I can be selfish with my fishing obsession. I disappear for entire days in pursuit of fish, yes, but also solitude. A little peace and quiet is always on my wish list. But with The Dog and my partner both in need of some refreshing time in nature, we decided to take a Thursday off and head to my new favorite brook trout stream in New Jersey together.
Grim news is starting to pile up about declining Atlantic striped bass populations. But there are two things catch-and-release anglers can do to reduce mortality and help save the stripers: crush your barbs and swap out treble hooks for single inline hooks.
With a day free for fishing and the early-March weather cooperating once again, I headed for a now-familiar wild native brook trout stream in New Jersey, hoping to find some willing trout to highlight a quiet day in the woods. And did I ever, but it was all thanks to a recent wildly successful conservation project.
A recent wild native brook trout fishing trip in New Jersey was marred by POSTED signs. But while I let them invade my thoughts and disrupt my tranquility briefly, I wasn't about to let them ruin my day completely. My persistence led to one of the most beautiful brookies I’ve ever caught.
One week after finally catching my first fish of 2024, and with temps soaring to the low 50s, I headed back to the same New Jersey State Park in search of some more February wild native brook trout. It turned into a dream day 20 years in the making.
Brook trout, at least in their native Eastern range, have never been considered trash fish. And they were my primary target on a recent day off, when I took a drive to New Jersey for some late February fly fishing. But it was a different native species, one that never gets any respect, that stole the show.
One week after finally catching my first fish of 2024, and with temps soaring to the low 50s, I headed back to the same New Jersey State Park in search of some more February wild native brook trout. It turned into a dream day 20 years in the making.
In early February, pro bass angler, longtime fishing TV host and burgeoning Youtube star Scott Martin won the Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee, where he grew up and lives to this day, surrounded by his family, including his dad, fishing legend Roland Martin. It’s no secret why this was a monumental and emotional victory for Scott and his family. But you may wonder why it matters to me, and why I think it could matter to you. Let me explain.
The vision for Fishing On Fire is to document my fishing adventures, every single one of them, always with an eye to the environment, conservation and the rapidly disappearing wild spaces we love and depend on for survival.
As the calendar turned to the second month, the shortest and hardest fishing month of all, I was determined avenge my January failures. My plan: go back to my roots and pursue wild brook trout in tiny, mountain streams on the fly.
It was January 30th, and with the day off and the temps sticking above freezing, I had crafted a two-part Hail Mary plan to quiet my early-month regrets and secure a fish. One fish was all I needed. One single scaly catch to accomplish my meaningless internal goal.
With my first glimpse of the lake I realized my worst fears had come true. Instead of rippling reflections of the overcast sky, through a gap in the trees all I could see was a dull, whitish sheen that wasn’t moving.