Newsletter- July 26, 2016
 

Hello from hot, humid and mostly sunny Newport, RI. It's been since April that I have sat down and written a newsletter. Once May hit, I got super busy running worm hatch charters for essentially the entire month and the first week or so of June. After I pulled the boat from my leased slip at Ninigret Landing Marina in Charlestown, RI in mid- June, I needed a few days to clean the bottom and get her prepped for my June and July charters. The second half of June also allowed time to get away for a week of absolutely world class smallmouth bass fishing at Wheaton's Lodge in Forest City, ME (more about that later), then the return to Rhode Island for some great striper fishing in our near-shore Newport waters. July's fishing has held up reasonably well despite the heat and the warming ocean waters. On balance I had a great spring and mid-summer of guiding and personal fishing.  
 
I have a fair number of charters in the books for August, but if the month develops as it usually does, I will soon get busy with those charters and others that are not scheduled in advance but typically get booked by vacationers visiting Newport who at the last minute get the urge to wet a line. Most of my August charters are light tackle anglers and typically we get going at first light to take advantage of cooler temperatures, low light, still waters and bait that has not been scattered by boat traffic. August fishing is generally pretty slow for stripers, as they prefer cooler water temperatures, however the top water bluefishing can be excellent. Also, as we near the end of the month, the ocean green bonito typically show up providing us opportunities to catch these speedsters on the fly and light tackle. Early September typically brings good numbers of false albacore and bonito, together with stripers and bluefish that join the mix, a veritable cornucopia of angling fun. I say this every year... September brings the very best near-shore fishing that Rhode Island has to offer. The weather is generally great, there are fewer boats on the water and there are a lot of hungry fish dining in preparation for their southerly migration.

Call me about September angling, a few of my prime dates for false albacore are already booked but there are still plenty of great dates available.
 
I hope you find the news and updates in this newsletter of interest. As always feel free to write me with any comments or suggestions for future newsletters.
 
Thanks, Jim Barr

 
 
 
 
 
 
Capt. Jim Barr
401.465.8751
Skinny Water Charters  
www. SkinnyWaterChartersRI.com 
In this Flybox
2016 Rhode Island Cinder Worm Hatch Recap
False Albacore- Next on the hit parade
Rehabilitating Flies and Prepping for Bluefish
Wheaton's Lodge- A Smallmouth Bass Bonanza!
Golf Clubs 'n Fly Rods
Odds 'n Ends
Quote
Pro Guide Affiliations
Bass Pro

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        Pro Staff Team

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Sage dark
 Redington
Rio
2016 Rhode Island Cinder Worm Hatch Recap
This spring's worm hatch season was OK, but not great. 
 
I love this type of fly fishing because it truly is the closest thing in the northeast U.S. to "dry fly" fishing in saltwater. For those of you who have not experienced fishing a worm hatch, it's something you really should try at least once in your fly fishing career. It affords an opportunity to cast a floating line with a small (mostly floating) fly pattern that imitates the natural spawning cinder worm. We sight cast to rising striped bass that range in size from 15" to upwards of 40". The environment is absolutely gorgeous- shallow coastal salt ponds averaging five feet deep, with no wind or waves. The fishing doesn't get going until about 4pm, and typically it runs into the dark most nights, allowing anglers the opportunity to arrive at the fishery in an unhurried manner. What's better than casual sight fishing to top water striped bass?  
 
Like any fishery, there are good days, average days and some days where we should have stayed home. This spring we had more than our fair share of average to disappointing days. Let me define "disappointing": we don't see any worms or we see very few worms and/or we see very few rising bass and we have to resort to fishing with top water poppers or Gurglers to get their attention. We still catch fish, but we don't get to experience the classic swarms of emerging worms with bass boiling on them and hooking up close to the boat.
 
Steve Key- Providence
Clearly we had some epic nights, don't get me wrong, but generally we did not get sustained volumes of emerging worms and bass feeding on them for most of the mid-May to early June weeks. On my boat we only landed a handful of keeper size bass (28" and above), the lion's share of the fish that came to hand were in the 20-26" range, healthy and spunky for sure but not the hogs that we know are swimming with their junior cousins that we catch in pretty good numbers in an average year. As for the reasons for this season being a bit disappointing, who knows?  I monitored ocean water temperatures throughout the winter months and they were considerably above the norm. The last time we had similar warm ocean water temps in the January through April period was in 2012 when we had early and spectacular worm hatch fishing beginning in late April and holding solid through May into the first week of June. This year we were tracking a temperature trend similar to 2012 and I had high hopes, but as we got into late April and early May, our air temps cooled substantially and that slowed down the normal appearance of worms and bass. Once we hit mid-May things started looking up, but then more cool air and things slowed once again. When we did have very heavy worm spawns in early June, we didn't have the numbers and sizes of bass we expected.
 
