"Children do not extract meaning from what they hear others saying.....they try instead to relate what has been said ...to what is going on"......Judith Newman .  August was a lean month for big Stripers. I hope you all had better luck.  But on many occasions my surfcasting was the avenue for magic moments while simply fishing.  August is the big beach month for summer fans, so there were many footsteps in the sand during that time.  A lot of the footsteps around where I fish, are smaller ones.  Kids like fishing....some kids more than others.  If they linger near you ,their body language speaks for itself. Spend a few minutes interacting with them about the sport.  After all.....how did we learn?..........and so

TURBO

     Every time we needed a sure fire , break away touchdown, I would call the play we titled......TURBO.  All I had to do was just lead him a little bit and Pete would shift into TURBO and would be clear for the catch.  Sure fire plays for touchdowns are hard to come by with 7-11 yr olds. they tend to "GRAB" all the receivers to slow them down.  As quarterback, a good day for me with td passes and the beach football players would be around..id say....10 td's.  As assumed , Pete is one of the beach players....as are his brother Andrew and his sister Madison.  I've know Pete for a few yrs now.  Although his elder.......BY 50 YRS, give or take, we act more like friends than an adult and kid. Do not mistake the term friends for any short cut to disrespect or lack of politeness towards me.  Friends respect friends.  Ever since his family moved to humarock,he has come down and asked many questions about surfcasting..and fish...and sports...and LIFE. The questions kids ask when they are comfortable and familiar .Our responses to these enquiries actually validate our lives inventory, by reciting the answers.  Kids can assure you of your worth by listening to you..and believing what you say .  Aging can sometimes stifle  your judgement of your own personal worth.

    Now where was I...........ah yes......the TURBO play.  Turbo was named after Pete...cuz when he throws some fakes and turns on the  turbos, he rules the beach in that age group.  Pete is very rugged at the young age of 10.  Almost robotically running pattern after pattern and diving on rocks and assorted other bruise makers..  I have even zipped some passes to him a tad hard and he has taken them off the chest...with never  a whimper. Now I hope im not leading you down the wrong path here.  When it comes to me throwing Pete touchdown passes...it is for my pleasure only. He does not need ol striper mike to teach him football, his father is an exceptional National football league veteran, so he has a great dad and a great mentor on football and life.  But my niche with Pete...was ....and is.....FISHING. 

     Turbo is an observer.....as mentioned he will ask questions.......but he WATCHES.  Evidence of that came the day I hooked up a small bass when he was younger.  Although he is tough......he was still young, maybe 8 then. I asked him if he wanted to reel it in.  He never hesitated...took the rod and on his first try.....Modeled exactly the way he saw me fight fish time and time again.  He observed it....and then implemented it. 

 As a former teacher I enjoy discovering a child's avenue to learn.  Pete's was by watching. From that point on, I have incidentally taught him by showing him things and giving him chances to watch me demonstrate.  I stressed that he LOOK FOR THINGS  TO LOOK AT.  that's the same as asking a questioning child to keep asking questions. So with turbo, conclusions....came from accumulated observations and listening. Conclusions, in my estimation. are an advanced point of development.  The ability to bring back what may have only been a fleeting sec in his life and combine with other things that he also needs to recall  to create his conclusion and  then.....DO SOMETHING with your conclusion. For a teacher like me, with Pete as smart as he is. It makes for terrific fishing times

     Peek sun on hot summer days is not a good time to expect stripers from shore...so to pass the idle time..i would go over the items in my tackle box..for the KIDS. TEACHING!!!!!!

      The atom is a surface plug that imitates a fish fleeing from a striper...etc.  "why is this one blue striper mike?"...why is this one rubber striper mike"  This occurred with each cast able piece of hope I had in that box, from rubber to steel. I never deny pursuit of knowledge...I explained them all.  Most kids like to hear me talk so my narratives keep their attention. Pete is there to learn........and I know it. So as I chat to the others< I make sure Turbo hears my every word.  I can see my description bring about images in his mind, as he MENTALLY OBSERVES how each lure moves and why.

"Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment".

      He was the only kid who understood the correlation.  The concept that these are to imitate small fish which the stripers like to eat.  He was developing a fishing mind.  Ive seen this transformation many times before. I was watching turbo show me his propensity to learn about surfcasting!  It obviously came to him more easily than it did for the other beach kids .  Im sure he didn't even notice it about himself......but i did... Im Striper Mike.

    The next day I gave him an old rod and reel . I also gave him a small atom popper with the hooks removed to assure safety.  This rod and reel was for casting practice only..He loved it.  It was TIME!

     The joy of teaching  comes from using the world around us...not assigned pages in a book, to  be recited. CASTING was the lesson de jour.  Although Turbo is very athletic this was new and I concluded could be difficult for  him.  After his first few attempts it was clear that it was.  Try a different way......the motto of so many teachers. Pete??...what sports. other than football do you play?.. I have hockey practice I go to.  I like baseball, (he's a fellow New York Yankee fan)..i like swimming....and I like lacrosse.....BINGO. Ok Pete.....hold the rod like a lacrosse stick...use that finger to hold the line and then throw it like a lacrosse pass.  I saw the light bulb go off.   Almost every cast after that was much improved.  He realized his advancement.  He realized that I saw it too.  I could feel my grasp on him that needed to help him with every phase of the sport..... fading away.  He could see that his own independence in fishing...was with in reach !!

