Outdoors

With two dredges and a culling board laid across the stern of my boat, it was time to see if the upcoming season would be boom, bust, or perhaps something in between. Sadly, it did not take long to see that the hope for a bountiful harvest of scallops would very much mimic the unfortunate events that have unfolded in the black cloud that is 2020.

The East Hampton Town Trustees opened Georgica Pond to the Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 19, a biannual event that allows spawning fish to enter and exit and flushes the pond. Unlike in the last two years, though, the pond closed naturally just six days later.

Blackfish, also known as tautog, are perhaps the most challenging of fish to catch in our local waters, and quite a few good fishermen are not ashamed to admit that they have never mastered the knack of catching the elusive, bait-stealing fish.

New York State has set Nov. 2 as the opening of scallop season in state waters. But the trustees have traditionally opened waterways under their jurisdiction for scalloping shortly after the opening of state waters to allow additional time for scallops to spawn.

Anglers last week saw an influx of migrating striped bass mixed in with bluefish and false albacore that has brought back pleasurable memories of the productive fall run of years past. "It's insane action at times," said Capt. Michael Vegessi of the Montauk party boat the Lazybones.

I really don't have any excuses, but it's been well over a month since I have picked up a fishing rod. I'm not quite sure of the reason, but other than pulling my lobster and crab traps out of the water for the season shortly after Labor Day, I had not even untied my dock lines. My boat, and my body, have sat idle for too long.

Two mysteries hang over Montauk's Fort Pond this week: What happened to 26 laughing gulls found both dead and injured, all in the same manner and all oddly clustered in an area near PSEG-Long Island's Montauk substation on Industrial Road? And was that really an alligator people saw in Fort Pond late last month? The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has looked into both matters.

Since 1921, the Ryder family lived in the white farmhouse next to a small pond on North Haven that has been known in local lore as Ryder's Pond. This week, the Village of North Haven held a name dedication ceremony to officially designate name the pond for the family.

On the fishing front, the gusty winds have made it a challenge for many anglers, whether fishing from boat or shore. So The Star's fishing columnist took his motorcycle for a ride to the North Fork, where he got the fishing report from the boats tying up at the Orient by the Sea Marina.

Dustin Reynolds has traversed much of the world alone in his 1983 Bristol 35.5c sailboat and arrived in Montauk for the first time on Friday. To say he has made the journey single-handedly is at once literal and figurative. Mr. Reynolds lost his left arm and his left foot in a 2008 motorcycle accident, caused by a drunken driver, that nearly claimed his life.

At times, the local waters this summer looked more like Cannes or Monte Carlo, with yachts that are seemingly larger than ever and more elaborate. David Geffen’s ship, which anchored up in Gardiner’s Bay back in July, was 450 feet long. 

Capt. Paul Dixon, a fly-fishing guide with To the Point Charters of East Hampton, is a pioneer in this specialty fishing locally and thanks to his advocacy helpint to preserve the stocks of striped bass and other fish, was recently named to receive the 2021 Izaak Walton Award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing.