THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON: May 3rd (see inside for details)

Before I begin this month's piece, I want to thank Mr. Ed Mitchell on behalf of the membership for one of the best presentations given at a Salty's meeting. The meeting room was buzzing after the show, and during the show you could hear a pin drop. To say Ed had members enthralled with his superb knowledge on the subject of Reading the Water and Structure would be an understatement. I hope that every member who hasn't yet had a chance to pick up, what I consider a classic work "Flyfishing the Coast", do so. Especially if you have had only a couple of seasons under your belt. It will make your life a whole lot easier with this information at your command. Personally I want to thank Ed for his affable and easygoing personality. You make my job easier. Thanks Ed.

This month features the beginning of a pet project of mine, The Guides' Side column. Look to this feature in your newsletter every month, throughout the

season for the inside scoop to fly fishing the Long Island waters. I want to thank all the guides who agreed to take the time from their busy schedules to become part of this project. We can also thank them on a more tangible level, by booking charters with these Salty's endorsed fly fishing guides.

On the subject of membership, The Salty Flyrodder's of New York has always maintained an open door policy as far as people coming to our meeting

without having to join right away. It's sort of like auditing a class for college. I'm all for that premise, to a point. I think that two or three meetings will tell someone if this club is for them. It's not fair to those who are dues paying members, not to join up. We will be going through our signup list, in an effort to identify those "members" who have not made the plunge. Make it easy for us, if you have been attending more than 3 meetings, now is the time to fish or fly.

Thanx, Frank

BY Betty and John Timmermann

It's the end of October, a Thursday night, and we're checking and double checking our fly fishing equipment for a trip to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The phone rings, and as we pick up we hear the melodious tones of our old friend Charlie Robinson booming, " When the hell are you guys going to get out here and do some bass fishing?" When Charlie starts a conversation without "Didja hear the joke about..." something earth shattering is happening. "Can you get out here this weekend? These fish are stacked up for miles along the beach." After making meeting arrangements and some chitchat with Charlie, we changed gears and unpacked some equipment for the weekend. Betty shows how to hold a fish for easy handling and calm hook removal.

For those new members and members who have not met Charlie, let us give you a brief description. Charlie has been a member of the "Salty's" for a number of years. You may not see him at monthly meetings that often, because he is a life long resident of Southampton and the trip into Queens can be a long adventure. If you have ever attended our conclave, or plan to, you will recognize him by his western style hat and his willingness to help in any manner possible. He will do it all, from casting instruction to hauling coolers. He is a professional guide and casting instructor with a vast knowledge of Long Island's East End fishing. Our plans were to meet Charlie at a Seven Eleven. After we parked our car, and transferred our equipment to Charlie's pick-up, we're off for a quick breakfast and our first shot at the beach. You can go to the bank that as soon as we see and hear the surf pounding, it's bathroom time. After a quick stop (part of the service, says Charlie), we opt to pick up lunch for later consumption rather than leave the beach again.

We entered the beach somewhere in the town of Southampton and slowly drive east along the high water mark. We stop occasionally to talk to some folks fishing and then watch a lone fisherman in a flats boat working about 100 yards offshore. All very nice says Charlie, but we came here for fish so let's get some fish! We exit the beach and head further east toward the town of East Hampton, passing the smells of people preparing Sunday dinner. Unable to put these smells to rest, we decide that as soon as we hit the beach again its time to chow down. So intent were we on eating, that it must have been the third or fourth bite of the sandwich before Charlie, looking east announced, "We have arrived."

As Charlie had told us, these fish were stacked up for miles along the beach. As we approached the water's edge, we were frozen in our tracks watching bass chasing bait along the breakers, no more than twenty feet away. Heeding Charlie's advice, we started casting without entering the water. First hookups were bass in the upper twenty inch range, the majority over the 28 inch limit. Numerous bass exceeded 36 inches that day. Short casts of no more than 30 to 35 feet were sufficient. Longer casts produced bluefish between 8 and 12 pounds. Deciding not to use wire leader was costly in the fly department, but what the heck, winter was just around the corner, and what better to do but tie until the supply is replenished. We found the greatest success with a black over red blonde style fly, crease flies, and a bunker imitation. The bait was plentiful and almost every species of bait known to mankind was present. Other flies and variations were used to a much lesser degree of success. The sky seemed to go from lightly overcast to heavily overcast. And the blitz went on for four and a half hours. We were watching blues chase weakfish up onto the beach, where at one point, Charlie reached down and grabbed one with his hand, having someone on the beach tell him it wasn't a big enough bass to keep and he'd better put it back.

