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June 08, 1995 - Looking Back on Fishing's Glory DaysJune 8, 1995 • The Suffolk Times • 9A Looking Back on Fishing's Glory Days By Paul Stoutenburgh There's an old adage known through- out the East End that caused me to get out my old fishing pole this week. It goes like this: "When the lilacs are blooming in the spring, the weakfish should be run- ning in the bay." This was a true adage and many a year I Focus on caught my fill of fish during those Nature Wondrous spring evenings. During the heyday of the weakfish, it was a common sight to see men lined up along the beach all trying for those silvery beauties. My earliest experience with those glo- rious days was when the hand line was being taken over by the rod and reel. Those were tight times and little money would be spent for those highfalutin' city -folk rods and reels, but fishing was a must and so brown, tarred line had to do. A heavy lead sinker on the end along with two big hooks, one about three or four feet up, the other on the bottom, and you were ready to compete with the best of them. Squid was the bait and an old kerosene lantern would fill out the equipment. I personally never used those ancient wares for I was too young to do man's work and so I just went along for the excitement of being there. It was the time of the tiderunners; huge 10- and 12- pound weakfish — some even bigger — would be hauled in, hand over hand, and then pulled up on the beach flopping around in the sand under the soft, yellow light of the kerosene lamp. It was after my stint in the service that I became the proud owner of a rod and reel. I had taken a grand old gentleman from New Jersey out fishing many times during the summer and as a reward he gave me a beautiful, shiny Penn reel. I have it still. I must say it has lost its shine and luster but it still works. Old Duck Boat Made Do My best friend, Harry Waite from Southold, was my hunting and fishing partner in those days and it was during the high point of the weakfish boom that we slowly worked our way into the won- derful world of fishing. Photo by Paul Stoutenuuryh BLUEFISH ARE IN —From now on bluefish will be showing up in our bays, along the sound and in the ocean. For its size, there is no fish that can match this fierce fighter. I had spotted a duck boat behind someone's garage that was slowly being weather- beaten away. The coaming was all gone where it lay on the ground and the canvas was peeling off her hull. The owner, Mr. Pollock, only came out weekends and so one weekend when he came out I approached him to see if he would sell it. "Sell it? Hell no. I'll give it to you," he said. And so my first boat was a somewhat dilapidated duck boat. With lots of tender loving care I put it in shape. It sat low in the water, being a duck boat, and when two of us were in it, it seemed as if we were sitting on the water. No matter, we'd only fish in the creek mouth where there were hardly any waves. We would usually head out about sun- down for we never caught fish before it got dark. There we'd anchor in the mid- dle of the channel and fish the night away. And did we catch fish! By then the tiderunners' had left and our average fish was about three to five pounds. We still used squid and rigged one hook on bet's book Back 75 Years Ago June 4, 1920 Roosevelt in Greenport: The patriotic rally and presentation of gold medals, under the auspices of the Daughters of the Revolution, Yennicott Chapter, held at the Metro Theatre, Greenport, on May 31 was attended by a large and appreciative audience. Medals were presented to Miss Bergen of Mattituck High School and Miss Wells of Sound Avenue School for the best essays on "The Constitu- tion" in any of the North Fork schools. Theodore Roosevelt gave a most interesting address on topics of the day. A dinner was afterward served at the Olympia restaurant with Col. and Mrs. Roosevelt as the guests of honor. 50 Years Ago June 8, 1945 Fish and Chips: The Woodcliff Fish Company of Greenport has purchased the building at Mattituck formerly used as a potato chip factory and which has been vacant for several years. The company will install a modern commer- cial refrigerating plant for the freezing and storage of fish, clams and other seafood. Transports Anchor off Orient: For several days last week two transports were anchored in the Sound, not the bottom and the other about three feet It was a steady pull with little movement. up. Harry'd fish out one side. I'd fish out Soon I caught a glimpse of it and found the other. There wasn't much room in I'd snagged a bunker. the duck boat and when we caught a fish Bunkers are members of the herring we'd toss it up under the bow or under family and being filter feeders travel, the stern. One night we caught so many with their mouths open, in schools. At fish they worked their way all around us. one time bunkers provided the largest It seemed as if we were sitting in a boat fishing industry on the eastern seaboard. of fish. Bunker boats plied all the waters around - It's hard to imagine that those days of Long Island, the bays, the sound and the plenty have disap- ocean. So efficient peared and so it was `We caught so many fish it were these bunker with a little apprehen- boats that they even - sion that I headed out seemed we were sitting in a tually depleted the this year. I had no boat offish . stock and the indus- squid or lead sinkers try faded from our but in their place I waters. There are had a Hopkins jig and casting pole. I'd still some bunker boats working the heard reports of bluefish and weakfish waters to our south but none as far as I being caught and I just had to give it a know to the north. What remains of try. Cast as I would I had no luck. But those great schools are small scatterings the evening was cool and breezy and as here and there. We can see their ripples the stars started popping out I would try on the waters in our bays and creeks and one spot and then another. Finally, just as with them travel the tigers of the sea — I was going to quit, I had a hit. Nothing the bluefish. Knowing this, I took the bunker and like I'd hoped for but a hit nevertheless. far from shore off Terry's Point. The larger was the assault transport Sitka, 500 feet long, with 1,000 men aboard. She carried 27 landing barges of various types... Capt. Quinsby landed on Truman's Beach with several of his officers and, crossing over to the bay beach, boarded another of his barges that had rounded Orient Point to take them on a fishing trip. It was a sight to see these barges drive up on shore and then claw themselves off with their propellers. The ships left on Wednesday afternoon. 25 Years Ago June 5, 1970 `Cardboard City' Sold: "We did this for one reason — to beautify Greenport, period" With those words, busi- nessman Jack Driscoll justified the purchase of "Cardboard City," auctioned off to the tune of $115,000. Over 50 persons attended the "lawn auction" held Tuesday on the steps of Southold Town Hall. There was 15 minutes of spir- ited bidding by four persons for the property and the 47 homes on it. Driscoll said following the purchase that he was bidding in behalf of a group of interested people — "interested in preserving Greenport's beauty." While those present declined to say just what would be done to the property, it was learned there are plans in the air to construct a modern apartment complex for senior citizens. attached it to my hne and played it only a few feet from the dock where I finally wound up fishing. Suddenly there was a tremendous swirl and then another and then a charge! Then it became quiet. I pulled up to find, the bunker had lost its head and tail. A bluefish had feasted. Not having the right hook, I dug deeper into my bag of lures and came up with a makeshift rig which I hooked the re- maining part of the bunker on. Five minutes went by. Ten minutes. In and out the silvery -sided and tailless bunker went. Again a rushing fish and a swirl. I had hooked it! I played it in, the line singing out, and then it happened. Out of the water this huge bluefish came shaking its head — spray all about and my fishhook flying free. I'd lost my prize. My bait was gone. I had no more bunker. My first try of the season couldn't have been better. I'll try again but I doubt if I'll see and feel the thrill again of that first bluefish as it burst out of the water, shaking its head madly in triumph. P.S. I tried again the next day and am pleased to say that this time I was the tri- umphant one and hooked a nine -pound blue using the same technique as the night before.