I got to the marina early and measured for wiring up the inverter.  Then we headed down to Lacey Marine to pickup some supplies, including the wire for the inverter project.  We got to speak with the Interlux rep and got some good ideas for some painting projects on friends boats in the marina. 

 From there we headed over to the Lacey Elks Fisherman’s Flea Market.  There were some interesting items at the flea market.  Met Brian from GarbageFish.com and picked up a sticker.  Bought some raffle tickets for the Billy Gale Rod and reel from Lacey Marine.  At the door they were trying to get everyone to fill out a pots off the reef card, most were filling them out.  Hopefully Roberts will get the message soon.

On out way back to the marina we got a call that the soda blaster that damages several boats had shown up and started washing mine and Tommy’s boats.  We had Mike stop them and wait for us since we were only about five minutes out.

After speaking with the soda blaster for a while he said he would produce a proper proof of insurance and would like the opportunity to clean the boats.  He pretty much finished Tommy’s yesterday and should hopefully complete mine today.  If he does I should be able to get wet on Tuesday.

Tommy and I got the inverter hung and wired.  I still need to wire in the breaker/switch at the battery but will do that next weekend.  It looks as if I will get in just in time for the winter flounder opener and be serving piping hot coffee and hot chocolate throughout the day.

It was a busy weekend, everything but detailing the exterior is done.  On Saturday Mark and Tommy got the gimbal bearing and bellows replaced and installed the blocking kit.  Fresh zincs were installed and then Mark and I installed the outdrive, pressure tested it and refilled the gear oil.  With the drive back in place I sanded and painted the helmet and transom shield.  Later in the day, after a late lunch, I removed the winter cover.

Sunday I removed the winter cover frame and then replaced the thermostat, PCV valve, zinc pencil, raw water pump and serpentine belt.  What a pain the belt was, I inserted the ratchet into the hole and before I put much pressure on it to loosen the tensioner the hole snapped.  We managed to lift up on the tensioner and slip the belt off.  The batteries and battery charger went back in and then I washed the boat, which turned out to be a futile process since none of the dirt or stains from a botched soda blasting job on another boat came off.

After lunch I cleaned up the tools and organized everything in the cabin.  The only thing left to do is install the inverter but that can be done on the water.  So basically all that is left until she can get wet is to detail her, put the plug in and drop her in.  Hopefully the marina, soda blasting company and the boat owner come to some sort of resolution soon.

Ready for anti-fouling paint.  I scuffed up the drive, washed it down once with water and once with solvent.  I will give it another quick washing with solvent prior to painting.  I would have liked to have sprayed the first coat tonight but with the paint arriving via UPS I figured it best to let the can warm up slowly back to room temperature before using it.

With several years of paint build up and with some starting to peel last season from an inexperience painter overspraying the traonsom shield onto the bottom paint I decided to refinish the outdrive.  I picked up my drive from Tommy this weekend.  He did an awesome job on it.  The pictures don’t do it justice but the finish is much better than on my new truck.  It looks so good I hate to scuff it up to put the anit-fouling paint on it.  Hopefully the Trilux clear is truely clear and the job Tommy did will shine through it.  I will post before and after pics later in the week after I get the anti-fouling paint on it.

Got some more work done on the boat.  All that is left that is holding up going in the water is changing out the bellows and gimbal bearing and installing the drive.   Well that, and the huge mess that needs to be cleaned up from the soda blasting of another boat in the marina.

This blasting company had the audacity of blaming the mess on their customer.  They claim that a part on the machine broke and their customer said the job has to be done.  First off I don’t care who the customer is, if I am a business owner and it is between pissing off a customer and creating a health and environmental issue as well as causing damage to other boats in the thousands I think I would stop work and deal with the unhappy customer rather than keep going and have a dozen unhappy people.

Anyway, the blasting company did finally stop by yesterday and said they would clean and polish the boats and would get the stains out.  I don’t have that much faith in them after seeing the work they have already done.  This mess has also already delayed our going in the water by two weeks and now the blasting company claims they  have another job next week they can’t put off.  I think I am going to have to insist they have it done or I will have it done and give them the bill.  I refuse to be put out by people with sub-standard work ethics and will not own up to their screw ups.  It took them three weeks to acknowledge the fact that they caused this mess and to return my calls.  And that is a whole other issue, this should be the marina’s problem not mine.  They seem to want to sit on the sidelines and not get involved.

