October 2024
"The purpose of this organization shall be to promote, protect and preserve the surfcasting tradition, in its many forms, along our coasts...
CSA Bylaws, Article II. Purposes
Fish!
[intransitive] go fishing to spend time fishing for pleasure, Let's go fishing this weekend.
On the tug, set the hook and pull that baby in!
Good Luck
Contents:
President’s Letter
Meeting Notes
Holiday Party
CSA Merchandise
Club Contests
Fish Pictures
Sharks
Product Review
Fall Run
Fishy Laughs
October Skies
A Letter from our President
Greetings Surfcasters
I will be the first one to admit that my membership, oh since about 1999, has been more social oriented than fishing. Sure, like many of you I grew up on saltwater, learning to fish with a stiff fiberglass 8’ pool cue-rod, either a Penn Greenie or a Garcia/Mitchel 306 spun with 20# Ande or Stren. Threw just a few offerings – a Hopkins No-Eql, Atom Popper, occasionally a Creek Chub. Throwing a balsa wood Rebel or Rapala was tough to get any distance. That was in the late mid-late 1960s. I enjoyed myself daytime fishing. I avoided nighttime fishing honestly and seriously believing in UFOs, and abductions, having read the book The Interrupted Journey (Fuller, John, 1966). Look Magazine (an absolute staple growing up in the Simko household) printed excerpts about Betty and Barney Hill in 1961 being abducted by a UFO and, after hypnosis sessions, realizing the several hours “lost time” traveling New Hampshire one winter late night was due to an alien abduction. I was a UFO buff before 1966 devouring any comic or graphic literature I could get my hands on. So, by age 10-11 I was NOT fishing into the night.
So, I join a group of dedicated surfcasters who, for the most part, fish nighttime hours. Nope. Not me. Still. I can star gaze without fear. But fishing. No. Fishing distracts me for observing the direction the alien spacecraft is approaching me. If I’m already looking at the stars and see my abduction fate approaching me then I will not be surprised.
My fishing and CSA participation to this day weighs much more to the social versus the angling perspective. But I enjoy our club outings and the occasional Penfield Reef trip with my son Michael. So forgive me if I may not seem as in-tune with the ongoing bite or tackle intricacies. I’m just having fun. I think back similarly to my mid 1970s college years. I raced competitively American Power Boat Association, stock outboard division, mostly B Stock and 25 SS Hydro. I didn’t mind not winning. I did like a podium finish, and did well enough to be competitive in the 1976 – 1978 stock outboard nationals in Dayton, Ohio, Hinton, West Virginia. Having fun was primary. Rarely won but enjoyed going around a 1.5 mile oval at 80mph while kneeling down in boat with a minimum 365 lbs. weight restriction (hey, I weighed a svelte 138-140, see attached).
So let me take care of CSA business. I think the business side is going O.K. And let me have fun one the few occasions we rub elbows wading the serf.
Tight lines everyone,
Mike S.
CSA Membership Meeting
I understand that Dave Anderson from the Fisherman will be the guest speaker for the October meeting.
The meeting will take place at the Madison Surf Club this Wednesday night starting at 7:00 PM. Be there or be square.
2024 CSA Holiday Party
With the fall season starting many members should be able to find some nice fish. What better way to celebrate your 2024 season by having a picture of your fall catch or any earlier nice catch than having it displayed in the CSA club picture collage at the Holiday Party. We will be having this year’s Holiday Party at the Clinton Town hall on Wednesday evening December 4. Festivities will begin at 6pm. This year's event will be catered by Leonis Italian Foods. Member's cost we be $10.00 per adult and children under 12 years old free. You may pay at the October or November meeting or via mail to Jim Savage 19 Broadview Drive, Wallingford, Ct 06492. Please make check payable to CSA. This year we may have the option to bring alcoholic beverages. Awaiting confirmation from Clinton town officials.
As always, we will be having a killer raffle this year. Our raffle representative Nate Kahle will be organizing a selection to outfit your upcoming fishing needs. One of the items for this year will be a custom built Billy D rod and Penn Spinfisher V1 reel. The rod is 7'11" 1/2oz-1 3/4oz, fast action Mudhole blank. This combo will be great for Albies, School to slot Bass, small -mid Blues, Blackfish & Fluke from shore. It features a Fuji Rapid choke layout with Fugi guides and a full specie elongated butt cork handle for casting leverage. The Penn Spinfisher V1 is a water resistant design capable handling saltwater splashing. The reel is loaded with Suffix 832 20lb green braid. The rod combo will be displayed at the October meeting. Raffle tickets will go on sale for $5.00 each at the October and November meetings, All tickets with name and phone number will be retained until the Holiday party and tickets purchased at the party will be added to the sealed container then raffled off at the event. You do not have to be present to win.
