September 15, 1988 - Joys of Snapper FishingFocus on Nature
Joys of Snapper Fishing
By Paul Stoutenburgh
For those who look to the wind for advice
about our weather, its direction can pretty
well tell what it's going to be; east wind, our
storm wind —look out for rain; southwest
wind, our summer wind —humid and often
hot weather; and our northwest wind, clear
and dry —in the fall it's delightful. It's
almost as if this wind blew away all the
summer people and gave us back our East
End crisp and clean.
Fall weather always reminds me of those
early days of youth when snapper fishing
and seining for silversides was a must. Of
course, we started snapper fishing in those
early days before the fall weather set in, but
it seemed the best snapper fishing was
always after Labor Day. In those days the
only pieces of equipment needed were a
long - shanked snapper hook and an ex-
tremely long bamboo pole.
Today I see the fancy spinning rigs being
used but I doubt, fish for fish, if more snap-
pers could be caught on those than on the
old bamboo ones. Simplicity and low cost
were the rule in those days. A piece of line a
little longer than the pole would swing in
just right for baiting and pulling in a fish.
Then most of the real snapper fishing was
done in wooden rowboats, something pretty
hard to find in the modern world of plastics,
fiberglass and metal. It was a time when
there was little traffic in our creeks and
channels and so the best place to fish
naturally was in the channels at the mouth
of the creeks. Here you'd try to get out first
and get in the best spot. Anchored, the bam-
boo poles would be out the sides and over
the stern of the boat. We were the envy of
those ashore whose lines couldn't reach out
to where the real action was. It was a great
era and one I'm afraid we'll never see
again.
Watch Out for Swinging Fish
Of course, if you were ashore when you
pulled in your wiggling, jumping snapper
on the end of the line, it swung about like
some silvery spirited pendulum. One hand
held the long bamboo pole, while the other
tried to grab the fish hanging from the ever -
elusive line. Many an innocent bystander
was jarred out of his summer's dreams by
the slap of a wet fish beside the head!
Some would use bobbers, others would
have no part of them, particularly if the fish
were biting. The knack of the no- bobber was
to keep the bait just slightly moving so it
wouldn't sink to the bottom, for when it did,
no telling what you might get —an eel that
would pull like some monster from the deep
and then take some real doing to get the
hook out, or perhaps a toadfish. How we
kids hated them ! They looked and sounded
so sinister with their big mouths and grun-
ting sounds.
Just so we wouldn't lose our techniques as
the years rolled along and to start a new
generation of snapper fishermen, Barbara
and I decided to take our daughter and two
grandchildren out fishing. We knew from
85
watching the bridges and the people on
shore at the mouth of our creeks that snap-
pers were in but, sad to say, in no great
quantities. However, the weather was
perfect so we said — "Let's try it."
Robby had his own fishing pole and tackle
box with a special lock on it so his sister
"Sara couldn't get in." A few snacks and
drinks were brought along by mother to add
a little party effect. The old outboard was
clamped to the boat and the poles and nets
were dropped in and we were off.
The tide was high, the air crisp and clean
and that exhilarating feeling of fall caught
us all. The first stop was to get bait. We'd
brought the long killie net and as we pulled
the boat up on the warm sandy beach we
could see schools of silversides or spearing
working their way along the shore.
Dragging for Silversides
In no time the net was unrolled and Robby
was elected to go out into the deep water.
Without a moment's hesitation he was in the
water. What better excuse for getting wet,
and when I say wet I mean completely wet.
We had to remind him to keep the lower end
down so the fish wouldn't escape
underneath. It was all a ball to him. Our
first haul brought handfuls of the beautiful
green spearing in. As the net unfolded the
children could hardly contain themselves.
I wanted to get enough so I could eat
some. They are a great treat, fried crisp
and eaten whole, almost like French fries. I
have to behead and gut some for Barbara
but that's no big job. Of course, there were
killies mixed in with the spearing and her-
mit crabs to be examined. It was a treasure
house of sights and things to be picked up
and looked over. If anyone ever wants to
give children or grandchildren a gift they'll
remember, get a killie net for them and
turn them loose on a beach.
Of course, Robby had to be the boy he is
and so when he found a big jelly (not the
stinging kind) he picked it up and promptly,
with guilt in his eyes, put it on his sister's
back which resulted in a lot of squeals and
screams. It was one of the highlights of his
day!
Probably the getting of the bait would
have sufficed for the activity of the day but
we still had to try fishing. Lines were baited
and tossed over. But no fish. Finally we did
get one snapper, then Robby got one and
lost it. Then we got a bill eel (needlefish)
and, of course, this was the prize of the day.
It was about a foot long with big eyes and a
long bill studded with tiny sharp teeth. Our
day rolled on, snacks and juices were con-
sumed, we watched an osprey enjoy his
catch on a stake out in the marsh while a
snowy egret stalked where all could see. A
kingfisher plummeted in the water nearby
apparently a better fisherman than we.
Our day was a success. We had fun,
caught a few fish, had more fun catching
the bait and in general it was a fun day for
all. We just took advantage of the great out-
doors on the East End ,
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THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS / SEPTEMBER 15, 1988