Scales and Tales

Long Island's summer flounder season is well underway at this point and anglers are enjoying fast action at most ports - even if keepers have been tough to find. To be sure, there are more legal fluke being creeled than most would have thought. Still, anglers have a lot to say about the new regulations - and about the proposed saltwater fishing license. Consider some of the following messages I've received in recent weeks:

“Dear Mr. Schlichter,

"I have been both an experienced recreational fisherman as well as a professional fillet man/production manager employed at the Fulton Fish Market for more than twenty years. This particular combination has presented me with a dual viewpoint of the commercial catch, as well as my personal experiences with rod and reel.

“My livelihood is no doubt dependant on the commercial catch. It is fact that fluke landed from New Bedford, RI, NJ, NY and, especially from Virginia and the Carolinas, are the primary source of flatfish during the winter months. I have personally filleted hundreds of thousands of pounds of these fluke over the past twenty years. Restrictions on the commercial catch of fluke as well as most other species of flat fish, while intending to preserve the stocks, have also lead to tons of dead by-catch shoveled over the side while pushing the businesses of fresh fish and fillet to the verge of extinction. All that being said, the concept of recreational anglers decimating the fluke population one fish at a time while we may purchase 3000 pounds of medium-sized fluke usually no bigger than 14-18 inches - three times a week - is, in my opinion, beyond absurd.

"I in no way mean to point a finger at the commercial catch or wish to see it restricted any further. Instead, I point at the various agencies charged with the management of this most valuable resource, and what appears to me to be a fragmented approach lacking unification and common sense. I thought this view from the other side might offer you a different perspective on the 20.5” size and two fish fluke limits.”

"- Vincent DiPalma"

"Dear Tom,

“With our Nation’s current sad economy and the ever increasing crude oil mockery – the timing for the Saltwater License issue couldn’t be worse. Sadly, we are living in a world of uncertainty and we just have to take the hits as they come. I’ve been fishing for many years and have witnessed the evolving cycles and the entire biomass mishaps. With the current laws and regulations, I feel the fishing industry will be in a complete halt in less than ten years!

"I believe that the sport fishing world needs desperate help in many areas. For starters, we need enforcement, better research, reporting assessments, and a balanced distribution (for all commercial and recreational parties) with intentions to preserve and protect our fishery.

"However, I just hope that the funds derived from the proposed license do not end up in our state’s desperate stimulate budget package where recreational anglers get nothing for it (in other words, “general funds” or the 'black hole.')

"All in all, I do believe we need help and if the saltwater license funds are dedicated and will help our fishing economy, thus preserving the sport, I will endorse it wholeheartedly. But if the funds are to be mishandled, I will have no other choice but to swallow another created hard found fee.

“- 'Crazy' Alberto Knie
"Sportfishing Contributor / Consultant, Lindenhurst, NY"

“Dear Outdoor Tom,

“Most fishermen know we were out-maneuvered by an extremely well-funded charitable trust, preventing the Magnuson Act from being an important conservation law. Instead the act will cause great harm to both commercial and recreational fishermen. The spirit and intent of the law, which is to protect fisheries, is at first glance, noble. But the arbitrary rebuilding goals and inflexible language will bring an end to a tradition that is older than the very government that passed the law.

“If fluke stocks were truly in trouble I would not be writing to you. There is only a perception of fluke stocks being in trouble. I believe this perception came about by unethical scientists bought and paid for by a large charitable trust fund. The demanding language of the law was a manifestation of this science. It is a severe ethical breach of scientific protocol for a scientist to tailor and skew the results of a study to meet the needs of the organization paying for the research. I remember reading the interpretations of a study published in all the daily newspapers while the Magnason Act was being debated. It stated the total collapse of all fisheries was eminent in the very near future. This interpretation was published in newspapers and not in scientific journals. There was no peer review prior to its publication. The interpretation was used to support passing of the Magnason Act. The research was later rebuked by many reliable scientists because of a flaw in collecting the data.

