A March Like May, a Fish on the Beach, and a Hole in the Sky

I went for a run on a boardwalk the other day and almost threw up. Not because I was out of shape, but because I just couldn’t stop asking myself ‘what planet am I living on? This is March?’ It was like a scene from a movie that is real. Those are the best movies by the way. The ocean was that clean green that you see in May, gannets were diving here and there a few casts out, people were sunbathing on the beach- to top it off the weird New Jersey lady with the posters all over her car was there- and the sun was scorching like it was fourth of July weekend.

After the run, I put in a call to Rick to inform him about the gannet sighting, but he was already on the next level as he informed me he just unhooked a fish caught on a white shad. I stood at my vehicle surveying the scene as Rick spoke, panting with near heat stroke, and just took it all in. May in March.


March 2012: A long spell of foggy weather at the beach with no waves while the interior of the country was roasting under a historic heat wave

I really learned how much I hate foggy weather this month. As heat roasted the interior, the natural air conditioner at the beach was in full effect, making us stuck under a marine layer for a about a week and a half. Day after day of dreary fog, no real wind, and no waves got to be really annoying after a while. While it was cooler at the beach, the heat elsewhere across the United States and Canada was like this:

They don't even have shadings for the intervals past +8F.

• Low temperatures in Marquette, MI and Mt Washington, NH were warmer than the previous record highs for the date
• The temperature soared to 80F (27C) in Nova Scotia which broke Canada's all-time warmest April temperature record
• The high temperature in Chicago was 80F or more for 8 days from the 14th through 22nd

While those places are pretty far from New Jersey, it is important to remember that no man is an island, and that weather in New Jersey is very much connected with weather in the United States and around the globe. The atmosphere does not care about state lines and country borders like humans do. So I interpret it to mean that because we didn’t have a winter and it is like summer in everywhere but along the barrier islands the fish will probably show up early this spring.

As to the fishing, Rick, and another gentleman and I hit up a back bay area, but could only put together a few bumps in the fog. The spearing were there and we saw splashes from something bigger, but that was all. Though I didn’t get a fish, I had the feeling that it is the 11th hour and I should finally put that new line on my reels. It is certainly time to have all the equipment on standby because it will be any day now when I walk up to the beach and see a fish on the beach . . .

. . . And it didn’t take long! That day was today 7:00am March 24, 2012 . . .

7:00 March 24th, 2012

As soon as I walked up my instinct told me that it looked fishy. I don’t know what it is in words exactly, it’s just a look or something, something that words fail to communicate. I glanced to my right and saw two guys geared up and casting. I figured this would be interesting. Within 10 minutes I saw one angler make that quick jerk of the rod that is silent but you can almost hear. Fish on! After a pretty good battle he landed a nice looking striper. He and his buddy were pretty stoked and went right back to it.

Immediately the thoughts entered my mind . . . I have to get my stuff ready . . . Should I come back up . . . Ah this changes my whole day . . . No I’ll move that around so I can rig the rods . . . Good it’s ok if I miss today . . . It’s only the beginning . . . Right it's only the beginning . . . Don’t have to get hectic . . . Stay calm and cool . . . Get the rods ready after lunch . . . Don’t rush into it . . Just keep checking it . . .

So here we are. May in March. A fish on the beach. Now if those bunker show up next week that’ll really be something.

As it is time to start plying the waters, it is wise to be gentle on yourself with too much sun exposure right now, even though the warm weather increases the urge to be outside all day. The ozone layer is usually in its worst state during the spring months, and this March is no exception. To make it worse, the lowest levels of ozone are usually found atop the hot high pressure systems that make going outside and bathing your skin in sunlight seem like an irresistible idea.

The ozone layer has been thinner over our region for at least the past weak, to as low as -20% to -30%.  The ozone hole is not just for the penguins in Antarctica.

You can feel the days when the ozone layer is weaker because the sun will feel like someone is holding a magnifying glass to your skin. Like the other day when I was running on the boardwalk, it felt like I was stuck in a UV chamber, as the bright sun felt like it was burning me from the start. When I was younger I didn’t care as much about the sun, but then again when I was younger I needed someone to wipe my butt for me. Now that I am older and hopefully wiser I understand that it is important to be cognizant of the atmosphere because it directly affects health. You can track the state of the ozone layer at Northern Hemisphere Ozone Maps if you want to connect some dots. I like to guess which days the ozone layer is diminished by how hot the sun feels, and then I check the maps to see if I was right.

So there it is. May in March, a fish on the beach, and a hole in the sky. I’m going to continue with my regularly scheduled routine today like I didn’t even see a fish this morning. But fishing is computed into the program from here on out . . .