Fishing

[Airborneguy]

I've heard that about skates and sea robins before, but haven't gotten the guts to try yet! My uncle tried to explain how to filet a sea robin to me two weeks ago... maybe I will take him up on his offer next time I get one.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Now sea robins....that's a fish worth keeping! Only keep the largest, but they are great fish to eat. You can...a) cut off the head and guts, scale the remainder of the body, and steam it as you would a sea bass or
b) fillet and skin it, then either fry, steam, broil, bake the fillets...or cut them up and put them in a sauce...very similar to the fish that the Provencal's use in bouillabaise...regardless, sea robin is one of the most underappreciated fish we have in these waters. Enjoy it while you can, and hope that the world at large doesn't discover it. Out in Cutchogue, LI, toadfish were everywhere...they'd hit any lure or bait...always thrown back. Then they started to appear in the live tanks in the Asian markets.....I haven't even seen a toadfish on 6 years.

 

[drperetz]

Long islang has a nice large lake. I have been catching large fresh water fish in there with just a worm.

20+ inches
each is over 5 LB

 

[sambo]

that looks like a pike! wheres the heck you catch that? hempstead lake? or twin lakes? i thought those lakes had no fish in them....

during striper season we like to fish off the bridges on wantagh pkwy although, its really not the safest thing to do. Theres no walkway or shoulder so its like your standing in the lanes where cars are going 60 mph.. but if you're there on the right night you can catch buku stripers. (early to mid november) you can also walk down to the side of the bridge and cast out from there. Eels work better for stripers IME.

I like the jones beach pier for just screwin' around. You can catch sea robins and skates there all day. Maybe the occasional snapper. Many spider crabs.

Check out yardsales for awesome deals on tackle.

If you want guaranteed fish and a really fun time go for the party boat for blues. Its worth it if you've never caught blues before. They have all the bait and tackle you need and they alreayd know the spots to go and have fishfinders etc.. you'll definitely catch fish and have a blast doing it. The deckhands are usually pretty cool people too.

 

[Chapz]

Now sea robins....that's a fish worth keeping! Only keep the largest, but they are great fish to eat. You can...a) cut off the head and guts, scale the remainder of the body, and steam it as you would a sea bass or
b) fillet and skin it, then either fry, steam, broil, bake the fillets...or cut them up and put them in a sauce...very similar to the fish that the Provencal's use in bouillabaise...regardless, sea robin is one of the most underappreciated fish we have in these waters. Enjoy it while you can, and hope that the world at large doesn't discover it. Out in Cutchogue, LI, toadfish were everywhere...they'd hit any lure or bait...always thrown back. Then they started to appear in the live tanks in the Asian markets.....I haven't even seen a toadfish on 6 years.

Eat a sea robin. Sorry but i cant do that. I recently caught a 12" Sea robin and it was tough to get off the hook. Ugly fish..

Dont forget, Kris needs to travel via mass transit so long island is out of the picture. Has to be closer to brooklyn or queens.

 

[sambo]

we have mass transit out here!! lol, LIRR goes all the way to montauk, where some of the best fishing in the world is (shh dont tell anyone)

 

[jackson6745]

I have filleted sea robins before for other people (I rarely eat fish). The meat looks just like that of a porgy. Lots of people told me it was delicious.

 

[mandown123]

people just don't eat it cause "they heard" it shouldnt be eaten. It is very very very rare something in the ocean has a bad taste or a specific reason it shouldn't be eaten. Otherwise it is probably the most healthy thing for you

i have seen people catch a sea robin, smash it to death, then throw it back. that is a waste on so many levels. use it for bait then. i feel like smashing those people then throwing them back when i see that.

 

[Chapz]

I've had times where the sea robin swallows the hook and it gets caught in the stomach where there is no chance for the sea robin to survive. I usually throw it back and sometimes catch the same one. weird.

 

[mandown123]

Use the long metal hook remover. Called a disgorger i believe. It slides down the legnth of line and you can get the hook out. If that also happens, and there is now wya to get it out, clip the leader as close as you can and let him go. He can live and the hook will eventually rust out.

 

[Chapz]

I mean the hook is really in the gut where u cant see it.

 

[Harif87]

That thing has got a name? Me and my buddy just call it a de-hooker, lol. I personally never ate sea robin and definitely not skate, but i do know that sea robin makes amazing bait. It gets hit just as good as spearing, and it keeps them chewing just as good as squid.

If i were you i would take the R train all the way down to 95th street in Brooklyn and walk down to the shore towards the bay area, right by the Verrazano bridge. You should see a lot of boats up close to the shore fishing. If you find a quiet spot its real nice.

Your other option is to pay $50 and go out on a party boat.

If i were you i would try to go out on a boat for Blues, if they put you over the fish youll have an amazing day.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Bluefish boats can be a very intense experience for a newbie...especially one taking his girlfriend....if its out of Sheepshead Bay, it can turn you off...(my son's last SB bluefish trip involved the mates ignoring everyone, so that they had to pull 10 lb fish up out of the water all by themselves). Also, you are expected to just haul on the fish, not play them out...That said, if you can tolerate blood, guts, and slime....it can be really exciting, especially when they are large and hitting hot and heavy....and your arms will ache in the morning!

 

[reefman]

very true. your arms will hurt pulling up blues. unless u charter a boat, u wont get to play with the line. blues r smart as once hooked, they will dart around n tangle other lines or use rocks to cause line to snap. thats y u can't let em drag much.
they r fun to catch, but for eatin, i rather fish for sea bass & porkies.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Personally, I like catching blues with the lightest tackle I can get away with...usually 10 lb test with lures, 15 lb test with bait, fished from the shore...you need a beach, not a jetty or a pier. I have no problem bringing in blues up to 10 lbs, my largest was 14...while I lose plenty, its from spitting out the lure rather than breaking the line. If I have room on the beach, I can walk if the fish makes a shoreline run, but usually they go straight out. They tire quickly, but frequently get a new burst of energy near the shore...I can't think of any fish I have caught that puts up a better and more exciting fight...although in the fall, its possible to sometimes catch false albacore...I never have, but I hear that they put bluefish to shame. Yes, bass are better eating....but don't knock fresh bluefish. The trick is to make sure they are filletted/gutted within a few hours, at most, of catching them, and eaten within 24 hours, no more than 48. And catch them farther out than NYC.....The blues I have caught in Jamaica Bay, and on party boats always taste pretty strong....sometimes too strong. The ones I catch out on the North Fork are sweet and mild....even the largest blues taste as sweet as snappers.

 

[Airborneguy]

I'm hitting the Sharrotts Road pier tonight on Staten Island at high tide, wish me luck.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

 

[crox99]

Long islang has a nice large lake. I have been catching large fresh water fish in there with just a worm.

20+ inches
each is over 5 LB

Where in LI?

 

[Airborneguy]

Nothing doing last night! One guy on the pier caught a small blue, but that was it.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Girlfriend called me and asked if I wanted to go fishing, so i'm going fishing! She RoCks!

I'll let you guys know how it goes