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      <title>Scales and Tales</title>
      <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/</link>
      <description>Tom Schlichter blogs about fishing and everything outdoors.</description>
      <language>en</language>
      <copyright>Copyright 2008</copyright>
      <lastBuildDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:41:41 -0500</lastBuildDate>
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         <title>Manhasset Bay 10-Pound Fluke</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Saturday witnessed a big fluke caught inside Manhasset Bay aboard Captain Steven Laura Fallon’s charter boat, Swedish Princess (<a href="http://www.fishswedishprincess.com">www.fishswedishprincess.com</a>.) Fallon had set up to dunk bunker on the drop-off at Plum Point when Phillip Aurfielo sank the hook into the 29-1/2”, 10-pound doormat. The big summer flattie inhaled a bunker chunk and is one of the largest to come from inside the bay in recent memory. Fallon’s fares also accounted for a dozen stripers to 20 pounds during the outing.

Speaking of the bass, Fallon noted that big bluefish had driven the stripers and bunker out of the bay a few weeks ago, but both the baitfish and linesiders have returned. “The bass bite is solid right now,” he noted, “my fares have decked approximately 100 stripers over the past week.”
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         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/manhasset_bay_10pound_fluke_1.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:41:41 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Shinnecock Fishing Report</title>
         <description>Fishing in the Shinnecock area full hit stride over the past few days. According to Scott Jeffrey at East End Bait and Tackle, Hampton Bays, a new body of striped bass moved into Shinnecock Inlet and around Ponquogue Bridge. Incoming water has seen the best catches made with surface plugs, clam and live bait. Most fish are in the 22&quot; to 25&quot; range, but a few keepers are mixed in as well. There are also plenty of cocktail blues both at the inlet and inside the bay. Look for diving terns to give away the choppers. Toss small, slender tins to score. 
 
If bay fluke are your desire, Jeffery recommends hitting the flats and channel edges around Rampasture Point, or in the East Cut. For ocean fluke, try in 40&apos; to 50&apos; of water off The Cheese House. Bucktails and fluke bullets are both working well with the summer flatties.</description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/shinnecock_fishing_report.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:20:22 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Fluking Without Wind</title>
         <description>Looking outside this morning, I noticed the winds are calm again. Between the thunderstorms, July offers a lot of flat water to probe. While that may make for an easy ride to the fishing grounds, those hazy, hot and humid days - when the surface of Long Island Sound looks like a sheet of glass - can make it difficult to drift with enough speed to interest fluke.

To cover more ground, and get your baits hopping fast enough to turn on the summer flatties, time trips to match mid-tide stages when the current pushes hardest. You can also look for areas where the current is pinched, forcing it to move faster. Harbor and inlet mouths are good examples of where the current runs strong. The waters in front of prominent points present additional possibilities.

More to come later. Check back.
</description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/fluking_without_wind.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:24:23 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Nor’ east Saltwater Flukemaina Contest Next Weekend</title>
         <description>Are you a hot-shot fluke sharpie? Then prove it by entering Nor’ east Salt Water’s 4th Annual Fluke Mania Smack Down, July 12 and 13. The heaviest keeper takes home $10,000. Entry is $25 per angler and you can fish from party/charter boat, private boat, surf, or pier. This year’s contest features additional port prizes.
</description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/nor_east_saltwater_flukemaina.html</link>
         <guid>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/nor_east_saltwater_flukemaina.html</guid>
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         <pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:35:08 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>More on Porgies</title>
         <description>Speaking with Captain Brennan reminded me of another point porgy anglers should note: Be extra quiet when setting up in shallow water. If the scup, as porgies are also called, are in less than 20-foot depths, you’ll need to quietly double anchor well uptide and then drop back slowly until over the fish. Look for porgies to hold over submerged rock piles and mussel-covered humps on the bottom.

More to come. Check back.
</description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/more_on_porgies.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:30:01 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Porgy Tip from Capt. Dave Brennan, Peconic Star</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Dave Brennan, Captain of the Greenport open boat, Peconic Star (<a href="http://www.peconicstar.com">www.peconicstar.com</a>,) is one of Long Island’s top porgy skippers. He offers this tip as an important first step in becoming a porgy expert: “Hook ‘em before they bite.”

It’s no joke. If you wait for a porgy to try and rip the bait from your hook, you’ll likely miss the hit. That’s because scup, as porgies are also known, usually taste a bait before they strike in earnest.

