By Linda LoPresti

The first OWL surf fishing event of the season brought a welcome end to a very long winter. Dorothy Obropta and a group of 14 anglers met at Sandy Hook on Saturday, May 10 for a fantastic fishing day. The group included some experienced surf casters and some on their first time out. The weather was very cooperative; except for a rather cool breeze for a short time mid-morning. There was a light southwest breeze and the ocean was fairly calm. The tide was coming in, perfect for fishing, and there were no bugs.

The main quarry for the day was striped bass. But the blues, 2 - 3 pounders and up were the main event of the day. They were being caught on clams and fresh bunker from the Belford Seafood Co-op.

Dorothy began with some instruction on preparing bait; she cleaned a squid, cut up a bunker, and demonstrated how to get them on the hook. Lessons were given in small groups during the day on other types of natural baits including sandworms and clams, types of sinkers, and rigging techniques.

After a little review on casting she got everyone's hook into the water and the fishing began. Dorothy walked the beach constantly helping each person as the need arose.

Marcia landed the first fish of the day; a two-pound bluefish caught on clams. Next came a six-pound beauty caught by yours truly using a borrowed rod and reel, thanks to Dorothy! Li, who participated in OWL's surf fishing outing this past fall and caught a sea robin then, caught a big bluefish this time out. Her friend, a new OWL member, Xinyue, caught her first fish ever, another beautiful blue! Cathy was singing the blues, too, when after numerous unsuccessful attempts (years!) to catch a fish in the surf, she finally landed one using a metal lure instead of bait. Seven bluefish were caught in all.

The day was further enhanced by an assortment of excellent baked treats brought by some of the participants, and ham and turkey sandwiches prepared by Gloria and Linda.

It was a great fishing day, and everyone had a lot of fun. Many thanks to Dorothy for the constant help and encouragement that she gave us throughout the day. She made sure the whole group had a great time and helped us to better understand the finer points of fishing in the surf. Until the next trip, Tight Lines.*

*(as Dorothy explains, a fishing expression for 'break a leg')

Dorothy, Dolores and Ellen caught a filleted bluefish!