"I have been fishing both commercially and recreationally for over forty years never have I seen as many fluke or heard as many stories about abundant numbers of fluke up and down the coast, as I do these days. When I started out as a deckhand in the early 1960’s, I heard stories of fluke being caught in the 1950’s but didn’t see any until the 1970’s.

"Prior to operating my own party boat, The Osprey IV, I bought and sold the catch of four draggers working out of Port Jefferson. There would only be an occasional fluke mixed with the other fish in their catch. It wasn’t until the early '80’s that there was sufficient fluke to make it a directed fishery. Draggers are not the enemy, currently they are only allowed to keep 90 pounds of fluke. There are many steel hulled draggers rusting at the dock because the regulations do not allow them to keep enough fish to run the boats profitably.

"The current fluke travesty is so complex, I am sure someone will write a thesis for a PHD on it. We have a serious problem to address. It is hard to amend or overturn a law once it is passed. Making this particularly difficult is the belief that this law is based on valid science. The science is flawed but the law calls for the use of the “best available science.” It makes no exceptions for science that is flawed. Flawed or not, many Senators and Congressman received money and endorsement from these trust and conservation organizations. Therefore they are reluctant to risking being against conservation. We need to work out our differences with commercial fishermen. Fighting the commercial fishermen takes time and resources away from the real culprit - ignorance of the magnitude of the fluke biomass and the unethical tactics of the conservation groups.

"Just to put the 20.5 inch fluke limit in another perspective: I worked on a cattle ranch during college. If the rancher sold his best and biggest breeders and kept only the small cows and bulls, what kind of herd would he have in a few years?

"Tom this will have to be categorized as my opinion because I did not have time to document all of my sources. If one had the time, they could, and would, find that what I am saying is true.

"Regards,
"- Captain Stew Cash (Osprey IV, Port Jefferson)"

"Dear Tom,

"A saltwater license is not a bad idea, even though everyone knows our good friends in Albany will surely find a way to divert as many $$ as possible from the originally-intended recipients.

"No, the biggest problem with a SW license is that it will be a regulatory nightmare unless NY, NJ, CT, RI and perhaps, MA, can all agree on the following points:

"A) Uniform possession/size limits, at least in areas of contiguous boundary waters, and

"B) Reciprocal recognition of each State's licensure.

"As long as the contiguous States reserve the right to set their own regulations in their territorial waters, they will just as surely enact legislation adding fines for fishing without a license in 'their' waters, and predatory and retaliatory 'enforcement' actions will ensue - not to mention adding yet another layer of onerous licensing fees for non-resident anglers.

"A regional license is the only sane approach, and a regional task force needs to be created to hammer-out the details. And that means possession/size limits guided by real science, real statistical data, and an eco-systemic management plan. Moreover, input from BOTH recreational and commercial interests needs to be advisory only. Vested interests should have NO say in the final management determination.

"Sincerely yours,
"- Richard E Steinberger, MD, Oakdale NY"

If you are into kayak fishing, or simply 'yaking in general, check out the grand opening of Captain Kayak in Sayville, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The new shop is located at Stein’s Marine Center, 23 River Road. Captain Jerry Collins, a kayak fishing guide, and his wife, Suzanne, an accomplished kayak enthusiast, will be glad to show you the latest in gear and accessories while trading fishing tips and tales. Visit www.CaptainKayak.com for more information.

The Fire Island Inlet bluefish and striper action around Robert Moses Bridge has been hot most of the spring and shows little sign of letting up at this point. If you’ve been thinking of heading out to give it a shot, Neil Delanoy, captain of the Captree open boat Laura Lee, thinks this weekend has the potential for some real solid evening catches.

“The late night action has been very good of late,” said Delanoy, “with anglers catching plenty of blues and some stripers on Bass Assassins. This weekend’s tides look especially inviting with a 6:00 p.m. departure time just about right.”

