4/4/2011

April is here, with the opening of trout season and flounder season, all of which means
nothing here in Montauk. What it does mean is that some of the captains are starting to
come out of hibernation and thinking about what they have to do to get the boat ready for
the upcoming season. Thinking mind, you not necessarily doing, since the main part of
the fishing season won’t be getting underway for another month or so.

Head boats and the few charterboats that were involved in codfishing are starting to relax
a little, since the rush is over. All the carpetbagger boats have left. There are still some
cod around, but not like it was and most of them are shorts. Plus, I guess those hardy
souls who don’t mind freezing their fingers off for a bunch of cod fillets are just about
cod-fished-out. It was a great couple of months for them though. But, I think there are
probably going to be some tweaks to the regs for next season. As it is, New York allows
ten cod per person right now, but boats fishing under federal permits have no bag limits.
Maybe that’s why it’s getting harder to catch legal fish now.

When you get to Montauk you are going to see some changes in the inlet, namely a
couple of buoys sitting right in the middle of it. Well, the green one is in the middle. The
red one is closer to the west jetty, but it makes it a little narrow for boats going in
different directions. It’s going to be interesting for the start of Star Island’s shark
tournament, even though there’s probably enough water on the wrong side of the green
one for most boats.

It looks like the fluke regs are going to be a little more lenient this season, but we still
don’t know what they are. We may get three fish per person, up from two with a longer
season.

It looks like the Salt Water License is going out the window. As part of New York’s
budget bill, it will be discontinued, either immediately upon passage or a couple of
months down the road. In New York charter and head boats are required to purchase a
$250 permit to operate. For this $250, their clients are allowed two stripers at 28” instead
of one at 28” and one at 40” like for the normal people, plus some liberalization on limits
for porgies. In addition, in order to allow their clients to fish on the boat without buying a
salt water license, they are required to buy a $400 license for the boat. Some charterboat
guys who already have paid for theirs are likely to be screwed. The DEC would not
accept payment for the $250 permit without also getting the $400 license. So, any captain
who felt flush enough to buy his permit when the DEC sent out the notices early this year
will be out of luck. Those that put it off until it will be needed will probably skate. I
doubt the “But I didn’t fish” excuse will work either.

Longtime mate Montauk mate Curtis Briand passed away suddenly earlier this year. He
was forty-five and had been fishing with Capt Bart Ritchie on the MISTRESS TOO.

I’ll start to post weekly reports around the first of May.

If you would like to receive these reports directly, drop me a line at
captgene@montauksportfishing.com