First Time, Long Time

[Mark]

Been a casual reading member since 2012 when I thought I was going to be in the market for a 31. More recently I have been reading on a regular basis hoping that soon I could become a 31 owner. It's great to see how you guys help each other out. The information shared and the seeing the results of the beautiful Bertrams makes it hard to believe that all these boats are around 50 yrs old. My Dad wanted a 31 and we were actually looking at a gas FBC in Forked River in the 70s but his stupid ignorant young son wanted something else and Mon wanted a more cabin. Not to be. Instead we kept fishing a 30 ft fiberglass over plank semi-v garvey with a full keel and keel cooler. I believe it was the biggest on Barnegat Bay and handle the old s channel Barnegat Inlet surprisingly well. After the garvey, we had a 26 Sea Ox for a while. In my younger days, mated on a few boats out of Manasquan (including a season with Bob Pisano after he and Gary split on the Tuna Hunter). Also spent some time in Freeport and then Montauk on a brand new 42 Glaspec downeast before the owner was arrested. Life issues have put voids into my fishing time all of you have experienced to one degree or another. More recently we (wife, 2 boys now in college and I) have just been fishing our 17 Carolina Skiff in the rivers, up the coast and out to the reefs. Great on the budget though. Belmar to Long Branch, drifts and back...only 3.5 gallons of fuel.

We miss the tuna and would like to be able to fish on more days than the 17CS will allow. Hopefully the right situation will materialize. If not, hopefully I can contribute in other ways to this sandbox while I enjoy and learn from all your experiences.

Great to be aboard!!!
Mark B

[Carl]

Welcome Aboard Mark!

Lurking since 2012???? You should have jumped into our sandbox sooner, nice to read, better to be apart of..

Your here now and that's all that counts.

I'm not too far North of you in Staten Island, most likely we enjoyed some of the same water as running down your way are some great sharking wrecks.


I understand all about being on a budget...I have one girl in high school, public schools here aren't too great...and another in College. Makes life interesting for sure...what is important is we get out...in anything that floats preferably

Carl

[Tony Meola]

Mark

Welcome. I see you have been a member for a while. You should have jumped in sooner. Forked River in the 70's. We have been in Forked River since 73 and have had our boat since 75. There used to be a number of 31's down there. In fact some of us used to run offshore together. There are still a few of us in Forked River. Several on the River and we keep ours up on Stouts Creek, just north of the River but still in the town of Forked River.

There are a few good deals around, so keep looking you will find one.

[Mark]

Carl - Agree 100%. I didn't have a 31 or a bert so I didn't think it was right. Over the years, I've realized that you guys are much more than that so here I am.Should have been sooner no doubt. I grew up in Elizabeth the baby of 3 (one of those mistake/blessing babies). The next youngest is 8 yrs older..anyway...before me my parents had a shack in Arthur Kill area and they used to fish the bay. My Dad always said that's when we used to catch fish. Once in a while we'll trailer the CS up to state marina by Leonardo and fish the bay. Thank you for the welcome and no more lurking.

Tony - In '73 my Dad's Great Uncle passed and he left just a house on Oyster Creek in Waretown on the outlet of the nuclear plant. Water would get to 95 deg in summer. Crazy!! When they shut the plant down water would cool by 20 deg and you would see hundreds of big fish (mostly stripers) floating down the creek. If you ever ventured the creek back then, we were between the 2 marinas that had to close due to worms constantly eating the pilings and bulkheads due to warm brackish/cedar water. We were closer to the one up the creak the boathouse. As a kid in summers and weekends (all year round when not playing sports, etc) I was out and about on the bay scooting around in a 18 hp powered rowboat that the uncle built. When parents passed, siblings didn't want to keep house and we couldn't afford buying them out even though it would have been a bargain during the recession when house prices depleted. Thought about selling Wall house and moving down but worried about schools, nuclear leaks, and it was Waretown. I told the wife that even though it was Waretown, it was on the water and eventually people will make the are more valuable. But...Good memories. Live eeling the sedge banks in the middle of the night, big wearies right at mouth of oyster creek, overnights at times shoal, etc. An of course the white knuckles of Barnegat Inlet.

Enjoy both your posts and Thank you again for the welcome.

Mark B