In fact it wasn't a bass at all, but a weakfish, and a keeper at that. We watched the schools of bunker being chased by the bass through the breaking surf. After completing one roll of film recording the memories of the day, the camera was set aside, along with the lunch that we never did get to finish, in favor of abusing our bodies for the sake of catching fish non-stop.

If we became bored catching bass we would jump on the tailgate of Charlie's truck as he sped along the beach to the next school. What a great way to end the bass season, and what a tune-up for the albies.

Charlie will be the guest speaker for our June meeting. You just might want to hook up with him this upcoming season. Whether a new or experienced fisher, this shore bound angling is another aspect of our sport to be explored and enjoyed.

By Jack Denny

April has come and gone and the fishing should only get better as the water warms up. Tactics will change to meet the conditions, the fish will be moving around and become more active. What they will eat will be changing too. Small crabs and shrimp will be part of the food chain and should be carried in your selection. Bunker will be around if they have not already been spotted in your local haunts. Big flys will take big fish but will be hard to throw with an 8 weight, so rod sizes will have to be adjusted to a heavier weight like a 9 or 10 weight. There will be many decisions to make in the coming month and no matter which way you go, fish with your head at all times.

While fishing on the front of Capt. Joe Blados’ boat I saw stripers swimming within two feet of the shoreline. Two feet! Now any fly rodder coming down to his or her favorite spot knows right where to head. Stripping out some line, tying a fly on to the tippet and then off they go right into the water. Any bass nosing up to the shore will be scattered and as they depart they

will take others along with them. Bass are more skittish than bonefish in shallow water here in the Northeast; they enter skinny water with all their senses on "red alert". In fast moving currents and deeper water off the beach they feel more at home because they can escape easier. But in shallow water up against the beach there are limited escape routes, there is no down only left, right and back. Even when they are feeding they are fully aware of what is going on around.

Instead of marching into the water quietly approach the shoreline and make your first cast 20 feet from the water’s edge and make it quietly. Choose a fly that will land softly and not startle the fish. Make your cast starting at 9 o’clock and work around to 3 o’clock, then move closer (but not getting the water just yet) and do the same thing. When you are convinced that the fish are further out then start working your way out in the water still searching as you move out. You may have to change your fly get a little deeper but that goes along with the methodology of fishing smartly.

A friend is a great fishing tool. My fishing buddies and I work hand in hand to come upon solutions faster and take more fish. We do not fish the same fly, everyone starts with something different. If sand eels are in the water we experiment with color and weight, any fly can work at any given time. Fishing last year off the Sandy Hook surf we came upon a situation that proves my point. Weakfishing was picking up in the area and there were bass and bluefish around. The bait ranged from large spearing, to bunker, to killies and so forth. So what to use? My friend Jim had taken a nice weakfish on a seven inch blue and white Deceiver but I continued to fish a chartreuse and lime green Clouser with good success. But as the fishing heated up only one fly was doing the job and a switch was in order for one of us (the Deceiver started taking bass and small bluefish so I had to make a quick change).

Floating line vs. sinking line, what to fish? A shooting head system does make a lot of sense but for some casters there are problems with casting. Carrying an extra spool is the other way to go to keep up with changing conditions. Changing the leader length and adding a weighted fly can also be an answer. Just pay attention to what is going on around you, be quiet and try everything that makes sense. And when all else fails try something completely different. Two flies tied off each other. A popper at night. A split shot added above your fly. Fish a small fly off a popper. Black flies during the daytime. You get the picture, use some imagination and who knows what will work. You have to give the fish what they want not what you think they want. Does that make sense? Some flys do double duty. A small Clouser in white can look like a small bait fish or even a shrimp to a striper or weakfish. Carry a "generic fly", one that represents something to eat but nothing specific. All black or all white Clousers and Deceivers should be in everyone’s box.

