Collecting

[JCnflies]

As a kid, I dragnetted the GSB and, once older, Moriches foryears. We would get seahorses...... some years tons, somne years not so many. Look downs were common - I was shocked to see some places having them for sale!

About 10 years ago, I was walking Truman Beach toward St. Thomas on the Sound side of East Marion. I had occasion to cast flies to a huge fish I was suspect weas a tarpon but may have even been a Thresher Shark (my friend Joe Blados is a lifelong NF fisherman who has put in the time and has s aid he has sdeen both on rare occassion. The fish looked to be 6 ft long and you could see the tip of the tail just breaking the surface on a calm day.................

I'lll never forget it! Nor will I forget the day I chose to not fish and 80 pound tuna were e ating bluefiush in Shinnecock IN let. THe same day, Thresher Sharks were spotted on the flats. Somethinhg weird was going on that day!

 

[cb747]

Good to know Tom Where did you dive?

 

[fishome25]

ponquogue bridge

 

[KathyC]

Chris..the marina Joe is talking about in Brooklyn is at Exit 11S (Belt) - Flatbush Ave. The marina is on the right side of the road, and as he said it is the only one there. I can't think of the name of it either. I'll be passing by there on Tuesday & will take a quick look for you.
I'd also be interested in joining you

 

[cb747]

Thanks Kathy and ofcoarse youll be welcome to come. I just dont know when im going to get a chance to go!

 

[fishome25]

i think its going to be a good tropical year! today the water was very clear. I caught my first blue angel! and i missed another, 2 angels on 1 dive, very exciting. I caught 3 damsels, 4 butterflies, and 11 snowy groupers.

 

[billsreef]

Ponquogue?

 

[fishome25]

as usual

 

[billsreef]

Haven't gotten over there yet this year. Might have to plan leaving work early one day

 

[cb747]

Nice score Tom. Bill (RJ) and i are going to play with my net sometime this weekend out in his neck of the woods. Ill let you know what we come up with! Does anyone know of a good spot in the Amityville area?

 

[fishome25]

not not really, but I went back today to find the 2nd blue angel that I missed yesterday and I found him. I caught him a few really pretty damsels, and another 15 or so groupers. the groupers are everywhere this year!

 

[cb747]

Thats great Tom now ofcaorse i have to ask... wheres the pics?????

 

[fishtail22]

Hey Tom,

Nice job on the angels. It's an interesting year. It seems like everything is getting a late start and overall abundance of tropicals is down (except maybe for snowy groupers, permits, and damsels). Here is our tropical species list for the year, to date: Spotfin butterfly, foureye butterfly, banded butterfly, blue angel, squirrelfish, short bigeye, ocean surgeonfish, blue tang, lookdown, permit, crevalle jack, blue runner, round scad, banded rudderfish, cornetfish, flying gurnard, cobia, scrawled cowfish, trunkfish, bandtail puffer, snowy grouper, scamp grouper, gag grouper, red grouper, silver jenny, northern sennet, bicolor damsel, cocoa damsel.

It may sound impressive, but as I said, overall abundance is much lower than usual for this time of year and I'm surprised not to have seen any lionfish yet. The most impressive catch is the blue tang. I saw one about 10 years ago in the inlet, but was unable to catch it. This one I caught by chance in a random scoop of the dipnet last week.

Take care,
Todd

 

[fishome25]

o no, it looks like the angels got through the divider to the grouper side of the tank. can't find it.
anybody know anybody in the market for about 40 groupers?

I know I'm going crazy trying to find a lion! Great find on the tang I'm going to keep my eyes out!

 

[fishome25]

are the banded rudder fish the pilotfish that look like they should be following a shark? I'm seeing schools of them, sometimes mixed in with snapper blues. they seem very curious with what I'm doing, maybe they think I'm a big pelagic they can follow?

 

[fishtail22]

Tom,

Yes, the banded rudderfish are the ones that look like pilotfish. Pilotfish are a little more slender and are not common inshore. The rudderfish (Seriola zonata) are in the subfamily of jacks called amberjacks. You can find at least 3 or 4 Seriola species around shinnecock this time of year - sometimes even large greater amberjacks. They are neat fish, but way too aggressive and high-strung for a fish tank.

I learned my lesson about keeping groupers years ago. Those snowies will eat anything - even each other, and you'll be amazed at the size of the fish they can swallow.

The Blue angels are tricky to keep alive when you get them under an inch. I feed them lots of cyclops and Artemia, but I have the best success when I put them in a reef system where they can graze all day long.

 

[fishtail22]

The rudderfish do the pilotfish thing too - riding the pressure wave in front of a moving object, whether it's a shark, a diver, or a stationary piling or bouy in a fast-moving current.

 

[EMBRYOGUY]

pics would be great. amazing.......

 

[JCnflies]

I used to fish the backside of Morches Inlet a lot. IN the cove at Great Gun one summer, a pilot fish (maybe a rudder?) used to settle behind me (downtide) the entire time I was fishing. This went on for several days in a row.

 

[fishtail22]

In my gallery there are pics of locally-caught lionfish and cornetfish and one of a small school of rudderfish at the bouy, one mile south of Shinnecock inlet. I'll try to get more posted soon.