Enough of ranting, I did get the conduit for the inverter installed and the deck hatch back in place and sealed.  I also cleaned and painted the transducers, installed zincs on the trim tabs and touched up the paint around the transom assembly.  Hopefully after next weekend I can go in the water…we will see.

Had a busy day today at the marina.  Tommy, Mark, Wayne, Mike, Chris, Eddie and Danny were down either working on their boats or checking in on them.  This weekend’s work was drilling a bunch of holes in the side of the hull and bulkheads for through hulls and electrical conduit.  Two new through hulls for the new bilge pump and fish box macerator as well as drilled and dry fit the conduit for my inverter project.

The wheels were delivered to the prop shop today, so hopefully they will be done and back by the end of the month.

All I really need to get done before going back in is to drill the last through hull for new foreword bilge pump, install the conduit for the inverter, seal my deck hatch and have Mark and Mike walk me through the bellows and gimbal bearing replacement.  Everything else on my list can be done while in the water.

I was hoping to just uncover her and wash her prior to launch but that has been complicated by staining from a soda blasting company that should not be allowed to work in the manner they do.  They did not really erect a tent, the blasting media and the bottom paint was not contained and ended up covering a very large portion of the marina as well as half a dozen or more boats.  Not to mention this was performed not even 10′ from the water’s edge let alone outside the 100′ buffer zone.  I tried to wash off the dust and dirt but after the surface mess was removed it revealed heavy staining that will need to be compounded out.  The owner of the boat that was blasted did not seam to care too much about the damage and mess caused by the labor that he hired.  I am not 100% sure right now how I will proceed but I don’t feel I should have to detail the boat myself or foot the bill to have someone else do it.  Prior to covering I washed and polished the hull sides…so I would not have to do it prior to launch.  She was also compounded in spring of 2008 so there should be no need to do it again in 2009.

I went to SHBC for MFC and then did some PM and repairs.  It’s a new year and I need to get back to doing what I said I would…posting at least weekly.  This week was pretty uneventful, I have heard a few reports of good blackfishing in 90-120′ of water and some rumors of cod and pollack in the same depths.  I have also heard that mackerel are within 15 miles from the beach.

Tommy and I ran down to Barnegat to see Joe at Sun Harbor Bay Club, I needed to get door prizes for the Manasquan Fishing Club meetings and also to visit since I have not been down there in a while.  We will have some really great prizes over hte next six months thanks to Joe and his generosity to the Manasquan Fishing Club.

As for the boat I removed all the sealant around my deck hatch for the fuel tank due to it leaking late in the season.  That effort was three fold, I also plan on installing a conduit through that hold for some wiring and also installing a fuel vent whistler to prevent fuel spills while filling up.

I had planned on giving the bilge its annual cleaning and doing some rust busting but it was a bit cold for that and the marina bathroom was winterized so I had no access to hot water for rinsing the bilge out with.  I guess I will have to bring the turkey fryer next time to heat up some water.

This year I am trying the tennis ball tip in Saltwater Sportsman to help prevent chaffing on the cover from the rocket launcher. It makes a lot of sense, and I added a little twist to it. I made two small holes opposite each other in the tennis ball. I then passed a length of shock cord through it and adjusted the length so there would be just enough to slip over the bottom of the rod holder and keep the ball in place over the top of it.

With 2008 winding down and the threat of a bad winter as well as some much needed drive maintenance I was hauled out today. But first before blocking we had her weighed just about full of fuel, no water and with full gear. She tipped the Toledo at 6,300 pounds. I thought it would have been a little more but at that weight being full I can tow her with the new truck.

Once she was blocked I flushed the motor, changed the oil and filter and winterized the motor. This weekend I will get the stateroom and pilothouse cleaned up and then get her covered up. Then I can start in on my winter projects.

1. Have wheels re-pitched
2. Drive service
3. Replace bellows
4. Replace gimbal bearing
5. New aft bilge pump
6. Replace forward bilge pump
7. Replace two rod holders
8. Add three new rod holders
9. Install outriggers
10. Install inverter
11. New cockpit power point
12. Plumb outdrive discharge overboard
13. Install fish-box macerator

And I am sure I will find a few others. A few of these items I have been putting off for some time, hopefully I can get them all taken care of this winter.

