Montauk Pioneer - October 10, 2008 - The Results From Paulie's

On Thursday, October 2nd, over 125 surfcasters began to roll across highways, fully loaded with rods and reels, headed for Paulie's Tackle Shop. It was the time again for the most exciting and heart pounding striped bass and blue fishing tournament. It was also the time and place for surfcasters to reunite with fellow anglers and to experience the bond, the allure and the challenge of the exhilarating sport of surfcasting.

Paul Apostiledes greeted Bill, the very personable, faithful UPS driver who piled mounds of boxes filled with fishing equipment at Paul's doorstep. Better than a candy shop, the surfcasters on their way in would surely stop at Paulie's to chat, add to their equipment, hang out, reminisce, grab a cup of coffee and snack on the many different foods the guys would donate.

Susan Japelln has become as much of a lure as the bucktails in the shop. Together, she and Paulie kept the shop open all weekend long for the tournament.

Paulie's Tackle Shop is also the official weigh-in station for the Korkers Tournament. This year is the 10th anniversary for the "Gathering of Anglers," which takes place in Montauk every fall and is hosted by the Mid-Island Surfcasters. Many of the fishermen fish in both tournaments as friends. Leslie Burleighan told me about the charity of choice for the tournament, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

At exactly noon on Friday, The Paulie's Tackle Shop Tournament began and lasted until Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Last year's 2nd place Korkers bass winner, Peter Mifsud brought his cousin, Justin Grant, who flew in from London, to meet the guys at Paulie's before they headed out with hopes of catching this year's 1st prize bass. With approximately 60 locals out of 175 entries (28 more than last year) surfcasters hit the beaches and the rocks on a beautiful, windy Montauk morning.

Punctuating their conversations with the words: blitz, surf rats, googins, wabbits, skisher, midnight riders, rock hoppers, bird chasers, sharpies, dead stick and beatin' dead water, the surfcasters have a lingo unto themselves. Some of the choice areas they fish starting from the north side at Scott's Hole, The Bluffs, Weed Hole, Jones', Evan's Rock, Burning Bush, False Bar, North Bar, Clark's Cove and Stepping Stones and south side points such as Turtle Cove, Pill Box, Brown's, Seven Pipes, King's, Rat Hole, Driftwood Cove, Dead Man's and Glass House.

Waders can fill up with water, which for a non-swimmer is a definite danger. Legendary fishing guru Jack Yee explains, "You never throw your rod away; it can be used as a staff to push yourself back to shore or reach out to someone."

At night Jack advises using darters, bottle plugs and needle fish but in the daytime, pencil poppers and bucktails. If the sun is rising, snap on a trusty kastmaster or a super strike popper. Bucktails with pork rind are also used during the day and for a calm water blitz use metal lip swimmers.

Although most surfcasters use a stout spinning or conventional rod, spooled with 20-25 pound monofilament, or a 30-pound power-pro, or even 30-40 pound fireline; some use 50 pounds.

When I asked Jack, "Is there any glitz or glamour to surfcasting," he laughed, "Whoever fishes with the most plugs and fishing equipment is the winner, he has more toys! That's glitz! Glamour, hmmm, let's see - glamour is a sharpie catching fish bigger than anyone else!"

Long time sharpie Willy Young, who caught a whopping 52lb 120 oz bass at midnight on Friday also became a grandfather that very same night. Would his prize fish remain at the top of the board with 32 more hours to go?

At 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning the tournament ended and, yes, Willy's bass still was in 1st place. "I was so elated and so pumped up, I couldn't fish anymore after I caught it," Willy told me. Young is from Massapequa, but fishes here so much that he is considered one of the locals.

Second place Mike Copolla, reeled in a 26 lb 42oz striper, and Montauk's Gary "Toad" Stephans was 3rd with his 23lb bass. Blue fish winners were Zeb Perinkus with a 14 lb 10 oz, Gus Tserpelis in 2nd place with an 8lb 83 oz and Ed Grabow off by one ounce for third place at 8 lbs 82 ounces.

Surfcasters and their vehicles lined the parking lot and the road in front of Paulie's Tackle where everyone enjoyed breakfast, compliments of Gaviola's Market. "Toad" once again emceed the Award Ceremonies and amused all with his usual banter, corny jokes, and his great laugh.

Jack Yee called everyone to attention as he presented his course, "How to Remove a Hook from a Finger." Demonstrating with a magnetic board and a magic marker, he illustrated the finer points of "Hook Surgery."

Ed Trimble, his sweet dog Scrap and his best buddy Jack Melin from Lindenhurst, who spend every weekend and sometimes longer fishing here feel, "That the tournament is so very special, especially getting to see everyone again." It is fair to say that the camaraderie among surfcasters is incomparable.