As December opened, we’d dropped anchor off the Hackett’s can in 35 feet of water. I set up the chum bag off our stern and had cut some pieces of fresh alewife, when suddenly everything started going right — and wrong — at the same time.     My friend Mo had already baited and set out one rod and was casting his second when his first outfit got hit hard. He had neglected to set his bait running clicker. When the fish took off against the free spool, it...

From all indications, the last quarter of 2012 isn’t going to set any fishing records before rockfishing closes December 15. There have been very few days when being on the water was anything other than an ordeal. Fishfinder   Pick your days and be patient. Those are the two rules to follow in the latter part of our rockfish season. Big fish as well as those in the 20- to 28-inch range have been caught. But it takes long days and persistent effort to get the job done. Trolling,...

We were quite fortunate in avoiding the predicted calamity of Superstorm Sandy. New York and New Jersey did not share our good fortune. The northern winds that blew the whole of the three-day tempest emptied the Bay of water and protected us against the massive storm surge that flooded the coastal areas and created such devastation.     After Sandy passed over us, however, it traveled on up through the Susquehanna drainage into Pennsylvania, all the way to the Great Lakes,...

I was going fishing. Not just any fishing mind you, but fishing of the most fundamental kind. No flies, lures, plugs, spinner baits, fancy casting, clever approaches or studied presentations. Just plain old-fashioned worm fishing with one rod, two hooks and a sinker.     The past two months I had worn myself ragged with early-morning and late-evening sorties, casting plugs and crankbaits for rockfish in the shallows. Success was slight compared to the effort expended.  ...