Did you know ?
• The biggest bass ever caught by High Hill Striper Club member was Bob Rance’s 58.13 bass caught under the Montauk lighthouse on a Gibbs Darter in 1964.
• 1/29/67, Frank Keating, LI Press; “Every Striper fisherman who ever breathed the words: you shoulda’ seen the one that got away... will be consoled by the astonishing 81 pound striped bass shipped into Fulton Fish Market on Thursday by a Chesapeake Bay commercial netter. It measures 55 inches with a girth of 37 inches.”
• 1827…Potomac River, Sycamore Landing, VA., 450 Rockfish with an average weight of 60 pounds taken by haul seine.
• 1960. Dave and Rosa Webb, each took a 61.5 pound bass, one week apart at the Cape (Cod) in the tin boat, in fact Rosa caught her fish just minutes after Kay Townsend nailed a 63.5 pounder nearby, thus the women’s all tackle record of 57 pounds was bested twice on the same day
• 1958… Lou Katine of NYC took a bass of 64.14 from Troy Avenue jetty at Atlantic Beach.
• 5/31/1963...J.Rayan , Block Island surf on a tin, 67 pound bass ,55X29.5 inch (stomach empty). At the time this fish was the largest ever taken from the surf and the largest ever on spinning tackle, the line was 15 pound test. An in dept article on this catch appeared in Saltwater Sportsman.
• 11/1981. From Cape Cod surf, T.Stetzko catches 73-pound bass. Believed to be the largest surf caught bass until A.McReynolds caught his 78.8 all tackle world record at Atlantic City NJ on 9/21/82.
• April 1941, Field and Stream, Kip Farrington article: from Jordan and Everyman in American Food and Game Fishes: “On May 6, 1896, 38,000 pounds of rockfish were landed at one haul. Among them were about 600 fish that averaged over 60 pounds each, and several that weighted 105 pounds each. The roe of one fish weighted 44 pounds.”
• L.I.Press (Keating) 6/17/58 ; “Sunday was the day that the newly organized Lon Island Beach Buggy Association held its first contests. The fellows took fish too.”
• L.I.Press 7/29/58 ; “Last week Montauk Lighthouse set a record for having fog horn on for 7 days and 7 nights without stopping.”
• 2/6/1854 “People crossed on the ice from Gardiners island to the mainland “ (From 270 years of East Hampton –1926)
• From East Hampton Star, 9/25/1986; “ The State Land Board has adopted a resolution authorizing the sale of Fire Island at public auction. Fire Island was bought by the State during the cholera scare of 1982 for $210,000.
• May 1951 “Louies Shore Restaurant, Port Washington – Boat rentals, $1 a day, $1.50 on Sundays, dozen worms .50 cents “
• Fishing LI ,Waters 2/53 Montauk Beach Co,. Advertisements “Home sites, 2 lots for $300 , $70 down, $7 per month. “
• L.I.Press (Keating) , 9/14/57; “The new Jones Inlet Jetty is out of bounds for fisherman and will remain that way until such time as it can be made safe for fishing...per L.I.State Park Commission.”
• L.I.Press(Keating) 7/23/58 ; “Maybe isn’t producing at Montauk, the stripers are there never the less.How come? Well according to some very reliable information, the haul seiners in one set of the net the other day, rounded up 36 boxes of striped bass. That’s 3600 pounds. Some of the fish were 60 pounders”.
• Fishing LI Waters 6/1958 ; “Latest communication from the recently formed LIBBA, reports enthusiastically that this group has recruited almost 200 members as of early April.”
• L.I.Press (Keating) ..4/29/1960; from Johnny Krounch, “2 anglers squidded 27 Pollock Wednesday evening and another bunch the next morning, fish run from 4 to 12 pounds.”
• 1967; Save Our Stripers (SOS) founded. For purpose of incorporation the Directors were; R.Rance, I.Levy, F.Schwab, E.Torkildsen, R.Hasenzahl.Incorporation took place in the 1969.Other participating High Hill members who served as directors or participated in relative efforts were: A.Glass,L.Malek,J.Frech,D.Karikas,A.Kaich,J.Wilson,R.Dinka,J.Gilmore,R.Buss,R.Krauss.
• L.I.Press (Keating) 12/19/1957 ;”Frank Marino,Ozone Park tackle dealer..Had it on good authority that a couple of cod have been caught in the Jones Beach surf at Parking Field #9 in recent days.”
• Schaefer Saltwater Fishing Contest began in 1947.
• Newsday 3/7/62 : storm...wind and big tides for two day...96 Long Island homes destroyed along Fire Island.
