Legends of the Salt... Living Legends thread

[DarkSkies]

The Living Legends


When we think about the evolution of surf fishing, many legendary characters come to mind.

From the humble beginnings of their heavy surf sticks paired with conventional reels and a few bucktails and tin squids, surf fishermen have come a long way.

If there was such Hall of Fame for East Coast surfcasters, who would be in it?

Who would you like to see in it?

Who stands out in your mind as a character who either contributed to surf fishing in some significant way or is one of the remarkable present day surf fishermen ?

[DarkSkies]

I want this thread to be something people might get enjoyment from for years to come. The focus of this thread will be the Saltwater Surfcasters who are still with us.


Even though just posting the guys' name would be fine, I would like this thread to be something more than that. I would like it to be a legacy tribute to some of the most notable surfcasters out there.

Some ways you might do that:

1. Post up an article that was written about them, with appropriate references.

2. Post up a paragraph or 2 or what you feel they brought to the surf fishing world, their technique, method, personality, record catches, or anything else you think might inspire future anglers to follow in their footsteps.

3. Post up a few words how you feel their achievements or efforts at conservation have set the bar for others to follow.

4. Don't limit yourself to my suggestions. Think outside the box. Be creative, but respectful.

5. Don't limit yourself to just one post. Post a series of posts if the info you're bringing to the screen is lengthy. Try to break up articles with one/ post so people are more inclined to read them.

6. Of course, if ya just wanna post up and say "I nominate Mr XYX because he did a, b, and c....
feel free.






Let's hear what you guys and girls think.

[rip316]

Shell E Caris. Shore Catch Guide Service. Don't know the guy but, have read a lot of things about him. Know a guy that went to a couple of his seminars.Nothing but good things I've heard. Guys kind of a legend.

[DarkSkies]

Shell E Caris. Shore Catch Guide Service. Don't know the guy but, have read a lot of things about him. Know a guy that went to a couple of his seminars.Nothing but good things I've heard. Guys kind of a legend.

Shel E is a well respected member of the surfcaster community who paid his dues. Had some great success last year.

There's a thread about him here:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=4343

I know of Capt Gene Quigley and a few of the guides there. I wouldn't mind giving them a little promo linking their site as well.
They're one of the pioneer charter outfits out there now that talk about Catch and Release with their clients.



Post up a couple things or 2 about Shel E, Rip. It's pretty easy to find the thing I'm referring to that happened at IBSP last year with a google search. If it's a newspaper article, please remember to site the source by posting the link.

Or, you can Copy & Paste it all from the Shore catch site if ya want to make it easier. Just add the link to their site for a reference when you post.
http://www.shorecatch.com/home.html

[finchaser]

I second Shel E. We fished IBSP back in the 70 and 80's with the hot new lure a needle fish and one of Marie's hand tied teasers ahead of it We still reminisce on Sunday mornings at a certain shop how it use to be.

[rip316]

Awesome. Are you referring to the two 50lb bass Dark?

[storminsteve]

^^I remember reading that in the paper, possibly the Asbury park press. They said he had been fishing for many years and it was the first time he broke 50. I think he got another one while guiding a client. Good for him.

[rip316]

I pick Finchaser. I have heard all of the stories first hand and not just from him. He says fishing with him is overrated, I totally disagree. Here is a pick of me having the chance to fish with Finchaser.

[DarkSkies]

** ^^(Rip, call or PM me and I'll walk ya through how to post a pic. I think ya may have done something at the last second before you posted that caused the pic to not be recognized)


********************
I'm glad ya nominated Finchaser, Rip. I wanted to do it a while ago but was concerned people might think there was a bias there. After all, if I were to nominate a grouchy old basstard who insults me every chance he gets, is about as critical as my Dad was, and likes to rant and rave at me when he's upset about a current fisheries management issue, people might say that was illogical behavior.

So, I'm glad you put his name out there, because he certainly deserves the honor. There are quite a few threads here detailing his fishing career, from the

"Long Branch...back in time" thread
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/.....back-in-time

Where we learn, among other things, that...
- Finchaser was fishing at the age of 5, when his Dad brought him out on the codfish boats and told him to "man up" or he wouldn't take him fishing again..
- He was also part of the history at the Long Branch Fishing pier before it burned down,
learning from the old timers there and fishing with them every weekend he could bum a ride there. Even in the coldest winters they would fish for whiting, ling, and whatever else was available, with old timers like Joe Melillo, and many others who have since died or moved to different areas.

- He became one of the "infamous" Stevens Surfsters, the fishing club representing Stevens B&T in Long Branch, one of the lost traditions in the ever-growing commercialization of the shore towns. As part of the Surfsters, they dominated the fishing tourneys during that time, and usually crushed the competition.

- How did they do this? Secret spots?
Nope...it was sheer determination, and the dedication to fish 2 and 3 days/nights at a time that put them in the forefront of their peers. That type of fishing won them many trophies. It resulted in a surf-caught 50lb bass for Finchaser but also in the dissolution of several relationships and marriages.

- Yep, these guys were "hard-core" before the phrase "hard-core surf fisherman" was even defined.

They lived and breathed to fish, and all knew and respected each other, despite personality differences. In fact, the practical jokes they used to play on each other were legendary. Some of them are detailed in the above-
referenced Long Branch thread.

[DarkSkies]

When he grew up, there wasn't a lot of interest in fish conservation. People fished less for sport and more for food. The country was coming off the economic downturn from overseas war involvement. People felt poor, and they were poor, relative to how we live today. So fishing, as well as hunting, was a valued way to bring protein home for the family.

