Canon Rebel T6i DSLR Camera bundled with the EF 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens and additional Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 lens

This camera is really bad ass compared to most on the market right now. This camera packs a punch with all of the options and the power it offers. Paired with a Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 lens this camera takes crisp photos up close and from a distance. Use of this lens with the camera will limit the amount of times when I have to change lenses.

In addition I have also purchased a few filters such as UV protectors, Circular Polorizers and Neutral Density for some effects! Although the camera has a WiFi remote that I can control with my smart phone i purchased a separate wired remote controller to conserve battery life on those days of taking many many photos especially long exposures at night.

I am looking forward to exploring the world of photography through my many travels of fishing, camping and all other trips planned on doing for the remainder summer/fall!

Also for the past week I have been learning Adobe Light Room on a recommendation from a friend. I feel that it is a much needed piece of software for processing developing and editing RAW files.

Lightning from the front porch of my house.!

A Sunset at Chips Foly Campground.

A photo at the Manasquan River of Kayak Fishing.

Fishing Journal 2015_08-15

Some fishing trips stand out more than others. These are the epic fishing days with good company and non stop action. August 15th 2015 was one of those days.

It was a later morning than normal awaking at 7:30 AM. The tide was to be high around 9:00 am so sleeping in was an option i took. Brian called me around 7 and told me he would be at the drop in within an hour. This was perfect timing. Loaded the cooler picked up some breakfast and was on my way to the drop in.

With some strong reports of keeper Fluke being caught in the back bay this was to be the Back Bay Fluke Fishing Day!
Arriving around 8:30 it was already warm and sunny. Brian was on his way and arrived about 20 mins later which gave me time to slowly unload and rig up. We launched as the tide had started moving out. The water was a warm 82 degrees at the surface with an air temp around 84 degrees to start. We had a slight S-SW  breeze around 4-5 kts. This was perfect conditions. Not hot all day with no breeze it was a picture perfect day.

About 5 mins after dropping Bucktails with teasers tipped with Berkley  Gulp to the bottom in 10 – 20 feet of water hugging the edge of a channel boom Brian landed the first fish and first keeper. Not too long after that my rod is bent in half but missing that fish due to the new dead stick rod holder setup. The RaAM Adapt-A-Post Track Mount with the  Ram Tube Jr has a bait caster and a spinning reel side to lock in the rod. The Abu Garcia Vengeance casting rod I was using has a larger trigger grip which seems to get stuck in the hole that locks the rod in. After a few fish and working the rod from the holder it took a little getting used to but was manageable. The second fish hooked was a really nice fluke.  It was a good fight pulling drag  landing a really nice fluke measuring in at 21.5″.

Picking through short fish which were nice fat ones that put up a great fight. The dead stick rod seemed to be producing more.

By now the drift was moving fast. We were drifting almost 2mph. Still picking up fish riding out the drift until fishing slowed up then making the decision to go back to where we started find the fish and drift again.

Back at the beginning of the drift we were running out of tide. Finding a pocket of fish every time we would go over the spot fish would bite on both rods! Brian had one jump out of his cooler and somehow netted it before it got away. I lost a keeper measuring it for Kayak Wars and decided not to take anymore KW pohots for the day after that. A few more keepers and shorts we made the decision to call it a day at 3:00 PM.

Wish all fishing trips could be as good as landing 25 fish in a 6 hour day!

This New Jersey (Red) Clam Chowder recipe is a modification of Emeril Lagasse‘s Manhattan Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

• Fresh Raked 2 dozen quahog or large cherrystone clams, scrubbed and rinsed, shucked, opened clam shells discarded

If you do not rake fresh clams and or want to save some time use 1 pt tub of shucked minced clams from the fish market and 1 dozen quahog or “chowder clams” reserve the juice)

• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch lengths (I fry up the bacon in the stock pot until crispy remove then suck up 1/2 the grease with a paper towel. You need some grease)
• 2 cups finely chopped onion (I use a whole medium sized onion)
• 1 cup finely chopped celery (3-4 stalks)
• 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
• 3/4 cup diced carrot
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme (you can use dried)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (careful with this)
  
• 1 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups) (i generally use 3-4 large Yukon gold potatos)
• 1 cup chicken stock (or broth)
  
• 6 Jersey Red Plum Tomatoes fresh from the garden (or 1 (28-ounce) Tuttorosso diced tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves (fresh is best)
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt (to taste i add this in when all clams are cooked)

Directions:

Shuck 2 dozen clams reserving all juices and bodies. Using a a fine-meshed sieve, strain broth into a bowl. (You should have about 6 cups of clam broth. If not, add enough chicken broth to bring the volume up to 6 cups.) I like to remove the stomach portion of the clam. (If you purchase the tub of shucked clams from the store or fish market typically the stomachs are already removed.) Cut the rest of the clam into 1/2 – 1/4″ pieces. Set clams and broth aside.

In a large heavy pot add bacon and render until golden and crispy. Pour off all fat except 4 tablespoons. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Do not allow to color. Add garlic, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, chicken stock, clam juice and clams along with salt and pepper if necessary. Continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes. In a separate pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Peel and chop potatoes onto 1/2″ – 3/4″ squares. Boil until al dente. Drain and add to stock pot to continue cooking for 2 minutes.

Allow chowder to sit for up to 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, then reheat slowly over low fire if necessary. Do not allow to boil.

You can freeze this in servings for up to 6 months or can it for shelf/pantry use.