Pete Kistner - Orvis- Dedham, MA
I was totally booked with charters from May 13 thru June 7- fully expecting a solid worm hatch season. I haven't done the count yet, but I ended up cancelling a number of charters, and rebooking others because conditions were sub-par. Better to disappoint a charter guest by not going, than to follow through with the trip, taking their charter fee AND enduring crappy fishing. You don't win friends and retain clients operating like that.
 
Believe it or not I have some clients who have already booked for 2017, most knowing from past experience how good the worm hatch fishing can be. So, if you are inclined to give it a try, contact me and I'll save your date but will hold off taking your deposit until January.
False Albacore- Next on the hit parade
A false albacore caught on a fly or on light tackle is an unforgettable experience. September and early October bring scores of these fish to Newport area waters. If you are unfamiliar with these fish, the following slide copies were pulled from a PowerPoint presentation I gave this late winter at the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association fishing show. They will help you better understand their physical characteristics. We don't travel far at all to find these ocean speedsters, in a typical fall we will find them in good numbers in Newport's near-shore waters and in the lower sections of Narragansett Bay.

These fish are not necessarily difficult to catch, there's a lot of hype surrounding the challenge. Targeting them from shore can be a difficult proposition if they remain out of casting range, but in all years they can be landed at quite a few Rhode Island shore locations. Without question however, the best way to target ocean green bonito and false albacore, is from a boat. I chase these fish every opportunity I have when September arrives. Typically I start looking for them in earnest during the first week of the month. Oftentimes they are running with the bonito that arrive in late August. False albacore are not good table fare. The only time I would eat one is (maybe) if I were stranded at sea and had nothing else to eat. Their flesh is extremely dark, oily and not pleasant. The bonito on the other hand is a great eating fish, both grilled or sashimi style. These fish are somewhat similar in appearance but very easy to distinguish. Last year I had on-board several gentlemen who were professional chefs. They wanted to take a few false albacore back to their kitchens for a special recipe they knew about. I did my best to convince them these fish were not palatable, but they insisted on taking a few home. I followed up with them a few weeks later as to how the recipe worked out... their paraphrased response... "well, it's an acquired taste". Oh yah, sure guys... you mean it sucked like I told you it would!   Good fun!
 
Dr. Frank Farraye- Sharon, MA.
Anyway, these fish are generally moving pretty fast when you find them. If you want to nail one with a fly rod, you need to be fast, very fast in your casting and you need to know how to cast in all directions on very quick notice. There are times when they will slow down and corner bait and a normal cast will result in a hookup, but when I am preparing charter clients for a shot at their first albie or bonito, I stress the need to be quick with the cast and to lead the fish. Their primary forage are small bait fish. Generally the bay anchovy is the predominant bait but they will also chase the atlantic silverside, peanut bunker and baby butterfish. As for fly patterns, nothing esoteric is required, most of the time I am using small Lefty's Deceivers, Clouser Minnows and small (size 4 hook) bay anchovy patterns, all pretty straight forward stuff, and flies that I personally tie.  
 
Alex Key- San Francisco
As for the light tackle angler, again nothing fancy or expensive is required. We catch these fish on everything from the Rebel Jumpin' Minnow (5" hard plastic twitch bait in bone color), poppers, shiny metal spoons such as the Crocodile, the Hogy Epoxy Jig, and soft plastics, the best being the Hogy Original in 7-8" in white and pink. None of these baits are expensive and on any given day they all work great.
 
