The "Northern Lights" Leads the Way
Orient Point
by George Jehn
August 3, 1999
(800) 933-9607, (516) 626-1045, or (516) 765-4314
Do you think you have to go to Montauk to catch large striped bass? Well, the correct answer to that question is a resounding NO. Give Orient Point on the North Fork of Long Island a try. You'll quickly discover you can score with equally fantastic results. Dave Richichi and I discussed this very question during the picturesque drive (that is after leaving the Long Island Expressway) on our way out to Orient Point last Tuesday. We were scheduled to fish for striped bass with Captain Bob Rocchetta and co-owner Scott Bebry on the twenty five-foot charter boat, Northern Lights. Besides being the boat's skipper, Bob is also a current IGFA world and New York State record holder with a seventy six-pound striper to his credit -- not bad credentials for a starter!
After quick introductions, we departed the dock at 5 PM. On the short ride out Bob causally mentioned that perhaps we might get to tangle with one of the fifty-pound fish that he suspected were hanging around the area we would be fishing. This immediately got my attention, as I have thus-far taken only one bass that tipped the scales over fifty pounds. And that occurred in the late nineteen sixties, at the mouth of the Narrow River in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Scott explained that we would be fishing the outgoing tide with bunker chunks at one of Bob's secret spots. Sorry, but I'm not allowed to tell you exactly where, except that it was about a twenty-minute ride from the dock. Upon arrival, Bob anchored the boat up-tide from some underwater structure. While anchoring, the soft-spoken captain explained how this type of fishing is done.
We began by chumming with small "silver dollar" bunkers and larger pieces of cut up bunker. Then we baited our hooks with even larger chunks of bunker. Dave and I utilized standard fish-finder rigs with thirty-pound mono and fluorocarbon leader. Lucky Dave got to use a brand new Penn 975 level-wind bait casting reel that Bob was field-testing for Penn reels. Scott utilized a wire line and fluorocarbon setup. Captain Bob emphasized that we shouldn't let the line out too fast. This could create a bow in the line, making it difficult to feel the fish bite. It was such a beautiful late afternoon, bright sunshine and a light breeze blowing out of the west, that my mind began to wander. But when the bites started only a few minutes later, I was snapped back to the pleasurable task at hand. I quickly discovered my main problem was that I had never done this type of fishing before, so it took a while to get the correct timing of when to set the hook. Also, the fish seemed to be biting strangely. It felt like they were picking up the bait, but then spitting it out.
Ten minutes later Dave's chunk got slammed with the first really solid hit. The large bend in his rod said that this puppy wasn't spitting the bait out! He set the hook into what was obviously a good-sized bass. The thirty pound test line peeled off the new Penn reel as the drag operated as smoothly as glass. Thanks in part to Scott's helpful coaching, ten minutes later Dave got a beautiful linesider of approximately twenty-five pounds alongside. Bob netted the fish and into the cooler it went. After that we had a number of pick-ups, but were once again unable to hook up. Of course, that led to the usual dollar bet on who would catch the next fish. That was my cue. A few moments later I felt a fish pick up the bait. Per Bob's instructions, I let the fish take the bait until the line went tight and then set the hook. After a tough ten-minute battle I had a striper that went over twenty pounds alongside. Once again, Bob netted it.
After that we had a slight break in the action, and I questioned Scott and Bob about the unique lay out of their custom, twenty-five foot Parker boat powered with twin 200 horsepower outboards. In response Scott, who is physically challenged, replied that they had their boat custom designed, taking all the requirements of handicapped people with special needs into account. In order to enjoy a successful day or night's fishing, they designed the boat always keeping this in mind. This ranged from using outboards for more deck room, to making the boat wheelchair accessible during the boarding process, to having special electric reels on board for use by individuals who are unable to reel in a fish on their own. To the best of my knowledge this is a unique setup, the only charter boat like this on Long Island and much credit is due to them. To accomplish all this was no small feat.
A moment later our conversation was interrupted when Dave hooked into another bass. Even though this one also turned out to be keeper-sized, it was smaller than his first fish, so we released it. My turn came next. After a long battle I got what turned out to be a very large bluefish. The action continued until the tide stopped running. We returned to the dock at 8:45, with the final count five keeper bass (two were released) and two large bluefish for approximately three hours fishing time. Bob rated our fishing that night as "poor to fair." Well, if that was poor to fair, I can only imagine what an "excellent" rating would entail!
The Northern Lights is truly a beautiful and one-of-a-kind boat with a professional and caring crew that leads the way in many different ways. It's set up in such a manner that everyone can enjoy a fishing trip. The boat can handle parties of up to five people. You can get further information or make a reservation by calling (800) 933-9607, (516) 626-1045, or (516) 765-4314.