Enjoy------ " no other species evokes the mystique of this extrodinary handsome silver-goldblack striped fish. None other is more demanding of both accurate and intimate knowledge of the natural enviornment. None is more directly driven by the wind and the tide, by the currents and moon phases, by the infinite and subtle restless mysteries of the sea. No fish is more challenging to catch. None is more frustrating to pursue. Striped bass,most notably the biggest,solitary member of the species,do whatever they want,whenever they want to.Consequently few fisherman will sacrafice, the countless hours and endless effort that it takes to uncover their secrets and catch them with any degree of consistency. To do so demands taking a giant step beyond mere commitment,into the realm of true obsession. It is a realm that places the quest for striped bass before work, before sleep, before warmth, before food, before comfort, before family, before all."
From, "Night Tides"

Amen


:claps:

well said

good one .. always a challenge, trying to hold everything eles together and pursue striped bass. Always feel like I'm missing something when i'm not there, or thinking you should be somewhere eles when you are there..You know what I mean .. try ,, i think its pg.82 or 87 somewhere in Striper Surf... varying the speed of the spoon through the cornflakes...sick

i dream about bass. one dream had the moon red and i saw a huge bass hitting a red danny plug a voice said use red when the moon is red a sign maybe?. normal people say i am retarted becasue i draw stripers on every thing and talk about stripers every moment. my thoughs are nothing but striped bass.i can compare any thing to striper fishing. i even have a striped bass neckless and a striped bass cookie jar.my car has a striped bass sticker on it along with a sticker that says "kiss my bass". i say out all night and not catch a thing and still be happy. i get up every week end and hit the morning tide at the canal.i will brave low temps all night while every body else it at home sleeping in there beds-if they only knew what there missing

i think its pg.82 or 87 somewhere in Striper Surf... varying the speed of the spoon through the cornflakes...sick
That stood out for me too Eddie....
great post JPI...Im gonna get that book tomorrow

No wonder I'm divorced :devil2:

Good book. Sounds like Billy the Greek in a nutshell.

Don't tell my wife about that passage....

Was that also in Nick Kara's book?

Not before Family, thats about it though. That is why I have my wife and children involved from the boat for now. The night before last my 7 year old son came with me for the first time at night. I didn't let him fish because the area was to dangerous for him to do that. He was ecstatic just to be there. We stayed out for 3 hours only got a couple of small ones and a huge hit from what I think was a black fish? He saw and commented on everything the rod tip was doing. We took it slow and very safe he stayed rite by my side accept when i was on wet rocks, never more than 20 feet away from me, needless to say I didn't fish in my usual manner but it was great. I am making korkers for all of them this winter and hope to give them a little exsposure in 2006.

Ya John, something like Nick Kara--" the striped bass fisher is unique among saltwater anglers. He and she are often endowed with a curiosty that reaches far beyond that of the average marine or freshwater fisherman.The only counterpart they could have, of which i know, might be the salmon fisherman. Both are interested in their fish and sport it affords in a way that sets them apart from other anglers.To catch their fish is usually not enough: to know how and why it strikes is as compelling a force as the catching".

Now i just proved Clammas claim that i am so old the only thing i can do is read
and turn wood. :hihi: :laughs:

I agree Headhunter, as the only thing that really counts, when all is said and done, is what you've done for your family and others. :)

I'll never be good, Family always first.
Not to offend anyone, but most people who I consider sharpies, fit that definition to a "T", but they pay a heavy price. Jobs, relationships, family, health... a heavy toll...

Dave, when I saw this thread I looked straight up over my computer, hanging on the wall is a print, by Tony Stetzko Jr., same title as this thread, his rendering, of his "Bertha".... thought you might like a look.

Thanks Karl, that is one of the best paintings of a striper i've seen.:btu: They are a hard fish to paint. Next, ya gotta get a pic of Bailey next to it. :hihi: :D: :soon:

... hanging on the wall is a print, by Tony Stetzko Jr., same title as this thread, his rendering, of his "Bertha".... thought you might like a look.
That would make a great tatoo. I tried to get a tatoo of a striper on my shoulder. I brought a good drawing of one to the tatoo shop. I now have a tatoo of some strange unknown species of fish with a tight line line coming off the hook in his jaw with the words "Fish On!" underneath it.

Dave!, Bailey says Hi! :wave:

actually, is sounded more like "wuf" ;)

I'll never be good, Family always first.
Not to offend anyone, but most people who I consider sharpies, fit that definition to a "T", but they pay a heavy price. Jobs, relationships, family, health... a heavy toll...


no offense taken Karl,, I hear ya brother,, ying yang,, must have balance grasshopper... only think of bass 24/6.5

no offense taken Karl,, I hear ya brother,, ying yang,, must have balance grasshopper... only think of bass 24/6.5

Only24/6.5 :huh: ya got some good dreams goin and ther's still hope for ya Tagster. :hihi:

I am screwed this fishing thing has taken over my life and I can gurantee I am a lot younger then most everyone else on this ste.

