Summertime Fishing With West Islip Patch

West Islip resident Joe Kasenchak has been a passionate fisherman for quite some time. The owner of a 36-foot Northern Bay Downeast fishing yacht, Kasenchak enjoys competitive and recreational fishing in the summertime. An experienced angler, Kasenchak shares some helpful information to everyone that is eager to drop their rods in the water this summer.

Fluke fishing is the common summertime choice for Long Island anglers. Other fish that are also likely to snatch your bait are: Bluefish, Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Porgies, and Flounder.  

Kasenchak is an avid shark fisherman. Throughout the summer, there are dozens of competitive fishing tournaments on the North and South Shore of Long Island. The most common near the West Islip area are the Bay Shore Mako tournament and the Long Island Marlin and Tuna tournament.

At the Bay Shore Mako tournament at the Bay Shore Marina on June 26, families can watch fisherman hoist their 300-pound sharks onto the dock for judging. This is a great chance for you to witness the shear the size of such a large animal. The tournament is strictly shark fishing.

According to Kasenchak, shark fishing usually occurs 20-60 miles offshore and tuna fishing anywhere between 40-100 miles. Late June and early July is when you have the best chance to catch a big fish. For bait, he uses live blue fish and bunker, and sometimes uses mackerel fillets as well. Kasenchak stressed that live bait is always a necessity.

Federal regulation for New York State shark fishing requires that the shark must be 54 inches or more in fork length to qualify as a keeper. Anglers cannot possess more than one shark per boat, per day.

"Always remember to be conservation minded," said Kasenchak. Every fish hooked weather it is a keeper or not, has the potential for death. Keep the "fight time" short when reeling in a fish and always attempt to retrieve all hooks upon release.

Every angler should be familiar with the educational process on catching and releasing fish. One thing anglers can do to help maintain healthy fish populations is to learn proper venting techniques. Any fish caught in deep waters, usually 40+ feet, should be properly vented before being released. Many fish have a gas-filled organ called a swimbladder, which controls buoyancy and allows the fish to maintain a certain depth in the ocean. When a fish is quickly brought to the surface its swimbladder can over-expand. Venting a fish releases these gasses from the body cavity, and eliminates pressure on the internal organs, allowing the fish to dive back down to the depths. A venting tool, shown in the pictures of this article, can be purchased at Saltwaters Tackle in West Islip.