“Porgies swim up to the bait, gently taste it and spit it out once or twice, before trying to tear it off the hook,” explains Brennan. “As soon as your line hits bottom, lift the sinker up two or three inches and feel for extra weight at the end of the line. If the line feels a bit heavy, start cranking – that’s a fish mouthing your bait."

There is no need to strike hard, added Brennan. Swing your rod and you’ll pull the hook right out of the fish’s mouth. Most porgy sharpies simply give a smooth and stead lift to set the hook.

The Peconic Star is currently fishing for fluke, but will make the switch to porgies on Wednesday.

More to come. Check back later today.

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         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/porgy_tip_from_capt_dave_brenn.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:30:22 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>More Hot Fluke Reports</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Montauk fluke are hot now, too, with some real bruisers decked over the past few days. The Viking Fleet (<a href="http://www.vikingfleet.com">www.vikingfleet.com</a>,) Lazy Bones (<a href="http://www.montauksportfishing.com/lazybones">www.montauksportfishing.com/lazybones</a>,) Miss Montauk (<a href="http://www.missmontauk.com">www.missmontauk.com</a>,) and Marlin 6 Princess (<a href="http://www.marlin6princess.com">www.marlin6princess.com</a>,) have all hung doormats weighing in excess of 8 pounds, with several over six pounds on some days. Of course, the stripers are always hot at Montauk, and both the charter and private boat fleets are scoring well with linesiders to 40 pounds.

On the West End, a nice set of fish has just moved into the New York Bight. The Howard Beach open boat, The Angler (<a href="http://www.theangler.com">www.theangler.com</a>,) had excellent fishing with a good number of keepers on Thursday.]]></description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/more_hot_fluke_reports.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:59:11 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Ziggy Still Going Strong</title>
         <description><![CDATA[You might remember Sigmund “Ziggy” Nogiewich from a column last June. He was 91 at the time and still fishing hard aboard the Captree open boat, Laura Lee (<a href="http://www.captree.com">www.captree.com</a>). I’m happy to report that Ziggy is still fishing and still catching. Now 92, he drilled a 41-pound striper aboard the Laura Lee while fishing for sea bass last Friday. The big striper inhaled a tiny size 2/0 gold, beak-style porgy hook. No doubt Ziggy used all his experience to make that point stick until the bruiser was lifted over the rail.
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         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/ziggy_still_going_strong_1.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:32:40 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>More on Long Island Sound Fluke</title>
         <description><![CDATA[I spoke with Captain James Schneider of the Huntington open boat, Captain James Joseph (<a href="http://www.jamesjosephfishing.com">www.jamesjosephfishing.com</a>,) while he was on the water Wednesday afternoon. To prove his point that the fluke were biting fast and running large, he put nine-year old Thomas Gritthart on the phone. The excited youngster had just taken the lead in the daily pool with a 28”, 9-1/2- pound doormat caught at Target Rock. “I love party boat fishing,” Gritthart told me, “my dad and I go out at least once every week.”

Gritthart’s fish topped the 8.9-pounder that Bill Mazer drilled just seven minutes into the trip. Schnieder’s fared pulled 60 keepers on Monday, 50 on Tuesday, and 27 on Wednesday with just 10 anglers aboard. Over 20 keepers were already in the box by 1 p.m. on Thursday.

The big fluke, explained Schneider, have been around the Northport/Huntington area for more than a week - but they are steadily sliding into deeper water. “We first found them in 12- to 15-foot depths, tight to the beach,” he revealed. “Today, the best action and biggest fish came from 17 to 33 feet of water.” 

The skinny: Get on these fluke now before they slip away.

More to come. Check back later today.
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         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/07/more_on_long_island_sound_fluk.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:18:07 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Fishing Report</title>
         <description><![CDATA[If you thought the fishing action seemed a bit slow this week past, you weren’t alone. It’s not unusual for catches to slip slightly toward the end of June as various fish species transition from their spring to summer patterns. Stripers, weakfish and fluke seem particularly prone to feeding shifts, the first two moving to deeper water as temperatures increase while the latter may perk up over shallow flats.

That would seem to be the case in Shinnecock Bay where stripers, which were on the eastern flats, have worked their way back into deeper waters around the inlet and off Ponquogue Bridge. At the same time, fluke have come alive in the shallows, smacking bucktails along channel edges at mid-bay.

