HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust 07 - 28 -FI Newsmagazine The Fish Around UsPage 12 Fire Island Newsmagazine - August 7 - August 28
Bluefish, weakfish and stripers are the glamour fish,
but when it comes to eating there are few fish that can rival
the lowly bottom feeders like the fluke and flounder.
These two owe their allegiance
to the bays and creeks of the Great South Bay.
the Great South Bay. Fish stores' glamorize the weakfish by calling
t
t a seastroutbeautiful fish found In I
THE FISH AROUND US
by Pad Stouteuburgh
Fire Island has so many attractions that
many times we overlook the very obvious.
Everything about
Fire Island is involved.
with the
seaanditistherethatwefinda
bay and ocean.
Right now the small bluefish - the smallest
are called snappers -
are in the bay and if
for fisherman you know there are
few fish that can top the fight, pound
pound, Of a bluefish. Usually they're caught
on artificial
luresthat are cast to a feeding
school. Schools of bluefish can be found
watching for the terns feeding in
above them. On close inspection you will see
the fish dashing right out of thewater
pursuit of the small bait fish they are
feedingon.
Bluefish are
beaches where their
movements
down the
beach bring surf poles off their racks as the
fish move close along the beach in their
westward migration.
These schools of
snarling
feeders are so ferocious that they
often drive the bait fish right out of the water
and up on the
he
high beach.
These are
exciting
times along
the
beach andoccurmoreinthelatter part of the season than now. But then,
fishing is never an exact science and they
could show up almost
anytime.
Again,
artificial lures thrown in the frenzy of
feeding are a sure thing.
As August approaches very small bluefish
make their appearance
in the bays under
thenameofsnappersA lready we are picki
The most beautiful fish in our waters is the
weakfish that uses our bays and creeks to
spawn in each spring. The big ones are
usually caught in the early months of spring
and are laden with eggs or roe. Roe is a
gelicacy and when sauteed in butter there are
few things better to eat. During the summer
these handsome silver, pink and blue hued
fish are caught on the bottom using bait.
Once in a while they are picked up when
casting for blues. They are a good fighter but `
having a weak jaw [hence the name weak-
fish] must be handled with a bit more care
when bringing them in. A landing net is a
must for weakfish. Fish stores glamourize
the weakfish by calling it a sea trout. The
small fry are sometimes caught when fishing ,
for snappers, but being undersized they
should be tossed back in to grow bigger.
Striped bass are usually caught in the
ocean, but the inlets provide excellent areas
to catch these sometimes monster fish. Arti-
ficial lures or baited hooks on the bottom
are used depending on how the fish run.
Stripers get their name from the stripes
running the length of the fish. Its muscular
and big - scaled body is usually king sized,
and its fight is prized by surf fishermen.
During late fall, when the weather turns cool
and the wind swings to the northwest, it is
striper time. Remember these fish can run up
to thirty and forty pounds and more, so
appropriate gear is necessary.
Bluefish, weakfish and stripers are the
glamour fish, but when it comes to eating
h there are few fish that can rival the lowly
the bottom feeders like the fluke and flounder.
ng These two owe their allegiance to the bay
and creeks of the Great South Bay.
When seining, I often find tiny fluke and
flounder feeding in the lush nursery areas of our
bay bottoms. Slowly but surely the public
is realizing how important our shallow
bays and wetland areas are in the production
of our fish and shellfish and how the threat
of pollution not only interferes with our
per- sonal swimming but jeopardizes the
welfare of a multibillion dollar '
industry. Many of the big party boats that work
out of the south shore ply the waters to the
west for these tasty flat fish. Generally
speakinf fluke grow larger than flounders, but
no matter which you catch, they're sure to
be appreciated when cooked and
served
properly. Along with the bottom feeders, we'll
oc- casionally pick up an eel. These
squirming slippery one -to- two -foot balls of action
can surely mess up your line and slime up
your boat. It takes patience and know -how
to remove one from your line. Although not
as appetizing in the live state, fried or
smoked there's nothing better. Eels are in
such demand because of their delicate flavor
that some baymen make a good living setting
eel pots for them. Many, by the way, are
air freighted, live, to foreign countries in
Europe and Asia. When cooked, they must
be skinned. When smoked, the skin is left
on. Sand sharks, sea robins, and skates
are also sometimes taken when bottom
fishing. At one time these fish were considered
trash fish, but today with the high cost of fish
we find more and more trash fish
advertised under attractive names and the
public s relishing their
taste. Back in the 30's and early 40's
blowfish were considered trash fish and
were damned" for always taking one's
bait. Then someone decided to try eating them
and overnight they became popular.
Today they're called "chicken of the sea and
bring top dollar at the fish
market. So whether its so- called trash fish,
bottom feeders or glamour fish, if it comes from
the waters around Fire Island, its bound to
be good. One more reason why Fire Island
is such an attraction to so