These thoughts may seem pretty basic to some of us but it is a good idea to review just what is basic. The idea of casting from 20 feet up the beach is something we should all get use to doing. Trout fly rodders frequently fish from the bank, concealing their presence to wary fish and presenting an offering undetected. A backcast may not be possible but a cast down the shoreline is the next best thing. Sand eels being routed out by nosing stripers in shallow are one situation that demands this approach. And don’t think bluefish don’t frequent the shallows because they do. Sitting on the shore at after a morning of albacore fishing I watched some small bluefish "popping" out of the water. The fellow that was taking a break with me saw this and said it was probably a school striper and I agreed. He got up and walked over towards the action and made a cast in front of the advancing fish, two strips and he was on. But it was no striper, 13 pounds of bluefish kicked up the water like a speed boat as tore off the flats toward deeper water. What a surprise! All of this action took place in about less than 18 inches of water. You just never know.

I would like to apologize for some of the typing errors that have occurred in this column. I not saying that they will not continue because I’m sure they will. Go on reading on and if there is a "the" where a "that" should be make your own corrections, I’ll try and do better.

Don Avondolio holds a striper from the waters off Captree, taken in September on one of his teaching expeditions. He now is taking most of his fish from the shores of lower Delaware beaches.

By: Brian Timmins

Over the weekend of March 25 to 30 this year my wife and I were in the Tampa area of Florida to attend a reunion. We were busy the first few days but found that we had nothing planned for Monday the 29^th. Since I did my homework before leaving home, I dug out my notes, made one call, and arranged a charter trip the night before (last minute luck).

I contacted Angler South Inc. which advertises "Classic Flats Fishing" on Tampa Bay and in Sarasota. This turned out to be Captain Tom Shubat, formerly of the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound. While this

was a new name to me, I'm sure some of our longer-term members will remember him, or at least his several articles on fishing Long Island Sound. He currently has an article in Fly Fishing In Salt Water about the recovering permit fishery in Tampa Bay. He operates out of Anna Maria Island, which is on the south side of the mouth of Tampa Bay, close to Sarasota.

We booked Capt. Tom for a half day and had a wonderful experience. We met at 9:00 A.M. and after a short drive to his boat, we settled in on his Mako Marine flats boat (our first time on a real flats boat). We first tried fishing for Sea Trout along a sea wall that usually produces well early in the morning. No luck, but I'm sure he was also evaluating our casting ability. We then stopped at a marina gassed up and headed out into the bay.

We stopped by a fairly deep flat and started hooking up with Ladyfish of 20 to 24 inches. We landed a few and jumped a few more. These fish must breathe air based on the way they jump. This was great fun, which included my wife's first ever fly caught salt-water fish.

After this, we went hunting Redfish on truly classic, shallow, turtle grass flats. We saw quite a few and managed to spook quite a few. Considering that it was our first really experience at flats sight fishing, it was fun even without hooking up.

Then we traveled back toward his home base and stopped to try a spot were Trout and Jacks are known to congregate on the outgoing tide. My wife and I took turns on the front of the boat casting to docks and shallow spots as we drifted and poled along. We both has repeated hits with some short run offs, which according to Capt. Tom's trained eyes were mostly Jacks. We didn't land any Jacks, but my wife did land a nice 18 inch Spotted grouper. At about 3:30 p.m. our half day was over (6 hrs - 1/2 day?).

In talking to Capt.Tom, he mentioned an opportunity that I promised to pass on. He owns a rental house, which will become empty in the beginning of May. From the middle of May through to early July is Giant Tarpon season in his area. Capt. Tom is offering full day charters for Tarpon at his standard full day rate of $250.00 and adding in a free night lodging at his rental house. His charter rate alone is one of the best in the area and with the addition of lodging in this area, well know for Tarpon, it can not be beat. Please call to confirm before planning your trip.

Capt. Tom Shubat's standard rates are $250.00/full day and $175.00 half day. Contact him at Angler South Inc. (914) 761-1900 for a worth while charter experience. By the way, he is also a capable casting instructor and straightened out our early season casting mistakes quickly.

