Gardiner's Bay
Light Tackle Mecca
Sportfishing on the East End has been evolving for more than 100 years. The species stay the same, but the equipment changes, as do the spots anglers want to go to, or must go to, to fish.
This week, as offshore sportsfishers prepare for migrating tuna and sharks to arrive, surfcasters and inshore fishermen are up to their fly rods in striped bass. The fly-rodding and light-tackle revolution that started several years ago has taken root in East Hampton Town.
Long known for its productive fishing, the area of Gardiner's Bay, Block Island Sound, and Montauk Point (on calm days) is fast becoming a mecca for the light-tackle aficionado.
Weaks And Blues
Harvey Bennett has guided lightly armed anglers for years. Mr. Bennett reported weakfish at Cherry Harbor, Gardiner's Island. He said he and Harold McMahon found bluefish on light tackle at Cartwright Shoal, south of the island.
Capt. Dave Blinken operates a guide service out of Accabonac Harbor. He said that on Sunday he had a few "never-evers" on board, first-time flycasters, who nonetheless hooked up and had the pleasure of watching a bass in the 30-pound range swim by the boat.
Paul Dixon, owner of Dixon's Sporting Life shop in Wainscott, runs the To The Point charter service offering anglers a southern, flats-style approach to casting for striped bass now, and for the wily bonito later on.
Luring The Experts
Yesterday afternoon from his boat he reported that his anglers had already caught 75 striped bass up to 31 inches long by blind-casting Clouser flies. He said they were casting blind for most of the day because the lack of sun prevented the more exciting sight-casting - picking a bass visible in the shallow water to cast to. The shallow draft of the Dixon boats allow a kind of fishing previously enjoyed by surfcasters, but with a pick of many more spots.
The flats stuff is hot enough right now to have attracted some of the bigger names in fly fishing to the East End. Due to arrive today were Left Kreh, author of "Saltwater Fly Fishing," as well as Bob Popovics and Nick Curcione, renowned fishermen and writers on the art of fly fishing.
Fluke are still being caught around Montauk - in the north rips by the Point, off Rocky Point, and on the South Side. Henry Uihlein of Uihlein's Boat Yard and Rentals in Montauk reported that Bob Fatigate was drifting squid and spearing in the rips on Sunday when he hooked a six-pound fluke.
Blue Sharks
Mike Bartlett, who keeps his 20-foot Pro Line at Uihlein's, caught 12 fluke up to four pounds on Saturday on an outgoing tide, also at the rips. Mr. Uihlein reported flounders still taking the hook in Lake Montauk by the buoys near the Montauk Yacht Club. He advises anglers to chum with mussels and worms on incoming and high tides.
Meanwhile, the 1,182 anglers on 193 boats who participated in the shark tournament at Star Island Yacht Club on Friday and Saturday made do with blue sharks. The heaviest fish was boated by Jim Haney on Angler, his own boat. It weighed 217 pounds. Not surprisingly, it also won the heaviest blue shark category.
Meat Donated
A 191-pound blue was the second-place winner caught by Ron Stallone on the Christaina Rose, captained by Joe Catalano. Pat Augustine on Capt. Al Mott's Lil Ocean Annie finished third with a 184-pounder.
A total of 42 fish were weighed, 857 were released, and 3,000 pounds of shark meat were donated for distribution to the needy by the Long Island Council of Churches.
John Kelly of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Highly Migratory Species division reported bluefin tuna were in the area of Ocean City, Md., and Virginia and heading north.
The Angling Category of bluefin fishermen is dividing Northerners - those who fish north of 38 degrees, 47 minutes north latitude - and Southerners who fish south of the same latitude. This season the Northerners have been promised 57 percent of the overall quota to make up for shortfalls for the last several seasons caused by overfishing in the southern area.
Displeased By Limit
The season for that area is scheduled to close on June 27 for all sizes of bluefin except those of school size. Northern anglers may begin taking bluefin of the school, large-school, or small-medium sizes, 27 to 73 inches, in length as soon as they show up.
The bag limit is one of any size tuna per vessel per trip, except for large-medium and giant tuna, those over 73 inches long. Anglers are allowed only one "trophy" class tuna per season.
Charter boat captains who have felt shortchanged in the tuna department for the last couple seasons are expressing displeasure at the one-tuna-per-vessel-per-trip law.