When I first started surf fishing for stripers in 1960, there was not a whole lot of information about the subject in print and in magazines. The outdoor type magazines had very few articles on salt water fishing at all. Then came the Salt Water Sportsman, which really answered the call to provide forums for articles on surf fishing for striped bass. There were articles about fishing the outer Cape and Martha’s Vineyard with authors such as Kib Bramhall and Frank Woolner…….the stuff of dreams. But magazines are in the business of making money, and the demographics of surf fishing were against us. The magazine leaned away from surf fishing and more to boat fishermen because we all know that the big bucks are spent on boats and everything connected with them. Lets face it, surf fishing is at the lower end of the economic food chain unless you factor in the cost of a beach buggy which most often is not just used for fishing but is part of the family transportation stable. Little by little the surf fishing articles were replaced by the latest canyon techniques using boats costing way more than our family cars. Locally, The Fisherman does contain an occasional article of interest and gives news of surf fishing successes….what’s hot and what’s not. But, it is a news magazine which does not have the space for in-depth articles, and there is nothing older than the news of where they were hitting last week in the surf.

Nature and publishing does abhor a vacuum and into this void came On The Water a New England fishing magazine which has been around for about 5 years and has a lot to offer. I read about it on Stripersurf.com and got a trial issue, was impressed enough to order a subscription, and even ordered some back issues. When I called to order, I talked with one of the owners about the magazine. He told me that they did not want to go the way of the Salt Water Sportsman magazine, but rather they had found a niche that would include a lot of information about surf fishing. He also mentioned that they were looking into expanding their efforts to include a mid-Atlantic states edition.

So what does On The Water have to offer? It is published in a large 10” x 13” format about the size of the old Life magazine with a full color picture on the cover. There are in-depth columns, “Insiders’ Stories,” covering the major areas of New England. These are not about what someone caught last week but rather predictions of what to expect during the current month based on the writer’s experience. A highlight for me is Frank Daignault’s column on the Outer Cape. Often the issues include some history of boats or fishing such as the October ’99 which gave the history of the Private fishing clubs of Cuttyhunk and the other Elizabeth Islands. This is where large stripers acquired their reputation as a top game fish.

For the saltwater fly fisherman there are columns and how to articles in every issue. In fact every issue has some information on tying rigs, creating lures or building some type of tackle or accessory.

Whether it is cooking fish or rigging a kayak for “extreme” surf fishing the articles and columns in this magazine are written in-depth and not crammed in-between news about who got the pool winning porgy on the local head boats. Sure they do not cover our area, but a lot of information translates well for us. Also, when I finally get to break free and try some more New England fishing I do have a source of information. I recommend that you try it. Call for a trial issue at: 800-614-3000 or 508-548-4705 -- Jerry van de Sande