RJ
11-13-2006, 01:06 PM
By Charlie Sciara
A brisk northwest wind buffeted the senses as a bundled band of hardy-looking anglers selected their favorite spots, a bucket of green crabs and a handful of sinkers as Jimmy Schneider’s “James Joseph II” engines roared to life. With nary a female in sight, even a novice tog angler like me was quickly ensconced near the bow by a helpful, knowledgeable group of mates and a group of fares that were all business. The destination: a wreck off Norwalk, Conn., the quest—voracious blackfish.
As we glided past cliff-dwelling mansions lining Huntington Harbor, a heated cabin brought relief from the cold of a 7 a.m. launch; chapped hands and runny noses are small beer when compared to a bucket of tog waiting to be caught, filleted and enjoyed. Guided by his GPS, Jimmy brought us within sight of the land of Lieberman; mates Big Joe, Warren and Gerard expertly double- anchored the ship and the horn blew to fish. The tog must have good hearing for, within two minutes, Warren netted the first blackfish of the day, weighing perhaps 6 pounds.
Like many anglers, your reporter found himself often hooked into wreckage, losing an entire rig. Oh, the frustration. Big Joe smiled and while quickly re-rigging me intoned, “If you’re not getting hung up occasionally, you’re not fishing in the right place. Go get ‘em.” After 90 minutes we made the first of four moves on the day; each drop produced fish with many in the 7 to10 pound range. If you’re keeping score, 45 fares caught approximately 150 tog 14 inches or bigger.
Jimmy Schneider’s journey to Huntington had its roots paradoxically on Long Island’s south shore when like many youngsters, he learned to fish with his dad in Sheepshead Bay; catching so many fish beyond what his family, friends and neighbors could use that they provided a providential side income that came in handy for Jimmy’s tuition at Geneseo in upstate New York. A psychology major, Jimmy graduated from college and gravitated to the sea where he became a mate on Mike Danon’s Capt. Lou III and V. This experience was invaluable: Jimmy honed his interpersonal skills daily with a myriad of personalities and learned seamanship and the business side of the party boat business from a successful mentor.
Calling November an exceptional month for tog, Jimmy will fish them until the week of December 10th and resume blackfishing next spring. Traditionally, he switches over to fish fluke, blues, bass and porgies during the late spring and early summer, running afternoon trips for fluke, blues and bass when they are running strong. With stringent pending fluke regulations in the offing, Jimmy’s jovial mood turned somber.
“Many folks in the party boat business will have to reinvent themselves, fishing for different species like bluefish or turning into cruise ships—it won’t be easy especially for Captree head boats that normally fish the bay.” While acknowledging the need for conservation and an adherence to governmental regulations, Jimmy agreed that government at all levels needs to invest capital in marine fisheries and address problems like over fishing and global warming to promote our ecosystems and the joy of fishing.
A brisk northwest wind buffeted the senses as a bundled band of hardy-looking anglers selected their favorite spots, a bucket of green crabs and a handful of sinkers as Jimmy Schneider’s “James Joseph II” engines roared to life. With nary a female in sight, even a novice tog angler like me was quickly ensconced near the bow by a helpful, knowledgeable group of mates and a group of fares that were all business. The destination: a wreck off Norwalk, Conn., the quest—voracious blackfish.
As we glided past cliff-dwelling mansions lining Huntington Harbor, a heated cabin brought relief from the cold of a 7 a.m. launch; chapped hands and runny noses are small beer when compared to a bucket of tog waiting to be caught, filleted and enjoyed. Guided by his GPS, Jimmy brought us within sight of the land of Lieberman; mates Big Joe, Warren and Gerard expertly double- anchored the ship and the horn blew to fish. The tog must have good hearing for, within two minutes, Warren netted the first blackfish of the day, weighing perhaps 6 pounds.
Like many anglers, your reporter found himself often hooked into wreckage, losing an entire rig. Oh, the frustration. Big Joe smiled and while quickly re-rigging me intoned, “If you’re not getting hung up occasionally, you’re not fishing in the right place. Go get ‘em.” After 90 minutes we made the first of four moves on the day; each drop produced fish with many in the 7 to10 pound range. If you’re keeping score, 45 fares caught approximately 150 tog 14 inches or bigger.
Jimmy Schneider’s journey to Huntington had its roots paradoxically on Long Island’s south shore when like many youngsters, he learned to fish with his dad in Sheepshead Bay; catching so many fish beyond what his family, friends and neighbors could use that they provided a providential side income that came in handy for Jimmy’s tuition at Geneseo in upstate New York. A psychology major, Jimmy graduated from college and gravitated to the sea where he became a mate on Mike Danon’s Capt. Lou III and V. This experience was invaluable: Jimmy honed his interpersonal skills daily with a myriad of personalities and learned seamanship and the business side of the party boat business from a successful mentor.
Calling November an exceptional month for tog, Jimmy will fish them until the week of December 10th and resume blackfishing next spring. Traditionally, he switches over to fish fluke, blues, bass and porgies during the late spring and early summer, running afternoon trips for fluke, blues and bass when they are running strong. With stringent pending fluke regulations in the offing, Jimmy’s jovial mood turned somber.
“Many folks in the party boat business will have to reinvent themselves, fishing for different species like bluefish or turning into cruise ships—it won’t be easy especially for Captree head boats that normally fish the bay.” While acknowledging the need for conservation and an adherence to governmental regulations, Jimmy agreed that government at all levels needs to invest capital in marine fisheries and address problems like over fishing and global warming to promote our ecosystems and the joy of fishing.