Ten-year old Robert Kosar with a 40-inch striped bass. Photo credit: Kevin R. Kosar
Doh! I meant to post this entry long ago. Oh, well, better late than never.
What. A. Fishing. Trip.
We left Montauk on a charter boat at about 7am. I made the bad mistake of staying up late the night before, consuming bourbons aplenty, and then eating greasy bacon while on the pitching boat. I had never been seasick previously, or ever had any sort of motion sickness. Live and learn.
Nonetheless, the sun shined and the huge (16-inch?) fake eel lures we used scored one striper after another, along with a few bluefish, out past the famed Montauk Lighthouse. (See the video at the bottom of this post of one of our fish being brought in.)
Note the red and yellow artificial eel lures. Photo credit: Kevin R. Kosar.
The fishing style was simple: The mate would let out 100 foot or more line while the boat trolled. Then he handed it to you, who sits in one of the two seats (see photograph below). You do not allow more line to go out, and you sit with the rod across your lap and a firm grip. Keep your hands apart, with one over and one under—like you are holding a hockeystick. Then WHAM! the rod yanks and you then have to reel in the stainless steel line smoothly while distributing it across the whole of the reel (otherwise it can bird nest). My arms felt like jelly after our 3.5 hours out there.
Captain Richard Etzel and his mate were great. Charters can be scheduled by calling 631-668-2914. The website is http://www.breakawaysportfishing.com/. If I make it to Long Island this year, you can be sure I’ll get on this boat again.
Captain Richard Etzel’s Breakaway. Photo credit: Kevin R. Kosar.
Kosar's Fishing Notes 