By Joe Cermele

Here's the score. While perusing YouTube last night, I stumbled upon the video embedded here entitled "Extreme Rock Fishing: Made in Japan." This is absolutely one of the most bizarre fishing videos I have ever watched. From what I gather, these Japanese anglers get dropped off on a rock by boat and spend the night catching fish with a 20-foot pole that is disconnected from the reel, which, by the way, looks to weigh about 150-pounds and actually gets bolted to the rock.

I have viewed this footage many times and conclude that I have no idea how this method works. I'm totally baffled, but the terminal tackle involved is pretty serious. Is the pole more like a gaff? Are they hand-lining or reeling? I just don't know. So take a look and maybe we can put our collective blogosphere heads together and figure it out.

If the fishing isn't bizarre enough, there's some random samurai action going on and this whole menagerie is played out to Metallica's "Unforgiven," which, if you watch it a few times will become as hysterical to you as it has to me.

But one thing is for sure: Whether I figure out the method or not, this is an F&S feature waiting to happen. I want to party all night with the dudes in this video. So I plan to start a "Send Joe Cermele Extreme Rock Fishing in Japan" fund shortly. All I need is a plane ticket and a case of Miller to take out on the rock and I'll produce the greatest fishing story ever told. Something whacked out happening is beyond inevitable.

JC

By Joe Cermele

As I am a man of my word, I present a blog by F&S intern Rick Bach. Read on to find out why I have lost the right to post today - JC

Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Rich Bach, and I am not Joe Cermele. I don’t know what Joe’s doing today and I don’t care, because I’ve got his blog for the day. We fished the New Jersey surf this weekend and as an intern dying for a byline, I made him a bet: If I caught a keeper striped bass and he didn’t, I could write one of his blog posts.

Now Joe used to work for Saltwater Sportsman, and they once wrote that he was “born with a surf rod in his hands,” so I’m sure he wasn’t nervous about losing this bet. He probably had a draft written somewhere, ready to post. I’m sure it was clever, but it will have to wait.

In honesty, this wasn’t much of a match-up. Joe knows these beaches like the back of his hand. You can count my Jersey surf experiences on a few fingers. This was Sonny Liston vs. Muhammad Ali; team U.S.A. vs. the U.S.S.R.; Namath’s Jets vs. the Colts.

But Sonny Liston stayed in his corner after the seventh round, Broadway Joe made good on his guarantee, and here I am writing a blog, thanks to the 29-inch striper pictured below (the limit is 28 inches). It’s no giant but fishing, too, is a game of inches. (Yes, I know it doesn't look that big in the photo, but we did measure it, and the tape doesn't lie).

After we reeled in our last casts on Saturday I breathed a sigh of relief and began pondering how I should use my one blog. In the end I decided to take the high road: gloating over my victory.

But the experience reminded me that fishing, along with everything else, is a sport like any other. Our biggest opponents are the weather and demands on our time, but occasionally we’re lucky enough to defeat a friend.

By John Merwin & Joe Cermele

There were a lot of great entries this time, and what I especially liked was that I and so many others could see lure-color ideas and fishing tips from all across the country. Thanks to all of 
you for that.

To troutrageous1, who tweaked me by insisting that everything be red (in response to a recent column where I said the opposite), here's a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Thanks for the laugh.

Several people described matching lure color to water color, a good concept that often works. Other described "matching the hatch," so to speak, choosing lure colors based on predominant natural forage--
also a good idea.

Among those, I think Michael Nix phrased it best: "Regardless of the time of year or location, the best lure color is the one that matches the predominant food source for the given place and time. Thus, no one color is always the best to use. The question to be answered does not reference what our favorite color may be. The question asks which lure color is the best. Naturally, the answer will depend upon a myriad of factors, but the selection will always boil down to matching the predominant food source for a given place and time. The job in lure color selection, then, is to determine what that food source is!!!"

Michael, drop me an e-mail with your snail-mail address at merwin.fands@gmail.com and I'll get your lures on their way.

By Joe Cermele

My good friend Greg has three babies. Baby number 1 is new daughter Hayden, who he and his wife Susanne (baby number 2) just brought home from the hospital a few weeks ago. As it should be, baby number 1 takes precedence over all things right now.

Because of this, baby number 3 is a bit lonely these days. This baby is Greg's brand-spanking new 32-foot Yellowfin center console, "The Filthy Animal."  While I have yet to meet baby Hayden in person, baby number 3 and I have been well-acquainted on the offshore grounds this summer. I'm sure she is sad as the other striper boats pass by this fall outbound to the inlet, but she must understand that Greg needs to get the newest crew member in peak fishing condition as soon as possible.

To help that along, I contributed the onezee worn by Hayden in these photos. Oh yeah, it's a custom job my friends, with a Mold Craft Wide Range trolling lure on the front and current crew status on the back.

This gift tells you three things about me. One, I can be totally corny sometimes. Two, no matter the occasion I will find a way to tie a gift to  fishing. And three, I know nothing about babies. I bought the "new born" size completely forgetting that babies actually grow...and apparently pretty fast...who knew? It will probably fit her for about a week, but I'm willing to bet Greg and Susanne will hang on to this one-of-a-kind.

I'm also willing to bet none of you can top this baby gift. Prove me wrong.

JC