     Genetics is an amazing part of the human race.  Turbos genetics, from his dad, are very evident to  me.  His father has  an impossibly hard job. It requires constant professionalism...composure. and seriousness.  Besides turbos physical traits that resemble his dad he also moves through life in that refined, serious, focused  fashion.  In a lot of ways.. that makes us balanced as pals.  Im very animated..he isn't. im very loud. he isn't....im very jubilant and he isn't.  When Pete caught his first striper and had it on the sand...we stared at it....and I said.....do you know what your supposed to do now??..His answer was.......release it??....I said...no......the next thing you do is smile.  I saw the grin formation...the" first fish"  smile...is one that lasts forever.

     Our traditional walk. rugby and mine...took us past..turbos house as usual.  He came out and as calm as can  be...told  me, "Striper Mike. I almost caught a fish yesterday.....I had a bite!"   Now the rod and reel I gave him had a plug with no hooks on it....I asked him to practice casting , so ....of course...I knew he was full a immersed in a dream..wasnt he?

     Turbo??.....I didn't give you any hooks. stop fooling with me.  he ran inside. and brought out ........this 

   That is  the practice plug and a tiny rubber shiner he found with a fresh water hook in it. Notice how he figured out how to attach it.  "I used this striper mike...........and I think I got a bite".  he proceeds...."I was on my surf board yesterday and I looked into the water and saw all these tiny fish swimming around.......so I figured big fish were there trying to eat them (he gathered this from hours of me discussing these scenarios)...so I went to the house and connected these and cast it out.  I think I got a bite". His eyes were undeniably serious!... I could tell he meant it.  Pete??..I really don't think you got a bite ..but im proud of you for figuring out that cycle and attempting to invent a way to catch them.  That  makes me feel good that you pay attention Pete.  then. with all a look that showed me how hard he was trying to validate his experience to me...he said....again..."But striper mike...I really did get a bite". With a pat on the back for future encouragement.. I said......well maybe next time you'll get him.  But his sincerity made me look at his plug concoction..........again!

     Recently there were alot of bluefish around and for a second I thought..........maybe....by some stretch.......one had tried to bite his setup. I looked real close at the rubber shiner.  It was raked with razor sharp teeth marks!!!...He was right....he did have a bite.  Now....that is the product that makes the time you spend with young fisherman all worth while. he learned about bait and casting and reeling....and different fish...and what they eat and when. and on an on. He listened and watched.....and on his own....made a valiant attempt ,to catch a fish...and dam near did!

"The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, The children are now working as if I did not exist." M Montessori

 Turbo will catch many more fish in his life time.  He will learn many more things.  He is a fine young man brought up by fine parents and striper mike is glad to be his pal. So, as the winter howls.....I anxiously await my next 10 touchdown passes to him under the warm summer sun.......when he runs the turbo play! but, I also cant wait to see what life's menu has brought to his plate of interests. 

    don't just say hi to kids....try to be one.....relearn all that you knew....again....by being their pal.........Striper mike

GRILLED STRIPER

do you really do it the right way??

1 lbs. or more of fillet of bass
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS chopped garlic (optional)
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges 

Start a hot fire, arrange grill about 3-4 inches above coals.
Coat the fish with olive oil, rub with chopped garlic
Liberally salt and pepper
Grill the fish flesh side down, slipping metal spatula under it every
couple minutes to prevent sticking.
After about 5 minutes, carefully turn fish over
and grill another 5 minutes.
The fish should now be translucent, white throughout. 

Serve skin side down and eat while hot with lemon - pure and delicious food.
This is good on dressed salad while hot. Try it.
You can also serve butter on the side as you would with a boiled lobster.
I like the left over fish marinated in vinaigrette to eat cold the next day.

Hello,  I wanted to thank you for you poetic and passionate tales of fishing.
I live in the big city, NYC, and fish the Jersey shore when I can.  Right now
I'm in the middle of too much computer work.  I ready your stories now and then and always get a lift from them.  I just read your story of the "brush" with the mako.  Only a poet could describe this brush as "proximity of breath"! 
Hey, thanks.  It's 4am. 

Peace,
Joshua Bisset
 

 

 

Mike, Where are you ? Is the fishing up there that good that you haven't
updated for two months ?

Bud De Santis

Im a slow poke these days........bud.......I cant write about adventures,,,unless im making adventures...right??......I hope all is well bud..striper mike

I love reading your postings on your website.  I try to get out fishing with my young son who is 5 as often as possible.  I’ve taken to reading him your stories before bed each night.  I have a couple of questions that I was hoping that you could answer.  What rod and reel package would you suggest that will be durable but also not break the bank.  I would also like to hear what basic tackle you would suggest for fishing the surf.   I also was hoping to get some tips on what areas you would suggest to fish with my son that would be safe for him and I to enjoy a great day of fishing.  When we do go fishing we usually go to the fore river bridge to fish due to the proximity of our home in Weymouth.  I hope to hear back from you and hope to see your website updated in the future.  Thanks for the great fishing stories.  We also toss back our catches after we take the all important picture.  Thanks

                        

PLEASE NOTE THE AGE OF THE BIG ONES, THEY ARE THE PROVEN BREEDERS, LET THEM GO.

   LET THE BIG COWS GO FREE,YOU WILL LIKE THE FEELING. 

DON'T YOU MISS THE GOOD WEATHER??

The striped bass is distributed along the east coast of North America from Nova Scotia to Florida. Spawning populations are concentrated along the mid-Atlantic region. In the Connecticut River basin, striped bass stay mostly in the mainstream, and are known to travel as far north as Bellows Falls Dam, Vermont (175 miles upstream).

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JOHN STEINBECK

I am surprised that the dour brotherhood of psychoanalysts has not attacked fishing, since it seems to me it is in competition. Two hours with a fishing rod is worth 10 hours on the couch and very much less expensive.
Then My Arm Glassed Up
-- DECEMBER 20, 1965