The new tank is in and its time to fish! I am still waiting on calls back from the manufacturer but I am glad I did not hold my breath. It has been sixteen days since I last heard from them and they claimed I was their number one priority and would receive a call back from the man in charge…I would hate to see how their number 2-10 priorities are handled. So at this point I decided to save my season, repair the boat and let the attorneys and USCG do battle with the manufacturer.

After getting the tank in and taking on a half load of fuel I was headed out to search for some bunker pods and try and find some bass. I heard some radio chatter that sounded half promising but with no confirmed reports I was skeptical. On my way out I came across some birds working in the river with fish crashing the surface. Rather than leaving fish to find fish I decided to give it a shot.

I put on a yellow and white popper and had non-stop top-water action for almost two hours! Light tackle action at its best with two to four pound bluefish. Other than me and four kayaks I had the action to myself. The kayaks seemed to be brand new and their paddlers were trying to figure out how to handle them in the swift currents not allowing them to get in the killer action.

Conditions were still a bit breezy despite the reports of it laying down with a bright setting sun and chilly 55.3 degree water with 64 degree air temps.

All-in-all it was a great little shake down run and first fishing trip with the new tank. I am looking forward to an excellent 2008 season even though I am off to a slow and late start.

I was able to get down to the marina yesterday and get hauled out, pumped the fuel tank dry and pulled it out. The condition of the tank was shocking. More shocking was the design. The tank was built to pretty much the exact shape and size of the hold it was in. It had very little or no ventilation around it causing it to trap water, moisture and sit in water and condensation all the time.

This is most likely what led to its corrosion issue and eventually the forty or more pin holes that developed as a result of the galvanic action of the aluminum tank sitting in water.

I will be calling the manufacturer today to find out how they would like to proceed with this. I am hoping they will admit it was a bad design and allow me to have a new tank fabricated that does not conform or rest on the bottom of the boat causing the same issue within three short years.

I am ready! Finished up all the major stuff that needs to be done before going in the water today. I rewired the wash down pump and always-on buss bar for electronics memory. They used to be on the start battery and both always hot. I moved them to the house battery and the wash down is now on the fused side of the house load so it no longer has 24/7 power like it did.

We used Yacht Brite Pro Polish on my boat and two others yesturday. The results were great, all the boats looked great. The best part was despite the chilly temps it went on and off extremely easy. So easy it actually took longer to use the polisher than it did by hand and all three of us polished our boats by hand…even Mark with his 37′ Bertram!

The battery boxes went in along with stops that I made out of starboard to further secure them. I just did not trust the flimsy straps that came with the boxes. Plus the plastic box sitting on a starboard shelf is very slick and moves easily. The house battery box I had to remove the handle on one side to get a good fit but since I don’t carry the batteries around in the box nor did it seem to be structural in anyway felt it was not an issue to do so. Otherwise I would have either had to go with a tray again or a smaller battery…neither of which I felt were options.

The only thing left to do before going in the water is to connect the hoses for the raw water intake, just waiting on the hose to arrive. Assuming there are no issues with the hose and connections I should be launching this Friday!

I was able to slip away from work and work on the boat in hopes of launching later in the week. Unfortunately some things took longer than planned and the guys in the marina won’t be in on Friday which would be the only other day this week I could get back down.

Anyway we got the through hulls in today. That was the big hurdle, now that those are in it is all down sea from here.

I had planned on polishing the hull sides today but the water stains were so bad on the hull I had to compound the boat first, so now I need another half a day to do the polishing. On the plus side it does look really good now. At first I figured it would be good to compound it and make it look like it was just trailered out of the showroom…until I realized I did not put the last crate of tools in the truck. The one that had the extension cords and the polisher in it. I ended up compounding from the gunwales down all by hand…not fun.

I do have to say though that so far I am very pleased with a new line of cleaning products I am trying for the first time. I recently started to use the Yacht Brite products after seeing them in action on TV. I used the cleaner in the pilothouse for spring cleanup and it came out really nice. The compound worked very well, even when compounding it by hand. I have yet to use the polish, as long as it is not raining I will be polishing this weekend.

It has been a busy weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) getting the boat ready for launch next week. Filled with good news and bad. I don’t need a new water pump but I do have to track down a broken vane from the impeller…hopefully it is in the bottom of the heat exchanger. The zincs were in good shape but for forty bucks why chance corrosion of much more expensive parts right? But before I was able to get any work done I had to shovel two to three inches of slush out of the cockpit, off the roof, etc.