Martha's Vinyard- June16th-18th 1999

Instructors- Bob Popovics Ed Mitchell-Ken Vanderlaske, Lori Vanderlaske

Topics covered include-tackle and equipment, casting, effective fishing techniques, reading structure and beaches, knots and rigging, and more. Preceded by 4 nights of instruction at Ramsey Outdoor

Cost: $ 425.00 class size limited

Telephone for details (201) 261-5000

May fly fishing begins in the creeks of Southold and Peconic bays. Look for grass shrimp and bunker to be the predominant baits early on. If Squid are present, look for Fluke. Schoolie Bass will be followed by Bluefish in the and 6 pound range, usually in the 1st week of May. Fish day or night and the main patterns will consist of shrimp patterns, crease flies (worked slow) and clousers.

Charlie Robinson - (516) 283-5588

May fishing usually starts off in the Peconic Bays, in creeks such as Sebonac, Towd Point and Cold Spring Creek. Work the outgoing tides, for bass, bluefish, fluke and maybe a weakfish or two. Use a floating or intermediate line in the 8 or 9 wt. class. Patterns you should have include, small white Deceivers (size 2) clousers, sand eel patterns and Dixon cinder worm flies (during the new moon tides)

Capt. David Blinken - (516) 324-3241

Gardiners Bay, will see action early this season because the mild winter left the shoals and flats in excellent condition. Mackerel are usually the first to begin the spring run of bait, along with bunker. Squid follow about 2 weeks later and are gone before Memorial Day. Spearing begin their spawning in April and May, when you will see them and sand-eels begin filling in the bays. As the water begins to warm, Bass and Blues will begin to move high up on the flats.

Capt. Dino Torino - (718) 356-6436

An exploratory trip on April 8th found Great Kills Harbor infested with big bunker. 5 bass were brought to the boat, with the largest, weighing in at 13 pounds. The Hot pattern was a Flat- wing clouser (white hackle, chart. Bucktail) 2nd. And 3rd. Week of May will usually mean more consistent action, and in-depth fishing reports.

Capt. Ken Turco (516) 728-3797

As the Striped Bass start their spring migration east, they arrive at Shinnecock the last week of April in good numbers. They are aggressivelyfeeding all day. Kind of reminds you of the fall feeding frenzy. YOUDON'T WANT TO MISS IT!! BOOK NOW!

Email lckystrke1@aol.com

Glen Mikkleson (516) 878-0883

Last season most areas seemed to start early as we had a very mild winter. By opening day of the striped bass season Moriches Bay was full of schoolies and larger fish arrived within a week. I'm sure the other south shore inlet areas had the same action. Try small patterns(sandeel, spearing, and shrimp) in the shallows in the bays for the schoolies. Work large flies (bunker, flounder) with fast sinking lines in the deeper channels and inlets for the large bass. This happens to be one of the best times to catch 20-30 lb. bass on flies in these south shore waters.

North shore bass action should spread eastward as May progresses but don't expect too many large ones till the tail end of the month. Small flies will be the ticket as sand eels and spearing will be the predominant bait in most areas.

Hopefully we'll get a nice run of cocktail blues this year. It doesn't seem like we can count on them as we used to. Mothers' day is when they should hit the south shore. Weakfish may also be found early in the south shore bays and Peconic Bay.

Capt. Scott Holder (516)-840-6522

I have been out with out much success as I write this, but this year promises to be another banner year for the Striped Bass. Spring time fishing requires sinking lines and weighted patterns such as Clousers. My favorite colors are olive over chartreuse. I still find myself using the red lead eyes, call me old fashioned that's just my preference, I'm sure the eyes aren't the big thing. The clouser I tie utilizes red thread to tie and wrap the hair and then I epoxy the tip to give it a nice finished look, and to enhance the color. I also put some iridescent flash in it to give it some sparkle. I am a firm believer in some type of flash to give the fly some added attractive qualities. Remember location location location is the important variable. Look for structure and places where eddies are created when the tide is flowing. Let your flies sink far enough down to be in the strike zone. Generally these fish will be down in the water column, and remember to vary your retrieve and experiment until it you get results.

Tight lines!