In the Moriches area, the fluke bite has been slightly better inside the bay than in the ocean. The keeper ratio is better inside, too, especially around buoy 14, where several fish in the four to six-pound class have fallen to bluefish and sea robin strip baits. If you are looking for stripers, get out early and work the west bar, just outside Moriches Inlet, with clam baits.

Up inside Great South Bay, fluke have been responsive from Fire Island Inlet east to the Fire Island Lighthouse. A few weakfish have fallen to sandworm baits off Ocean Beach. According to John Mantione, at J & J Bait and Tackle in Patchogue, blue claw crabs are in good supply in the eastern bay at Blue Point, Mascot, West Sayville and Patchogue docks. There are also plenty of crabs being caught on rising tides at Babylon Town Dock. 

On the West End, some keeper fluke have been caught in the shadow lines around the Atlantic Beach and Marine Parkway bridges. Fluke are best in 50-foot depths southwest of Jones Inlet. The large stripers that had been patrolling the south shore in search of bunker between the Jones Beach Needle and Cedar Beach have become difficult to find, as have the bunker. Some decent bass have, however, fallen to clam chum and bunker chunks at the Wantagh and Meadowbrook Bridges. Night tides have been the key.

On the North Shore, the waters outside of Hempstead Harbor and Oyster Bay are still producing plenty of bluefish, plus some stripers, on bunker chunks. Look for the best action to be early and late in the day. Fluke are around, but picky anywhere west of Port Jefferson. Porgies are now setting up off most prominent points with Eaton’s Neck and Oldfield producing well for those anchoring in 20 feet of water.

Heading east, Jordan Demcheck and his dad, Paul, have been culling keeper fluke from among a reasonable supply of shorts, in 20-foot depths about a mile west of Mattituck Inlet. Bluefish continue to visit the beaches between Wading River and Southold just about every evening, although they do take a night off now and then. Poppers and tins have both tempted the blues. Out at Orient, stripers remain hot and heavy in The Race while blues dominate the action at Plum Gut. Fluking is decent off The Ruins and around Gardiners Island. Porgies are now the mainstay inside Peconic Bay. Try for the scup off the southwest corner of Robins Island, or in South Race.

Over at Montauk, the charter fleet is hauling limits of stripers on a daily basis. Most of the linesiders are falling to trolled tubes, umbrellas or parachute lures, but some have fallen to chunk bunker. Fluke fishing has been inconsistent in the North Rips and along the south side, but a pleasing number of fish weighing more than six pounds are coming over the rails. The open boat Marlin 6 Princess (<a href="http://www.marlin6princess.com">www.marlin6princess.com</a>) ran offshore on Thursday where more than 60 cod to 37 pounds, plus 20 big pollack and dozens of ling, hit the deck.

Speaking of offshore action, Rob Michalowski and his father, Joe, took their 24-foot Hydro-Sport center console out to the Glory Hole on Wednesday. At 10:00 a.m. they enticed a 480-pound thresher shark to inhale a bluefish fillet in clear, 60-degree water. The big whiptail took four hours for the father and son team to bring to the gaff – and then it took six hours to tow in to Bay Park Fishing Station where Mark Keller served as the official weigh-master. 

In my last blog entry I wrote about using black Jitterbugs to imitate cicadas when targeting largemouth bass. My son, Ryan, and I proved the theory again last night, catching six solid bigmouths. Ryan drilled the top fish for the evening, a very healthy six-pounder, which he gently released. Like stripers and weakfish, largemouth bass are fond of feeding after dark during the summer months. They are also suckers for big night crawlers, which is what Chris Moffett used at West Lake in Patchogue to fool a 6-pound 10-ounce bigmouth on Wednesday.


<strong>Correction:</strong>
In today’s Outdoors Column, “State sues feds over unfair fluke limits,” the minimum size limit for New Jersey fluke was incorrect. The correct minimum size is 18 inches.
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         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/06/fishing_report.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:38:06 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Cicadas As Bait?</title>
         <description><![CDATA[<img alt="Cicada1.gif" src="http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/Cicada1.gif" width="370" height="245" align="center"/>

I remember seeing my first hatch of the 17-year cicadas back in 1973. Just entering my ‘teens at the time, I was already a die-hard largemouth bass fan, and enjoyed catching pickerel, bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish as well. It was sometime during that June when I read a piece in a fishing magazine about “matching the hatch,” for trout. The basic theory held that trout favored whichever hatching fly or terrestrial insect was in the greatest supply at the moment, and matching your flies to that particular insect would virtually guarantee fishing success.

