Met him the other day before I hit the beach, he was coming off. We compared fishin notes, and got into an extended conversation about the old times he remembers.

He's a big guy with a booming voice, thankfully not as loud as I am. He's been fishiin for 43 years.

He has no use for the internet, but in respect for anyone who knows him, I'm not using his full name. I still had a great time listening to the stories. I probably should focus more on fishin at times, but these stories people tell me seem just as important. You only get one chance to hear them, and I like bringing them to you people. Some of the stories:

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Long Branch fishing pier:
He remembers fishing that as a kid, and the whiting they used to catch by the bushel in December. They called them "frostfish".

Sandy Hook Big bass in December:
He remembers back in the 70's, they caught big bass up to 40# in the month of December as they came in to the bay and channels to feed on the herring that were stacked up there.

Sandy Hook working the rip with eels and bucktails:
He and a bunch of other guys used to "work the rip" with eels or bucktails. They would all start in a line, one after the other, and give the bucktail or eel a huge toss so it would float along in deep water. Then they would walk it down the beach to keep it in the strike zone for the longest possible time. A few secs after one guy threw out, another guy in line started, and they all followed each other down the beach without getting tangled. A lot of big bass were caught this way. Of course, everyone was more willing to cooperate back then. I can't imagine one single group of 20 guys being able to do this today at the Hook without

Sandy Hook, when the "Hook" was a Real Hook:
Over 20 years ago, you could go to the last parking lot, walk out to the left, and there was an isolated "Tip" that extended out such that casting only a few feet out would put you into a 30' deep channel. Guys would converge in this spot and catch striped bas, fluke, and weakfish in the MIDDLE of the day in August! And BIG bass from here at night.

Of course, the tip was washed away by storms and not replaced. Many guys now refer to the area now marked by the range buoys as "The Hook" when in fact it's the "False Hook". The Original Hook is gone forever, but the memories live on in the minds and stories of the guys who fished there.

Catching a 20# bluefish, and making Art Giglio laugh:
He caught a 20# bluefish one summer in Sea Bright. No matter how you look at it, a 20# bluefish could be considered a trophy, pound for pound they fight harder than bass. But he was angry! He bought that bluefish into the old Giglio's B&T to get weighed. He was in such a mood that he remembers Art Giglio laughing at him, asking why he was so mad? Are thought it was a great catch. Big D didn't. Now, years later, he realizes it was one of the biggest bluefish he ever caught.

The state of fishing today:
He said every year they change the regs so more things are restricted. He's sick of it.

The state of Angler committment today:
He said that most guys don't want to work to catch fish. They want to go to the beach, snag a bunker, and in 5 minutes be hauling a trophy fish up on the sand. He and the guys he fished with all put their time in, and he kind of resents the new "internet fisherman".