Surf Competition, the Rogue's session notes

"So my tactic with the conservation of apex predators is
 to get people excited and take them to where they live."   -Steve Irwin
Sliding into the surf fishing zone. Backsides with baited lines, Holidays & 66th. 8/20/2020

   Reachin' the apex of my summer surf. After this week, the Wife and I spending quality time with the Granddaughter, and a trip out west for a family visit. Probably be a couple weeks before I am able to get another session in. Waves were not epic, but the rides were full of stoke! Add to that a little competition with a couple groups of surf fishin' tourists, and I had me some excitement here and there. Nuthin' to attract the media, but my buddy later let me know that a few of 'em were a little miffed at my carving back and forth across their fishin' grounds. No biggie though; I did fairly well at staying clear. Had to avoid the sharks. As I mentioned, smooth, stoke filled cruisers. Mostly backsides...matter of fact, pretty much all backsides. Most would die out to the right. Light, on-shore winds. Sectioned, semi-clean, knee to thigh-high swell. A couple jacked as the tide was going out, but if there was anything bigger than thigh-waist, I missed 'em. Caught enough to almost be satisfied. Sun seems to be going down faster...another sign of the Apex. Not sure which I was competing with the most... the sun- for time in the water, or the surf fishers. Time ta' start gettin' wet earlier.

Always gotta try for that frontside...even from the back. 8/20/2020

   A competition of beer. The first was Reserve Special. A Black Ale from Dark Horse Brewing outta  Marshall, MI. Been there. Done that. Back in 2016. Super cool brewery produced a super smooth Black IPA ringing in at 7.5% ABV, and 67 IBUs. Drink a couple, and you'll forget about the sharks. (Get bit? Won't even feel it). Pours a deep brown, almost black, with a light brown finger or so head. Aromas of mocha and piney hops. First sip brings a cascade of coffee, bitter dark chocolate, fire roasted malt all with a citrusy squeeze of grapefruit. The finish is creamy, but dry at the same time. Rated a B+.

"Standing outside, watching the setting sun,

  and drinking a cold beer while reflecting 

on the session that just wrapped makes me

 feel like the world is all mine and I can

 accomplish anything. But that’s probably

 just the beer talking."

-Jason Nauman

Evo Craft Brewing's long standing Primal Pale Ale. Part of their mainline beer offerings. Pours a bright golden orange. About a 2 plus-finger thick, fizzy off-white head. Fast dissipating lace. Grassy, grainy, herbal smell. Included a hoppy pine with a hint of sugar laced lemon. Flavors were biscuity, more grains, some malt, and very little sweetness. Some lemongrass, and 30 IBUs of bitter hops. Kinda like an English pale. I'd say an easy drinkin,' 5% ABV, Pale, but boring. This has been out a while. Never really gave it a chance, but without the big Pale taste and hop, citrus sweetness...bland, not primal. Got a six. Took a while. Rated a C/C+.  

Floaters, the Rogue's session notes.

"There's an independence to surfing, it's just you and the ocean. There aren't a bunch of rules." -Lee Clow
Floating across a humid, foggy backdrop. Semi-clean knee to thigh walls, Holidays and 66th. 8/12/2020

   End of a work day. Especially hump day. A Wednesday. Wash off the dirt of the week so far. Looking at the surf report earlier in the week, not much surf on the horizon. Didn't matter...to wash off, one just needs to get wet. Looking out at the swell in person, not impressed. Seemed to break fast, then die. In many cases, pretty close to the shoreline. High tide didn't help. Key was watching for the areas with flats of shallow sand that formed mini-bars and caused the wave to lurch and break far enough out to avoid the beachfront faceplant. Sets were sectioning in couple places. A light rip that further separated rideable swell. Near empty lineup...another surfer maybe a block down. Some kids riding the shorebreak. An eerie but peaceful front floated in. Fog shrouded the horizon as sets became difficult to discern one from the next, much less whether or not they were ridable. Like the front itself, each lift jumped on felt more like I was floating across the line. Taking off required pumping the board to stay ahead, grabbing the waves' power before it faded. As long as I was in line with the thin walls, I could stick it all the way to the beachhead. Definitely about timing. Stoke filled, floating, thigh high rides. Just got to get wet first.
   Speaking of floating in a fog...a Backwoods Bastard Wee Heavy or two could bring another front in right before your eyes. Part of Founders Brewing Barrel Aged series. This bad-ass Scotch Ale is not your average Wee one. Weighing in at 11% ABV, BB is full of scents of woodsy oak and single-malt Scotch. Poured a foggy, dark mahogany with a dense, 2-finger brown head. Additional smells of mossy peat and berries. Going down there were abundant flavors of bourbon, fruit cake, vanilla, and brown sugar. Very filling. Balanced bitterness at 50 IBUs. Warming, and not overly boozy making it very dangerous. Not for the humid night, but after the sun sets, pull yourself out of the Atlantic, put away the board, and sit...it is a relaxing sipper. Rated BB an A.

"Isn’t beer the holy libation of sincerity?
The potion that dispels all hypocrisy, any
 charade of fine manners?"
-Milan Kundera

The Great Escape, the Rogue's session notes.

Beached the boat. Grabbed the chairs. Enjoyed the escape. Northern tip- bayside, Assateague Island. 8/8/2020

   Strange times. Always the search to feel normal. On the water. The great escape. Prime-time fishin.' The week of the WMO, i.e the White Marlin Open. This time 'round saw Hurricane Isaias twisting up the first part of the week with several spawned tornadoes. Thus, the Open got an extension through the weekend. As a participant, the tournament was a record setter, doling out $6.8 million, the largest in history! As a spectator affair, it was a dud. Weigh-ins were off limits, open only to press and tournament officials. Crowds were quarantined to the 3rd Street Ballfield, forced to watch on a make-shift big screen. Sparse vender tents, and no food (ice desserts only). So,we grabbed Daughter and Granddaughter for our own fishing junket and Assateague bayside beach-day. Took in the sun, the sand, the returning WMO boats, and a few fish as well. It was a very good day!

Fright path.

3rd largest White Marlin ever caught.

Day 6 of 7 - Return trip to the scales. Rt. 50 Bridge, 8/8/2020.

When it comes to fishin', all Good Luck kisses welcome.
Sinepuxent Bay-East Channel, 8/8/2020

   Couple brews that deal with the summer heat. South Philly's Yards Brewing burst onto the streets with Summer Crush. Poured a golden yellow with a light haze. White, fast dissipating, foamy, finger or so head. Advertises as a citrusy Wheat Ale, and it check all the boxes. Lime and grass most noticeable in the aroma. More lime and bright orange in the taste. Some melon and light malt in the back. Nothing fancy. Just a very thirst quenching brew. Five and five. In percent ABV and IBUs. Rated a solid B.

 Boss Tweed up next. A New England Double IPA outta central Michigan's Old Nation Brewery. Dense, matte orange haze with a two finger-plus off-white head. Burst of tropical citrus and tangerine in the nose. Smell of resinous hops was abundant. Taste was dank. Full of sticky pine, grapefruit, guava, and sweet apricot. Light malt and biscuit backbone. Dry hopped finish left me wanting another...but only one in this mix-six. Rated a lone A. 

"In the three years, seven months and
two weeks that I've been in the bag,
that's the most extraordinary stuff
I've ever tasted. It's shattering!"
-Sqn Ldr Roger Bartlett 'Big X'

Gimme a Flattie! Winning catch, East Channel.
8/8/2020

Haphazardly, the Rogue's session notes.

Swingin' into a semi-clean front-side slice, and squeezin' the stoke. Just a few yards off the beach...
Holiday's and 66th, 7/30/2020.

   Waves were looking haphazard and difficult to pinpoint position. Hadn't even gotten into the water yet. Plenty warm and humid. Water near 80F. Air in the upper 80s. Paddling through the lineup this evening made it easy to stay warm. Definitely a session  that required persistence. The break was a mix of semi-clean and choppiness. Waves jacked up on a bar closer to shore pretty steady at about thigh. Maybe a waist here and there. Quick breaking as well, which when I managed to jump 'em, made for a couple long rides. However, had to keep an eye on the beach...shoreline raced up very fast and pulling out early was a necessity more than once. Not unusual to be slicing across a breaking crest and dragging my right hand to stay parallel to the shore. Another sesh that didn't review well on the surf reports, as I was driving in. When I first crossed the dunes I thought, "not much." But, snagged that first wave almost immediately. Evening ended up turning out more than a few joyrides. Nice.
    Like the Ocean itself, a brew that has more than a few loyalists. Outta Fort Bragg, California...North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Didn't really need a warmer, but a pushy Stout is always welcome. Poured an inky, impenetrable black. Dense, brown, 1-finger head. Aromas of chocolate and coffee, and molasses. Made it very difficult to let this one sit. Tastes followed the mocha latte theme, with tastes of strong espresso coffee, cocoa nibs, roasted oats, and light caramel. Full bodied...very silky and thick, with a ripped 75 IBUs of delicious, hopped up bitterness in the finish. Got this one as part of a mixed six. At 9%, a four packer would be enjoyed at the end of more than one surf session. An A rating for sure.

"A sincere friend is not born instantly."
-Grigori Rasputin, the Mad Monk