<img alt="Cicada2-300.gif" src="http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/Cicada2-300.gif" width="370" height="555" align="right"/>

Well, it didn’t take long before I was casting grasshoppers, butterflies, moths, caterpillars and just about any creepy, crawly bug I could find to the captive audience of fish in Sayville Mill Pond, Bayport’s Lotus Lake, and even Cow Pond, a small puddle toward the south end of Sayville’s Broadway Park that once held a few panfish, bass, bullfrogs and leopard frogs. Cow Pond has dwindled to a tiny puddle over the years, and biologists fear that leopard frogs may by now be extinct on Long Island, but the lessons learned fishing that summer have held with me to this very day.

So it was that I found myself thinking back to those glory days while examining cicadas from the woods of Ridge late last week. As I pondered how to match their size and shape, I recalled using them for bait that long ago summer. When the hatch ran its course and my supply of free bait came to an end, I struggled to keep the action alive by tossing various surface poppers. Eventually, I settled on casting a small, black Jitterbug. I would toss it out near weed beds, twitch it gently once or twice, and then reel it back with a slow and steady retrieve. The bass smacked that little lure right through the end of the summer – and I was forever hooked on topwater action.

I’m happy to report Jitterbugs are still included in my freshwater arsenal, and they still work great, especially for tempting largemouth bass after dark. Over the past two weeks, however, I’ve been throwing a one-quarter-ounce size during the day on several ponds and the surface strikes have been furious, especially in the late afternoon when cicadas are most prone to take to the air. My guess is that the cicadas have become the hatch to match on some freshwaters in mid- and eastern Suffolk County. If you have a black Jitterbug rattling around inside your tackle box, break it out for a few casts. You may find the response tremendously explosive.
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         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/06/cicadas_as_bait.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:32:39 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>Father’s Day Gifts For Outdoors Dads</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Sunday, June 15, is Father’s Day, which means many of us will be shopping in a panic over the next few days. If you are looking for the perfect gift for your outdoors Dad, consider that he can never have enough fishing, hunting, boating or even camping gear. 

With time running short, your best bet is to head to Dad’s favorite tackle or outdoors shop. If he’s known at the counter, chances are the help can steer you in the right direction. Even if your Dad prefers to remain anonymous when purchasing bait and gear, you can at least pick the brains of staffers to get ideas.

Following are just a few possibilities to consider:

● A couple of small, clear utility boxes are a great, inexpensive gift for Dads who need organization in their fishing life. Dad can pop his favorite lures in a box or two and keep them in the truck or on the boat, where they will be easy to find when needed.

● Hunters can be very particular about their gear, so stick to gift cards or small accessories. $15 to $30 will get you some scent eliminating soap or cover scent, which is always in need by hunters targeting deer or bear. A hot seat for stand hunters, or hand warming packets, are also useful. For $50, you can buy a decent hunting knife.

● Surf Fishing Dads can always use another plug bag, belt pouch or pork rind holder. Bronco, Precision and Aqua-Skinz all make plug bags that hold up well over time. Plug bag prices start at about $30 and rise accordingly, depending on size and style.

● A nice fishing shirt is something Dad isn’t likely to pick up for himself. Dress him up in comfort with a lightweight, breathable shirt designed to be cool in the high humidity of summer while also offering protection from the sun. Columbia and Simms offer durable, good-looking fishing shirts sporting specialized pockets for leaders, pliers and small items of tackle. Fly fishermen will be just as happy with a quality fly-fishing vest. Expect to spend $50 to $100.

● To keep Dad looking cool while maximizing his opportunities for just about anything from trout to tuna, give a pair of polarized sun glasses. These help anglers see deep into the water while also protecting the eyes from harmful UV rays, stray hooks, branches, etc. Check out Flying Fishermen, Action Optics or Costa Del Ray, ranging in price from $25 to $250. Buy scratch-proof glass lenses if you can afford them.

● Serious anglers love to read and learn about their favorite past time. Pick up a copy of  The Complete Kayak Fisherman by Ric Burnley (Burford Books, $16.95); Fishing Soft Baits in Saltwater, by Pete Barrett (Burford Books, $16.95); Long Island Fly-Fishing by Angelo Peluso (WW Norton and Company/Countryman Press, $21.95); or The Art of Surfcasting with Lures,  By Zeno Hromin (<a href="http://www.zenohromin.com">www.zenohromin.com</a>, $17.95) and Dad will not be disappointed. If a video or DVD seems like a good idea, check out Captain Al Lorenzetti's Fishing For Trophy Striped Bass (<a href="http://www.skimmeroutdoors.com">www.skimmeroutdoors.com</a>, $24.95.)

