The Triumphant Return of Bob
First, some shop news, maybe. For as busy as the shop has been, and is has been very busy, there isn’t much significant news to write about. This is the point of the summer where we can usually cut and paste the previous report, as things are usually not significantly changing.
Here is something new. Bob is back from his extended ICAST “vacation,” so if you were waiting to come in to talk to him about having a custom rod built, now is the time to do it.
We’ve restocked (again) on Bait Lockers. These have been a huge hit. Apparently, a lot of people have experienced the hell caused by leaking Gulp Liquid. We have made a slight change for these. The size of the larger white one forced us into using the biggest box we stock for shipping. It wouldn't fit in any of our standard smaller boxes. That was causing some shipping estimates to be higher than they should have been because all the shipping companies calculate rates based on box size and weight (except USPS Priority, but the large Bait Locker was too tall for any of their standard boxes). We have ordered a box specifically to ship these, and it has brought the estimated shipping for them down about 8 dollars from the large box. Shipping is still not cheap for anything, unfortunately, but we are trying to ease the burden for you. So if you looked at ordering one and were hesitant because of the shipping, please look again.
Speaking of easing the shipping burden, here is a reminder that we now offer free shipping for any orders over $100. There are some exceptions, the most notable being rods. The only thing you have to do is select the free Economy shipping option at check out. And if you want your order shipped via UPS or a certain USPS option, those will still be available to choose at the normal cost.
As far as the fishing goes, this is something we can also cut and paste from the past few reports. It’s summer, and things don’t seem to change quickly in the summer. The fluke fishing still remains good. The surf is still producing fish regularly, and the nearshore wrecks and reefs are producing some nice catches too. Bucktails and Gulp! (as usual) …
There are small bluefish popping up in the surf here and there. When they show, they are fun. Mullet for bait, metals for lures.
If you are fishing for blues using bait, especially if you are using large pieces of bunker or mackerel, keep an eye on your rod. There is a good chance a large toothy critter may come along and pull it from your sand spike.
The local docks are producing a lot of crabs for the crabbers. Many are small, but with some time and persistence good catches are being put together. We have the traps, drop lines, nets and bunker for you to give it a shot.
The boats fishing in the bay are reporting good catches of blowfish. Clam, squid and Fish Bites are responsible for these catches. Clam chum helps bring them to the boat.
There is one change to the summer pattern to report. Blackfish season has opened for one fish per angler on August 1st. The summer fish like White Chin Wreckers just as much as they do during the colder months.
We are waiting for a few other late summer species to show up. On deck are Spanish Mackerel, sheepshead, croaker, and cobia. We have heard a rumor here and there on all of them, but nothing solid. When we hear something, we will tell you.
Here is a notable catch from the week.
Our lead-in picture is our very own Jenni who showed a boat full of anglers how to catch fluke using S&S Bucktails Fluke Nuk’ems and 6” Gulp! Grubs.
Those of you who know Ray well know that he likes fishing unsalted water for green fish. His favorite fish apparently have a big mouth. His favorite lure to use is a pumpkin green senko. He was questioned how these little fish eat that lure, and instead of telling us, he just demonstrated using a chocolate chip cookie. (Video courtesy of Jenni…)
Look at how proud he is...