Skip to main content

Outdoors

On the Water: No Need to Be Crabby

“It’s been a great season thus far,” Harvey Bennett, former owner of the Tackle Shop in Amagansett, said of blue-claw crabs. “They are large and plentiful. More people need to take advantage of it. Blue-claws are the best to eat.” 

Aug 3, 2023
On the Water: Fluke Mojo Regained

If I truly wanted to catch a fluke, for all practical purposes I would need to hop aboard one of the several fine party boats that set sail from Montauk, which are significantly closer to the more productive fishing grounds.

Jul 27, 2023
A Vulnerable Bird Endures in a Springs Marsh

East Hampton is downright lucky to have a population of saltmarsh sparrows, birds that are vulnerable because of their dependence on a habitat that shrinks with every centimeter in sea level rise: the salt marsh. The sparrows themselves are not so lucky: they've lost 75 percent of their population since 1990. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is assessing whether the bird should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Jul 20, 2023
On the Water: Fluke Prove Evasive

The fishing for fluke has continued to deteriorate in Block Island Sound where dozens of boats used to drift their baited hooks on a daily basis in summer. Looking at my log book on the ride out, I noted that I had made two trips last summer and we failed to land a keeper. Not good.

Jul 20, 2023
On the Water: A Legend Is Honored

The popular Montauk Grand Slam charity fishing tournament will be held this weekend at Uihlein’s Marina in Montauk. At 5 p.m. Sunday, the tournament will crown Capt. Frank Braddick as the Fishing Legend of the Year.

Jul 13, 2023
On the Water: Better Weather, Please

“Definitely, the better fishing has been out at Montauk,” Ken Morse of Tight Lines Tackle said Monday. “The bass fishing remains solid and there are acres and acres of bluefish between 10 and 18 pounds roaming around.”

Jul 6, 2023
On the Water: Back at the Helm

Lots of bass between 30 and 50 pounds continue to be caught and released off Montauk. Finding fish in the new smaller slot size has been a challenge at times. Plenty of bluefish are mixed in too.

Jun 29, 2023
On the Water: Made in Manhattan

Given all of the supersize stripers now in Montauk, it’s still not too late to enter the popular Montauk Surf Masters Spring Shootout, which concludes on July 9. Bigger fish are clearly on the feed here.

Jun 22, 2023
On the Wing: Swift in the Air, Rarely on Ground

This is the best time of year to observe chimney swifts locally as they burst through the skies over our villages. You’ll never see a chimney swift land, or even come close to street level. In their daily circuits, they can fly 500 miles a day in pursuit of something like 12,000 flying insects.

Jun 22, 2023
On the Water: Smoke on the Water

“A lot of big bass to over 50 pounds are around,” observed Capt. Savio Mizzi of Fishhooker Charters. “Fishing is literally off the hook.”

Jun 15, 2023
On the Water: On the Table Again

Out in Montauk, anglers for striped bass and bluefish are returning to the docks with sore arms. Porgy fishing has also been consistent, with fish up to three pounds.

Jun 8, 2023
Officials Push Back on Bass Slot Reduction

Three weeks ago, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and its Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board voted to approve an emergency measure to lower the maximum striped bass size to 31 inches. The current “slot” regulation in New York allows anglers to keep one bass between 28 and 35 inches in length per day. However, there has been pushback from local political representatives on the reduced slot for the highly-prized striper before the New York Department of Environmental Conservation moves forward with a formal ruling.

Jun 1, 2023
On the Water: Motorcycle to Montauk

“Oh man, there are striped bass and bluefish everywhere,” Paul Apostolides said from behind his countertop. “The action has been truly fantastic. More people need to take advantage of it.”

Jun 1, 2023
On the Wing: In One Big Day, 90 Species and a Life Bird

On a “Big Day,” birding is just about numbers. It is spent, dawn to dusk, in search of birds; the goal to see as many different species as possible. May 13 was Global Big Day. The goal is always to find 100 species: We’ve never gotten there.