Several boats at Captree have evening trips for bass, blues and weakfish scheduled for this weekend. In addition to the Laura Lee (www.captree.com,) consider the Jib VI (www.jibvi,) Island and Bay Princess (www.islandprincessfishing.com,) or the Fish Finder (www.captreefishfinder.com).

PHOTO CAPTION: Tom Wares dragged a 50.5-pound brute out of the surf off Napeague. (Photo courtesy of JackYee.com).

Many anglers think of the fall season as prime time for connecting with big stripers. The month of June, however, also gives up plenty of cow bass - and if catches over Memorial Day weekend are any indication, the big bass invasion is underway.

Sunday saw Rob Cipriano drill a 48-pound cow while fishing aboard the City Island open boat, Island Current II. On Monday, Tom Wares dragged a 50.5-pound brute out of the surf off Napeague.

“Late May and early June always see some monster bass in the western Long Island Sound,” said Chris Cullen, captain of the Island Current. “That’s because warming water pushes the bunker out of the shallows. They begin schooling at mid-Sound and the stripers quickly follow.”

Cipriano drilled his fish while suspending a fresh fillet of bunker five cranks above the bottom in 55 feet of water, mid-way between Hempstead Harbor and Rye. Pete DiNome was at the helm when the big bass struck. The huge fish was weighed in at Jack’s Bait and Tackle, City Island.

“We get fresh bunker delivered to the boat each day,” said Cullen, “and I really believe having fresh bait helps entice the biggest bass.”

Cullen noted that the bass seem to bite best in this area on the first two hours of the ebbing tide, and during the first hour or so of the flood.

“The blues hit hardest when the tide pushes fast while the stripers prefer the slower stages,” he summarized. “Right now, nighttime bass action is hitting stride – and the blues are plentiful as well.”

The big east end striper beached by Wares fell for a clam bait at high noon in the choppy surf off Napeague Beach. It hit at the start of the flood and took the avid surf fisherman 20 minutes to land.

“I’ve been fishing Montauk since I’m eight years old,” said Wares, “and I’ve been waiting to weigh in a cow like this since the day I started.”

After working the exhausted striper into the wash, Wares grabbed the sinker on his bottom rig and started to pull the behemoth ashore – but the leader snapped! Luckily, the surf rolled the big bass into shallow water where the 50-year old tackled the fish before dragging it up onto the beach. The big bass was officially weighed at Johnny’s Bait and Tackle, Montauk.

CAPTION FOR SECOND PHOTO: Rob Cipriano drilled a 48-pound cow while fishing aboard the City Island open boat, Island Current II. (Photo courtesy of Island Current Fleet).

The new 20-1/2” minimum size limit has undoubtedly made it more difficult to bring home a few keeper fluke this year. Still, the season is off to a decent start with a fair number of legal fish reported. By now, most fluke fans know the basics for catching keepers: fish in 30- to 50 feet of water; use large baits like Peruvian spearing or six- to eight-inch strips of fillet cut from sea robin and bluefish; and choose a fishing outfit strong enough to work heavy sinkers. Following are few more tips worthy of consideration:

● Fish hard at the start or end of the tide, and during periods of slack water. Smaller fluke are generally aggressive right through the tide but larger doormats feed most intently as the current softens.

● Shorten your drifts to concentrate over the most productive water. Many boaters like long, easy drifts that allow for coverage of a lot of water. Big fluke, however, are often bunched tightly in small areas. Mark any spot that produces a keeper and return quickly to probe it again and again. My drifts often measure 100 yards or less. Sometimes, they measure less than 30 yards.

● When fishing inside a bay, harbor or inlet, try several drifts outside the main current. Look for eddy water, drop-offs and pools where a slowing current and greater depth allow baitfish to dive for the bottom. Big fluke often lie in wait at such ambush points. Try fishing down-current from a large bridge abutment, bulkhead or rocky point.

