Way back in 1965, Bob Dylan wrote one of his famous songs: "Subterranean Homesick Blues." In it, he said, "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." True that.
Dylan, who was raised in Minnesota, never was a fisherman and never spent time much on the East End, but the iconic singer-songwriter could have been talking about conditions here.
Take a peek out the front door and you can see which way the wind is blowing. And in the latter months of fall, it's frequently very gusty too.
The title of the song is curious, as it's never mentioned in the lyrics. The 1960s were an interesting time.
Back to the East End, can someone please turn off the fan? It's been wind, wind, and more wind this fall. And anglers looking to wet a line are beyond frustrated with the blustery conditions.
Since taking Rock Water out for her inaugural blackfish trip on Oct. 26, it's been impossible to leave the dock. The constant stiff winds emanating mainly from the northeast and more recently from the northwest have made it impossible to untie my dock lines. And the season to fish is getting slimmer day by day as winter nears.
"The winds of late have been unrelenting," concurred Ken Morse, the main man helming the counter at the Tight Lines Tackle store in Southampton and Sag Harbor. "We need a break in the weather."
That said, I still hope to take my friend Robert Cugini, who flew in from Seattle on Friday with his wife, Mary, out for a blackfish trip or two. Her family, of the multigenerational Aldrich clan here, periodically reside in a house they own off of Brick Kiln Road in Sag Harbor that's over 100 years old.
Cugini always returns to Sag Harbor the first week of November to catch blackfish and dredge up scallops with yours truly. It's a tradition we've had for nearly 25 years, and Cugini, over that time, become very adept at landing blackfish. His very first fish he caught aboard Rock Water was a bulky eight-pounder. That's a great way to start. I can't recall catching a fish of such a size in many years. He's great company and a true friend.
Also, he has helped me with the culling board sorting through scallops and other debris on my stern deck. It's a very messy job, but he loves it, and I'm very thankful for his assistance while I man the helm station. He's tireless.
While he may not be the speediest or most proficient shucker of scallops, at the end of the day, he reigns supreme in the kitchen. He's an accomplished chef, and he knows the appropriate wine to serve as well. It's not the cheap swill that I usually buy.
Despite the fun we've had, I reluctantly decided to keep my eight iron scallop dredges in their quiet sleep in the basement on Monday when the season opened in state waters. Everything I heard portended another lousy season. It just wasn't worth the effort.
Want to read some local fishing reports? Well, you will need at least another week due to the wind. While some striped bass have been landed from the ocean beaches, the ever-present winds have continued to plague boaters on the search for other species, such as blackfish, sea bass, and porgies.
Finally, last week the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation formally announced that a state record for the largest blue-claw crab has been established: A crab with a carapace measuring 7 and 3/16 inches was caught by Hunter Tracy in Moriches Bay.
That's a monster-size crab and not far in size from some of the lobsters I trap!
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