May 25, 2023
Walking Through East Hampton’s History

The East Hampton Historical Society and the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society have planned 20 collaborative events, starting next week and running through September, to highlight the area's history, with destinations including the Brooks-Park property in Springs, the Leisurama houses in Montauk, and the D’Amico Studio and Archives at Lazy Point.

May 25, 2023
On the Water: Gators on the Prowl

Gator-sized bluefish thrashed about near the surface one day; two days later it was spunky striped bass.

May 24, 2023
On the Water: Learning New Tricks

When I’m out pursuing codfish, I always start off using a diamond jig. I also use a diamond jig when I fish for weakfish, sea bass, and bluefish. The same lure is also used when I pursue striped bass from my boat. Old habits are hard to break.

May 18, 2023
On the Water: Striped Bass Conundrum

Striped bass limits will be changing again this year, as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and its Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board voted last week to approve an emergency measure to lower the upper end of the striped bass slot size to 31 inches.

May 11, 2023
On the Water: Fishing Plans Upended

“The striped bass have arrived in Montauk,” said Capt. Rob Aaronson of the Montauk charter boat Oh Brother! Both diamond and bucktail jigs have been the lures of choice for the linesiders. 

May 4, 2023
On the Water: Back on Dry Land

Striped bass have shown up en masse in local waters, and many casters are very pleased with their early, bountiful showing. “It’s wonderful to see,” said Ken Morse at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor.

Apr 27, 2023
On the Wing: Where Great Egrets Go

It’s hard to mistake the great egret: lengthy yellow bill, long black legs, large white body in between. They have sinewy necks, sometimes stretched straight, other times tucked into a squat S, as when they’re flying.

Apr 27, 2023
A Flower Farm Will Bloom in East Hampton

The Traceys are embarking this season on an expansion that will see them transition from their previous location, a Peconic Land Trust plot of a little under an acre behind Balsam Farm in Amagansett, to a three-acre property on Montauk Highway that was known as Bhumi Farm for a couple of years.

Apr 20, 2023
A ‘Very Personal’ Side of Garden Design

Frederico Azevedo has always been enamored with nature, flowers in particular. “As a child I would rearrange the plants for fun and plant the ingredients for my favorite foods,” he said. “The exciting thing about this medium is how it can make people happy and open up new parts of your life.” His business, Unlimited Earth Care in Bridgehampton, is celebrating a milestone this year.

Apr 20, 2023
A Lush North Fork Paradise

Let us introduce you to the Landcraft Garden Foundation, the North Fork’s fraternal obverse to Jack Lenor Larsen’s LongHouse Reserve and a paradise that Dennis Schrader and Bill Smith have been building on the North Fork since 1992.

Apr 20, 2023
GIMME: Colorful, Stylish, Sustainable

The Star’s hunter-gatherer, Durell Godfrey, went looking for the kind of stuff that Mother Nature would be happy to use — and reuse whenever possible. She loves sustainability, and so will you. Shop locally and thoughtfully.

Apr 20, 2023
On the Water: Scratching Out a Catch

The warming rays of the sun have begun to perk up the local fishing scene, with holdover striped bass making the biggest noise in recent days.

Apr 20, 2023
The World Wild Web

Doug Tallamy, an entomologist, author, and professor at the University of Delaware, encourages homeowners to think about the role our yards play in the food chain that sustains birds and wildlife. The immense decline of the bird population by one-third over the past 50 years has opened eyes to its urgency.

Apr 20, 2023
Tip Sheet: Battling Bamboo

At first, I liked the bamboo. It was a comforting green wall, separating me from my neighbor’s pool. When the wind blew, it sounded like one hand clapping. At the same time, I found myself thinking, “If the revolution comes, I will dig a trench around my house and fill it with bamboo spears.”

Apr 20, 2023
Veggies to the Max

A home vegetable gardener offers some hard won advice for getting the most out of your garden along with what grows best here.

Apr 20, 2023
On the Water: The Lobster Traps Are In

Flounder is scarce, striped bass are not yet here in sizable numbers, so our columnist set about repairing his lobster traps.

Apr 13, 2023