I took the boat out with some family and friends on Saturday and Sunday for a couple of short trips along the beach.  The purpose of the trips was to get used to the boat and get to learn all of the various new functions the boat has to offer.  The boat runs great and cuts through the waves beautifully.  The head got plenty of use and was a favorite among the women and kids.  I guess I will get rid of the Spackle bucket.

We searched the areas on the south end of LBI for some stripers and bluefish.  We found plenty of bunker but no predators.  The bunker were spread out all over the area; not in tight balls which is what you want to see.  The tight balls mean there are something chasing them and force them into this defense mechanism.  The weaker ones are picked off one by one like gazelle on the African Plains.

The Compass Rose has arrived and she is more beautiful than I ever imagined.  The "fighting lady" yellow and the blue stripe compliment each-other perfectly.  Don't let her good looks fool you though, this is a pure fishing machine.  The boat has plenty of room to move about and 29' of rail space on either side to easily fish six people.  The full head has enough room for someone who is 6'2" to stand up comfortably.  I am already spoiled by the Sirius radio which sounds amazing.  The electronic package I put together is top of the line and includes live satellite weather so we will be able to see those afternoon thunder storms approaching.

I will be running charters beginning June 21st this summer.  I need to do several "shakedown" trips to get used to all the systems before I want to take everyone out.  As expected, charter boats have had to raise their prices due to the fuel cost.  I am lucky because the new Yamaha 4-Stroke engines due not burn a lot of fuel so I only raised my prices nominally.  Fishing on this boat is worth every penny.

I will be fishing a local striper tournament this Memorial Day Weekend.  There have been plenty of bass caught in the Sandy Hook area but I have not heard of a great run yet south by us.  It is just a matter of time before they follow the bunker and herring into our area and we will get into some steady action.