If you are down about the economy and feel depressed, I have the perfect remedy. Go fishing! Especially now our area hotspots are providing plenty of "Ree" Therapy" (I just saw that as the name of a boat at the gas dock). But now more than ever it is true. This is the best time to enjoy the outdoors in our area. Remember... work is for people who don't know how to fish!! Captain Fletcher Chayes had a nice catch of keeper bass and 5 albacore down at the Shrewsbury Rocks last Friday. The bluefish were thick and he said that hew had to move close to the beach to get the bass and albys. Today we had some reports of a Bass Blitz which is going on in Rockaway the last two days. Marco from The Copper Basket in Basking Ridge, caught these striperrs on Roan=mer Shoals Tuesday morning pulling umbrella rigs.

Burleigh Van Note of Kennet Square Pa., horsed in this keeper from under the Highlands Bridge on Saturday. He was fishing with me on my boat drifting worms on the incoming tide. They bight heavier in the stronger currents. He was using a sinker slide and a 4oz sinker on 20 # test and a 3/0 circle hook.

I have been having fun tagging the smaller bass up the rivers. The Seabright sedges are producing 13-17" bass. I tagged 10 yesterday. Another boat fishing shads had a 27" bass. There are some great holes all around the numerous sedges in btween Rumson//Sea Bright and Monmouth beach and they are LOADED with bass. I was using sand worms.
What tagging tells us about fish
(Note: the term "return" refers to the recapture and reporting of a previously tagged fish)
- The longest striped bass return was "out" 11 years, 8 months, and 13 days; during that time it grew from 13" to 45"
-The longest bluefish return was "out" four years to the day. It was tagged in Massachusetts and recaptured in New York.
- The longest summer flounder return was "out" 8 years and 1 day; it was tagged at 11" and at recapture had grown to 26" (6 1/2 lbs)
- The longest winter flounder return was "out" 4 years, 8 months; Tagged in the Middle Bay off Southern Long Island, it was recaptured nearby in Great South Bay