Fish on! Report from aboard the Capt. Bob V

Whenever I go fishing, I always anticipate a total bloodbath. My expectations are not always met, but I can usually hobble something together. I can’t think of a time when I have stepped on a boat knowing full well fishing would probably not be great. Such was the case last weekend, Sunday, April 25. But there’s a twist.

The targeted fish was the winter flounder, a once plentiful early season staple. Now, sadly, the fishery is a state of near collapse. I don’t think there is a single reason anyone can point to for the declines in flounder stocks. I have heard habitat loss, seals, commercial fishing pressure, pollution, and even inbreeding cited as possible causes. The fact is, I think it is an understudied problem, because it is lower profile fish, and no one knows definitively why this has been happening.

The boat I would be fishing on was the Capt. Bob V out of Mattituck. I knew of the Capt. Bob Fleet from a half a lifetime ago when the boat I was working on and Capt. Bob shared space at the same shipyard in the off-season. I had never fished on the boat, though. What a gem! This is really a top-flight operation. Believe me, I am qualified to say that —I have fished, or worked on, a lot of party boats. The boat has a full galley, spotless bathrooms, a very open comfortable deck area and an affable crew.

I took my customary spot on the bow of the boat (I always fish the bow), and sat down to eat breakfast and wait for the boat to depart at 8 a.m.

That brings us to the twist. Most charter/party boats don’t bother fishing for winter flounder anymore. You can only keep two at 12 inches. It hardly seems worth the effort or expense. On this trip, however, the largest fish would win the angler a free season pass! BAM! There is the twist.

Captain Bob explained to me that if the winner took maximum advantage of the prize it would be a nearly $7,000 value. As the boat pulled away from the dock, and headed south deeper into Mattituck harbor, the energy on the deck felt more like a Las Vegas casino than a fishing boat.

The first drop was a short 10-minute trip into the harbor. The mate dropped the anchor. Within minutes, “fish on!” rang out on the deck. First mate, Paul Kolakowski, had the fish netted and in the boat in short order. It was a very nice flounder.

I was, frankly, stunned. I thought the angler, Mike Buckley, from the East Rockaway Anglers Club, had won himself a season pass, just like that. After that quick burst of action, things slowed down. After five hours of fishing, there were three fish in the boat. This was not for a lack of effort. Captains Bob Ceglowski and Jon Bowen worked hard fishing from the back of the harbor all the way out into Long Island Sound. Captain Bob even offered occasional comic relief over the P.A system. Mates Frank Miller and Paul Kolakowski worked hard pulling anchors, pounding the bottom with sash weights to attract fish, netting fish and untangling lines.

With one hour left to fish, Mike Buckley still had the lead, when the call went out for the net. The fish was landed and it was a beast from the back of the creek! Dennis Mueller from Riverhead landed the fish and would win the season pass.

Gary Gavorsky from Smithtown was high hook. He limited out with two fish and also won a free trip. I asked Mr. Gavorsky what his secret was. He said, “have fun.” I thought that was a great quote that summed up the atmosphere that this crew promoted on their boat.

The Capt. Bob V will be sailing May 2 and May 3 for flounder. The largest fish caught each day will win a season pass. Another “season pass” trip will be May 17 for the opening of summer flounder season. The fare is $72 for adults, $62 for seniors, and $42 for children. So go “have fun” and win yourself a season pass.

P.S In addition to “having fun” I noticed that all the fish were caught on hooks adorned with beads, tubing or grubs. That might be helpful.

Tight lines!

Brian Nigro is a lifelong avid fisherman and former charter boat captain. He’s fished from Alaska to Mexico and lots of places in between, but his favorite place to fish is right here on the East End.