Back, after a long hiatus

I didn't realize it had been nearly a year since I posted, but I guess that's a sign that I've been busy. I left the Asbury Park Press in November 2007, literally within days of the last edition of Hook, Line & Sinker for that season, and within two weeks started my job at The Fisherman. It has been a wonderful move, the best thing I could have done for myself and for Emily. It's not without challenges -- getting up and being in the office at 8 a.m. is still difficult. But I'm still glad I made the move.

I never finished blogging about the whole Monica Oswald-world record fluke situation. At this point, I don't think it really matters. The final outcome was that the IGFA denied record status for it, based on her account saying she rested the rod on the gunwale. She passed an extensive lie detector test given by The Fisherman long before I was on board there, and despite extensive rumors and ferocious Internet debates over every aspect of it, I believe she caught the fish.

Interestingly, when the Virginia state striper record fell several months back, there were immediate rumors of impropriety there, too.

I guess the lesson is, if you catch a big fish, you'd better catch it with someone whose credibility won't be questioned. Otherwise, take a photo and let it go. It's not worth the hassle.