The Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation will offer an eight-week instructional course, Sport Fishing on Long Island, this winter. Captain Jerry McGrath, a former Montauk charter skipper, avid fisherman and experienced, acclaimed instructor will give first-hand instruction and tips for planning a rewarding day of fishing.
“Participants will learn numerous techniques to sharpen and improve skills for catching a variety of fish found in local Long Island waters,” said County Executive Steven Bellone. These species include striped bass, fluke, blackfish, blues, black sea bass, and more.
Captain McGrath has designed the classes to educate novices as well as the more advanced anglers in all areas of fish finding, bait and lure selection, chumming, fishing locales and hotspots, anchoring, tackle selection, knot and rig tying, and safety. Students will be treated to the extensive use of audio-visual materials including Power Point slide presentations, videotapes, and detailed handouts. Guest speakers, many of whom are experienced and expert charter captains themselves, will address the class participants on dates to be announced. Optional fishing field trips will also be offered at an additional cost.
Classes will be held on Tuesday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. beginning on January 9, in the Media Room (Room #184) of the H. Lee Dennison Building, located at 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge (at the end of the Northern State Parkway). Flexible make-up classes are also possible for those people who have conflicting schedules. The regular course fee is $145.00 per person, with discounts available for children who are 14 or younger and accompanied by a paid adult registrant ($90.00), as well as Veterans or Senior Citizens 65 and older ($110.00). For more information or to obtain a registration form, please contact the Suffolk County Parks Department at 631- 854-4947.