Outdoors

Blackfish, also known as tautog, are perhaps the most challenging of fish to catch in our local waters, and quite a few good fishermen are not ashamed to admit that they have never mastered the knack of catching the elusive, bait-stealing fish.

New York State has set Nov. 2 as the opening of scallop season in state waters. But the trustees have traditionally opened waterways under their jurisdiction for scalloping shortly after the opening of state waters to allow additional time for scallops to spawn.

Anglers last week saw an influx of migrating striped bass mixed in with bluefish and false albacore that has brought back pleasurable memories of the productive fall run of years past. "It's insane action at times," said Capt. Michael Vegessi of the Montauk party boat the Lazybones.

I really don't have any excuses, but it's been well over a month since I have picked up a fishing rod. I'm not quite sure of the reason, but other than pulling my lobster and crab traps out of the water for the season shortly after Labor Day, I had not even untied my dock lines. My boat, and my body, have sat idle for too long.

Two mysteries hang over Montauk's Fort Pond this week: What happened to 26 laughing gulls found both dead and injured, all in the same manner and all oddly clustered in an area near PSEG-Long Island's Montauk substation on Industrial Road? And was that really an alligator people saw in Fort Pond late last month? The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has looked into both matters.

Since 1921, the Ryder family lived in the white farmhouse next to a small pond on North Haven that has been known in local lore as Ryder's Pond. This week, the Village of North Haven held a name dedication ceremony to officially designate name the pond for the family.

On the fishing front, the gusty winds have made it a challenge for many anglers, whether fishing from boat or shore. So The Star's fishing columnist took his motorcycle for a ride to the North Fork, where he got the fishing report from the boats tying up at the Orient by the Sea Marina.

Dustin Reynolds has traversed much of the world alone in his 1983 Bristol 35.5c sailboat and arrived in Montauk for the first time on Friday. To say he has made the journey single-handedly is at once literal and figurative. Mr. Reynolds lost his left arm and his left foot in a 2008 motorcycle accident, caused by a drunken driver, that nearly claimed his life.

At times, the local waters this summer looked more like Cannes or Monte Carlo, with yachts that are seemingly larger than ever and more elaborate. David Geffen’s ship, which anchored up in Gardiner’s Bay back in July, was 450 feet long. 

Capt. Paul Dixon, a fly-fishing guide with To the Point Charters of East Hampton, is a pioneer in this specialty fishing locally and thanks to his advocacy helpint to preserve the stocks of striped bass and other fish, was recently named to receive the 2021 Izaak Walton Award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing.

It’s impossible to ignore. Labor Day is upon us. While still technically summer, it’s less than three weeks until fall formally arrives. The early essence of our next season can already be felt in the cooler mornings and more deeply slanted rays of sunshine in the afternoon. Much like a book, the page is being turned.

At their meeting on Monday, the East Hampton Town Trustees discussed a surge in boating activity this year, which they agreed is a consequence of the pandemic. That, they said, means that the two pump-out boats the trustees own and operate are in particularly heavy use this year, especially the one based at the Star Island municipal marina in Lake Montauk. The other boat serves Three Mile Harbor.

Cownose rays? Sounds like a fictional Hollywood B-movie monster manufactured in the mind of a very creative screenwriter. But the reality is that these large-winged creatures, like many people, have found the Hamptons to be quite pleasurable during the summer months.

Several East End scientists are working to dispel the persistent public perception of white sharks, which prevents understanding their importance in the ocean, and their increasing vulnerability.

Like blue-claw crabs, for several years now Menhaden's inshore presence has been abundant. It's been a welcome sight. While their population has exploded on a local level, efforts have been ongoing for several decades to help protect their stocks on a regional level. The menhaden board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decided to finally adopt "ecological reference points" for their management.

Tropical Storm Isaias's winds brought about some anxiety as to how my lobster traps were surviving. Being that they were positioned on open bottomland, they were also not protected by any lee of the land.

In today's social media-charged environment where news, fake or not, makes instantaneous headlines, the word that various species of sharks have been seen offshore here should hardly come as a surprise.

The East End of Long Island will be spared the worst of Tropical Storm Isaias. According to the National Hurricane Center, its path is expected to remain well to the west of New York City on Tuesday, passing over Philadelphia and Trenton, N.J.

A lot of people are keeping an eye out, but from all that I've seen and heard so far this summer, the water clarity in the creeks, estuaries, harbors, and bays has been rather good.

A series of recent humpback whale strandings on the East End are evidence of another year of high mortality rates for the species along the Atlantic Coast and particularly in New York, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.

As we enter the apex of the dog days of summer, the fishing scene has shifted into a lower and slower gear. "While some weakfish, porgy, and a few kingfish are around locally, the better fishing now is off to the east where the waters are cooler," said Ken Morse, the proprietor of Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor.

This is the sixth large whale stranding in New York this year and the fourth dead humpback reported in 2020, according to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society.

Because striped bass are so popular and so heavily pursued, the stocks of the linesider have gone through some rather severe ups and downs over the past few decades. Most seem to agree that the current fishery is in a rather precarious position, but efforts to help conserve stripers are extensive.

A North Haven osprey nest was the scene of a dramatic rescue last week after part of it collapsed, dashing two chicks to the ground.

I’m a very tall guy with Sasquatch-like size-16 feet. It does not take a mathematician or physicist to conclude that this does not equate to safely entering, exiting, or just remaining stable when paddling around my nearby back bays, estuaries, and coves. Science has proved that it’s impossible to stuff 10 pounds of potatoes into a five-pound bag.

It was an excursion I was looking forward to. Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, other than checking on my lobster traps and doing a bit of fishing on my boat, I have not ventured far from home. I’ve been playing it safe.

The weekend of June 27 and 28 is "free fishing weekend" in New York, when all residents are encouraged by the State Department of Environmental Conservation to try their hand at some local fishing. This is the second of six free fishing events in the year.

Many businesses have struggled to survive during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown, but one niche industry is witnessing solid sales. Bait and tackle shops around Long Island have seen a significant uptick in business as more people take up fishing as a social distancing pastime.

Tony Caramanico of Montauk was recently inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame for "having made the most significant contributions to the sport, thereby preserving their historical significance and the sport's cultural lore for future generations." He was one of 10 singled out for this honor from a list of 200.

As if we didn't have enough to be concerned about these days, Mother Nature has been in a rather ornery mood of late. I'm not sure what's ticked her off, but her unpredictable exploits have left a mark in many parts of the world, including our area.