There’s bad news for anglers in NOAA’s analysis of its annual recreational fishing survey.
Outdoors
On the Water: A Fee for Saltwater Fishing Permits?If you fish in saltwater in New York and are over the age of 16, you must possess a free Department of Environmental Conservation marine registry permit. But now the marine registry may soon cease to exist, as the D.E.C. is considering a fee-based license for fishing in the state’s marine waters.
On the Water: Fair Winds, JimmyJimmy Buffett, who had a house on North Haven, loved the waters of the East End, whether surfing, sailing, or fishing.
On the Water: Bleak Outlook for ScallopsThe outlook for the bay scallop season, which is set to start in early November, is once again poor. For the fifth summer in a row, there has been a significant die-off of mature bay scallops in local waters.
On the Wing: Epic Summer for Rare Birds at MecoxJust over the lip of the dune bordering the lot at Scott Cameron Beach is one of the most important habitat areas for shorebirds on the entire East End: Mecox Inlet.
On the Water: Grab a Crab at RehabA cooler of blue-claws for a new friend in cardiac rehab might mark the first time the tasty shellfish have paid a visit to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
On the Water: Head East for FishThe direction you want to go during the August heat is east. “Whether it’s striped bass, bluefish, fluke, porgies, sea bass, or tuna, the fish now prefer to be in cooler, deeper waters,” said Ken Morse of Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor.
On the Water: North Fork Easy RiderI had done some fishing a few days earlier at Jessup’s Neck, and the bluefish were hungry, taking full advantage of my four-ounce diamond jig. I had my fill of fish, so I got on my motorcycle.
Master Carver Coaxes Feathers From WoodWith a careful, calculated touch, Robert Greene, a renowned decoy carver who lives in Springs, creates pieces so realistic they could easily be mistaken for taxidermy. “You gotta know the wood, you gotta be a halfway decent carver, you gotta be a decent painter. . . and you gotta be an artist,” he said.
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.”
On the Water: Fluke Mojo RegainedIf 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.
On the Water: Fluke Prove EvasiveThe 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.