{"id":4849,"date":"2023-12-22T20:09:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-23T03:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/?p=4849"},"modified":"2023-12-24T10:53:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-24T17:53:17","slug":"merry-fishmas-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/?p=4849","title":{"rendered":"MERRY FISHMAS 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Nothing would be easier than to write off this holiday season with an indisputable “bah humbug” for all the joy and peace and goodwill that is missing from the world. But there was at least one bright candle in the window: the surf fishing season that officially ended this month was spectacular. From Mother’s Day to Thanksgiving, there were blitzing bluefish for the smoker, keeper stripers for the grill, freshly dug clams for chowder and pies. But most of all, I look back fondly on the season’s cameraderie with family and friends. In the spring and summer, I watched with nostalgic glee as a fledgling young surfcaster–Broadway Baby Ryder–came into his own under the loving watch of his dad<\/a>. And in the fall, I was practically giddy helping a handful of hoary googans–the venerable Red Hill Gang<\/a> who are my best friends–catch bass from the beach for three days under glorious October skies. Best of all, I had the rare good fortune to fish virtually the entire season side by side with Big Brother Frank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here’s some of the season’s highlights. In celebration of it all, BBF and I once again offer you our annual Fishmas greeting. Be sure to not miss the rocking duet rendition of this year’s Fishin’ With Ole Santa Claus Last Night,<\/em><\/strong> performed <\/a>by<\/a> Darlin’ Daughter Diane and Sweet Baby Rebecca.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WORKING BIRDS: A classic bass blitz at “Mecca,” the surfcasting capital of the world that is Montauk.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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QUALITY ABOVE AND BEYOND: Surpassing the 31-inch “slot,” this striper was returned to the sea to swim another day.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A BOY AND HIS BASS: Broadway Baby Ryder picked this teen-size striper from the East Hampton surf on a mid-October afternoon.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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KEEPERS THREE: Big Brother Frank, Bucktailin’ Billy, and I scored dinner from a wind-tossed sea at Montauk’s North Bar.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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NIGHT MOVES: More than once, Broadway Bass Man LeeBob schooled us why it’s okay to miss some sleep from time to time.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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BREAKFAST ON THE BEACH: If it ain’t catered, it ain’t fishing. Trick question: Can you spot Big Brother Frank’s blueberry muffins? Nor can I.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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STRIPERS IN THE ROCKS: Bucktailin<\/a>‘ Billy<\/a> pauses for a closeup during a fast moving blitz under the lighthouse.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
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SANTIAGO REDUX: Doc returned from his fish-of-a-lifetime catch of 2022<\/a> to nail some keepers that will keep him coming back for more.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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RETURN OF THE RED HILL GANG: Not since 2008<\/a> has this venerable gaggle of googans scored so well in the surf. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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BIG BROTHER FRANK: Notching keepers like these, it is a wonder he ever returned home to the West Coast.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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WHY IS THIS MAN SMILING? Verizon Charlie loves to do it in the weeds.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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ONE WITH IT ALL: To stand amid the sea, the sand, and the sky, to feel a part of it, is to relish the delight that is surfcasting.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

FISHIN’ WITH OLE SANTA CLAUS LAST NIGHT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Click the photo to sing along with Fred & Frank’s Fishmas Card 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(To the tune of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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I saw Billy pickin\u2019 keeper bass<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishin’ with ole Santa Claus last night<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The snow was pilin\u2019 high<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they didn’t blink an eye<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

they hooked into those stripers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could see the bait fish fly!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Frank and Fred were catching monster blues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casting with their poppers red and white <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tide had just come in<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A blitz would soon begin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every-one caught their limit last night!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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VC Charlie said to LeeBob then<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looks like all the reindeer went astray<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh what a laugh it would have been<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the children had only seen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marshall\u2019s Towing Santa\u2019s sleigh away<\/strong>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nothing would be easier than to write off this holiday season with an indisputable “bah humbug” for all the joy and peace and goodwill that is missing from the world. But there was at least one bright candle in the window: the surf fishing season that officially ended this month was spectacular. From Mother’s Day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4849"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4904,"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4849\/revisions\/4904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fishtales.abatemarco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}