Today I installed the new battery switches and charge relay and rewired some accessories. What a job to do the switches. The old switch, fuse, bus bars and breakers were through bolted onto a stainless plate. I removed the bolts and tapped the holes in the plate instead of through bolting. Why would you want to disconnect every wire and have to remove the panel to change a switch or add a breaker…that is just crazy.

I also put the start battery shelf back in and installed the battery box for the start battery. I have to get another house battery box to replace the one I just received, it was for up to group 31 and is way too big for the space. Hopefully I can get the group 29 battery into a group 27 box. If all the dimensions on the manufacturer’s web sites are true it should fit.

I tried to polish the hull sides as well today but didn’t realize how bad the water stains from the well water were. Interlux’s heavy duty stain remover worked well but would take way too long to use to do the whole boat. Tommy had tested his compound on a small spot on my boat that I had not realized and since it was nice and clean there I am going to pickup some compound tomorrow to do the whole boat. I just hope I will have time after installing the through hulls, valves and sea strainer tomorrow to get the hull compounded and polished.

The holes for the through hulls are glassed in! Woo Hoo! The glass work is complete and I guess you could say the glass is completely full. Progress…now that the weather is not cooperating for re-boring the holes and installing the through hulls and valves it is once again a waiting game. That waiting should not be that long however-Monday looks pretty good as far as weather goes and we should be able to get her done and ready to get wet then (fingers crossed). There is lots of work to do this weekend and the list keeps growing as I think of things. Not sure what happened this winter but boy did I get behind. I am sure burning my hand and not working on anything for two weeks did not help. Only 8 more days till backwater bass!

I was hoping to start removing my battery switch and some wiring from the transom of the boat. When I arrived to the marina an old Egg Harbor behind me was doing wood and glass work. This was kicking up dusk, particles and some good size chunks of both glass and wood not only in my direction but into the cockpit of my boat. It wasn’t a sand storm but it definitly blocked out some of the little light that was shining through the clouds…at least from the vantage point of my cockpit. The guys never even apologized about the mess on and in my boat or about me having to work in their mess. They were not wearing masks or respirators either. The best part was watching them repair fiberglass with bondo though. I hope they are not just repairing the boat for a quick re-sale…the poor soul that does not figure out that they cut every corner fixing it up will have some real problems down the road.

So without being able to work outside I turned my energy to the inside. I cleaned the whole pilothouse from headliner to sole. Applied the anti-fog to the windows, polished the stainless sink, removed the drain to measure for a replacement and measured to make a bracket to support the ditch bag.

I am still not sure what to do about the black streaks on the painted glass surfaces from sneakers and even boat shoes around the seating areas. Since it is not a smooth finish like gel coat it mars very easily. I may consider sanding it smooth and gel coating it or covering it with some thin teak plywood. I would rather keep it white or light in color so it does not feel closed in, but there is a lot of surface to sand and re-paint.

Hopefully the weather is good enough this weekend. I plan on installing the new battery switches, charge relay, breakers, battery boxes, batteries, battery charger and polishing at least from the rub rail down. If I can get all that done and next week we install the through hulls I am all set to get wet!

I know its been a while…just been doing small odds and ends on the boat and around the yard waiting for a good weather window to do the glass work and then install the through hulls.

The hailer is in and working very well. Definitely wont be able to use it to talk to whoever is anchoring the boat. Even on the lowest setting it will blow you off the bow. At lest the talk back will be a welcome addition and I will at least be able to hear what the anchorman is saying.

I also removed the battery trays to give us more room to do the raw water intake conversion and also round over the edges of starboard so we don’t have a rerun of a Joey Fingers episode. Also I will be replacing the trays with battery boxes and will install starboard rails around the boxes for added security and to prevent them from sliding.

The outdrive is off and serviced and in fine condition according to the Volvo-Penta dealer. Zincs are in pretty good shape but since they sat out of water for a period of time are now oxidized and will be replaced prior to launch. There is no sense in taking chances with corrosion, they only cost about $30 and well worth the investment on new ones.

This past weekend was more of a social outing than a working weekend. Pretty much everyone on my dock showed up and since we have not seen each other in a few weeks we spent most of the day catching up and at lunch.

I did however finish putting the headliner back up and all the electronics hangers. Only items left on the interior task list left are a thorough cleaning, shelf/hanger for ditch bag, replace and relocate interior stereo speakers, and install a cup holder for the captain.