My drill is this: As for fly fishing, I prefer clients use my fly rods in 9 and 10 weights (All are Sage rods). I reserve use of the 10's for when we have windy conditions. Lines are manufactured by RIO Products featuring their Intermediate Sinking Outbound Short (1.5" drop per second), and Sinking Tip Outbound Short (6" per second). I don't use floating lines for albies and bonito- they are too light to punch through the wind, and I want the fly to be sinking, not sitting on the surface. Leaders are standard 9 feet in length, comprised of both monofilament and fluorocarbon. I tie all my leaders using standard Berkley Trilene monofilament for the butt and middle sections (40-30-20 lb sections with the last section being fluorocarbon typically in 15 lb). Many times when there is no need to get fancy with fluorocarbon tippet (when fish are plentiful and not picky)- the leader and tippet will be 100% monofilament. Fluorocarbon is a stiff material and is not "knot friendly" and frankly most of the time it's unnecessary you use it, but when it is, Berkley's Vanish fluorocarbon works just fine, and it's cheap.

For the light tackle angler, the setup is simple: 7 foot medium to heavy medium flex spinning rods manufactured by Bass Pro Shops. Their Inshore Extreme rod is superb ($99), nothing fancier necessary. I use the smaller versions of the Shimano Saragosa and Quantum Cabo and Smoke spinning reels. All are great reels at reasonable price points. For line, I use Bass Pro's XPS 8 Advanced Braid, in 30lb test, in green.
Bay Anchovy

All of this equipment (with multiple backups) are on-board my boat.
 
If you are keen to get in on this action for September and October, call me soon and make a reservation for an outing. You will have a blast, of that I'm  confident.
 
Rehabilitating Flies and Prepping for Bluefish
A fly fishing guide's fly patterns take a real beating in the course of the fishing season...Stripers and Bluefish really tear 'em up. They come off the fly tying vise as "semi" works of art but in no time they are pretty beat up, so much so they won't catch fish.

You have a few choices, scrap them and buy replacements (god forbid at $4 and up per copy), tie fresh new patterns, or try and rehabilitate them to the point where they are serviceable. Having been a fly tyer and tying instructor for a very long time, and having maintained a ridiculous supply of hooks and materials, my first choice is to see if I can rehab these beauties, sometimes just good enough to use as flies for bluefish. As you know, blues are not too discriminating when it comes to fly patterns and lures. Some have opined that if you tie a hook onto a flattened beer can, toss it into a school of crashing blues you can get a hook up. That's pretty disingenuous but probably close to being accurate.

By mid-summer I have a fairly sizeable collection of ratty looking flies. I throw them into a plastic bag and wait for down-time to get out the vise and replacement materials, to then go about with my rehab project. Much of the time I will store rehabilitated flies in my bluefish collection.  

Below are a few photos of this week's before and after rehab project. Just a little time to bring them back to life after cutting off the damaged materials and replacing with new feathers, buck tail, flash and chenille. The flies are arrayed in the exact before and after positioning. Not bad, at a total estimated materials cost of about $1. 


 Here are a few closeups of the before and after for a few of the uglier patterns.
      
    
    
This collection of rehabilitated flies now go into the bluefish collection although some are clearly good enough for stripers, false albacore and bonito.
 
At the age of 14 in 1962 my father gave me a Niagara Fish Hook Holder (now $25 on EBay) to keep my snelled largemouth bass hooks organized. A number of manufacturers still make knockoffs, but "The Niagara", manufactured by H.C. Buicke & Sons of Tonawanda, NY was the first to make them (I think). Anyway, it and other spin fishing gems from days gone by remain in my ridiculously large inventory of fishing tackle, most of it not used, but I hold onto it because it reminds me of my dad.

However, The Niagara I still use as a type of "leader stretcher" for my wired bluefish flies. For those who don't know (but may care), a bluefish is a saltwater fish with extremely sharp teeth. They routinely slice through nylon monofilament fishing line when they eat the lure or fly. If an angler does not protect his/her lure or fly pattern using heavy wire, the bluefish takes it and you don't catch the fish.

On one end of a 4" section of 30 lb. plastic coated wire, I tie a loop knot. On the other end I tie the same loop and then I tie on a snap link or swivel. I put the wire of the snap through the eye of the fly pattern, then put the loop of the wire leader onto a spring loaded sliding hook on the hook holder and insert the hook into another slot on The Niagara. All my bluefish leaders and the flies are stored on this antique for ready access when we need to quickly rig up for blues. By keeping them on the stretcher, the wire leaders do not coil and this technique makes changing flies very fast. When the fly is nearly destroyed I unsnap it and quickly replace it with a fresh reconditioned fly by simply opening then closing the snap. Perfect.  My father was a McGyver-type ... he would have loved this setup
 
The Niagara Hook Holder
.  
      
