Year in review?

Wow – where to start? Well, I guess if I’m finally thinking “Year in review” that must mean that I’ve given up on chasing big gals in the waters up here. Sure, a trip to the local schoolie holdover spot doesn’t really count towards an old season or a new in my tiny mind.

The past half dozen years has had me look at a season as starting with the first fresh run fish in March & April at the West Wall and the season ends when I can’t get out anymore where the big bass roam or when the snot is freezing on the Goatee. So, I guess now I’ve been thinking about not being able to hit the beach looking for any big fish for some time… And I must mention that for the second year in a row – big weather has cancelled our inaugural S-B Cod Trip.

Where to begin?

This past year has been tough on a lot of us. Saltheart shocked us and himself even more when he suffered a sudden and critical ailment. Fortunately for him and for his family and friends and his friends here and other places online, he has been able to recover and has the promise of becoming healthy again. Clammer has been able to chalk up another year against diversity. I’m proud of you my friend, as more and more tough times come your way; you deal with them and move on in a great state of mind. What you and the missus have done for Gwen and me goes a long way with us and inspires us to keep a very positive outlook in the face of adversity. Fisherwoman gave us a bit of scare over the holiday season but she also bulled right thru a tough time (and Bambi). Big thumbs up FW!

You all were very supportive of me when my father passed away in June and that’s something I will not forget. I had a lot of words come my way from many of you and that support helped carry me a long way over those sad days.

We grieved together when we lost a friend and comrade of the surf in Ken Schwam. Kenny, a/k/a 10x10, touched so many people across the country and world that he has left a legacy with us on how to help and respect and foster both our fellow anglers and our natural surroundings. He is truly missed. Also lost was Brad “Hawg Hunter” Pohler, a big hulking guy that looked all gruff until he'd suprise you with smil and some sage words. He enjoyed life and made ours more enjoyable too. Sadly he left his wife, and a young son who is only 4 or 5 now, and he left all too many friends that he has made along the way. He left our earth far too early.

We’ve also had our S-B family grow. Proud parents like Tattoo & wife with their first; Fishpart, his Betterhalf and their sons now have a young lady watch over; Iceman’s family celebrated little Gwen; 179 added another addition to his family too. Just recently Schoolie Monster (my primary fishing partner - though we got out very little together this year)., Mrs SM, and new big sister Britta welcomed a pair of twins into the world – though a bit earlier than planned. They are great friends of my family and we’ve vacationed together for a few years, spent holidays together, and plenty of memories We are all very, very happy and relieved that the twins are doing well and should be home very soon.

I’ve met some incredible people this past year form this site and have met some more online that I’m looking forward to meet in person – can’t wait. Last fall had an interesting start when a new member invited a bunch of us to go over to Mystical Cuttyhunk Island. Too good to be true? Yep, a bunch of us went over at the invite of GB and we had a wonderful time but even better, we all made a great friend in GB. It still seems too good to be true but Greg, you’ve garnered a tremendous amount of friendship and respect from all of us here. I think I can speak for everyone here that we are very glad to have met you.

Great to fish & hang out with all the regulars from over the past few years on the Cape, Islands, from Boston Harbor to Naps. I’m thankful to have met Trayder as he continues to morph my thinking on boats, fishing, and has been inspiring to me (regardless to how my other knee got trashed on his boat :eek5: ). Goose & Bloo have been great to get to know, Capesams, Sctoch, Matoonoc, Krispy, Fishsmith (who always donates beer money :btu: ) Bazza, Toby, the rest of the MSBA crew, the NCSFC gents, on & on with many new people I’ve met in person this year at the get togethers like @ Slips or when we burn perfectly good meat and go fishing. All in all, a great year for meeting people and looking forward to seeing the rest of you in the coming months and this summer when we fish!

I also want to thank all the sponsors that help keep the lights on as well as everyone that’s pitching in to keep the site going. It’s a tremendous help!

The Pats won the SuperBowl!

We fought some issues this year like the Saltwater License, Quonset Point, and we investigated some like Amendment 6 (but did not participate as much as we perhaps should).