Capt. Bob Rob - (516)243-4282

Early May Bass- Good areas to prospect would be estuary mouths (Crab Meadow creek, Nissequogue) on a falling tide. Back Bay areas, last of the incoming, early outgoing. Beach fronts ( Sunken Meadow, Makamah Beach). Most fishing is deep and slow retrieve with some fish showing on surface at dawn and dusk Mid to late May bass- moving water, lots more visible action as sandeels move in from deep water. Beach fronts towards high tide should see some Bluefish on beach. Bass action should be great with activity all day. Bigger bass show latter half of May.

Flies to use are as follows: Clousers dressed sparsely and small early May . Anything mid-May. Some squid flies mid to late May. For Bluefish, small poppers and epoxies, mid to late May. Sliders dawn and dusk both bass and blues.

Our May meeting features Kris Jopp, guide and environmental educator. His specialty are the striped bass and its environment, as well as fishing off Monomoy on Cape Cod. Casting instruction, rigging and flytying will be featured at 7 pm before the presentation.

A 30 inch striped bass caught in mid-October 1998 by Paul Rudolph at the tip of the jetty at Breezy Point.

Eastern Flyrodders are holding their Annual Dinner Dance on Saturday, May 22,1999. The event is held on the beautiful Peconic Queen. While rolling down the Peconic river, members and their guests enjoy gourmet dining, dancing to music provided by a Live DJ, raffles, and a sunset over the bay. The event starts at 4:30 and ends as you return to the dock at 9:00 PM . Tickets are $40 per person. Many of our members attended last year and report a wonderful experience.

Make your check or money order payable to Eastern Flyrodders and mail to:

Patty Baumgartner

26 Beverly Road

Lake Grove, NY 11755

Telephone 516-467-1253

Please make you reservations early as seating is limited. The list of raffle prizes is growing but includes a complete Reddington outfit, and a custom built fly tying table.

By Betty Anne Timmermann

The Midnight Blonde is my version of a Joe Brooks Blonde in red and black. I used it last fall through a 4-1/2 blitz. It held up well, even with the bluefish. The fish seemed so eager to take the fly that I actually thought, for a moment that they would take anything, so I changed to a solid black with a touch of flash. I stopped catching fish. I tied my midnight blonde on, and once again I was into fish.

Materials Needed

Thread- 3/0 black

Hook- Eagle claw 254

Body- Red bucktail wrapped with claret sparkle or shimmer flash.

Wing- Black bucktail

Lateral Line- Red crystal flash

Head- Formed with thread

Eyes- Prismatic stick-ons

You will also need 5min epoxy

Steps to tie

Step 1- Starting directly behind the hook eye, run thread evenly to the bend of the hook.

Step 2- Tie in sparse length of red bucktail forward to the hook eye. (Lengths should vary to match size of bait present and are generally 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 ins.)

Step 3- Take approximately 4 strands of sparkle flash or shimmer flash and tie in where you left off. Wrap the flash back to the bend and then forward to the hook eye. Secure flash and trim.

Step 4- Tie in 3 or 4 strands of crystal flash at the head and secure.

Step 5- Tie in sparse length of black bucktail and secure.

Step 6- Use thread to form a tapered head, whip finish and trim thread.

Step 7- Apply a thin coat of 5min epoxy to the head. Coat the belly also (the sparkle flash of shimmer flash) Allow to dry.

Step 8- Install size 1-1/2 prismatic stick-on eyes (I use silver or red).

Step 9- Finish off with a light coat of epoxy to the head.

Step 10- LET DRY AND HIT THE BEACH.

The Staten Island Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association New York will host a two day Flyfishing Seminar on the beaches of Ft. Wadsworth, May 15th and 16th from 9:00AM to 4:00PM.

Representatives from Orvis Manhattan and Orvis Greenvale will be on hand with demo rods to help with casting instructions.

The seminar will involve two days of extensive instruction in saltwater flyfishing. Topics covered will be species I.D., necessary saltwater flyfishing gear, fly tying, rigging, casting, retrieve, catching and handling of fish, and proper release techniques. Each day will begin with morning classroom sessions and will be followed by hands on casting techniques, retrieve, and possibly catching landing and releasing techniques. Saturday will be a beginner class, while Sunday will be reserved for the experienced saltwater flyfishers. It is recommended that novice flyfishers attend the Saturday class before attending Sunday's class.

