Report: JSS Surf day 2010

[DarkSkies]

THE JERSEY SHORE SURFCASTERS
Proudly present the fourth annual:

SURF DAY 2010

“A day dedicated to the surfcaster.”

LEARN FROM THE BEST SURFCASTERS IN THE REGION

SEMINARS ~ WORKSHOPS ~ DISCUSSION GROUPS
PLUGBUILDERS ~ FACTORY REPS ~ TACKLE SHOPS
CASTING WORKSHOP


ON HAND ALL DAY:
• “Crazy” Alberto Knie-Long Island surf legend
• Dave Anderson-Plugbuilder and New England sharp-shooter
• Rich Swisstack-Shore Catch Guide and St. Croix Rep
• John Skinner-Author and LI sharpie
• DJ Muller-The traveling surfcaster, guide, and author
• Don Musso-Legendary Plugbuilder
• Jim Hutchinson-RFA executive director and bass-pro
• Bob Misak- LBI bass-maniac and jetty jock
• AND MORE!!!

WHEN: Saturday, February 20, 2010

WHERE: Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ
Warner Student Life Center

WHAT TIME: 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $10.00


FOR SEMINAR SCHEDULE AND MORE INFO GO TO: www.jssfishingclubsurfday.com (http://www.jssfishingclubsurfday.com/)
OR CALL JOSH 732-809-3035

[DarkSkies]

Let's hear some feedback about this show guys and girls.

[rip316]

It was totally AWESOME. All of the speakers were great. Swiss, Hutch, Misac, Alberto Knie. I learned a great deal today. All of the information was so dead on. These guys KNOW their stuff. We were so interested in the seminars that when they were all over we wereen't able to buy anything. lol. Did any of you guys go. There was a guy named Paco there and the name was familiar. Is he from this site?

[Frankiesurf]

If Paco was a rod builder then it wasn't the same one. That Paco works at Campsite sports with Crazy Al.

[DarkSkies]

G and I made the Manahawkin HS RAMS fishing flea market and this show today. We got there in the afternoon, and managed to sit in on Crazy Alberto's seminar for a few minutes.

It was the same as I remember it last year. This year it seemed they had more seminars. The lineup of guest speakers was impressive.

I was also impressed that someone took the thought to direct traffic with chartreuse green signs in the lots. The campus in Lincroft is a rolling campus with a few lots. Last year it was confusing as there was a lack of signs to direct the show-goers. I ended up helping 2 older people find their way inside, as they kept driving around the parking lots.

This year it was a lot better. Those signs definitely made the place easier to find. :clapping::clapping: to whoever in the JSS thought ahead and placed those signs, smart move. :thumbsup:

Attendance:
We did notice the attendance down a little at the RAMS ffm in Manahawkin, as I said the economy is poor.

However at this JSS show in Lincroft the attendance seemed a lot less than last year.

I asked one of the guys who was counting the gate receipts at the end. He said attendance was down about 50% from last year. :don't know why:

I don't know what JSS could have done differently. They did have quite a few well-known speakers. The economy seems to have affected fishing activities at many levels.

[DarkSkies]

Making an appointment with a big fish: "When" is slack tide?

G and I got a chance to sit in on a few minutes of Crazy Alberto's seminar. The room was full, over 100 people were interested in hearing what Alberto Knie had to say.

We didn't hear all of it. The part we did hear was about making an appointment to get the fish of your dreams. That may sound weird to some, but I got what he was trying to get across.

Basically, he was talking about being there at the exact stage of the tide that would be optimal for the larger fish.

He was also jokingly talking about friends of his who missed out on good bites. I think it's a lesson a lot of us learn early on that the fish wait for no one. If you miss a good part of a tide, and come wandering in at a less than optimal time, you may miss that fish and end up wondering if any fish were there at all that night. :huh:

I thought Crazy Al covered his topic well. He has the sort of personality that engages the audience. He's caught a lot of big fish in his career. You have the sense of confidence when he speaks.