Members have worked hard through some difficult times fishing this season. Each year our High Hooks and Striper A Month awards are given out. Those of you who have had the good fortune of being the top gun in a category will be recognized with a plaque and our signature awards T-Shirt. For the most part, our membership has persevered this fishing season and what better way to end the season by supporting your fellow members and have a good time with all.
Shortly, there will be a Holiday Party thread on the S-B CSA club forum for a head count and any questions pertaining to the party may be asked posted or you may contact myself. Hope you all have a great fall. Be safe and tight lines. Billy D
NEW CSA MERCHANDISE
Available at the October meeting CSA will be selling a 22oz. Hot/Cold laser engraved CSA logo stainless steel tumbler with a see through sealed slide spout. Available in Black & Maroon. Introduction price $20.00.
Club Contests
Striper a Month 2024
Each year CSA runs a year long contest to see who can catch a striped bass in the 12 month period between December of the previous year and November of the current year. The following members have managed to catch at least one bass a month from December 2023 through September 2024.
Steve Hasselbacher
Jim Munson
Liam Rosati
Bill Tesbir
High Hooks and Top 10
High Hook Rules are as follows:
1. Fish must be caught from shore or surf, with both feet planted on Terra Firma.
2. The High Hook club tournament generally runs from the first Sunday following Thanksgiving for a period of one year.
3. Overall length, measured from the tip of the lip, to the end of the tail, is used to determine the winner. Weight is optional and not used to determine a winner.
4. Entries must be reported by the first membership meeting following the catch.
5. Entries can be sent to Mike Mullen at mike@highhooklures.com or the current Club President via email or submitted in writing at a club meeting.
Fish Pictures
Nice bass caught by Joe Esposito
46” bass caught by Mike Mullen
Be Aware - Sharks are in our local waters
A 42” bass with a big chunk missing caught by Bob Zumwalt
This a reminder: It has been mentioned on the message board and in conversations with fishermen, that sharks have been encountered in our local waters. Everyone should be aware of our surroundings and not make risky trips swimming out to rocks, day or night.
Just be careful and stay close to shore.
Product Review: BKK Titan Diver + hooks
BY Kevin Schwatlow
I have been using more and more soft plastic offerings as the years have gone by. I have almost always carried the 9 and 12 sluggos in my bag in the classic 2 hook rigged method. This approach is still very effective and accounts for many fish over the course of a season. Over many years of fishing, I realized that there were some spots that I fished where the fish were holding in deeper water and I needed to figure out a way to get my offering down to them. I built wooden lures to help accomplish this task in a few of those spots with some success. At the same time, I started to see many advancements in the soft plastic products available for use. I was seeing some new products on the market in large sizes that seemed like they would work well in some of the spots that I fished, I just needed to figure out a way to offer them properly and at deeper depths.
For some of these soft plastics, like the GT eel and original 13” hogy, I figured out a weighted hook setup that worked very well for me. The thinner profile of those baits allowed for my improvised hook setup to work effectively. When I tried to transition that to some of the more robust offerings, my hook option didn’t provide enough of a gap to allow for a proper hookset. I needed to find a hook with a larger gap. I looked towards what are known as “swim-bait hooks” to solve this problem. I eventually settled on the BKK Titan Diver + hooks. These hooks are readily available at shops that carry surfcasting related products. After using them for about 2 months, I came up with some positives and negatives.
Positive:
Wide gap hook allows for solid hooksets on some of the larger profile soft plastic products on the market today.
Multiple size options available.
Hooks seem to hold up well and don’t rust easily. I rarely rinse my gear and mine don’t seem to be rusting.
Comes with 2 lead weight options that allow you to switch as needed.
Price is comparable to other similar hooks on the market, maybe slightly higher.
Hook is very sharp and provides a good solid hookset.
Negative:
The corkscrew attachment for the nose of the soft plastic is garbage. Immediately replace it with a better product like ones made by Owner. The corkscrew that comes with the hooks does not “close” over the hook eye and will often get pulled off the hook eye.