• 9/1/51; "The Pelican" , a 42 foot party boat with 64 people aboard .capsized off Montauk in Pollock Rip with 49 lives lost. She was limping home to lake Montauk on one engine in a hard northeast wind , when the 3rd of the 3 large waves and the fact that the passengers ran to one side of the boat caused the capsizing. Only one passenger was wearing a life jacket.
• Fishing L.I Waters 5/53; Curfew at Jones Beach, 1:00 AM
• From East Hampton Star Editorial 8/3/1978: Entitled “Snail Men” ; this editorial was critical of surf anglers camper vehicles; they were described as “ Disagreeable visitors with tin cans on trucks”
• Sometimes “about” 1960 at the Sore Thumb on a foggy night, a gentleman named Whiting Evans drove his buggy off the Thumb into 20 feet of water; he lived to tell about it. This is the same fellow they named a rock on north bar after “Evans “rock.
• Use of plugs in the surf arrived about 1946 or 47 , these were altered muskie and freshwater bass plugs and homemades.
• GI’s brought home spinning reels after WWII but the use of silk and braided nylon lines did not enhance their popularity. When monofilament line and glass rods came on the scene it was a different story.
• L.I.Press, excerpts from Keating column of 10/3/58;”Bright and early yesterday, Johnny Kronuch gave us a bellow from Montauk that a bass blitz was on in the surf, all the way from Jones Reef around to the Coconuts.” They’re chasing mullet,” Johnny explained.” and taking lures day and night. It’s phenomenal. In fact, its murder.” The stripers are good size.Kronuch said the smallest he heard was a 12 pounder caught by Louie the Lover. One guy weighted in five fish, told Johnny he busted off seven others. Yesterday morning, handful of lads fishing the Point had the kind of fishing you dream about.Kronuch said unreservedly that the current bass run is the best he can recall since the fall of 1950.Lou Stillwell of Huntington squidded seven stripers from 18 to 35 pounds.Shep Frood of East Hampton had of 43 pounds and another of 20 pounds. Fred Schwab of Brooklyn , squidded bass of 26 and 22 pounds and then paired them with a 11.14 lb bluefish.” Adopted from a book "The Complete History of the High Hill Striper Club" by Fred Schwab.
• The biggest bass ever caught by High Hill Striper Club member was Bob Rance’s 58.13 bass caught under the Montauk lighthouse on a Gibbs Darter in 1964.
• 1/29/67, Frank Keating, LI Press; “Every Striper fisherman who ever breathed the words: you shoulda’ seen the one that got away... will be consoled by the astonishing 81 pound striped bass shipped into Fulton Fish Market on Thursday by a Chesapeake Bay commercial netter. It measures 55 inches with a girth of 37 inches.”
• 1827…Potomac River, Sycamore Landing, VA., 450 Rockfish with an average weight of 60 pounds taken by haul seine.
• 1960. Dave and Rosa Webb, each took a 61.5 pound bass, one week apart at the Cape (Cod) in the tin boat, in fact Rosa caught her fish just minutes after Kay Townsend nailed a 63.5 pounder nearby, thus the women’s all tackle record of 57 pounds was bested twice on the same day
• 1958… Lou Katine of NYC took a bass of 64.14 from Troy Avenue jetty at Atlantic Beach.
• 5/31/1963...J.Rayan , Block Island surf on a tin, 67 pound bass ,55X29.5 inch (stomach empty). At the time this fish was the largest ever taken from the surf and the largest ever on spinning tackle, the line was 15 pound test. An in dept article on this catch appeared in Saltwater Sportsman.
• 11/1981. From Cape Cod surf, T.Stetzko catches 73-pound bass. Believed to be the largest surf caught bass until A.McReynolds caught his 78.8 all tackle world record at Atlantic City NJ on 9/21/82.
• April 1941, Field and Stream, Kip Farrington article: from Jordan and Everyman in American Food and Game Fishes: “On May 6, 1896, 38,000 pounds of rockfish were landed at one haul. Among them were about 600 fish that averaged over 60 pounds each, and several that weighted 105 pounds each. The roe of one fish weighted 44 pounds.”
• L.I.Press (Keating) 6/17/58 ; “Sunday was the day that the newly organized Lon Island Beach Buggy Association held its first contests. The fellows took fish too.”
• L.I.Press 7/29/58 ; “Last week Montauk Lighthouse set a record for having fog horn on for 7 days and 7 nights without stopping.”
• 2/6/1854 “People crossed on the ice from Gardiners island to the mainland “ (From 270 years of East Hampton –1926)
• From East Hampton Star, 9/25/1986; “ The State Land Board has adopted a resolution authorizing the sale of Fire Island at public auction. Fire Island was bought by the State during the cholera scare of 1982 for $210,000.
• May 1951 “Louies Shore Restaurant, Port Washington – Boat rentals, $1 a day, $1.50 on Sundays, dozen worms .50 cents “
• Fishing LI ,Waters 2/53 Montauk Beach Co,. Advertisements “Home sites, 2 lots for $300 , $70 down, $7 per month. “
• L.I.Press (Keating) , 9/14/57; “The new Jones Inlet Jetty is out of bounds for fisherman and will remain that way until such time as it can be made safe for fishing...per L.I.State Park Commission.”
• L.I.Press(Keating) 7/23/58 ; “Maybe isn’t producing at Montauk, the stripers are there never the less.How come? Well according to some very reliable information, the haul seiners in one set of the net the other day, rounded up 36 boxes of striped bass. That’s 3600 pounds. Some of the fish were 60 pounders”.
• Fishing LI Waters 6/1958 ; “Latest communication from the recently formed LIBBA, reports enthusiastically that this group has recruited almost 200 members as of early April.”
• L.I.Press (Keating) ..4/29/1960; from Johnny Krounch, “2 anglers squidded 27 Pollock Wednesday evening and another bunch the next morning, fish run from 4 to 12 pounds.”
• 1967; Save Our Stripers (SOS) founded. For purpose of incorporation the Directors were; R.Rance, I.Levy, F.Schwab, E.Torkildsen, R.Hasenzahl.Incorporation took place in the 1969.Other participating High Hill members who served as directors or participated in relative efforts were: A.Glass,L.Malek,J.Frech,D.Karikas,A.Kaich,J.Wilson,R.Dinka,J.Gilmore,R.Buss,R.Krauss.
• L.I.Press (Keating) 12/19/1957 ;”Frank Marino,Ozone Park tackle dealer..Had it on good authority that a couple of cod have been caught in the Jones Beach surf at Parking Field #9 in recent days.”
• Schaefer Saltwater Fishing Contest began in 1947.
• Newsday 3/7/62 : storm...wind and big tides for two day...96 Long Island homes destroyed along Fire Island.
• 9/1/51; "The Pelican" , a 42 foot party boat with 64 people aboard .capsized off Montauk in Pollock Rip with 49 lives lost. She was limping home to lake Montauk on one engine in a hard northeast wind , when the 3rd of the 3 large waves and the fact that the passengers ran to one side of the boat caused the capsizing. Only one passenger was wearing a life jacket.
• Fishing L.I Waters 5/53; Curfew at Jones Beach, 1:00 AM
• From East Hampton Star Editorial 8/3/1978: Entitled “Snail Men” ; this editorial was critical of surf anglers camper vehicles; they were described as “ Disagreeable visitors with tin cans on trucks”
• Sometimes “about” 1960 at the Sore Thumb on a foggy night, a gentleman named Whiting Evans drove his buggy off the Thumb into 20 feet of water; he lived to tell about it. This is the same fellow they named a rock on north bar after “Evans “rock.
• Use of plugs in the surf arrived about 1946 or 47 , these were altered muskie and freshwater bass plugs and homemades.
• GI’s brought home spinning reels after WWII but the use of silk and braided nylon lines did not enhance their popularity. When monofilament line and glass rods came on the scene it was a different story.
• L.I.Press, excerpts from Keating column of 10/3/58;”Bright and early yesterday, Johnny Kronuch gave us a bellow from Montauk that a bass blitz was on in the surf, all the way from Jones Reef around to the Coconuts.” They’re chasing mullet,” Johnny explained.” and taking lures day and night. It’s phenomenal. In fact, its murder.” The stripers are good size.Kronuch said the smallest he heard was a 12 pounder caught by Louie the Lover. One guy weighted in five fish, told Johnny he busted off seven others. Yesterday morning, handful of lads fishing the Point had the kind of fishing you dream about.Kronuch said unreservedly that the current bass run is the best he can recall since the fall of 1950.Lou Stillwell of Huntington squidded seven stripers from 18 to 35 pounds.Shep Frood of East Hampton had of 43 pounds and another of 20 pounds. Fred Schwab of Brooklyn , squidded bass of 26 and 22 pounds and then paired them with a 11.14 lb bluefish.” Adopted from a book "The Complete History of the High Hill Striper Club" by Fred Schwab.