Through some creative recruiting :hihi: a string of fish came in from the Plug Monsters and scored a victory in the Surf Club Tourney for S-B! Very thrilling! Now we need to gear & repeat for a title defense…

Overall, my fishing was OK. No monsters but a decent year considering that I could only fish when I could and not necessarily when I wanted - for some reason this has happened for the last couple years. But I do have some memories of the suds that will last a lifetime. Especially when that squid Beachmaster grabbed me a nice fish on Cutty and would get an occasional tap the instant the light from Aquinnah swept across it :D

So again I want to thank everyone for a great year and looking forward to what’s in store for 2003!

Thanks,

John R
Narragansett Bay, RI

WELL SAID JOHN,I GUESS WE ALL HAD ARE UP AND DOWNS.I MISSED ALL THE LEGS AND ONLY WAS ABLE TO FISH RI ONCE.DID MANAGE TO GET TO CAPE AFTER SOME DOWNS,BUT WITH ICE AND GRANDAUGHTER AND OLDEST SON WE HAD A GOOD TIME BUT VERY FEW FISH.MY DAUGHTER GOT MARRIED 10/18 AND WIFE HAD 2ND OPERATION 11/7 AND IS FULLY RECOVERED.MISSED MY FALL TRIP WITH SONS TO CAPE AND FALL FISHING BECAUSE OF THE ABOVE.GUESS I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS YEAR TO END AND LOOKING FOREWARD FOR MARCH AND SOME FISHING SHOWS IN BETWEEN.WISHING ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR-GOOD HEALTH TO ALL

To all my s-b friends..This past year is going to be a tough one to beat. So many great times spent with some very special people.
Thanks, Happy New Year, and LETS DO IT AGAIN!!!!

except for you folks that scared the bejesus out of us(lets not do that again):D

Nice write up John.....

And to all my friends here at this site, both the ones I have met and the ones I have yet to (but hopefully soon!), have a Happy, Safe, Prosperous, and Fish Filled 2003! :)

Wow, very nice Post parts of it were sad while some were great!


2002:
I myself have met so many people here that i would love to fish with, but better yet. I have learned so much from this place that cannot be replaced.
We had a short time last month that we all wish never happened and it will never again. we'll keep it at that!

2002: was my First REAL saltwater fishing year, i been fishing a-while but never like i did this year, this year has me hooked for life!

2002: was a great year but 2003 will be even better- i am much more surf smart and can look foward to meeting some of you guys out there in the suds.

2002: I was in the office in school (i wasn't in trouble ;) ) and i met up with a old bud/Classmate of mine from a few Grades before... we desided to re-hook up and go fishing, (One of the best desisions i ever made)
that person was vic (SnS) who has been a great fishing buddy this summer/fall and hopefully will be for 03 :)


><((("> Bring on 2003 ><(((">

Have a Very Happy, Fish Filled and Safe New-Year.


Mike

this year has been the best year of my life i know my year will come when everything seems to go wrong but this year everything went my way for a change!! i was blessed all year with gifts, that i only dreamed about years ago, this year i got married in june, got to go to aruba for honeymoon, july bought my first brand new boat, found out we are going to be parents,(honeymoon was awsome)!!! aug sold and bought a huge house compared to what i had, i spent so much time on the water doing what i love fishing!! sometime around june july i found this site looking up striper fishing how toos!! god did i find the right site i have learned so much here i have met and fished with some great guys, homerun, slip,got stripers, milo,they all had something to contribute to my scarce knowledge of striper fishing! i thank everyone for who has contributed to the knowledge i now have about this sport my wife gets tired of hearing me talk fishing im so glad for a place where i can talk and learn im going to be asking all you new dads alot of how toos come march!! how too sneak away FISHING!! THANKS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!:happy: :happy: :happy:

Its been a great @#$%^&^ year//
JOHNR great post & thanks Bud//
FOr me it was a year of challanges and all wern,t positive ,buts thats ok, the two trips to Cutty ./HOW do you say thanks, great time with great people////
can,t wait to put more faces to names
we are a lucky bunch///////////////
&
AS ALWAYS
ENJOY WHAT YOU HAVE//////////////////////

:happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

It was a year of extremes for me. It was an extremely good and bad year for me. Good year for getting out with all my SB friends from shore on on the boat. Bad year on the home front, specifically with my troubled teenage son. I think I spent almost as much time in juvenile court as I did fishing, but 2003 will hopefully spell the end of that. Bad also for the fact this economy has really made it a struggle on the main business front, so let's hope 2003 brings an upswing in that regard. I play it day to day and grab what life hands me.

