The tournament fun starts for our crew with the Sodium Big Fish Classic on March 7, 2026. Actually, it starts with the scouting trips that began in January.
Sodium Big Fish Classic 2026 We will scout extensively. Push ourselves out of the comfort zone. Then form a game plan for tournament day. The Tournament fishing area is 2 hours south of Cape May via a Spirit Airlines flight. This definitely is an added challenge. Wind direction, water temperature, water clarity, tides, and fishing…
2025 saltwater fishing review series 5of 5, Fall
The back bay stripers were putting Ty McDermott to the test on this beautiful October day. The migratory stripers usually show up in good numbers in the sounds of Cape May co., NJ, for about 2 weeks in the fall. But it was tough to find them this year. The speckled sea trout follow as…
OMG ! its a monster summer flounder ! 2025 Saltwater fishing review, part 4 of a 5- post series
The biggest summer flounder I have ever seen in my life was staring right at us ! Dayna had fought the monster flounder to the boat with everything she had. But as I attempted to net the fish, he spooked and spit the hook. Disoriented by the fight, the monster flounder swam right to the…
2025 Saltwater fishing review, part 3 of 5 Spring Weakfish
Spring weakfishing can be spectacular. Pictured to the right is a 34.50″ 11.70-pound tide-runner weakfish that I caught during a year when conditions lined up. Actually, it was the largest weakfish caught in the world in decades. The sea trout (AKA weakfish) hit my bucktail just in time. I had told myself that I was…
2025 saltwater fishing review, from KensDock, home of the Back Creek crew. Part 2 of a 5 post series
The summer flounder hit my bucktail, then made a drag screaming run. The battle continued until one of the biggest back bay summer flounder that I have caught was in the boat. He later pulled the scale down to 6.95lbs. The fishing was good when conditions allowed. However, my overall numbers were down in the…
2025 saltwater fishing review, from KensDock, home of the Back Creek crew. Part 1 of 5 post series. To start, take a look at the short video.
Our back creek fishing crew started the tournament season fishing the Slack Tide Brewery’s summer flounder tournament.We also fished Fred’s Tavern’s that occurred on the same day. It rained most of the day, and we forgot the rain gear. It was cold, wet, and not enjoyable. Coupled with bad fishing conditions, wind direction, and water…
Upcoming next week: A review of the 2025 fishing season from my dock here in Cape May co., NJ
26.5″ Spring weakfish 2025, based on length, a good bet would be that it weighed 6-7 pounds
The next generation of outdoorsmen
Uncle Justin and Ty McDermott with two beautiful New Jersey whitetail deer they harvested on the first morning of firearm season. Ty passed the last hunter safety course offered before the start of the 2025 firearm deer season. Kenny had a last-minute mandatory job assignment and was unable to make the first day. Justin stepped…
Has New Jersey’s free saltwater angler registry cost NJ?
Yes, implementing a free saltwater fishing registry in New Jersey has likely reduced its share of Sport Fish Restoration (SFR) funds because the federal apportionment formula is based on the number of licensed anglers and the net revenue generated from licenses. A free registry does not meet the requirement for a license that produces net revenue…