Gentlemen--

Is it really that quiet out there? Are there no fly rodders out tryin' to hook up?

Are we leavin' this all to the bait boys?

I've been out a few times already. Mid north shore of Long Island. Nada, I'll admit. But any day now. Water's warming up. Stripers are certainly on the move.

I run a grounds maintenance operation so, I've got two seasons kicking in: work and pleasure. Until mid-May, when pleasure switches to nights, I'm hard pressed to share the time.

Last year, I wasn't equipped to work the ocean beaches. With my new Albright XX Tabory broom-stick, I think I'm ready. I hope to spend a good amount of time working that open surf. It'll be a big change from the much calmer and much more leisurely north shore.

Had an invitation, recently, to join a friend down in Jersey to get my first taste of striper for the season. He suggested I bring bait. He knows I'll bring flies. This weekend, maybe next.

What about the rest of you fly boys? What are you up to? What are you up to with? And where are you up to it?