I received great news today from Sea Sport. After speaking with Sea Sport about the coring and hull/liner gap and wetness issue I can put it past me and move on with repairs. Since the coring is not wet and only slight wetness between the liner and hull I should be in good shape. The coring is devinicell, which is a huge relief. The wetness is probably due to sweat. The gap between the liner and hull they also said is not an issue. I can either cut the liner back or fill in between it as I would fill in the removed coring with thick cell and bore through solid glass.

Now all we need is a few days above 35 degrees and we can kick this project into high gear and get ready to go back in the water in time for the winter flounder opener…assuming they don’t change the date on us.

The new valve and full flow 90 degree elbow came today. Only problem is that I did not realize when I placed the order that the 90 has a 1″ hose barb on it. My current hose to the wash down pump is 3/4″ ID. I just checked the old fitting and it is a reducing fitting from 1″ pipe to 3/4″ hose.

I checked the online catalog and Groco does not make a 90 for a 3/4″ valve to 3/4″ ID hose so I am stuck with the 1″ hose barb. I will probably end up running 1″ hose to the strainer and then off the strainer 3/4″ to the pump. If not I will see if the pump will accommodate 1″ hose. There is always something to throw your plans off kilter.

I had every intention of boring a large hole in the bottom of the boat and installing a new raw water pickup today. Right up until we were halfway through the bottom. That was when I realized the hull is cored. That was not the worst part of the discovery…the coring was dry and not wood, it was some type of foam. But the material between the hull and the deck liner was wet.

At this point we decided to remove the existing through hull for the wash down pump and inspect that hole and the area around it due to the wetness between the hull and liner. While it is not conclusive it is possible that the wetness between the liner could be from this through hull.

Now that the coring back about 1.5″ from the holes has been removed I will let it dry for the next week and then fill the void and holes with chopped glass and epoxy resin and then re-bore the holes through solid glass to eliminate the possibility of water intrusion into the coring.

The thing that has me worried though is the gap between the hull and the liner, it was at least 3/8″, maybe more, I did not measure. I have to contact Sea Sport to find out if that is normal or if some sort of delamination has occurred. I also want to find out the layup schedule knowing that the hull is cored. And if they recommend drilling a larger hole through the liner to allow the backing block to contact the hull directly.

It also was probably a good idea to remove the existing through hull as it was quite lose and the valve that was originally installed was of poor material. The through hull was a Perko model and after polishing it up with a wire wheel to remove paint, growth and sealant, it seemed to be in fine condition. The threads on the valve however had no bronze left showing at all so later today I will order a new Groco valve.

The Groco valves seem to be of good quality, I know many boat mechanics that like them and no surveyors that dislike them. The nice feature on them is that you can remove a set screw and install it on the other side to have the handle open and close in the opposite direction. Which can be extremely helpful in a tight engine room or cramped compartment.

I also mapped out some of my existing wiring in plans to re-route some of it. The end result will have the bilge pumps and primary start battery functions combined. Right now there is an always on bus bar, wash down pump and cockpit power point also connected to the start battery. These will all be re-wired to the house battery, I will also be installing an automatic charge relay. Once that is all done the batteries will also be replaced prior to spring launch.

On a high note, I did finish testing the GPS to sonar NMEA wiring and have been able to pause the sonar screen, point to a location, create a way point and navigate back to it on the GPS. This is going to greatly improve getting back on structure, bait and fish this season. Especially when you pass over something at high speeds, being able to pause the screen point to it and then navigate to it is going to be awesome.

It is amazing how many little things you can find to do on a boat. I started making a list of repairs I need to make and improvements or upgrades I also want to do. I think I need to transfer my list to adding machine tape! I still have a long list of little things to get down…new rod holders, cup holders, binocular rack, hang the ditch bag, replace the batteries and all the other spring maintenance.

I did find a real ingenious invention that will probably work really well for cup holders but is a bit pricey. I saw a product called Sea Suckers at the boat show in NY this week. They have two size suction cups that use a vacuum pump to adhere to the surface. This will probably work really well for a pliers and knife rack as well as mounting the fillet table to the transom cap instead of burning a rod holder for it.

One repair I was all set to do until I realized I had the wrong size hose was to replace the bow deck drain hoses. They are currently not smooth bore hoses, very thin plastic an leaking around the fittings despite the hose clamps being tight. I have not removed them yet but suspect that the thin plastic hose is cracked.

