Outdoors

We are getting close to August and it's clear that the fishing scene has shifted into full summer mode. The summer menu of fish includes everything from wahoo to swordfish, codfish to red hake, as well as dozens of other fish in between.

Ask any bayman, and all would agree that the bay scallop fishery in the Peconic Bay estuary system in the past two years was a total calamity. As such, it was no surprise to learn that the United States Department of Commerce recently declared the events of 2019-20 a fishery disaster. 

Rarely a week goes by when I don't receive a question from friends or readers about what to look for when buying fish. It's really a rather basic question to answer. Read on . . .

The three-day Memorial Day weekend northeaster that brought about rough seas and winds up to 40 miles per hour was nasty on many fronts. 

It is that time of year again here on the East End of Long Island, when the phones in doctors' offices start to ring seemingly constantly with patients calling with questions about tick bites.

Concerned Citizens of Montauk, joined by almost 40 volunteers, installed approximately 3,000 square feet of floating wetlands in Fort Pond. As the plants mature, their roots will take in excess nitrogen and phosphorus as food to reduce the nutrient load in the water.

Those who enjoy nature can take advantage of several upcoming adventures, from full-on hikes to shoreline walks.

Hiking enthusiasts on the East End — or day-tripping trekkers from just about anywhere else — will no doubt appreciate these upcoming local hikes.

It's that time of year when the trees, plants, and flowers start blooming into color, with warmer temperatures that make shoreline walks increasingly more pleasant. Looking ahead to May 8, here are some hikes and walks in which to enjoy the outdoors.

At 9 a.m., the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt has a three-mile hike planned at Little Long Pond from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Dai Dayton will lead the hike, which will start at the Friends' Greenbelt Nature Center at 1061 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton. She can be contacted at 631-745-0689.

Before the fishing scene gets into full swing over the next few weeks, there are a few things that bear reminding for those who ply our waters with a rod and reel and more.

The idea behind the new 2/3 for the Birds campaign is simple: By planting two-thirds of one's property with native greenery and abstaining from the use of pesticides, homeowners can help local bird species make a comeback. Experts say it's a critical way to restore avian populations that have been dying off since the 1970s.

There is an old fishing proverb: "Wind from the west, fish bite the best. Wind from the east, fish bite least. Wind from the north, do not go forth. Wind from the south, blows bait in their mouth."

Hikes to see seals, traverse grasslands, and search out the chorus of spring peepers

After a fatigue-laden winterlong game of avoiding Covid and basically just staying home (and perhaps listening to too much Pink Floyd), it felt much as if a heavy block of cement had fallen off my shoulders when I finally got back on my boat for the first time since November. It was cathartic and energizing.

The East Hampton Town Trustees are throwing their support behind a proposal from the town's shellfish hatchery director to fund a pilot kelp-farming program in Three Mile Harbor. 

In its 6 a.m. report, the Weather Service said to expect snow on the East End of Long Island until about 1 p.m. before it changes to rain and snow in the afternoon, then all rain on Monday night. The wind will be from the northeast, 22 to 32 miles per hour with gusts to 47. At night, sustained winds could reach 34 with gusts to 50.

The 91st Montauk Christmas Bird Count, held on Dec. 19, tallied 129 species, the second-highest total over the last 10 years, with the highlight of the day the sighting of a wood thrush, the first in count record.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is encouraging New Yorkers to ring in the new year outdoors with a walk or hike at one of many state parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, and public lands.

Hidden within a subset of LTV's video collection, are recordings of local fishermen, bygone and not, reminiscing about simpler times from the 1980s onward. Over 100 shows in the LTV archives document this moment of change, when the State Department of Environmental Conservation began imposing strict sanctions, in the form of quotas, on what had been a relatively unfettered way of life.

If all goes according to plan, four of the club's Har-Tru courts will be under an outdoor 85-by-200-foot National Hockey League-size ice rink and open for business as of Saturday, marking the beginning of the Buckskill Winter Club's 16th season.

"It's kind of hard to believe we are at the end of the year," said an understated Harvey Bennett at the Tackle Shop in Amagansett. "Like many others, I'm tired. I hope next year brings better hope and promise. We all deserve it. Let's close the book on 2020."

The pandemic has seriously impacted many who fish or work on the water for a living. With restaurants and the food service industry taking a big hit, the demand for various seafood products, including oysters, has been severely curtailed. A new partnership between the Nature Conservancy and the Pew Charitable Trusts is offering help for oyster farmers whose oysters have grown too big to market.

On the fishing scene many remain thankful for the great action. While striped bass can still be had from the ocean beaches (Sunday afternoon saw a classic bass blitz from Bridgehampton to Southampton), Montauk continues to be the main port of call for fishing activities, especially for blackfish, sea bass, porgies, and cod.

It was an unusual season on the water by all accounts. When the boat was first launched in mid-March, the pandemic was already beginning to have a firm grip on New York and Long Island. It was a scary and uncertain time. In many ways, it still is.

The fishing season is winding down, but the fishing for blackfish and sea bass remains strong and the bite is still good for striped bass from the ocean shoreline.

After about an hour steaming off in my boat to the northeast on Gardiner's Bay, the fish finder machine in my cabin painted a perfect picture of the bottom I was looking for. With the anchor set on the incoming tide, I was positioned on top of a tight cluster of broken rubble and small boulders in about 40 feet of water. It looked fishy.

Their fishing trip in Gardiner's Bay on Monday may not have yielded the blackfish they were after, but Aidan McCormack and Mark Deckman came away with quite a tale to tell.

Monday morning dawned bright with a stiff, northwesterly wind on the bay as I lifted the bedroom shades. I squinted as I tried to focus on my surroundings from the second floor. It was a little after 7, and not a single boat was in view. It was a sad sight to see but not a total surprise.

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.

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.