● Anchor near structure to tempt doormats. Those same rough spots that give up sea bass in summer and blackfish in the fall hold big fluke. Instead of drifting across structure, try anchoring slightly uptide and then slowly working a bait down-current to probe productive edges. Sometimes it helps to get your bait close to the structure and simply let it sit still for ten or fifteen minutes. Sea bass and blackfish are often found in the densest part of a wreck, rock pile or reef but large fluke prefer to settle five to ten yards from the structure’s edge.

Fluke fishing came alive at Montauk on Saturday with a solid shot of keepers, plus fast action with shorts, bringing out smiles. Mixed with the fluke were plenty of bluefish to 7 pounds, plus some big sea robins.

“Our morning trip saw very good action along the south side in 50 to 60 feet of water,” said Mike Vegessi, captain of the Montauk open boat, Lazy Bones (www.montauksportfishing.com/lazybones.html). There seems to be a nice body of fish stretching from the lighthouse west to Montauk Village. Most of the fleet was in on the fun today.”

Considering the heavy shot of wind and rain that cut across the East End on Friday night, the Montauk scores are very encouraging. Often, it takes fluke a day or two to settle back into their feeding pattern following nasty weather. Vegessi's morning fares tallied a dozen keepers to 7 pounds while his afternoon trip produced saeveral more. Fluke bullets tipped with squid and spearing were clearly the best offering.

Anglers setting out from North Fork ports found a pick of keepers to 7 pounds off Greenport and at the Greenlawns. Some fluke fans managed three or even four keepers while others missed out completely, save for shorts. Squid strips were the top bait in this area. A bit east, action continued strong around Gardiners Island with most anglers taking home a keeper or two in the 4- to 5-pound class. White fluke bullets tipped with spearing scored well, as did six-inch strips of bluefish fillet.

On the North Shore, Friday’s half-day trip aboard Port Jefferson’s Celtic Quest (celticquestfishing.com) witnessed a baker’s dozen of keeper fluke to 7 pounds for four fares. Plenty of shorts added to the fun in 20 to 25 feet of water between buoys 9 and 11. Bucktails tipped with white spearing were the most productive offering on the half-day trip.

On the western Long Island Sound, Captain Chris Cullen of the Island Current Fleet (www.islandcurrent.com,) was thinking about targeting fluke today. The City Island skipper never got to the flatfish because the bluefish were so ferocious. “The choppers have just been evil the past few days,” explained Cullen. "It has been wild fishing for blues - and we've had stripers to 25 pounds also slamming our bunker chunks. The best action has been in 40 to 50 feet of water at mid-Sound, between Rye and Hempstead Harbor."

Private boaters working in 20- to 25-foot depths have been scoring with short fluke, plus a few keepers, from Hempstead Harbor east to Smithtown Bay. Green bucktail teasers tipped with spearing have worked well when positioned about six inches above a chartreuse or rainbow Spro bucktail. The entire western Sound, from Oyster Bay to Flax Pond, is packed with small sand eels and many anglers have noted that fluke are stuffed to the gills with the small baitfish. A few more warm days and this area should ignite.

As many anglers expected, opening day of fluke season saw mixed results. The hot spot was north of Gardiners Island, where quite a few keepers in the 4- to 6-pound class were caught in 20 to 60 feet of water.

“We had a really good day,” said Mike Boccio of the Prime Time III, in Orient (www.primetime3.com). “At least 45 keepers came over the rail and several anglers filled their limit with chunky 4- to 7-pound summer flatties. More than a hundred shorts helped keep the rods bent throughout the day.”

In addition to the fluke, Boccio’s fares scored with plenty of 2- to 3-pound bluefish – the perfect size to bring home and cook on the grill. Cliff Deptula limited out with fluke, drilled a few blues, and took home a 6-pound weakfish. Jim Betz and son, Emerson, age six, combined for six keepers to 4 pounds. Boccio called Emerson "the star of the day," noting this was the budding angler's first fishing trip and he bested several of the boat’s regular customers.

