November 28, 1985 - One Last Fishing TripPage 14A
The Suffolk Times
One Last Fishing N T rp
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
I'd been asked to go on one last fishing
trip with a friend of mine, but finding
• time when both of us were free proved
• problem. Finally we set Thursday the
21st -- come rain or shine. Well, what
came was a cool northwest wind that
started the spray flying as soon as we
left Cutchogue Harbor.
We moved along at a good clip, scar-
ing up sea ducks to the right and left
of us as we headed east. We were going
to try to get the last of the bluefish run
in the notorious gut that lies between
Plum Island and Orient Point.
We were the only boat in the bay. As
we swung around Nassau Point, I
noticed the osprey platform had been
blown down by hurricane Gloria. That
would be a winterjob that would have
to be done by the middle of March, for
that's when the ospreys will be coming
back. But for now, fishing was on our
minds and we were headed straight for
Jessups or, you prefer, the Morton
Wildlife Sanctuary.
Cedar Beach was past to the port and
here we could see that abandoned os-
prey nest still standing. The highway
department had put this telephone plat-
form up to stay -- hurricane or not. Soon
Shelter Island's vast green lawn man-
sions slid by as we churned on.
Off Paradise Point horned grebes
frantically tried to rise from the water.
Paddling and at the same time flapping
their tiny wings they seemingly ran
across the water to escape the demon
rushing down upon them. These "hell
divers," as we used to call them when
we were kids, were now in their
whitish -grey winter plumage. It's a far
cry from their yellow- orange crested
head, red eye and chestnut - colored neck
and side of the male when courting time
arrives in the spring.
Ahead, we could see the Shelter Is-
land's north ferry scurrying back and
forth between Greenport and the Is-
land. Day and night they plod on, carry-
ing everything that is needed to this
lovely island. Strangers might say a
bridge would be the modern way to go
and therefore keeping pace with today's
world of progress. But I warn you, don't
mention that to those on Shelter Island
Focus on
Nature
and probably not here on the mainland,
either. There are some things that are
just fine the way they are.
We could see the big shipyard in
Greenport was busy as ever; a big boat
hauled out on its railways. During the
war, mine sweepers were built here,
and during peacetime boats of all sizes
and shapes were born. What an asset
this unique yard is to Greenport.
Bay Alive with Wings
Easterly we sped, paralleling the
state park in Orient and still putting
up groups of sea ducks like scoters, old -
squaws, mergansers and occasionally
grebes and loons: the bays were alive
with their flight. Then the coffeepot
light of Orient Point came into sight
and we knew we would soon be in the
gut. On the railings and on the rocks
about the light, cormorants sat con-
templating; their awkward - looking
bodies seemed an insult to their great
ability as fishermen. it is this species
of bird that is still used by the natives
in the Far East to catch their fish. They
tie a snug line around the neck of the
cormorant and take them out to the
fishing grounds. Each boat has 10 or 12
birds on it. When they get to the fishing
grounds, the birds are put overboard
and naturally the cormorants go fish-
ing. When they have filled their neck
pouches with fish, they are hauled in,
hand - over -hand, picked up and the fish
literally dumped out. And then it is
back for another haul. The closest our
cormorants come to this is to sit on a
fish trap or net and occasionally dive
in to help themselves to a small fish.
It didn't take Roy long to get out our
fishing gear and we were soon jigging
for blues. We jigged and jigged. We
rolled. We tossed. We moved here. We
moved there. We tried bottom fishing.
We tried top fishing. We tried trolling.
Nothing seemed to work. By one o'clock
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November 28, 1985
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
ORIENT POINT LIGHT -- Winter or summer, this historic landmark is
a guiding light for mariners. Once the light had its own resident - keeper,
but electronic equipment now tells it what to do and when to do it.
fish. We were the only boat out there
What Went Wrong?
Later a boat with three young fellows
came out and immediately started
catching fish. What were we doing
wrong? We again tried everything in
the book. The closest I came to catching
a fish was when one of the fellows who
got a big bluefish in his line crossed
mine and for a moment I had that thrill
of having a big bluefish hooked.
In a half hour the three young people
left with their fish and we were once
again alone. We worked at it for another
hour or so until the sun started to set.
We had tried. We gave it our very best.
But like many fishermen, we had to go
home emptyhanded.
We sped home in a sparkling sea as
the sun was setting behind beautifully
colored clouds. Evening was moving in
and it was getting cooler and cooler.
This, mixed with the occasional spray,
told us what the nights ahead were
going to be like. By the time we reached
Paradise Point, the wind had dropped
off and we were skimming across the
bay into a silver - yellow path to the sun.
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