Yep, the family. It's what keeps me tethered to reality because if not, I'd move to the smallest apartment I could find in RI about a 15 minute drive away from my favorite set of rocks and almost anybody who used to know me would never see me again. Somewhat reeassuring in a way. I bet most people wouldn't know what their future would be if they didn't have a tether.

Good to hear that some bass fishermen have hearts. It's very encouraging. I thought most of y'all were lunatics. Perhaps fishing leaves me a bit colder than a broad should be. That's scary. But family and (some) friends first, no matter what, so at least I've got that down.

I agree. you have to put family and friends first..in the winter! :devil2: That is when you do all your good deeds so you can fish hard the rest of the year! :bl:

This year I got sucked in by the bass.

Then again..I shattered my heel jumping the motorcycle last febuary and couldnt do that much riding so I took up more fishing.. Now I got the bug and I consider myself an addicted surf junkie. :uhoh: I cant stop thinking about going down just to see the shore and cast my offerings..I think its more of a mezmerizing thing for me. I need it to keep my sanity more than anything. The alone time is the best. I think I'm getting more and more anti-social as I age.

I just hope my girlfriend of 4yrs can continue to deal with my changing ways. I was at the brunt end of alot of complaining this season...:lasso: "All you wanna do is fish"..."all you care about is fishing and riding"...yada yada yada...

I just hope my girlfriend of 4yrs can continue to deal with my changing ways. I was at the brunt end of alot of complaining this season...:lasso: "All you wanna do is fish"..."all you care about is fishing and riding"...yada yada yada...
Yeah, just wait. I put up with the same crap for the first 10 years. After awhile you figure out the game plan. Fish when they sleep. Spend quality time with the women when they are awake and plan on spending a lot of time sleeping in the Winter.

Yeah I hear ya piemma, I'll have to try that next summer. I got her fishing this year but shes not really into it. She got a few small bass and blues this year and was happy with that. She just doesnt understand the striped bass mentality..

The worst is coming home late from a skunky night and being accused of cheating..:chatter

The worse is coming home late from a skunky night and being accused of cheating..:chatter[/QUOTE]

If you come home smelling like eels there will be no questions about cheating. :wiggle:

If you come home smelling like eels there will be no questions about cheating. :wiggle:
Paul, not to be mean but I've seen some of the women you hang around with :buds:

:faga:

-spence

The worse is coming home late from a skunky night and being accused of cheating..:chatter

If you come home smelling like eels there will be no questions about cheating. :wiggle:[/QUOTE]

There is no mistaking that smell Piemma! :yak:

....and Jeff, should I show your post to my lovely bride? Oh, and include your lovely bride's phone number?

:hang:

-spence

The worse is coming home late from a skunky night and being accused of cheating..:chatter


Funny, I've already got that twice - of course she says she's half kidding but it really does cross their minds.

Goes kind of like this:

Wife: I don't know, you leave at 10, come back at 2 or 3, what are you doing all night? Do you really want me to believe you're standing alone in the water all night just to catch a fish?

Me: Yeah honey, I leave in waders, a surf top, a T-shirt I wear for fishing only that never really gets washed, and boots with metal cleats on them - and come back wet & sweaty, smelling like fish (hopefully), with dried salt on me - I'm cheating! :wall: :doh:

I typically leave in waders over a neatly pressed collared shirt.

I rarely smell like fish when I return.

One time as I was leaving the house a condom fell out of my plug bag

BUT I SWEAR I WAS USING IT ON A BUCKTAIL JIG :devil2: :smokin:

:jump:

-spence

I typically leave in waders over a neatly pressed collared shirt.

I rarely smell like fish when I return.

One time as I was leaving the house a condom fell out of my plug bag

BUT I SWEAR I WAS USING IT ON A BUCKTAIL JIG :devil2: :smokin:

:jump:

-spence


:laugha: :laugha:

My Missus said, "You love bass fishing and baseball more than me! :mad:

I said, "That's true, but I love YOU more than hockey! :o

She said, "It's either me or fishing", gee, I'm going to miss her.

:yak6: Do fish love? Do fish take care of you when you're sick? Do fish make you dinner and clean the house? Are fish interested in what you have to say? Do fish think of you on every holiday? Would you want to wake up to a fish next to you in bed? I'm thinking no on most, if not all, counts. That's what women are for. And if you pass that up for a few minutes with a cold, emotionless fish, then you're missing out big time.

Do fish give ya crap when u wanna go fishin for the tenth night in a row.do fish ignore good morning wood.do fish run up the credit card bill on shoes.do fish hog the clicker when a good ball game is on to watch thier shows.do fish have shows.Fish are hard to get an put up a good fight AND taste good.they do swallow an never cry when u release em.