Outdoors

For many in my age group, best known as old, snapper fishing was a summer rite growing up. Not so much today.

When a person of faith or member of the clergy comes aboard, does that ensure a great catch?

Our fishing columnist takes a cue from a young golf phenom who celebrated winning the P.G.A. Tour’s 3M Open last week in Minneapolis by heading off to wet a line in the setting sun.

It only took a minute or two to scan the fish finder and see that the bottom was paved with porgies. With nary another boat in sight, it was time to drop our hi-lo rigs baited with sliced skimmer clams into the 72-degree water.

Shark Week, which starts on Sunday on the Discovery Channel, chums up a ton of viewers — and fear. The fact is, New York’s marine waters are home to 13 different species of sharks, and while millions of people swim in the ocean every year, shark incidents remain exceptionally low. 

Not a fisherman, but yearn to get on the water and view a spectacle of Mother Nature in action? You may want to join the Viking Fleet and the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island on an adventure to view whales, dolphins, turtles, and seabirds. 

The blazing heat this week has cooked up the local fishing scene.

House wrens are not shy of humans and are open-minded about where they construct their nests. A pair recently moved into a birdhouse under the eaves of our garage and I’ve watched them with interest. Conclusion? These birds are personable, noisy, and hard-working. They’re also evil little control freaks.

“Striper fishing is red hot,” said Capt. Savio Mizzi of Fishooker Charters, a light-tackle guide who sails out of Westlake Marina in Montauk. “We’ve seen fish caught and released to 50 pounds. It really is epic fishing.” 

For many, golf and fishing go hand in hand. That may be why many prominent golfers love to fish, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Greg (the Shark) Norman, Rory McIlroy, Nick Faldo, and Johnny Miller.  

Dropping our four-ounce diamond jigs in the two-knot tide, the drift was perfect. The only thing we needed was the fish to jump on our shiny chromed lures.

Other than striped bass, which have shown up in great numbers and sizes, those on the prowl for bluefish, weakfish, fluke, squid, black sea bass, and blowfish have been mostly met with rather slim pickings.

As a birder, I’ve long ignored Canada geese. Of course, that was a mistake. The trick has always been to just appreciate the thing in front of you, even if it’s a Canada goose, on its own terms, and not wish for it to be something other than what it is.

The 96th annual Audubon Montauk Christmas Bird Count was held on Dec. 20, when 45 participants found 127 bird species despite a morning wind chill of 16 degrees.

A Cassin’s sparrow, the first ever reported in Suffolk County and only the second ever in New York State, has been found off the parking lot at Montauk State Park.

Back in 1978, when I was 16 years old and a sophomore in high school, I decided to record the fish I caught in a logbook. I figured it would be smart to take note of my landings, for better or worse, for future reference.

Last week’s surprise snow squall was a sign that the fishing season is nearly over and it’s time to pull the Rock Water for her winter slumber.

The opening of bay scallop season in state waters on Nov. 3 was a particularly sad day for me. 

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.

A common cuckoo, a bird known in the United States for its famous “cuckoo clock” sound, was spotted on Oct. 23 in Riverhead. If the sighting is approved by the New York State Avian Records Committee, it will mark the first time the bird has ever appeared in the state.

Folksy music and family photos at LTV Studios Sunday added an upbeat touch to a commemoration of the life and legacy of Larry Penny, a naturalist, teacher, writer, and former director of the town’s Natural Resources Department.

The Rockwater is fueled up and ready for blackfish season.

A host of environmental organizations will come together on Sunday at LTV Studios to celebrate the life and work of Larry Penny, former director of the town’s Natural Resources Department and author of The Star’s “Nature Notes” column.

Despite the name of this column that has run for so many decades in The Star, I have to admit that I’ve not been on the water much this year. Those who have report that blackfish, porgies, and seabass abound.

The Columbus Day weekend northeaster obviously put squidding, and all fishing for that matter, on a temporary hold. But the squid should still be around in solid quantities as the seas settle down this week.

Increasingly stronger and more persistent winds, especially from the northeast or northwest, portend that there really are only a few weeks of fishable days remaining. Time is getting short, inshore and especially offshore.

While the season to harvest bay scallops opens in state waters at sunrise on Nov. 3, unfortunately the once-plentiful bivalve again experienced a die-off toward the end of summer. 

The current hurricane season brings a humbling reminder that, despite our advanced technologies, much in nature remains unpredictable.

Though I've done little with rod and reel this season, I’m beginning to focus on the opening for blackfish on Oct. 11 in Long Island Sound and on Oct. 15 elsewhere in New York waters.

“The false albacore showed up big time,” Capt. Savio Mizzi of Fishooker Charters out of Montauk reported this week. “It’s a great start to the season.”