Annual Send for Scott

[Hookmanski]

January 10th is my late father's birthday, and year after year since his passing I have gone fishing on his birthday to remember and honor him. Typically I go to places we fished together when I was a kid, but this year looked a bit different than the past few - with a huge rain and windstorm moving through the area, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

I got out on the water around 8:00 this morning, stopping to check tributaries and creeks on my way to my Hunterdon County stomping grounds. There was a lot of clear flooding the night before, and the main rivers and creeks we're as blown out as you could expect them to be. I did manage to find a few tributaries that weren't running as high as I'd expected, but there was no life in them that I saw. I think the wind and new debris in the creeks from the storm might have had a hand in that. After 4 hours of hopping (scrambling, really, hence the broken net) around thinking of every creek I had seen since I was a kid and checking them all, I figured I would regroup, grab some lunch at Cryan's in Clinton, and try again in the afternoon. A lot of the NJF guys knew I was doing this today and called in tips, which I am so grateful for.





After recharging, I figured I'd shoot up the musky and see how it and it's tribs were doing. Much like the rest, they were flooded and not worth the time. I decided to foucs my energy on a lake instead, and decided to hit Tilcon since it was on my way home. After grinding it out there for an hour plus, I stuck a landlocked Atlantic in the last 15 minutes I had to fish. Thanks Dad.







I lost my father to suicide and think about him every day. He was a fantastic guy. If you or someone you know is having a tough time, you are not alone - there is help for you. Tight lines!