Fly Fishing at Connetquot River State Park

Saturday April 20, 2024
7:00am to 2:00pm
Communicate your interest in going on this outing to Patrick Furlong by Friday April 12th so reservations can be made. 

Stocked fresh water flyfishing is not immediately available in town, so this is an opportunity to do something different on a spring Saturday morning, with all the details sorted out by EHSA.    The trout fishing season began on April 1, and trout stocking began in March and runs through early June.  The Connetquot receives 3,000-4,000 stocked brown and rainbow trout annually at this time, as well as hosting a wild brook trout population. Meet to carpool, or drive direct (1.5 hours drive). Cost: $25 per person for NYS permit; reserved spot. Gear:  Conventional fly-fishing equipment required.  Don’t have it?  For thirty-four bucks you can be kitted out like a pro.  

Spring Turkey Season!

Wednesday, May 1 opens the spring turkey season and continues on Town lands through Wednesday May 22nd – just before Memorial Day weekend – then resumes for May 28-31.  Last spring a total of 2,000 people registered to hunt on state lands alone in Suffolk County, and zero hunting safety incidents were reported. As a reminder, hunting is only until noon each day and one bearded bird per season is the limit.   

Local town lands are open to turkey hunting, where already designated for small game hunting.  No reservation or registration is required. 

Private land is huntable where not otherwise prohibited.   In East Hampton itself, the only state land offering turkey hunting is Barcelona Neck, where DEC requires spring turkey hunters to register and make a reservation.  Starting April 22nd, hunters can call the DEC at 631-380-3312 to secure a spot at Barcelona or other sites  managed by the DEC.  

Suffolk County has added spring turkey on selected parcels (Buckskill, Six Pole in EH), versus nothing last year. There is a sign up and lottery and green key requirement, all detailed here.    

Mentored Turkey Hunt for Youth

April 17 training, then April 20 or 21 in the field.

Registration closes April 10.  Licensed youth hunters 12-15 are eligible for free expert guided individual Turkey hunts, offered by the DEC. They recruit multiple veteran hunters to take kids out and share their knowledge.   Register or get more information here.   

Dues – New System

To streamline the process for all, and to tidy up finances, EHSA membership dues will now be payable/renewable once per year – on September 30th. This way we only need to conduct one membership renewal drive each year.

There is no change, and there are no payments due, for Lifetime members.

If your membership expires in 2025 or 2026, your next payment will be due Sept 30th, 2025 or Sept 30th, 2026, respectively. 

New Members paying initial dues prior to Sept 30th are exempted in the year that they join.

Same for members who choose to renew early, which they are always free to do here.

Not sure if you owe? Ask your status with a quick note to Rob Stanich.

Don’t come to meetings or actually do much with the Alliance?  Consider paying your modest dues anyway, as a token of support for the sporting life here and sportsmen’s rights.  If EHSA did not exist, the spring turkey season discussed above would not exist in East Hampton.    

East Hampton Sportsmen’s Alliance Board of Directors

Terry O’RiordanLouis Forte
Bill O’Leary
Rob Stanich
Patrick Furlong

Minutes from the March meeting can be found here.

The next membership meeting is Monday April 29th.  

https://www.easthamptonstar.com/outdoors-sports-fishing/20231116/water-back-to-block

Ilissa Meyer of East Hampton caught this blackfish on Sunday aboard the Elizabeth II out of Montauk.

By Jon M. Diat

November 16, 2023

As we move deeper into November, it has become a challenge to find days that are fishable. As is common this time of year, windy weather has been a frequent occurrence and has postponed many planned outings on the water.

On Sunday morning, the wind fan was still turned on as I joined the East Hampton Sportsmen’s Alliance on its final fishing excursion of the year. The winds, which gusted to over 20 knots from the north, were supposed to die down as the morning went on. Fingers were crossed that the forecast was accurate.

Once again, we were on the Elizabeth II, a roomy 46-foot, Young Brothers-built charter boat that’s skippered by Capt. Paul Bruno. We arrived a bit past 5 a.m. at the Montauk Marine Basin, and the air temperature was downright cold — about 34 degrees. The wind chill made it feel closer to 20. Brr.

All eight of us aboard were wearing our heaviest of winter gear, including gloves, wool hats, insulated socks, and waterproof boots. Most of us resembled the chunky Pillsbury Doughboy. Appearances aside, we were still all happy to be aboard.

The heater was thankfully on full blast in the main cabin, where Bruno was sitting in his helm chair. “A bit frosty isn’t it?” he said as we shook hands. I couldn’t argue with him; I could  barely feel my toes.

Bruno’s game plan was to take us on a 90-minute ride to Block Island for blackfish, sea bass, and codfish. When boats were able to get out in recent days, the action was good, especially for blackfish.

For background, the Narragansett people were the first inhabitants of Block Island as evidenced by remains that date back thousands of years. They called the island Manisses, which translates to “Island of the Little God.” I’m not sure who the Big God was, but I’m sure he was quite impressive.

Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to note Block Island’s existence back in 1524. However, Block Island was named after Adriaen Block, the Dutch navigator who found it again in 1614.

Sixteen families from the English colony of Massachusetts settled on Block Island in 1661, and in 1664 the Island became part of the English colony of Rhode Island. Today, the beautiful island has a population of around 1,400 residents, and tourism, along with great fishing, are its main claims to fame.

Laughter filled the cabin for much of our ride off to the east. Ilissa Meyer, who once again coordinated the trip, made sure that each of us was well taken care of all day with a large plastic bag of her own delicious version of chicken McNuggets. Meyer, who is blessed with a warm smile and great sense of humor, made sure that none of us would starve that day.

As we approached the south side of Block Island under the majestic 200-foot Mohegan Bluffs, Bruno lowered the anchor. It was finally time to fish.

While the breeze eventually began to die down a few hours later, we all plucked away at a consistent blackfish bite that ran in flurries. A few nice sea bass were also landed, as well as two codfish. We had a great day. Mission accomplished.

Our ride back to Montauk was beautiful in the late fall sun. The winds were no longer an issue and the seas were calm. Our leader, Ilissa, took a well-deserved snooze in the forward lower berth.

Sadly, she and her husband will soon relocate to near Ithaca in upstate New York. But she has vowed to continue to coordinate and man the rails on our future trips, continuing a nearly 15-year tradition. A trip on the Elizabeth II would not be the same without her.

Back on land, at Mrs. Sam’s Bait and Tackle in East Hampton, the proprietor, Sebastian Gorgone, said, “Squid is the word!” He reported that “the squid are still thick out here.” By way of confirmation, Capt. Bruno caught a bushel basket of the tasty cephalopods in Fort Pond Bay the day before our charter. Fried calamari, anyone?

Gorgone added that blackfish are being landed off Gull Island off to the north, and that schoolie-size striped bass remain plentiful for casters in the ocean suds.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, Capt. Harvey Bennett is giving thanks to the donations of baseball equipment he has received, including bats, balls, and gloves, that he will shortly send to underprivileged children in Cuba.

“I really could use some more stuff before I box things up,” said the former owner of the Tackle Shop in Amagansett. “I hope people will take the time to look for stuff in their garage, closets, or basement. But I’m also happy to accept new equipment too.”

To coordinate a drop-off, Bennett can be reached at 631-324-7770 or by email at thetackleshop@aol.com.

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Fishing tips, observations, and photographs can be sent to fish@ehstar.com.