Blackfishing
November 19, 1999
When looking for blackfishing hot spots, a little travel goes a long way. Rhode Island is just smoking with some of the meanest pit bull, trophy, blackfish around. Montauk has been slamming some real brutes over 10 lbs. The Viking will be doing a number on jumbo blacks on their special wreck trips. Orient Point just blows me away when it comes to blackfishing...I'm talking HOT fishing...not a bite here, a fish there...we're talking all out "hammer time." When the tide slows down and the window of opportunity arrives, you never thought that blackfishing could be such a rush! I highly advise having your rigs pretied. Bites don't last long or so it seems...an hour goes by in a minute when Mr. Blackie goes into attack mode!
Our great Long Island Sound has it's history of blackfish...the Noli Eileen and the other party boats are history in the making when it come to blackfishing and this year has already been a banger year for them. Blackfishing is the chess player of fish. Their bites change from day to day and patience is a virtue in this great fishery. Finesse and a simple clean rig without the bells and whistles is a must. A good rod goes a long way here for you must feel his down right back stabbing sneaky bit. A pro at stealing bait passed down through the generations. The big boys didn't get that big by accident.
Blackfishing is a fisherman's fish...time must be put in. Luck goes just so far. Lorry Mangan, in my opinion, has their number. She has secrets which, if I were to disclose them, could cause me dismemberment! Anybody have a martini? Al Goldberg's custom rods were really put to the test on Friday.
I have a cigar in my car which won't be lit until I get that 10 pounder. I have a feeling it will be a while before that puppy get's lit. Anyway, we were on the Nancy Ann going to a spot that Al told me had some real brutes. Small dogs if you get my drift. When we got there, the tide was just beginning to move and the bite was nothing to write home to mom about. Then we moved back on the old wreck where (I swear) there was the mother load. Lorry started off with a 7 pounder. I hooked up on a 6 pounder, my blood was going. I smelled a big one. I looked over my shoulder to see Al's rod doing the St. Peter special. He eased that pup up and was doing the blackfish grin. He had caught an 11 lbs. blackfish, St. Peter kissed him on the forehead for that one. Oh, by the way, we weighed our fish. Not, "hey Charlie that must be ohhhh 14 lbs." Facts, just the facts. All of us were on. We just about limited out in less than an hour and a half. Mother, Mary and Joseph, you just pray for days like these!
We all did the blackfish fire drill. I didn't get my 10 pounder but I'm on a mission! It took Al 3 years to get that one, you have to be persistent, they're not handed out in K-Mart.