Inside Peconic Bay, anglers working the Greenlawns area scored with a few keeper fluke to six pounds but found mostly toss backs in the 17- to 19.5- inch class.

Anglers working the south side of Montauk managed a pick of fish to 9 pounds but keepers were sparse and action, in general, was slow.

On the north shore, fluke scores were decent off Port Jefferson. The Celtic Quest (www.celticquestfishing.com) managed several keepers and a mess of shorts for a small crowd. Anglers working around Mount Misery Shoal found fluke bullets tipped with spearing drew a fair number of strikes and produced a keeper here and there. Smithtown Bay offered a slow pick but several keepers were taken on spearing and squid combos in 12 to 20 feet of water. The waters from Smithtown Bay east to Wading River are loaded with bait and many anglers reported shorts and keepers alike were spitting up small sand eels. This area seems primed for fast action in the near future. A few days of warm weather should help kick catches into high gear.

Fluking was hindered along the south shore by an ocean heave resulting from high winds and rain earlier in the week. Shinnecock saw some decent scores with some keepers taken in 35- to 60-foot depths. Plenty of 19 – to 20-inch fluke were caught and released. Very few keepers were reported from Moriches west to Jones Inlet and action with shorts was surprisingly picky. The water in this stretch was still discolored from the last round of rain and wind. When the water clears up, catches should improve.

While fluke fishing was disappointing along the south shore, it should be noted that mixed bag bottom fishing was quite good. The Point Lookout open boat, Super Hawk (www.superhawkfishing.com), had a fine mix of sea bass, blues, stripers, blacks, porgies and even cod while working in 40 to 75 feet of water on Thursday. Captree’s Laura Lee (www.captree.com) also scored well.

If you’ve heard rumblings about a potential new International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record weakfish caught from Staten Island’s Raritan Bay surf, you’ve heard about the real deal. The 19-pound, 12-ounce brute was beached by angler Dave Alu (right in the photo), from Jackson, N.J., at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7.

“It was just a magnificent fish,” said Alu's guide, Captain Rich Swisstack, Jr., of Shore Catch Guide Service (www.shorecatch.com). “We were targeting stripers with bunker chunks but my partner, Dave Torrick, and I, knew some really big weakfish were around because we had caught and released several 11- to 15-pound monsters during the past week. Still, I never expected to see one this big!”

According to Swisstack, 40, from Clark, NJ, the big weak took a bunker head and fought like a striped bass. When it first rolled in the surf after the 15-minute battle, it didn’t look like a weakfish at all.

“The head on that fish was so large,” explained Swisstack (left in photo), “that I thought we had a red drum. As I lifted it from the water, it seemed to grow bigger and rounder. The body shape appeared more like a king salmon than a weak.”

Swisstack cradled the fish in his arms and carried it up the beach. When the huge weak pulled the scale on his fish gripper past the 19-pound mark, Swisstack began to realize the enormity of the trophy. Goose bumps on his arms, he held the lunker for the lucky fisherman to examine. Alu, who has fished from boats for over 30 years but was on his very first surf fishing expedition, was amazed to see a weakfish so large. After taking a long look, he smiled and suggested the fish be released. A short discussion ensued, the decision was reversed, and the pair headed off to record an official weight at The Tackle Box in Hazlet, NJ, when the shop opened around 6:00 a.m. They later recorded an identical weight at Michael’s Tackle in Great Kills, NY.

“I was completely shocked at the size of that weakfish,” said Alu, 38, “but I didn’t realize it might break the world record. Rich and I worked hard to pick the right night to get out. I guess being patient and playing the tides really paid off because we also caught six bass with three stretching the tape past 40 inches.”

