We sailed on this morning for a half day trip with Andrew, Henry, Bradley, Drew, Michael & Jason. We shoved off at around 7:30 a.m. and got out just in time for slack. Perfect. Although the action picked up a bit once the tide got going, it wasn’t the slaughter I was hoping for. However, we picked away and ended up with a nice mix of bass, bluefish and fluke. The guys were great and the laughs were non-stop. Fishing might not have been the best I’ve seen, but it was a great trip nonetheless.

Today we steamed offshore and Renee, Nick and Teddy. We ran about 18 miles right down the middle. The water wasn't blue but it also wasn't as dirty as I thought it might be, nor was it as cold as I expected. It was just over 61 degrees when we dropped them in. Within 90 minutes, the rods were bent over with blue sharks and we had consistent action throughout the remainder of the day with them. Although we hooked into a few of the usual larger fish, a number of them were pups, some probably not more than 100 lbs. Needless to say, all were released. We managed a few bass on the way back in as well to make sure the group had some dinner to go home with!

I didn't manage any pictures this time around but will be sure to have some to post after the next trip.

Today we steamed offshore and Renee, Nick and Teddy. We ran about 18 miles right down the middle. The water wasn't blue but it also wasn't as dirty as I thought it might be, nor was it as cold as I expected. It was just over 61 degrees when we dropped them in. Within 90 minutes, the rods were bent over with blue sharks and we had consistent action throughout the remainder of the day with them. Although we hooked into a few of the usual larger fish, a number of them were pups, some probably not more than 100 lbs. Needless to say, all were released. We managed a few bass on the way back in as well to make sure the group had some dinner to go home with!

I didn't manage any pictures this time around but will be sure to have some to post after the next trip.

We were cancelled this morning due to the weather but managed part of our trip in the afternoon. Despite the not-so-nice weather, we fished with Matt Troy and crew, which included Quinn, Will and Brennan, all 13 years old. The ocean was anything but calm and while some of the guys were at the "rail" fishing, not everyone managed to overcome their seasickness. We tried to bass fish but decided to head for calmer waters and ended up spending a little time fluking on the north side (wasn't about to try chugging to the south). We had a number of fluke with plenty of shorts in the mix. We weren't able to get the entire trip in and are hoping we'll get the gang back out on a nicer day to try for the bass.

It's been a long winter. Longer than most. We ended our 2012 season a few weeks early in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy. The NOVEMBER RAIN is dry docked back west, in Woodmere. Thinking the boat would be better protected in Woodmere, we left Montauk at 11:00 pm on the Friday night before the storm. It was an absolutely beautiful night. The calm before the storm. Flat as a lake with a full moon to light up the ocean the entire way. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We arrived at East Rockaway inlet shortly before sunrise and by lunch time on Saturday afternoon we were out of the water and tucked away. Our little boat, a 21' Kencraft, was blocked right behind us.

By Tuesday morning, the marina had been destroyed. Boats were washed out of the marina and across the street, some even as far as a block away. We couldn't get to the NOVEMBER RAIN right away and had no idea where we even ended up. It was the most nauseating feeling I've ever experienced. When we finally find our way, we both breathed a huge sigh of relief. We were probably in one of the most protected areas within the marina, furthest from the water and behind a fence and utility pole which I believe helped protect us. We were knocked off the stands and blocks that had previously held us up. However, as the water receded, the boat had apparently settled itself into the mud, sitting on the keel, held up by the two boats on either side of us, as well as a small sailboat which found itself wedged under our port side.

We sustained some damage -- a broken window, a busted bowrail, a number of gouges in the hull -- but, for the most part, we were extremely fortunate. Many of our friends' boats were damaged beyond repair. Our little boat took a bit of a beating, including falling off a jackstand which punctured a hole in the bottom of the hull. However, after a little figerglass and other cosmetic work, including a color change, the boat's almost as good as new. We're hoping to have that one done in the next couple of weeks.

After months of uncooperative weather, today, the NOVEMBER RAIN went back in the water. It was the first time we were able to run the boat since the storm and it was a relief to hear the diesel purr to life once again. Music to my ears! We're a little behind schedule but are planning to be back out east by next weekend and are looking forward to getting the season underway.

Many thanks to our customers -- our friends -- who called and emailed after the storm to see how the NOVEMBER RAIN was doing. Your thoughts were much appreciated. At the end of the day, a few cuts and bruises were all we suffered. Recognizing that many people lost so much more, you won't hear us complain about our experience after Hurricane Sandy. We were lucky and it doesn't take much to remind us of that. Our thoughts remain with those who were not as fortunate and we hope they are recovering and doing well.