Green River, Warwick, RI
     
 
 
Wheaton's Lodge- A Smallmouth Bass Bonanza!
A number of years ago I was invited by a friend to accompany him and another buddy for a weekend of smallmouth bass fishing at Wheaton's Lodge (http://www.wheatonslodge.com/) in Forest City, Maine. Wheaton's has been in operation since about 1952. It's an unassuming lodge and widely recognized as one of the finest smallmouth bass and landlocked salmon camps in the country. It is located in the spectacular lake country of eastern Maine, about a 350 mile drive (5.5 hrs) north of Boston, and lies less than one mile from the New Brunswick, Canada border. The principal lakes we fished were East Grand Lake and Spednic Lake. East Grand is literally out the cabin door, and Spednic is just a few miles down a dirt road to a gravel boat launch. The fishing then was extraordinary, mostly for smallmouth but we also caught our fair share of landlock salmon.
Wheaton's guides and their Grand Laker canoes
 
I always wanted to return to Wheaton's but my guiding schedule always seemed to get in the way, however this spring I carved out a week and Madeleine and I and the pups headed to Forest City, for five nights and days of fishing. Good friends were also there and together we had a wonderful time fishing together on the two lakes and wining and dining each night at the lodge. Accommodations are American plan only, rates include your private cottage, three complete meals, daily maid service and full use of the facility including their canoes and kayaks. When we fished the lakes we fished with Wheaton guides, mostly from 20-foot square stern canoes known as Grand Lakers but also from guide Mark Danforth's center console. The Grand Lakers carry the guide and two anglers and afford plenty of casting room and space for your gear. At mid-day the guide puts the boat on an island and prepares a spectacular shore lunch.
Barr with a smallie from East Grand Lake on Capt. Mark Danforth's center console
 
As for fresh water fly fishing, from my perspective there is no better fish than the smallmouth bass. I love to catch salmon, but pound for pound I'll take a smallmouth bass any day, primarily because they love to jump all over poppers. When the males are guarding their redds (nests) during the spring spawn, they are extremely aggressive and blast anything that swims nearby. In between boat days, anglers can wade fish a stream that runs behind the camp connecting several lakes. It's easy wading and affords the opportunity to catch smallmouth, brook trout and landlocked salmon. It's a nice break from being in the boat. I did not encounter another angler on the stream in the two days I chose to wade fish. 
Wading for Smallmouth.
 
When recreational fishing I am not a fish counter and have never been one to make a project of seeking out big fish, for me it's about the experience of being on the water, either wading or in a boat- loving the rhythm of fly casting, striking and playing fish, changing flies, and taking in nature's sights, sounds and smells. However, we caught lots of fish, and lots of big fish- many smallies in the 3 to 3.5 pound range (see the 20% handicap rule in the Quote section of this newsletter). Wheaton's guides are extremely personable, fine gentlemen and they have a command of their fishery. All of our casting was within 60 feet of the rocky shoreline. Typically the guide would locate an area with redds, set up a drift and we would make 30-40 foot casts with 5 and 6 weight rods, with floating lines, short leaders and foam poppers with round rubber legs. The water was just short of gin clear so we could readily see the smallmouth respond to the sound of the popper landing near the redd, and then watch as they ascended to a level just below the popper, a pause, a short touch of the line just enough to slightly move the fly...and BAM, they would smash the fly, make short runs with lots of aerials. A quick picture and a release... onto the next spot. We each had 30 fish days, some days more depending on wind conditions.
  
Mud Lake Stream behind Wheaton's
Mud Lake Stream


Welcome to our cabin


Madeleine and I cannot wait to return. Great memories
of the fishing, mixing with old and new friends, laughter, and eating way too much (5 lbs net gain). Owners Patrick and Sandy Patterson were wonderful hosts. They can be reached at info@wheatonslodge.com, (207) 448-7723.


Melanie Mitchell's fly caught Landlocked Salmon!