I think a lot of people came away from that seminar with a better understanding of time and tide, among other things. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Met Alan from Lemire's plugworks. One of the newer builders on the market. First time I had heard of him. These newer builders and people on the fringes are usually the things that catch my eye because they seem to have interesting stories.

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Some background:

This is one of the newer plug builders out there, Alan Lemire from Lemire's plugworks in RI.

He's been doing this for about 4 years now, and fishes heavily out of Block Island.

One of the things that impressed me about him is he claims he test swims all of his plugs before he packages them for sale.

I realize the big builders can't do that, but for a novice builder just starting out, it was refreshing to hear he has such a committment to quality control. Without getting into names, I have at times met builders who brag to me how they sell the plugs "that don't swim right" on E-bay. I don't understand that. If I was making plugs I wouldn't want a bad plug to be put in the hands of a fisherman. That would matter to me because I would want the guy to catch a fish, and toss the bad plugs away. Maybe that's just me. :don't know why:

I can't tell you anything else about the quality of Alan's plugs as I just met him for the first time today. However, I like his business philosophy, and wish him success in the years ahead. :thumbsup:

Nice meetin ya Alan. :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Many of you guys out there know him on the internet as "Sudsratt".

Well, he's also Steve from Bristol, Pa. Been doing the AOK tackle thing for a few years now, and he has some very good brand recognition in the NJ and NY areas.

I thought you guys and girls might like to hear a little more about him:

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Disclaimer...these are all raw videos I'm shooting here. You get to see these guys warts and all. I may never have time to edit or polish them up like you might see elsewhere. Realize that Steve was tired here, he had a long day, there may be some mistakes, such is life. :d

I thought he did a great, and candid, interview. That's what I look for when I interview someone. Thanks for the few minutes sharing your thoughts, Steve. Best of luck with AOK in the northern part of the Stripercoast. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Shoreline B&T, run by Tel Clayton and his dad Tom. Nice meetin ya Tell. :HappyWave:

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[DarkSkies]

pics

The NJBBA guys, Tom and Tom, great group that fights for beach access and does a lot of good things to take kids fishing. :thumbsup:

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[DarkSkies]

It was great meeting Swiss again. He has quite a few serious fish caught in his life, either by himself or guiding others.

Yet, Rich is not the type to brag. He's funny as hell, entertaining, and a knowledgable fisherman and guide.

I don't think there's one person in the fishing world who has something bad to say about Swiss.

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Nice meeting ya again, see ya out there once the season opens. :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

This is a small company, run by Rob Koch and Larry Wellcome, that has enjoyed some great success this year and last. I believe last year was their first year selling plugs to tackle shops.

Before that, as I understand it. Larry Wellcome was making plugs for a few years in a shop in his basement. All made from wood. Years of trial and error to build the "extreme" plug that would stand up to brutal Montauk conditions, :viking: swim straight, dive just right, and catch fish in the blackness of night where good construction was important, and critical to a good outing.

Along comes Rob with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was friends with Larry. Out of that friendship developed a thought of a partnership.

Rob took their best producing wooden plug, and set out to copy it in plastic so it would consistently produce the same results for all fishermen.

A lot of fishermen are stuck on the "legacy of wood". I never imagined a plastic plug could gather so much interest, but it has.
I think it's safe to say that Rob and Larry's company is one of the better success stories in this terrible recession we're living through.

I really wanted to know the reason behind the success.

Was it all hype, or was there some good science behind it? :don't know why:

I think the interview today provides those answers. Take a look and make your own judgement.

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Best of luck to you guys. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

[GeoffT]

Attendance:
We did notice the attendance down a little at the RAMS ffm in Manahawkin, as I said the economy is poor.

However at this JSS show in Lincroft the attendance seemed a lot less than last year.