We are excited about starting this season and getting back out on the water!

The NOVEMBER RAIN sailed with Paul Galeno & crew this weekend. Paul is a good friend from the good old days of Brooklyn, when we fished from Gerritsen Beach and Sheepshead Bay. It’s been a long time since we’ve all gotten together back on the water and it was great to have him out with us. The weather on Saturday wasn’t ideal and the fishing proved to be a challenge, but we made the best of it and had a really great day (at least three of the five did). We had two men down pretty early on, as the last bit of the Ebb made for an uncomfortable ocean. We attempted to start at the Elbow with bait, but I quickly realized that wouldn’t work so we came back inshore and trolled for a while until slack. Once the flood started, we were able to get the eels in, and while not the targeted catch, we had rods bent all day with bluefish, some of which were close to the same size as our bass. We moved around a bit and really had to fish hard, but we managed and put some nice-looking bass in the box, all of which were caught on bait. Admittedly, we didn’t limit out, but we sent the guys home with plenty of fish for themselves and then some! Hoping to make this an annual trip with them and look forward to next year!

Although fishing is FAR from over, we’ll be wrapping up our season in Montauk on October 27th. Our last trip will be next Saturday morning, after which we’ll be steaming west. The boat will be docked in Woodmere (not far from Freeport, for those not familiar with the area) and we’ll spend the rest of the season blackfishing, mostly off New Jersey. It’s been a great season for us and we're thankful to all those who've fished with us. We're already looking forward to 2013 and hope to see many of them again!

P.S. There were a few seal sightings throughout the day on Saturday. We snapped a quick photo of one which is posted in our photo gallery.

The NOVEMBER RAIN sailed with Paul Galeno & crew this weekend. Paul is a good friend from the good old days of Brooklyn, when we fished from Gerritsen Beach and Sheepshead Bay. It’s been a long time since we’ve all gotten together back on the water and it was great to have him out with us. The weather on Saturday wasn’t ideal and the fishing proved to be a challenge, but we made the best of it and had a really great day (at least three of the five did). We had two men down pretty early on, as the last bit of the Ebb made for an uncomfortable ocean. We attempted to start at the Elbow with bait, but I quickly realized that wouldn’t work so we came back inshore and trolled for a while until slack. Once the flood started, we were able to get the eels in, and while not the targeted catch, we had rods bent all day with bluefish, some of which were close to the same size as our bass. We moved around a bit and really had to fish hard, but we managed and put some nice-looking bass in the box, all of which were caught on bait. Admittedly, we didn’t limit out, but we sent the guys home with plenty of fish for themselves and then some! Hoping to make this an annual trip with them and look forward to next year!

Although fishing is FAR from over, we’ll be wrapping up our season in Montauk on October 27th. Our last trip will be next Saturday morning, after which we’ll be steaming west. The boat will be docked in Woodmere (not far from Freeport, for those not familiar with the area) and we’ll spend the rest of the season blackfishing, mostly off New Jersey. It’s been a great season for us and we're thankful to all those who've fished with us. We're already looking forward to 2013 and hope to see many of them again!

P.S. There were a few seal sightings throughout the day on Saturday. We snapped a quick photo of one which is posted in our photo gallery.

We sailed with Michael Madarash and crew for a ¾ day trip today celebrating Michael’s bachelor party. We decided to head out with eels and started at the Elbow and then quickly over to the Slot. While the bass were there, the bluefish were as obnoxious as ever…especially since we weren’t planning on keeping any! I got word that the parachutes were having more luck on the bass front. However, the guys wanted only a few bass for that night’s dinner and really wanted to try for some sea bass as well. Therefore, rather than switching over to the wire, we changed our tactics completely and decided to go bottom fishing, where we had instant action. There were plenty of shorts mixed in, but it didn’t take more than a few minutes to start putting some fish in the box. We even tossed back a few that just made the limit with an eye on keeping only those larger fish. Once the tide turned around and the ebb got going, we talked about doing a little more striped bass fishing, but the guys wanted none of it. So, we anchored up and spent a little more time with the sea bass. By around 12:30, the group called it quits and we headed back in, with more than enough dinner for the four of them. Overall, another great trip! Looking forward to seeing them again next year. Best of luck to Michael with his December wedding!