Montauk Pioneer - May 1, 2009 -

"It's happenin','" called out Paul on April 24th when he got word from good friend and legendary Montauk fisherman, Jack Yee, that Frank McGuire worked the Ditch Plains Jetty and whacked some bass at 2 p.m. with bucktail. That's exactly what the surfcasting sharpies have been waiting to hear.

In the past few weeks only a little 'this and that' such as cod, flounder and mackerel have been spotted. Now Montauk's coastline will host squid and early bluefish as a prelude to the bigger bass that are making their way east.

It is hard to believe that Montauk anglers are just a fraction of the over 3,000,000 recreational fishermen who fish for stripers along the entire eastern shoreline who are preparing their bass fishing gear. It has been said that, "Nowhere in the world do striped bass amass in the sheer quantities that they do here." Surfcasters will tell you how the, "Silvery purple striped backs of these prized species glisten in the sun like the finish on a freshly waxed '57 Chevy."

This past Saturday with Paulie's Tackle Shop's flag whipping in the wind from outside his shop, 125 yards from the ocean, a crowd of loyal, dedicated customers and friends were addressing their fishing gear and waiting for things to explode. Paulie's is the hub of rod and reel repairs and maintenance. Like Jersey Greg who replaces lost lures with new ones, he can choose from a wide variety of tins (spoons) and small swimming plugs here with names like "wonderbread," "minnows", "bombers," "bubblegum," "chicken scratch," etc. Paul's right hand gal, Susan, reminds them how fast these sell. Knowledgeable sharpie, Bob Hoffman, explains that the size of the fish and the size of the bait determine the type of lure needed. In other words Bob says, "match the hatch."

Steady, tenacious Greg Bowen begins his preparation in December changing rusty hooks, patching waders, cleaning reels and choosing new line, leaders and plugs. Fourteen year old Nick Bocchio from Mahopac, who weekends here with his parents starting in April and spends the entire summer in Montauk re-spools, cleans his bags, and checks waders for leaks. Using a Van Staal reel 250, loaded with 30 lb. fire line, "I fish my own plugs," Nick explains. At eight years old he used waders; at 11, wet suits. "Some day that kid is gonna whack a nice fish," Paul commented.

Or how about starting the new season by lobbing a 20 lb. mushroom anchor 600 yards with sail cord and a utility pole at least 200 times, then running up to the Lighthouse and leap into the surf rocks 20-30 times? That's what Bob Hoffman imagines, followed by throwing an 80 lb. bag of concrete over his shoulder and climbing the bluffs at Caswells. With any left over energy he'll switch out the factory hooks on his super strike lures with VMC6X Trebels.

To everyone's amazement, 6' 3'' champion stripe bass surfcaster Gary "The Toad" Stephens appeared with a tiny Chihuahua-mix. "I picked her up at ARF for my wife, not me," he insisted, while the little pup sat in his lap. It was clearly "love at first sight." Could this be a change from "love at first bite?"

This year there are limits and restrictions on fluke season, opening May 15 (see last week's issue). Ace Charter Boat Captain Michael Potts explains that NY State fishermen caught 583,000 fluke last year, exceeding the quota by 61% (they should have caught approximately 233,000). As Potts says, if 10,000 boats (private, charter, party) fished, they would have been allowed 23 fish per boat per year. Surely, "Fishermen are not being provided with a satisfactory fishing experience." As Potts points out, "The perception of what is living in the ocean is the key." As he and Capt. Mike Veggasi believe, "there are more fish around now than ever."