clear silver glitter. It was a more involved process cause I had to bake the dang lead heads to give the paint a harder finish. John, your critique would help here...

Yorktown action...

Well guys, I headed out at like 4:30pm this afternoon after my work X-mas party and slayed em! I hooked into a fat 19" in less than 5 minutes and proceeded to pull in like 15 total! One keeper and the rest were in the 14-15" range. It was a blast though and the water was so calm that you could literally see the fishs' dorsal fins outta the water when they were chasing the bait at the surface. I saw like 10 rock skim and swim all over the surface at one point! It was pretty cool and was a cool way to end my dang day!

-Capt. G

It ain't over til' the fatty is caught...

Hey bubbas, remember that rock season is on up to the end of
March. Read below and here's the demarcation map line. I
fished pretty much right up to March of last year for Taug and
Rock right off of Cape Henry. Inshore fishing rocks cause you
don't know what kinds of fish you will run into trolling deep
lures (demarcation map).

Virginia Coastal Seasons
..................................................................
January 1 through March 31
May 16 through December 31

Minimum Size Limit............................................. 28 inches
Possession Limit............................................... 2 per person

Sunday, on the Rocks please...

B-Mo in the Cabin.

Greg rocking it waterman style, where orange PVC is the right choice for any occasion.

Fifteen days without rockfishing during the fall season can seem like an eternity, or it can slip past you without really noticing - its been a little of both for me. I've been insanely busy at work during the day, then at night and I come home to work on the 31 or 32 paintings that I have going at once ( ranging in size from 12 to 48" high), the steady stream of applications for grants and art exhibitions, making the rounds to a few gallery openings, or discuss wedding preparations with Rochelle. Thinking about fishing always seems to jump in at the wrong time, there is always something to do, and some other place I have to be . Sunday I found myself heading out with some pals in pursuit of big Rockfish, the "Hogs" as the are Known in Gloucester, which come into the bay from the Atlantic as it gets cooler.
We had a gentlemen's hours on Sunday, due to strong lunar tides and steady south winds keeping the tides 3-4 below normal. We waited about and hour and a half after a scheduled late start, and Greg looked like he needed all of that time, as apparently he had a late night in Williamsburg on Saturday, after limiting out with his friend Will on schoolies in a honey hole across the river (they did a repeat of our previous cbbt trip trolling for hogs to no avail).
With the low tides, we had to bank everything on one tide, deading out and back before the tide dropped so low, the Parker (soon to be officially named "Lawdy Be") would be sitting on the sand (the previous, day Greg had to jump out of the boat into 48 degree water in his jeans and pull the boat the last few yards, all one ton of her, notice he went to a bar instead of the hospital - this guy thinks he is hypothermia proof).
Our late start out to York spit reef and York spit light, but we saw no dive-bombing birds, no schoolie Hogs, so we high tailed it to a few honey holes and caught them up on topwater lures. Greg landed two on a bucktail I had tied and given to him. He was getting a ton of bites, and and fished with it for less than ten minutes before he had hooked into a nice chainlink fence, 10 feet up on a peir. Of course it was a prototype, so thanks Greg - back to the drawing board with that one. Brad caught his first topwater Rockfish, landing two, but they were under size, or too close to call, and since we didn't have a ruler just returned them to the current. I managed to catch five fishing slug-gos subsurface and topwater. All of the fish were fat and healthy, with a few in the maybe range. No ruler, no keeping fish that aren't clearly keepers using my forearm test.
We had a blast all day with an almost steady strem of laughter - it was great, but for better or for worse, no "hogs", no blitzing fish and birds. Perhaps that is reason, myself and a few of my friends will most likely find ourselves on the very same boat in the last days of this year, freezing our asses off in 25 degreeg weather with 10-15 mile and hour winds, laughing our asses off, having a great time, and for a few minutes out of the day, catching rocks.

Perrin Islands in the distance. Sunday, all water, no big fish.

Greg and Will's Rockfish from Saturday, the Captain was nice enough to let Brad and I spit these porker schoolies, since we didn't keep any of the 10 we caught between us.

Ok - I'm hard core - after barely getting the boat in - we all split, and as I drove across the bridge with the sun setting, I just had to stop. I parked under the bridge, grabbed my rod and headed for the rocks, but there was nothing biting or breaking the surface, so instead, I got the obligatory sunset-lit (sometimes, sun-rise) shot. Greg and blair - I know you will laugh at me for stopping off - but really - it just shows how hardore I am. Fish on.

John can't keep the days straight

oh I'm a dumbass - good luck Saturday - i'LL SEE YOU SUNDAY! (ah, I've been at Rochelles sisters party after and art opeing tonight - I should hit the sack! later!

Fishing Sunday

Greg - I'm going to a friends birthday dinner at 6 pm on saturday - I'll be leaving DC no later thant 8:30 with my shit packed - I'll see you around 11 to 11:30 - we can still hit the dock late night if you want - regardless - I still want to be out and fishing before light on sunday... fish on - good luck sunday - send pictures...

New Years is on and I'm fishing this weekend

We have a place for Dec. 30 and 31 and leave on the 1st. Blair-you can join in still - its sheap and will only get cheaper if more stay. rochelles sister and some friends of hers have a condo that weekend too - so it will be a blast - don't be a pooper blair (or get your own room - its doable at the place we are staying at this hotel
I am excited about rockfishing this weekend - did you catch anything Blair?