2012: The Summer of Thunderstorms

There is a certain amount of hope that is part of fishing, but after a while too much 'positive thinking' becomes delusional and mental patient-like.  As far as I'm concerned, this entire year of fishing, aside from a nice boat day, has been more disapointing than lifting.  Or it has felt very fleeting.  Doug and I had a great experience the other night for sure, but we were also barely hanging on to get a night without a thunderstorm.  And then an hour into the fishing- which was going to be the night of the summer- some snot 20mph SW wind picked up and forced us to leave.  Just like the bass bite this year- it always feels like what you have is about to be lost at any moment.  The plague now, as it has been, are thunderstorms.

It has been difficult to find a fishing day this summer without a map like this.  Here is tonight's map.

Yet another Midwest-style thunderstorm moved through on Thursday.

As drought decimates the rest of the United States, the Northeast and New Jersey are under a weak trough pattern that is keeping the air unstable and ripe for seemingly endless summer thunderstorms.

Sometimes I have a difficult time dealing with the weather because it can be frustrating.  Yesterday there was a nice west wind blowing, the water looked nice and alive, and I figured there would be a shot at some sharks even though it wasn't a moon week.  So I go through the whole process of bait gathering, rod rigging, prepping, etc and the wind switches onshore at 6:30pm, the water gets that junky stale dead look with a calm wind, and the best Will and I could do was land a stingray each.  All I am asking for, at this point, is one night where it's just nice or surprising and exciting.  A good bite, no threat of death from lightning, no abnormal 25mph SW wind picking up at 10:30pm.  Just a few solid hours of good fishing, being all pumped up, without having to look over my shoulder for the next weather misery.  Until then . . .

. . . more thunderstorms.

Wow.  Even ANOTHER Midwest-style storm rolled though while I was writing this . . .

My well of staying motivated has run dry and I am in full hunger mode.  Fortunately, I have some more wild plans that have a serious risk for disappointment, but they will yield an incredible reward if things work out.  It's high risk investing, fishing portfolio, but the profit is worth all the drudgery and obsession with the darkness of the western sky.  Snakes are associated with the devil, at least that's what wise people purport, and I assume sharks are too, so I'm playing with the dark side a little bit with this one.  If you pretend thunder is angry angels stomping the ground in heaven and lightning is what god does when he is pissed, and I'm using snakes to catch the most evil fish in the sea, then this is some heavy fishing.  And it's where it is that's really spooky.