Everyone has been affected by the coronavirus and despite state parks and DEC encouraging outdoor activities like fishing, and promoting the healthy benefits of the outdoors, that window continues to narrow. Most Long Island towns began closing marinas and boat ramps last week, limiting the use of private boats and eliminating access to docks and piers. It seems petty to complain, given all the suffering going on around us due to the virus, but I don’t get what there is to gain by closing down boat ramps. What risk is there to you or others when you are on the water on your own boat? Practicing social distancing at the ramp is a no-brainer and a whole lot easier than being in a supermarket.
That being said, let’s take a look at what the season ahead might hold in store for us. Hopefully, waterfront access restrictions will be among the first to be reduced or eliminated. Assuming that’s the case (make an ass out of u and me), there are a few good reasons to be optimistic, beginning with weakfish.
Last season we saw a bumper crop of weakfish especially in Great South Bay where the fishing turned back the clock to the great runs of the 1970s. Catches of 50 fish were commonplace, and having multiple fish following hooked fish to the boat was commonplace. Weaks can be among the most unpredictable when it comes to what to expect from one season to the next. Given the numbers we saw last year, I have to think we have a pretty darn good shot at having a good weakfish season. Many of you younger folks out there have probably never caught a weakfish. This could very well be the year.
There is reason to believe that we might see one of the best fluke seasons in a long time. Unfortunately it would come at the expense of a fishing industry that has been crippled by coronavirus. Because of the lack of markets for fresh fish, the harvesting of species like fluke has been drastically reduced. That should translate into a lot of those fluke working their way inshore from the offshore wintering grounds will make it unscathed into our bays. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Blowfish were another bright spot last season. In many areas, they returned in numbers not seen in many years and provided fast action for young and old alike on many docks and piers. So good was the fishing for the easy and fun to catch puffers, that some tackle shops credited them with being a major boon to their summer business. They are the perfect species for getting kids interested in fishing, so let’s hope that their comeback continues to trend upwards. Based on their numbers last season, I’m drinking out of a glass half full rather than half empty.
If it takes a big striped bass to get you excited, you are likely to be mostly disappointed this season. If you enjoy fishing light tackle, there should be no shortage of small stripers based on the current state of the fishery, and the huge numbers of small bass stretched along our shores last fall. We have already seen a good showing of these small fish all around the Island this spring, so there is no reason to think that the good action with small stripers will continue through this season, with some increase in the number of fish that make it into the new 28 to 35-inch slot.
On the offshore scene, last year’s run of bluefin tuna was top shelf. Predicting how that will play out in 2020 is a crap shoot, but I can tell you a lot of blue water guys are gearing up for a repeat of the action. Let’s keep out fingers crossed on that one.
We all need to pull together, continue to practice social distancing and follow CDC guidelines so that we can return to some semblance of normalcy and get back to doing what we enjoy most.