Gradually, awareness increased about overfishing. First, the 200 mile limit was passed in the 1970's to keep the foreigners, like the Russians, from decimating our groundfish. Unfortunately, by that time it was a free-for-all offshore. After the Russians were pushed out, our US commercial fishermen continued to over-fish cod, whiting, and ling.

This was also happening to an extent with the striped bass. There was a feeling that striped bass were an infinite resource. Less attention was paid to things like biomass, YOY, and birth and fecundity rates.

Some groups noticed their yearly striped bass catches declining. There grew a grassroots conservation movement along the East Coast. One of the most famous conservationists, Bob Pond, has been mentioned here in several threads.

The opinions of these guys were not popular, to say the least. Eventually a drop in catches and bigger bass was so noticable that fishing clubs began to get involved in signing petitions and raising awareness. This was not enough to stem the decline in the striped bass biomass, and eventually in the early 1980's a Coast-wide moratorium was declared closing striped bass fishing down.


Because of this, clubs like Stevens Surfsters, and many others like them, tried to get legislators involved in protecting bass so the moratium would hopefully never happen again. Finchaser worked with his club, along with the JCAA, and several old-timers who are members here and on other sites, to push for the protection of striped bass in federal waters (3 mi limit) and to get the out-of-state bunker boats restricted to where they could net bunker in NJ and NY waters.

Bunker boats
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...highlight=jcaa

Moratorium
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...***-Moratorium

Striped bass a Gamefish in Federal waters
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...of-1984-HB2655


This grassroots coalition managed to get some significant pieces of conservation-minded legislation passed in the 1980's. This, along with the moratorium and stricter regs, resulted in an unprecedented comeback of the striped bass, said to be one of the greatest comebacks of all times.


Anyone who has participated in the Spring run of cow striped bass which come into the NJ surf zone from May - June, owes some of their success to guys like Finchaser and all the unsung or uncredited club members who toiled quietly and patiently in the background. Their patience and persistence, sometimes required for years of meetings, grew the biomass to the highest level it achieved sometime in the early 1990's. We owe a debt of gratitude to all these fine folks who took the time to think of our fishing future. They didn't get discouraged, and kept pushing and pushing until they got results.




During the middle part of the 2000 decade, some of these old timers again started to notice a decline in the breadth of different year bass classes. It was enough to cause concern. Finchaser and scores of other fishermen began writing about it...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...e-Striped-Bass

[DarkSkies]

I'm fortunate to have come to know him not only as a conservationist and intense fisherman, but also as a friend. I may joke about his grouchiness, but that's because of his incessant hammering of where he thinks the fishery is headed.

He was once part of a group of fishermen who weren't as concerned as they should be.

Then, they saw the light and fought for years to bring us the great fishing we've experienced since the mid-80's.

The fact that he sees it going into the toilet again, with lots of newer fishermen in complete denial, is too much for him to process.

At times he can't understand why people don't see things the same way he does. He also sees commercial gill-netters decimating our juvenile weakfish and other small fish, and is not willing to accept the decline of a fishery as he once witnessed. Coupled with the fact there is so much apathy when it comes to thinking about the future, no wonder the guy is a bit grouchy sometimes.

He's a true sportsman, and would give ya the shirt off his back if ya needed it. Also one of the most generous fishermen I know....
with his advice, time, teachings, always willing to help a new guy out, and having taken many anglers under his wing to show them subtle ways to effectively present to the fish, he certainly has earned a place in this thread.

And he's a tough old "bird" too. Having encountered some health difficulties which cut down on his fishing a bit, he's full of **** and vinegar. He still seems as enthusuastic about his love for fishing as when he was 5years old and his Dad took him offshore cod fishing in January for the first time.

OK, now off of the Finchaser soapbox.

If any of ya's have anything to add to this story, please feel free, and thanks!

[rip316]

[DarkSkies]

Nitestrikes, thanks for posting that about Jack Yee...met him once a few years ago at Paulies in Montauk....

** I have to nominate John Skinner for this thread....finally got a chance to meet him today at the Berkeley show.




John Skinner - writer, teacher, and hardcore surf and kayak fisherman....


He has....
written 2 outstanding Saltwater books:
1. Season on the Edge
2. Fishing the Bucktail

3. Numerous saltwater articles and a regular saltwater blog....
4. Started a company that has an online fishing log database.....www.FishersLog.com


He is a tremendous fisherman, prolific writer, and all-around nice guy.
Being a good fisherman is one thing.
Translating that so people can learn from you, is taking it to another level. John Skinner has done that time and time again......

Attachment 16613

Attachment 16612

Attachment 16614


Here is just one of the exciting pages from his book Season on the Edge...
It talks about how he first got started, the fun in catching and battling his first bluefish and his love of fishing as a learning process.
Dating from those first fish to a Season travelling and fishing the legendary places all Surfcasters dream of...a must-read for any angler. Whether you are a beginner or have experience, I believe everyone can get something out of his books.


Today I finally got a chance to meet him in person. I feel he is just as portrayed in his videos. Nice demeanor, knowledgable, and very humble.

If you have a chance find a way to read either of his books....you will be a better fisherman because of it.....

Nice to meet ya, John...

[CharlieTuna]

^^^ Good choice. John is a prince among men. Not one shred of ego either.

[strikezone31]

Great read gents.