I plan on starting off 2003 the right way, I'll be on the river catching some fish, since my wife has to work all day anyway. I can't think of a better way to start the year, a good friend and some good fishing. I hope everyone has a safe night, if your driving be very, very careful it's going to be extremely tough going tonight due to the fog.

Happy new year to all my SB friends and their families, health & happiness to all in 2003.

Awsome post John. I have a ball this year, fishing as much as I wanted. This will probably not happen next year, I was fortunate to have an understanding wife. I fished with many people from this board. Had a blast on Cuttyhunk. Witnessed the phenomenon known as the light of Aquinnah. Caught my first of many bass on homemade wood. I also caught my largest bass of my life. There are many to thank, they all know who they are. I am thankfull for the many friends I have met here. I hope you all have a wonderful NewYears, see you for some fishing in 2003.

John you said it all. Thanks to all for a truely great year. Now if we can just catch some fish in 2003:eek: As my wife says for someone that did not have alot of time for friends up to this year I have been blessed with far more from this board than anyone could ask for. THANKS AND COME ON 03

Excellant post John.
Yes it was a good time fishing ad yakking with all you.
I witnessed that Aquinnah light phenomena and next time I will have more than one predator plug to toss.

Greg it was an honor to meet you and the many others I met thru this site this year, your generosity is much appreciated and spending time doing something in the outdoors together that we all love was really special.

So here's to next year and pray that our country will get thru the many challenges ahead.

Great post John, Each year fills us in with highs and lows. I definitly learned alot from people on this site and others. It was good to finaly meet some people fom the site in person. Fishing wise the year was ok, but lots of times it just fun to be out fishing, talking about fishing, and scouting new locations. Enjoy what you have. Wish you all the best in 2003.

Ok a few corrections first:

a string of fish came in from the Plug Monsters and scored a victory in the Surf Club Tourney for S-B!

You must mean HABS, with that moustache, he could pass as a monster.


John R
Narragansett Bay, RI

Should read:
John R
The WRONG side of
Narragansett Bay, RI

All kidding aside, this was by far the best year of my life. Through all the days spent in the hospital before, during and after having the baby was well worth it. It's really amazing what kind of spin on life a little one can do for someone. As Mike Laptew told me the day I told him we were having a baby "Words cannot describe the way you feel when you hold your baby for the first time" and man he was right.

Had some good time fishing as well and met some really good people.

Some things that stick out in my mind as I think about the year;

Bloocrab falling in the run.
The night Bloocrab and I ran out of herring, twice and were to tired to go back for more.
Lunch and dinner at the Provincetown Inn with Habs and Jack.
50 eels and 50 fish with Iron Mike.
4:00pm in the afternoon casting into a few acres of busting bass and bluefish, ALONE.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Iron Mike watching huge bass (30+lbs) pass right in front of us (within 5 feet) hammering small bunker, a real act of mother nature.
3 days and two nights at the Cuttyhunk Bass Club, lots of laughs and no HEAT!

Met some good people along the way as well, too many to name.


All in all, one hell of a year!:happy:

2002 has been one of the best years for me. Just a couple years ago I was going through tough times, as we all do once in a while. Finding this site has not only helped me catch more and bigger fish but introduced me to people with the same love and passion that I have. All I wish for in 2003 is good health for me and the ones around me. Pray that our world will live in peace and our children will have the freedom that we know and love.

PREPARE NOW

You couldnt of said it better John,AWESOME bunch of guys on the site.Not only to fish and learn from,but helping thru some tough times..Everyone greatly supports everyone else in their hardships,and that is a big help..Learned alot from this site,and hopefully made some fishin buds for life.And Greg,you are one hell of a guy,and thanx again..John you are one hell of a guy too:D ,and keep up the good work..To all you other guys too:D ,havent met anyone I dislike and I'll see ya in 03...WOW THIS IS ABOUT 5 POSTS WORTH FOR ME,it's scarin me..CLAMMER BUBBA I STILL LUV YOU MAN:cool:

Same here MILO////ENJOY

Good job recapping the year John. Lots of things happened and the site got bigger and better.