Steve Key (L), self, excellent guide Mark Danforth

Golf Clubs and Fly Rods
 A number of years ago I was deplaning in Albuquerque for my connection to Farmington, NM. I was on my way to fish the San Juan River, an absolutely gorgeous river that holds massive rainbow trout. In those days there were very few restrictions as to what you could bring on board and stow in the overhead bins. Four piece rods were not the norm then, it was a two and three piece fly rod world. In addition to five rods (4-6 weights) I carried on a daypack holding a few fishing essentials such as reels, flies, waders and wading boots (in the event the airline misplaced my checked equipment). As I was standing in line in the aisle which was very slow in moving, I noticed a guy behind me dressed in a pastel knit shirt sporting the Pebble Beach logo. His perfectly clean golf hat was labeled "Ping", he sported bermuda shorts, and Weejun loafers... he was basically a peacock. I had been traveling all day from Providence, I was worn around the edges, probably smelled like I needed more English Leather, my cutoffs were tattered, I wore sandals. We clearly were at opposite ends of the sartorial splendor chart.
So, as my five rods that were duct taped together brushed up against his pink Ping golf shirt, he got a little annoyed. I could hear him clear his throat as he was about to say something that was likely going to be a smart ass remark. I had seen a lot of guys like him before when I was in the insurance business, he looked like the typical snotty producer (sales guy). Sure enough then came his opener... "So, are you going fishing?" I turned around, looked down on him, made a point of taking my time in the response as I studied his foppy attire and immediately determined he was indeed a wise guy. My turn.  I responded...."so what makes you think that?" He replied, "Why On Earth would you need to bring five fishing poles?". (Fishing "poles"!!, oh man). I replied, "...well sir judging by your attire I suspect you are a golfer, I love golf and we therefore have something in common. Now let me ask you this, why on earth do you carry 14 clubs in your bag? Different conditions and distances require different clubs right? Well in fly fishing we don't carry five "poles" to the river, instead we assess the conditions on any given day or time of day and make a choice which "pole" to use based on a whole raft of variables. Sometimes we change "poles" as we encounter changes in wind, water flow, different fly patterns that require a stronger rod, and sometimes we even break a rod while wading the river or playing a big fish." 
At first he looked a bit befuddled, but then the peacock smiled, and then apologized for being a wise guy. We chatted in the terminal, wished each other well. He made his connection to Carmel and I made mine to Farmington. I love these kind of encounters- make a point and make a friend.

Odds 'n Ends
Skinny Water Charters got a mention in the Spring 2016 issue of Anglers Journal magazine in an article entitled "Magic Hatch",  authored by Capt. John Jinishian. This brief but well crafted article talks about the Rhode Island Cinder Worm Hatch. Here's the link:  http://www.anglersjournal.com/saltwater/magic-hatch/  

In the next couple of days I am having a foredeck casting brace installed on my bay boat. This will provide a significant level of stability for anglers wanting to cast from the foredeck in bumpy conditions. The brace is removable and will be stowed behind the helm leaning post when not deployed. It will look something like the photo on the right. 
 
 
A fly rod that gets a lot of use will in time show a significant degradation of the cork grip. Typically the grip will get dark and slippery from wear and tear, and from hand oil, perspiration, sunblock, fish slime etc. Also the cork rings will begin degrading as small pieces of the cork material begin chunking out. There's an easy fix for this that will bring the grip back to near factory condition and it doesn't take much time. First off, use some very fine grain sandpaper and gently sand the grip from the top to the bottom, take your time and be careful. It's best to cover the rod blank near the grip with standard masking tape, a two inch protective wrap is all that's necessary. Likewise protect the first inch of the reel seat with tape. This will provide protection to these delicate components as you sand the grip. Next, find a wine cork (I have plenty- just ask) and with slightly heavier grit sandpaper, sand the cork and save the cork dust in a small container. Next on a large "Post It" pad, make a small pile of the cork dust and mix in Elmer's wood glue (cream color) with a coffee stirrer or toothpick. Then go about filling the pits in the grip with the cork dust/glue mixture- carefully packing each pit and then smoothing the surface as best you can without pulling the mixture out. Allow the grip to fully dry and then sand it again, at first very gently with the heavier sandpaper you used on the wine cork. This will remove a lot of the rough spillover material and high points. Then, use the fine sandpaper to sand the grip smooth. You will be amazed how nicely the cork glue mixture has restored the grip. 

And then there were 5!  I didn't break this four piece 8-weight rod from a section of the rod that came unseated, I broke it putting too much pressure on a gorgeous steelhead I hooked last December on the Elk River, in Erie, PA. However, I have seen anglers on my boat who choose to fish with their own rods, routinely cast off the tip section and the next section below it when they are false casting. Over the course of a five hour or longer charter, with god knows how many false and actual casts being made, multi-piece fly rod sections will start to work free from one another, no matter how firmly you seat them when you set up your rod for the day. (This applies less to zipguns- my term for spinning rods, but even multi-piece zips will work free.) A surefire and easy way of preventing this from occurring is to apply simple candle wax to the male ferrule sections. Then when you join each section during the setup, join each section at right angles to the other and slowly twist and push the two sections together. I can virtually guarantee they won't migrate during the day and cause you to cast off a section or break the rod from a loose connection.