I asked one of the guys who was counting the gate receipts at the end. He said attendance was down about 50% from last year. :don't know why:

I don't know what JSS could have done differently. They did have quite a few well-known speakers. The economy seems to have affected fishing activities at many levels.

Actually, in the final analysis, overall attendance improved by about 30% and the vendors told us it was the best show they ever went to - they sold more stuff in one day than they did in three days at the recent Somerset show. :thumbsup:

The seminars were packed throughout the day and yet the vendors were still getting a lot of activity upstairs until sometimes after the Crazy Alberto seminar started at 2:30, the final one of the day.

Based on last year, we had to expand the vendor area and moved the seminars to a bigger room (200 chairs) downstairs . The vendor room was just perfect, crowded but not suffocating. Yet it looked like we should have put out more chairs for the seminars as we had people standing up around the three walls because there weren't any chairs left over when they came in a little too late. :embarassed:

Glad you could make it at the last minute again. :rolleyes: :moon::D Sorry I missed you though. :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Northbar pics:

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This is the 63 Rob caught while testing. Beautiful fish, man. :thumbsup:

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[DarkSkies]

Actually, in the final analysis, overall attendance improved by about 30% and the vendors told us it was the best show they ever went to - they sold more stuff in one day than they did in three days at the recent Somerset show. :thumbsup:



Geoff, if that's what you say, fine, I'll take your word for it. I try to report things as honestly as I can, without the hype. :don't know why: I have no vested interest in the success or failure of that show. In fact, I feel bad when attendance seems down. I find I'm always trying to find excuses for why something happens, to make the people involved feel better.

However, it is what it is. I got that information directly from a guy who was counting admission receipts. I asked him how attendance was compared to last year.
The first thing he said was that it was down about half. A few seconds later he "corrected" himself and said, "Well, it was about the same as last year".

Since he was the one counting the money from the admissions, I took what he said at face value. People trust in me to report what I see and hear, and that's what I heard.

As I said, I just try to report em as I see and hear em. It is what is is, I'm sorry. :don't know why: It was still a good show, and the seminars were great. :thumbsup:

I missed a chance to say hi to you guys, and Shipwreck too. I know I'll see ya in late spring, once it's "safe" for you to throw artificials. :d ;)

Thanks for all your effort for the club, and special thanks to whoever thought of putting up those chartreuse "Surf Day" signs in the parking lots. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Always a pleasure to run into Armand and his son Marcel. They're full of great stories, and top it off with good family values. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

I ran into Armand from RI poppers and his son Marcel. They gave a nice interview not only on the business of plug-making and some of their background info, but on Armand's philosophy and his outlook on life.

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It was nice to meet you two again, always a pleasure, Armand and Marcel.

Some of the hardwood plugs Armand is now putting out there:
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[rip316]

Oh man. Why didn't you call me dude. You knew I was going to be there. We could have talked for a minute. Oh well. Hope you and G had a good time anyway. If you want keep me in mind in the future if you guys go to a flea market or another show. LATER.

[DarkSkies]

We did call ya, Rip, or at least we tried to. I realized for some reason I don't have your name/# programmed into my cell, and I couldn't find it.

My bad, sorry. :o

Please PM me again with the # and I'll set it up with the others.

Glad you had a good time, they had a wealth of experience in those seminars. :thumbsup: :fishing:

[baitstealer]

I didn't make it to this show. Sounds like I missed a good one.

I read on another site that a ZB reel was stolen. Get's to be pretty bad with honest guys making a living at a fishing show gets ripped off.:burn:

[rip316]

I didn't hear about that but, I don't ever doubt things like that.

[vpass]

I missed the show also. My daughter had a inteview and it went longer then I expected, I'm alittle upset. The only good thing she got the job.

it would have been nice to break the cabin fever.

[DarkSkies]

Vpass. she got the job? Congrats! Family comes first, there will be other shows. The Asbury show is coming up, hopefully you can hit that one. Through the years, family remembers little things like that, good for her on the new job. :clapping: