Photos from the 2003 season on the Coyote
The last trip for the Coyote for 2003 was a great one on November 26, 2003 with Hector Mayo and Pete Hughes. They had six blackfish to 8.5 pounds near Block Island then turned their attention to striped bass of which they caught 15 fish to 27 pounds releasing all but their limit of four.
Joe Caruso was very happy with his 8.1 lb tog that he caught on 11-11-03. He went on to catch another whitechin of 8.9 lb shown at the right. His son Joe and Enricho Santorelli Jr. and Sr. added to the catch of 38 keepers on a half day trip.
Tom Unger (right), son Chris (left) uncle Pete and his son Cody had an exciting day on November 6, 2003 when they caught some fine examples striped bass, blackfish, porgies and bluefish. Tom had a blackfish at 7.2 pounds.
Mario Morin, and John and Joe Scribanick had great porgy action, limiting out in about an hour and a half with jumbos to 17". Then they turned their attention to blackfish and again limited out. On the way home they put several large bluefish in the box. Mario added two 35" bass to the catch.
Sunday morning Oct. 18, 2003 Pete Hughes had a family trip for blackfish that had great action. Jean shows off a 6 pounder while Pete helps grandson Dylan with two of the many fish Dylan, who has quite the touch, decked.
Some Scenes of the North Fork of Long Island.
Moonrise - The Race, October 6, 2003 A sundog - The Race, October 9, 2003
The turkey population is recovering all over the U.S. and for the first time in a long time turkeys have been observed in Orient along Route 25.
Carol and Captain Jim did some blackfish scouting on October 14, 2003 and found them to be quite plentiful. Carol shows off 6.6 and 6.2 pounders caught in Long Island Sound. Carol doesn't spend all her time making those wonderful cookies.
Steve Putzi (right) with friends (left to right) Barbara Turano, Mike Rutigliano, Shirley Homan (mate John Tartaro holding one of Shirley's bass) had lots of bluefish and bass action using bucktails in The Race on October 10, 2003. Shirley, 76 years young, was high hook that included two keeper bass and one short and lots of bluefish. She said she wouldn't need to do her aerobic exercises that night.
Dennis Surnicki and friend Al Rosenblum had steady action in The Race on the wonderful October moon. They kept their limit of 4 fish and carefully released 30 others up to 30 pounds. Here they show a couple of the beauties that they released. Al looks very smart for duping that cow with an eel.
Aaron Ferri organized a half day trip on October 8, 2003 and The Race was very good to the group who loaded up on bluefish and worked their way through the blues to keep 4 nice bass as shown by Mike Reilly and Jason Margulies.
Thursday, September 11, 2003, Maria DellVillar was delighted by catching her first striped bass (33") using a bucktail. She and Bob Lauri had great bluefish action in Plum Gut on a beautiful September afternoon.
On a beautiful moonlit Monday night September 8, 2003, Chris Smith's group from the Cornell Cooperative Extension had a fine time limiting out on sizeable bass in The Race. Glenn Applebee (left) had a 22.2 pounder but Helene Dillard topped it with a 23.6 lb cow. Dale Baker and Chris were all smiles about the successful trip.
Sunday night, September 7, 2003 saw some lifetime memories for Doug Woelk's crew. His sons, Christian (right) and Maxwell were delighted at dad's 36.4 pound cow while Mark Jennerich beamed at daughter Emily's 22 pounder that she caught on an eel.
What a memorable sunset Tim Small and his group saw from The Race on Saturday night September 6, 2003. Not only that, they captured some memorable fish. Tim Sr. (left) had the largest fish at 32.4 pounds with the other large fish ranging between 22 and 26 pounds as shown by Nick Dipiazza, Pete Sciatto, Tim Jr. and Chris Dipiazza.
Steve Ciccatto (left) captured the largest striper (27.9 pounds) Saturday night September 6, 03 but Dan Shepherd, Rich Schlacter and John Raymond show off some other cows taken in the group of six's limit. An abundance of squid was present in The Race that night despite offshore overfishing. Over the last five years our spring run of spawning squid has been dramatically depleted. If there was less commercial fishing pressure the squid population might rebound.
On Sunday night, August 31, 03 Mike Ireland's wife Pat treated him and his friends to a Father's Day fishing trip in The Race. Mirek Roslik won the pool with his 26.5 pound cow and John Ireland was second with his 25.2 pounder.
Chip Gibson and his friends had another great night of striper fishing on the Coyote on Monday, August 11, 2003 fishing both Plum Gut and The Race. The biggest fish, at 23.6 pounds, was decked by Ed Voloni. The jubilant fishers display part of their limit. From left: Chip Gibson, John Belando, Rich Romano, Dave Thompson and Ed Voloni.
August 1, 2003 was a good night for Chris Bazinet's group of avid fishers who display part of their limit; from the left: Doc Stalter, Janet Rollins, Chris Bazinet, Alan Whelan, Peter Nguyen and Oliver Bazinet. Alan Whelan had an especially good night catching a 30.6 and a 25 pounder for his limit.
John and Leslie Graham and their sons Christopher (upper right) and Andrew had a great family fishing trip on Thursday, July 31, 2003. John released the 33.5 pound cow displayed above to spawn again. Fourteen year old Christopher caught the 22 pounder above. Nine year old Andrew caught the 20 pounder held by his father and a 32 " fish on an eel. Leslie had her share of the family's 12 keepers of which they kept two fish for the table.
On a great full-moon night bass trip organized by Dick Taylor, Chris Creed displays a beautiful 35" bass that he released. Dick Taylor displays one of his keepers as the sun sets on The Race. Keith Milano welcomes his first bass aboard, with mate Chris Cavallo.
Sunday night July 13, 2003 in The Race Al Rava's group from Cutchogue had a memorable experience. Al (upper left) bagged a 40.4 pound cow. Ken deLoiselle answered the next drift with a 36.3 pounder. The group Dan Molhote, Bill Lengel, Al Rava, Greg Metzger and Ken deLoiselle caught their limit and released several fish up to 30 pounds.
Renowned fly fisherman, Peter Mack, was very pleased with his catch of this 25 pound striper in The Race on July 12, 03 during a trip organized by John Tartaro. Peter demonstrated how to show your affection to a bass.
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Christina Hughes decked her first striped bass, a 24.5 pound beauty from The Race during Red Hot July full moon night fishing on July 11, 03.
Saturday Night July 5, 2003 Mike Venetis bagged a nice 28.5 pound striper in The Race fishing with an eel on a trip organized by Paul Misthos who is helping Mike hold the fish. Xanthi Pappas had not striper fished before but, proved to be a natural both with bucktails and eels as shown by her display of part of her limit. The crew of six easily limited out while returning numerous fish to grow for another day.
Scott Haimes celebrated the end of a school year by catching a 38 pound cow striper in The Race Friday June 20, 2003. Way to go Scott. His father, Stuart, bagged a 25 pounder that trip.
Phil Mastrangelo met up with this great trophy bass of 30.5 pounds on June 15 in The Race. His brother Paul and friend Todd Soutter had fish of 25 pounds.
Another successful Father's day trip for Gabe Johnston who managed to catch the largest (4.9 lb) fluke. Peter Organized the trip on which the group, with 26 fish, was just 2 short of their limit of fluke. Fishing were Phil Curcio (left), Anthony , Gabe and Peter Johnston.
Steve Ciccatto organized a great night striper trip for June 11, 2003. Here Jason Ciccatto (left), Jack Raymond, Steve, Rich Schlachter, Tim Holz and Charlie Olivet display some of their limit. Rich's fish was 25 pounds as one caught and released by Steve.
On May 29, 2003 Pete Hughes landed a doormat fluke of 10.1 pounds in Long Island Sound a few miles west of Orient Point. The topper of his trip was landing a 20.8 pound striper on a fluke pole making the day a lifetime experience.
On an idyllic day on Peconic Bay Chris Creed bagged a 7.5 pounder while Nick Andrianas decked an 8 pound doormat at the Greenlawns May 20, 2003.
Pete Hughes, grandson Dylan Hughes and his Uncle Lou Barbella and father Kevin Hughes limited out on stripers then bagged bluefish and fluke up to 5.6 lbs on a windy, cool Saturday, May 17, 2003
On May 12 John Tartaro's group had a great day fluke fishing
while limiting out with fish to 5.9 pounds. Left,
Chris Cavello and Paul
Martinez with 5.4 and 5.9 lb fish; Right John Tartaro, Bob Tucci, Chris
Cavello and Paul Martinez with part of the catch. On this trip a Nashville
Warbler landed on the pole of Bob Tucci. Often birds are seen flying over
water while migrating and often they are near exhaustion. This bird landed
and then made itself at home on the Coyote for 45 minutes while getting its
strength back before taking off to land.