Swisstack noted that Alu did a nice job of fighting the big weak, making all the right moves at the right times. “I’m just thrilled to be involved in the catch,” he added. “My dad, Rich Swisstack, Sr., was probably as happy as me and Dave when he found out. He taught me most of what I know about fishing – including how to find the fish. I just want to tell him, ‘Thanks.’”

For the record, the big weak was caught with a 10’ St. Croix spinning rod, Daiwa Emblem Pro 5500 reel, and 30-pound test, yellow Stren Super Braid line. The IGFA filing will be submitted soon. If the big fish is accepted, it will displace the current record holders. That’s right holders: two are tied at 19 pounds, 2 ounces. The first was caught in Jones Inlet by Dennis Rooney on Oct. 11, 1984. The latter was pulled from Delaware Bay, by William Thomas, on May 10, 1989.

(Dave Alu shows off a potential IGFA world record weakfish caught from the shore of Raritan Bay. The huge tiderunner weighed in at 19 pounds, 12 ounces -- Photos courtesy of Alberto Knie and Shore Catch Guide Service)

The Freeport Tuna Club and Northeast NFSS are co-hosting a Shark Seminar on Thursday, May 8, from 7:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., at the Cure of Ars Church, 2323 Merrick Avenue, Merrick, NY. Captain Lawrence Festa will be the featured speaker, covering all aspects of shark fishing with a special emphasis on strategies specific to Long Island. A question and answer session will follow the seminar. The night will cost you $20, payable at the door. Admission includes a barbecue and soft drinks, plus door prizes. For more information, visit www.ftcfishing.com.

Don’t let the cool and windy weather of the past few days get you down. Instead, think of it as a reset button for the start of fishing season. If you weren’t able to get in on the early catches of stripers and blues that chased bunker schools deep into Raritan, Jamaica, Great South and Peconic bays over the past two weeks, you might get a shot as the waters heat up again. Catches should also rebound inside Manhasset and Hempstead bays, and in the tidal creeks of Shinnecock Bay. Be ready.

The damp weather also slowed freshwater efforts over the past week, but anglers will get a second chance on this front as well. Trout, crappie, yellow perch and white perch are all very active as water temperatures rise from 55 degrees up into the low 60-degree range. Those are water temperatures you’ll likely see over the next ten days. For the trout, small gold spoons, size 01 Mepps or Blue Fox Vibrex spinners, and 1/32-ounce KastMasters are productive offerings. For the crappie and perch, two-inch segments of night crawler or small white grubs work well.

Nasty weather or not, there is always some good fishing to be found if you look hard enough. Thursday saw the large herd of Peconic Bay blues off New Suffolk and Cutchogue slide deeper into the bay. Lucky anglers working the area caught six- to ten-pound choppers until arm weary. The Route105 Bridge was the hot spot on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Anglers also scored with big blues off Flanders, Jamesport, and from the beach at Indian Island County Park. Poppers, tins and swimming plugs all accounted for fish, as did live bunker and bunker chunks.

Too bad blackfish season had to come to an end on April 30. The City Island open boat, Island Current, and the Captain James Joseph, Huntington, as well as the Montauk charter fleet, all left them biting. It was a good spring for blackfish in terms of size, with quite a few bulldogs in the 8- to 10-pound class reported. The Island Current (www.islandcurrent.com) is now targeting stripers and blues in the evening, flounders in the morning. The James Joseph (www.jamesjosephfishing.com) will be sailing full day trips for flounder.

Last year saw some monster weakfish caught in Raritan Bay and Jamaica Bay. Most of the weaks, some weighing between 15 and 19 pounds, fell to live bunker or bunker chunks intended for stripers and blues. The action has begun again this year with weakfish of 14 and 16 pounds already reported. It makes me wonder how well anglers might score if they specifically target the weaks with large red, purple or white jelly worms? With the size of the fish weighed-in last year, it is very possible a new world record is cruising beneath the west end bunker schools this spring.