I did get the external VHF speaker connected up and working as well as the CO2 alarm. I also installed a cooler tie-down system on the swim platform to get the cooler off the deck and provide more fishing space.

To top the day off I worked on the NMEA cables from the GPS to the sonar. I now have the data flowing in both directions and have the ability to pause the sonar screen put the pointer over a bait ball or good concentration of fish and have the GPS navigate back to it or mark a way point for that particular piece of bottom. This will also be very helpful in setting up on a wreck or piece of bottom, once I figure out how to do it. My initial testing was not successful.

I headed down the Parkway to exit 98 for the last trip of ’07-as I normally do as if I were off to go fishing. It was a very sad 45 minute drive…I knew there would be no fishing trip but just repair, maintenance and improvement work to be done on the boat.

The marina was quiet with only the few in-water storage boats left bobbing the chilly 41 degree waters. A small 13′ tender did go past in the creek, not sure what he was thinking being out int hat cold water with a boat like that.

After talking to Tommy for a while and then helping Ryan setup his ice eater I decided I have to get some work done as much as I did not want to.

On the to do list today was a short list of small things but they all included removing the head liner which is a PIA. You have to take down the stereo, satellite radio, GPS and fishfinder prior to taking down the headline that is held up by the chart rack, and numerous strips of teak.

Once down I proceeded with running a new duplex wire to power the CO2 alarm, let out a length of coiled GPS sensor wire and installed and auxiliary speaker for the VHF to the starboard side of the helm seat. The proceeded to put the headliner, teak and electronics back up.

I still have to connect the CO2 alarm, fuse and circuit breaker together but the hard part is done running the wiring. Same with the VHF speaker.

It is too bad the rain let up early in the day. I had planned on working the entire day inside the pilothouse due to the morning rain. Otherwise I would have washed and polished the boat, it was in the mid 50′s and quite pleasant all day.

Hopefully in the coming weeks the weather will be fair again after this cold front coming in the next few days and we will be able to get the raw water pickup and sea strainer installed.

It was a sad day today…I removed all my gear from the boat. Cleaned the wheelhouse and the bilge. There is something to be said for a bilge area that you can eat off of. For one, you know right away if there is a leak of any kind as it is clearly visible. I am fortunate that my entire aft bilge area is gel coated. It makes for quick and easy cleaning.

I usually take the all the cushions from the dinette and v-berth out and shampoo them but I had no idea I had so much gear on the boat. Last year I was able to fit the gear and the cushions in the truck. This year I could barely fit all the gear, and I actually left a few things on the boat and in the dock box. I think I am going to have to trim that down for next year.

Now begins the task of going through all the gear checking it to make sure it is up to snuff and storing it till the spring…well March anyway. Restocking tackle, checking all the rods, breaking down each reel and servicing them. Lots of work to be done. It is worth the effort though, makes the season go smoothly with perfectly functioning gear.

I just want to thank everyone we had out this year. It was a great season, we caught tons of fish , had a great time and made some memories. Out of the 50 plus trips only once did we return to the dock without catching a single fish and only three times without anything in the box!

Originally I was not planning on coming out of the water due to the weather but since my chronic running hot issue needs to be rectified we pulled her yesterday. She is winterized and on a trailer waiting for a high speed raw water pickup and sea strainer retrofit. I received all the parts yesterday and should be doing the install weather permitting next Tuesday. If all goes well, the weather stays mild and bass stick around we should be re-splashing her soon!

What really surprised me though was that my zincs were pretty well intact. None of the metals, (drive, trim tabs, through hulls, risers, manifolds, etc.) show any electrolysis either. Strange because the previous year I had to have them replaced mid season and I was in the water for less time. In any event I will be replacing them regardless since we will be adding a substantial amount of bronze to the equation with the new through hull, sea cock, sea strainer and three 90 degree elbows.

Arrrgggg…..being tied up and soon to be on the hard is killing me. With the fall run just getting into high gear and some of the best weather in the last two months I am out of commission. Hopefully someone in the marina is sailing on Sunday and I can jump aboard and get at least one more striper trip under my belt. I would like to get into some bigger fish before they are gone. This fall all we have seen basically is schoolies.

At the very least I should be running down to Indian River soon for a blackfish slaughter on the Bandit. They do well every year down there and the average fish for them is a trophy in Central NJ.