As a kid you may have played with a Slinky toy, I still do, but the ones I play with belong to clients and are actually coiled and twisted fly lines from either having been stored on the reel for way too long without stretching before a fishing outing (line memory), or line twist that can be caused by a number of factors that include casting with an oval path of the rod tip. Let me explain the latter. Fly casting at it's very basic definition is the back and forth movement of the fly rod, and the fly line that kind of goes along for the ride. Multiple and linked forward and backward strokes that we make without actually shooting the line to the target is what we call "false casting"- a process that gets us ready to make the final cast. False casting can be done to lengthen line, incrementally change the direction of the fly line, dry a fly that has been waterlogged, gauge distance to the target, etc. As we go through the motions of casting, the rod tip should follow a straight line path (SLP) in it's front to back movement. A rod that follows a SLP with proper power application and good starts and stops on the forward and back casts will cause your fly line to develop narrower loops (generally good) and avoid large loops from a convex rod tip path, or tailing loops caused by a concave path of the rod tip.  For further information about SLP visit https://youtu.be/0eBlMG2Ds9Q .As for line twist this can develop from casting large non-aerodynamic fly patterns, stripping off too much line and not casting all of it and from the casting stroke itself.

As for the casting stroke, if we unconsciously introduce an off track casting stroke or an elliptical or oval stroke in our forward and back casts such as in the Belgian cast, and we do it repeatedly the off track path and the more exaggerated elliptical path of the rod tip can introduce line twist and coils resulting in a line that does not freely pass through the fly rod's guides. The spare line at your feet below the reel can be severely coiled and the line between your line hand and the deck or water's surface can be severely twisted onto itself.

How this plays out will not only affect your ability to achieve distance in the cast because the coiled line gets hung up in the stripping and snake guides as it leaves the fly rod toward the direction of the cast, but the coiled line can actually be so severe that it will not pass through one or more of the guides. In the latter case, let's say you have made your cast, a strong and fast fish eats your fly and immediately heads for Block Island, your coiled line gets hung up in the guides and you, 1. Break off the fish of your dreams, 2. Rip out a guide on your rod, 3. Break the rod because you cannot control the fish, or 4. All three.

So, how do we solve the problem of coiled lines? First, before you fish, stretch your line at home or at the dock or have the guide tow your fly line (with no fly attached) behind the boat as you leave the dock. The water tension acting on the line will not only stretch it but uncoil it. Alternatively try these steps as illustrated by a RIO Products representative:  https://youtu.be/N4O5YBSapRgtwist

To fix bad tracking problems first see if you have the problem. At home (not while fishing) examine the path of your rod tip and fly line as you practice casting. Lay out a target in front of you on the lawn (a hat, soccer cone etc) and another behind you. Run a string, rope or tape measure between the two targets (spread the targets about 120 feet apart). Stand on the halfway point and begin your false casting along the line. Carefully watch the fly line in both directions and adjust your casting stroke so that the line tracks to each target. Better yet, before you make any changes to your casting stroke set up a tripod with a GoPro or camera phone. Position the camera 60 feet or so away from your casting position facing you from your front target. First false cast toward the camera for 5 minutes, then turn around leaving the camera as is and cast towards the rear target. Examine the footage of your video and you will readily see if your rod and line are tracking correctly  Make corrections as necessary and record yourself again.
Another option of course is to contact a IFFF certified fly casting instructor for professional assistance.  
 
Quote
"I make it a rule never to weigh or measure a fish I've caught, but simply to estimate it's dimensions as accurately as possible, and then, when telling about it, to improve those figures by roughly a fifth, or twenty percent. I do this mainly because most people believe all fishermen exaggerate by at least twenty percent, and so I allow for the discounting my audience is almost certain to apply."

Ed Zern
"Are Fishermen Really Liars?"
I hope this newsletter contained information of interest to you, and again I welcome input for future topics you may be interested in knowing more about. Newsletters are produced whenever I can find the time.
 
My best,

 

Capt. Jim Barr
Skinny Water Charters