Comes with a shiny small spinner blade attached to it….i immediately removed this and threw it away. I see no use for it.
The weight is held in place by 2 small pieces of rubber. This allows for adjustment of the weight position. I really wish they would just solder the lead in place on the hook. I have lost a weight when the rubber stoppers move on me. I may crazy glue my weight in place going forward.
Note opening on spring.
Overall this is a good product and I continue to use it. As with everything surfcasting, we are never happy with a product right out of the package; we make small little changes to products or find ways to improve it. Aside from the poor design of the corkscrew feature, this product requires minimal modifications.
The Fall Run by Mike Mullen
So far, for me at least, the fall run has been slow. I’ve been out at least 5 days a week and I caught just 2 fish all month. I dropped a couple, but that was it. I mean, I was getting my share of fresh air and exercise, but hey, I was hoping for a few more good fish. I did much better in August when the fishing was surprisingly good, even early on when it was hot. October is the month we all look forward to for big fish and I guess if the bait shows up we’ll have a crack at them. Let’s hope for the best.
Steve Hasselbacher told me the fishing was pretty good out on Cuttyhunk a few weeks ago, mainly on big needles. I’m ready. Actually, Mary and I are really looking forward to this fall’s Cuttyunk trip. It will be a chance to get away from home for a bit and just get out and walk around the island fishing in all our favorite places. I’m in charge of packing our gear and food, so I got out an old checklist I came up with years ago so I’m less likely to forget too many things. Here it is and I hope it gets some of you remembering to bring what you might need out there too. Good luck to all the CSA Cuttyhunkers!
From To Hell with Fishing
October Skies by Mike Simko
I write these monthly Skies articles partly because I find myself constantly looking up into the night sky while surfcasting. I never stopped to think about where others gaze while retrieving their offering. Horizon? Vessels in the distance? Maybe an obvious answer is the water right in front of them. No me. During the deepest darkest nights I am mostly gazing close to a 90 degree angle straight up.
Which brings me to my point. There are so many Earth orbiting space objects (by definition called “satellites”) that there are daily blogs and e-sources letting you know what may appear overhead at any given location, date and time. However, officially, per The United States Space Force https://www.spaceforce.mil/, there are an estimated 36,500 objects larger than 10 cm with more than 1 million objects between 1-10 cm in low Earth orbit (that between) between about 120 and 400 miles above the Earth. And depending where in the night sky any one of these objects orbits in relation to our Sun and Earth’s shadow you may be able to see one of these wanderers. Consider that to orbit the Earth at 120 miles or 400 miles altitude the satellite is traveling around 17,500 miles per hour. Larger pieces, such as the International Space Station orbiting at around 250 miles has to travel faster, around 17,900 mph to maintain orbit. Orbit faster than 17,500 mph and you break free from Earth’s gravity; slower and you begin to scrub off speed hence altitude eventually returning to earth as a glowing ember.
Next time you have especially dark skies stop and concentrate on just one area of deep space. Stay with that area. Focus. You will eventually see tiny specs traveling west to east. If they are in low earth orbit then they will traverse your view pretty quickly. If above low-Earth orbit then slower since the object is always traveling about 17,500 MPH but traveling farther. Sometimes you may see an object that barely moves! They are tough and usually not in published almanacs. Geosynchronous Earth orbit satellites orbit at 22,236 miles high. Though traveling through space at the same 17,500 mph they are orbitally locked in place. You want to spy on your neighbor? Buy yourself a satellite with digital resolution that can read a car license plate from 22,236 miles away. You just have to stare, stay in place for a real long time to get resolution. Oh, the USSF won’t help you. Even Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos don’t have that much money… or clearance.
My Cuttyhunk travelers – this weekend get to a deep dark spot. Look up and focus on one area. You will eventually see some tiny specs taking several if not a dozen minutes to travel horizon to horizon; some specs just a couple minutes - satelites close (relatively speaking), some many miles farther away.
Dark skies and tight lines.
Please remember to support our sponsors.
Editor’s note: SUDS is generally better when more members contribute. Do your part and write something up. And remember, adding pictures can make a difference.
Mike M.
Our next meeting
will be on
October 2nd
7:00 PM at the
Madison Surf Club
<;)))))))< >(((((((;>
Don’t go nuts
Go Fishing!