December 20, 2020 – A Frozen Hose: We Did for All for Dolf – Ocean County Beaches

Not even a sunrise with rain approaching.

I have heard an old adage, repeated by Jeff a couple times this fall, that to begin a season with a skunk and end with a skunk counts for something in the good fortune category. I will leave it to an old salt like Reelin Ron to advise whether or not that is true or even a thing. In more practical terms many sharpies quit when the hose is frozen—or hoses are frozen? I can stand the cold, and today was not cold, but when I can’t rinse the salt off my stuff without bringing hot water from the kitchen out to the driveway, well, that is surely a sign. Frozen hose or not, if I quit the surf today, it will have ended the way it began, a skunk. I even had Jeff along for both trips. Today was for Dolf, however. For the second crappy SSW Sunday this fall, we ventured out trying to get the dude on a bass. He’s caught plenty of bass before, just not this fall. I took the guys to one of my spots, and there was bait at first light, even signs of a couple small fish, but the tide was low and water a bit dirty (perhaps snow melt catching up). It was also a tad too sporty for short bass to venture through the cut—certainly not a day for rats on bombers and small bucktails. We tossed 2 ounces of metal and a teaser for a few hours, an SP and Mag Minnow in there for good measure, even a heavy plastic eel, but I had one bump all morning, and I did not connect. It was a long shot this morning with low tide right at sunrise, but it was a legit shot, as I was within a long walking distance of another cut where I tore them up five days ago, and this here cut is typically even better! Regardless of whether the adage about skunks is true, my own rule in December used to be two in a row. To that end, if Tuesday’s forecast for a W wind holds, I have Jeff penciled in as a go. That will be the day we catch fifty while Dolf has to work. I obviously have more faith in Murphy’s Law than the skunk sandwich and/or frozen hose.