Thanks for the kind words. I hope I have a lot of years ahead without any more excitement like this year. :)

As far as the site goes , its hard to make suggestions to make things better. Its already great and so many people contribute so much that the best suggestion I can make is keep doing what we 've been doing!! Great job and keep it up in 2003.

2002'

1) Joined a great website with lots of friendly and informative people.

2) Made some new friends here and at the club (MSBA).

3) Learned even more about pursuing the wonderful linesider.

4) Got my son more into fishing and away from the
video games. (Watch out for him at the next tourny!),
Posting his pics here was partially the reason for that.


2003'

1) MORE OF THE SAME !!!!!:happy:


Thanks
John R.

John R -

thanks for this site , although I do not post often I enjoy reading everyone's posts and look forward to meeting more great people, like yourself, 179, GBOUTDOORS (he may not remember but we met in june @ M&D's), MikeCC, Team Rock On, and of course my nemisis Devil's Fiddle. Great site and great people.

Thanks again

i agree, nice post. on a great site, john

happy 2003 everyone

I agree, nice job w/ the post & site John.

Let's see... 2002... Caught my first stripa'! :)

L00kin' forward to meeting you folks on 2/15!

Best regards,
Rob

I agree also,nice wrap-up for 2002 John, and just look at the start
of 2003, rod building,plug building,fly swap and the NIGHT OUT great bunch of people here at S-B.

2002 - A great year, thanks to all here who reply and supply info. I surf all the sites, but Striped-Bass.com is the one I like to call home.
I hope 2003 is a healthy one for all (everything else is icing on the cake), and to those of you with a baby on the way, this site offers some of the best vicarious fishing out there.

i dont know if this is good or bad Vicarious functioning as a human process characteristic
In my opinion, vicarious functioning must be taken as one of several "characteristics of processes" that are typical for Brunswik’s point of view. Such characteristics are of paramount significance in Brunswik's theory because his main scientific interest is focused on the analysis of processes in the transaction between organism and environment. The term "process-characteristic" - as introduced by me - means the critical course of events that is typical of a specific process. Brunswik observed many such characteristics. In addition to vicarious functioning other important Brunswikian process-characteristics are probability, (semi)chaos, entropy and noise, semierratic ecology, equivocality, ambiguity and univocality, balance, redundancy and spuriousness, rivalry and compromise, and, last but not least, the lens model which is considered by me as one of the process-characteristics
:smash: :smash:

I would like to start off by Thanking My Parents and I'd like to thank the Academy . I also want to thank my Psychiatrist . Without whom Id have never been able to be socialable .

I had another good year with a few bad moments .

I hope to be alive for the rest of 2003 with less bad moments .

I also want to Thank everyone for their kind words at the loss of Rose (My Mother in Law).

And John Thanks for the site !
" or when the snot is freezing on the Goatee" How does it get passed your lips ?

WHOA !!!!

Vicarious what,,,Who,,,what ??

What you been _ _ _ _ ing man ???:D :D :D

vicarious fishing????

I don't know if this cause of confusion, but this is what I meant by Vicarious fishing:
Sitting in front of the pc, reading about fishing and wishing i was fishing, but I've got my newborn in my left arm, while the wife is getting some rest, and my 3 yr old son is chewing up a Rescue Hero. Mean while it's 65 degrees outside, and the herring are thick.

i was only playing with the word i knew what you meant its gonna be hard baby is due march 11 cant wait but its all about balance for me family, work, freetime, fishsmith im looking for daycare seeing your allready experienced!!! lol:happy: :happy: :happy:

If you can figure out the balance let me know. I quit golfing to find time for fishing, but when your handicap is off the charts it makes quitting a lot easier.
As for daycare, my wife cut down her hours with the first kid, and her mom watched him while she worked, then with the second, she quit because we couldn't drop both kids on her mom, and it wasn't cost effective to do daycare.
MrMacey you do have to say good bye to a good hunk of your free time, but what you get in return is worth that time in a ten fold, good luck and get all the sleep you can.