● Tackle shop gift cards are the answer if you simply feel overwhelmed when selecting an outdoors gift. $25 will buy some fresh fishing line, a couple of lures or bait for two or three inshore trips. $50 will let Dad choose a suitable tackle box, pliers or net. For $100, Dad can treat himself to a new pair of waders or a decent fishing rod.

● If Dad already has all the fishing gear he can handle, send him out for a free day of open boat fishing. Take him yourself, if possible, or buy a gift certificate to be used whenever Dad has a free day. A family of four can fish together on an open boat for less than $200 at most ports.

● One last idea: top off the fuel tank in Dad’s boat or SUV. With a full tank, Dad can spend a day heading wherever he wants to go – knowing you spared no expense when it came to his Father’s Day gift.]]></description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/06/fathers_day_gifts_for_outdoors_1.html</link>
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         <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:13:40 -0500</pubDate>
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         <title>More Mail On Fluke Regulations and Saltwater License</title>
         <description>“Dear Tom,

“The new fluke regulations stink!” The unreasonably high (20.5”) size limit for the summer flatties is bound to turn people away from fishing. Add in the current high price of fuel at the dock and you’ve got a double-whammy.

“If I thought the fluke population was truly in trouble, I would have no problem supporting more strict regulation. However, it is obvious to most recreational anglers that there are plenty of fish around. I work in a south shore tackle shop and receive constant fishing reports. Many anglers are hooking 20, 30 or even more fluke each trip, with catches made both in the bays and in the ocean. Most of the fish have to be thrown back as they measure less than 20.5 inches – but there doesn’t appear to be a shortage of fluke on any front.

“Simply put, the data is a joke. It’s undoubtedly inaccurate. I realize that fisheries managers are bound by law to use the ‘best data available,’ and to act to manage the resource based on that data, but when it is obvious that the &apos;the best data&apos; is wrong something has to change.

“The bureaucracy in charge has proven itself inept. If the data is so far off, it should be their job to come up with a better way of gathering accurate information. The only way to prompt such change is to let them know we will hold them accountable. I urge all recreational anglers to contact their legislators, congressmen, senators – even the governor - and let them know how you feel. Attend fisheries management meetings and make some noise. If you aren’t willing to stand up for change, bad decisions will continue to be the rule and your prospects of taking home a fish for dinner now and then will grow less and less each year.

“- Chuck Adams, Causeway Bait and Tackle, Wantagh, NY.”




“Tom,

“As captain of an open boat, it is hard to find anything positive in the new fluke limits. The bureaucrats have turned this fishing almost into pure sport. Still, there are plenty of fish around and although you may need to toss most of them back, your chances of catching the biggest fluke of your life have never been better.

“I think anglers need to look at fluke fishing differently than in the past. If you are trying to equate a trip with how much table fare you’ll bring home, you’ll likely end up disappointed. If, on the other hand, you rate the trip on how much action and fun you had, you’ll probably head home very satisfied. Think of it like golf; you play 18 holes and go home with nothing more than a score card – but you judge the day on how well you played, time spend with friends, and the overall enjoyment of the outing.

“Come on out and enjoy a day for the sake of fishing. Have fun hooking-up, being with friends and family and challenging yourself to catch your biggest fluke or sea bass ever. If you end up heading home with some fillets, so much the better.

“Sincerely,

“Captain Dennis Kanyuk (Super Hawk, Point Lookout)”




“Hi Tom,

“I really enjoy your Newsday fishing column. Thanks for the update on this year’s fluke regulations.

“As a simple lay person that fishes - and especially enjoys targeting fluke - I eagerly awaited this year&apos;s regulations. Last year we would have to cull through 40, 50 even days of 100 fluke to get a couple of 19-1/2&quot; keepers. What are they thinking with 20-1/2&quot; minimums in 2008?

