With Mother’s Day approaching, I couldn’t help but recall back to the times when I used to work at the tackle shop and see all the moms come in with their son or daughter picking up bait to go fishing. Whatever the case may be, I always respected the idea of a parent taking a child fishing regardless of the situation or whether they liked it or not.
Personally, I have a mother who does enjoy fishing and did enjoy fishing before I was born. I can thank my father for that, as he got her into it. I even heard stories about how she would go togging by herself when dad was at work back in the early 90s and brought home fish up to 8.5 pounds to boot (still a family land-based record). Now while I can never recall a time as a child when my mother did take me fishing, we have fished together more in the recent years and it’s something that I’ve learned to appreciate.
Being that Mother’s Day lands on the 8th this year and it’s a Sunday, It would seem like an ideal day to take mom out fishing if you can. A fine idea would be to head over into the Peconics and hop on a party boat for porgies. We’ve already got many reports of porgies making their way into the Peconics already with a mix of weakfish too. If you live in the western portion of the island or in the city, a good choice would be to hop on one of the party or charter boats in search of opening weekend fluke or early season stripers.
If you can’t get mom out on Sunday, just make it another day. I guarantee the trip will be just as fun. Also, keep an eye out for upcoming women’s fishing events in the area. The New York State DEC holds a lovely event at Connetquot State Park annually now that promotes women and fishing. We had a representative from the magazine attend it last year and reported back the great turnout and how well received it was. I spoke with Heidi from the DEC, and she confirmed the event would be happening again in 2022. Once I get the date and details, they will be posted in the Long Island magazine calendar.
A few women’s fishing clubs also exist on the island as well. Two that I have had contact with before, and I can vouch for being great groups to get involved in are the Lady Reelers which you can contact by visiting www.theladyreelers.com, or you can get involved with the Long Island Babes and Bucks group who promote fishing along with hunting for women. You can get in touch with them by typing in their club name in the Facebook search bar.
Whether you get mom involved in a club or just get her out fishing for the day, know that it’s a great wholesome, bonding activity that you’re getting her into, and it will create memories that both you and her will appreciate for years to come.