“As a recreational angler, I am not privy to the scientific data that the decision makers use as a base for the regulation changes. I have to rely on observation, anecdotal experience and common sense. I have a few questions that maybe the fisheries management people could help me understand:

“1. It seems to me that a slot limit would make more sense. Especially if, in the process of trying to get that keeper, there will be a lot of (16” - 20&quot;) shorts caught. Shorts are often gut-hooked and anglers are not surgeons - so the majority of these fish will die. Why not allow one or two gut-hooked fish in the 16&quot;+ range?  

“2. If the biology of a fluke presents that the larger fish are usually the healthiest 
- and female - why stress the gene pool by targeting these fish? 

“3.How is it justified that a commercial dragger can keep fish of lesser size - but a kid fishing with his grandfather in the safety of the bay or on the backside of an inlet must release almost every fluke caught?

“4. Where are the data to support that keeping four fluke at  20-1/2&quot; will have less of a negative impact on the fishery than (3 or 4) fish of mixed sizes?  How about spreading out the lifecycle?

“5. Our surrounding states have what seem to be more reasonable fluke regulations. Why are NY&apos;s rules so draconian?

“Thanks,

“- Ed Behan
“Blue Point, Long Island, NY”




“Dear Outdoor Tom,

“It’s disturbing to see a 6-1/2” difference between the 2008 fluke size limit for New York’s commercial fishermen (14”) and the recreational size limit (a whopping 20-1/2”).

“I feel strongly that fisheries managers lulled the recreational fishing community into a false sense of security, back in 2007, by convincing us there would be a full season of fluke fishing if we agreed to an increased size limit at that time – then they shut us down anyway. What’s to stop them from cutting the fluke season short again this year after we have – once again – agreed to increase the minimum size of the fish we take home?

“As for a potential saltwater license, I would offer my support if assured that the money collected was to be earmarked directly back to the fishing resource to improve fishing habitat, enforcement, stock status, data collection, angler access, etc. Unfortunately, I have no faith that the money will be used for such purposes. More likely, it will be added to a general fund and ‘raided’ when the state needs cash – which is just about all the time.

“I enjoy the coverage. Thanks for keeping the recreational community informed.

“- Ken Morse, Tight Lines Bait and Tackle, Sag Harbor, NY”

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         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/06/more_mail_on_fluke_regulations_1.html</link>
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                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Anglers Voice Opinions</category>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Fishing</category>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Saltwater</category>
        
        
         <pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:15:11 -0500</pubDate>
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            <item>
         <title>Angler&apos;s Thoughts on Fluke Limits and Saltwater Fishing License</title>
         <description>Long Island&apos;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&apos;ve received in recent weeks:

“Dear Mr. Schlichter,

&quot;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.

&quot;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.”

&quot;- Vincent DiPalma&quot;


&quot;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! 

&quot;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.

&quot;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 &apos;black hole.&apos;)

&quot;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. 

“- &apos;Crazy&apos; Alberto Knie 
&quot;Sportfishing Contributor / Consultant, Lindenhurst, NY&quot;


“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.

&quot;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.

&quot;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 &apos;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.

&quot;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.

&quot;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?

&quot;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.

&quot;Regards, 
&quot;- Captain Stew Cash (Osprey IV, Port Jefferson)&quot;


&quot;Dear Tom,

&quot;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.

&quot;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:
 
&quot;A) Uniform possession/size limits, at least in areas of contiguous boundary waters, and

&quot;B) Reciprocal recognition of each State&apos;s licensure.
 
&quot;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 &apos;their&apos; waters, and predatory and retaliatory &apos;enforcement&apos; actions will ensue - not to mention adding yet another layer of onerous licensing fees for non-resident anglers.

&quot;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.

&quot;Sincerely yours,
&quot;- Richard E Steinberger, MD, Oakdale NY&quot;

</description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/05/anglers_thoughts_on_fluke_limi_1.html</link>
         <guid>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/05/anglers_thoughts_on_fluke_limi_1.html</guid>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Anglers Voice Opinions</category>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Fishing</category>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Fishing Regulations</category>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Saltwater</category>
        
        
         <pubDate>Sat, 31 May 2008 10:10:15 -0500</pubDate>
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            <item>
         <title>Captain Kayak Grand Opening</title>
         <description>If you are into kayak fishing, or simply &apos;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. 
</description>
         <link>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/05/captain_kayak_grand_opening.html</link>
         <guid>http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/outdoors/fishing/2008/05/captain_kayak_grand_opening.html</guid>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Events</category>
                  <category domain="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category">Fishing</category>
        
        
         <pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2008 17:32:16 -0500</pubDate>
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