The price for this class is a one year membership in CCA-NY=$25.00. This includes two saltwater flies, a subscription to Tide magazine, CCA-NY bi-monthly newsletter, CCA-NY decal and bumper sticker, and becoming part of CCA's effort to conserve, protect and restore New York's marine resources. Existing CCA-NY members may attend for $12.00 per person. Children under 12, accompanied by an adult, may attend free of charge. A limited number of seats are available so pre-registration is strongly suggested. For more information and to reserve a seat please call John McMurray at the CCA NYoffice: (516) 422-4162 or Joe Toth at (718) 815-8672.

By Alan J Evelyn, Conservation Chair

The Long Island Beach Buggy Association invites volunteers of all ages' individuals, families, members and non-members to come out and participate in their "Annual Spring Beach Enhancement Projects." Groups interested in participating in these events (Boy Scout, Girl Scout, Club Leaders, etc.) Should contact (in advance) Chuck Hollins: (516) 286-3848 or call the LIBBA Hotline: (516) 579-1344. For additional information about LIBBA, their projects and how you can become a "Keeper Of The Beach" visit the Long Island Beach Buggy Association on the web at: www.libba.com

Montauk Beach Clean-Up: Saturday, May 1st, 8:30am - noon (Shagwong Beach off East Lake Drive, Montauk) Lunch will be served.

Robert Moses Beach Clean-Up: Sunday, May 23rd, 8:30am - noon (Robert

Moses State Park (field #2). Lunch will be served.

Remember to dress for the weather and bring gloves to all projects.

On Friday, May 21st 1999, the Manhattan Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association of New York (CCA) will host their first annual "catch and release" Striped Bass Tournament. The CCA Manhattan Cup will consist of approximately twenty area fishing guides who will provide their boats and expertise to twenty individual teams competing for the largest striped bass among three categories (bait, artificial and fly). In addition, a "sport fishing" division involving private boats and crews will compete against each other as well. The boats will sail at 2:30 PM from Chelsea Piers and will return at 7:30 PM. Following an afternoon of fishing, a catered party and awards ceremony will be held at Chelsea Brewing Company for all participants. Help the Manhattan Chapter of CCA as we all help the striped bass.

Every spring the Hudson River plays host to millions of spawning Striped Bass making it the second largest spawning ground on the East Coast. In May, as fish begin to migrate throughout the Northeast, the fishing grounds surrounding New York City become some of the most fertile anywhere.

CCA Manhattan Cup Tournament Committee includes Salty Flyrodder's: Alan Evelyn (H: 516-256-0726; W: 718-951-5622), Dave Fallon (H: 212-545-8915; W: 212-940-9415) and Art Nudell (H: 212-799-0958)

Pre registration is required. To register for either division, or if your company would like to sponsor a boat, please call John McMurray at the CCA NY office: (516) 422-4162, email: director@ccany.org, or Edward Schwarzer: (212) 370-2424. All entries are donations and are tax deductible.

SUPPORT LEGISLATION

Once again Assemblyman Robert K Sweeney is taking the lead and working to protect our fisheries. He has introduced Assembly Bill 6126 which will protect spawning weakfish by further restricting gill nets in the Great South Bay. This legislation deserves and needs our support. This is the letter that I sent to my State Assemblyman . Please feel free to copy it word for word, just use some of the language or ignore completely. The important thing is to write and voice your support. Please write today!

Dear Assemblyman __________________:

I respectfully urge you to support and pass into law Assembly Bill 6126 introduced by Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney. This Act to amend the environmental conservation law will further regulate gill nets in Great South Bay.

The current closure of the gill net season in Great South Bay in May is not adequate to protect spawning weakfish in the Bay. It is well documented that weakfish utilize estuarine and coastal waters throughout their lives and, more importantly, that they spawn in near-shore and estuarine habitat between May and October across their range. Spawning occurs throughout its range, but the principal spawning area is from Chesapeake Bay to Montauk, New York.

The modest extension of the current closure on the use of gill nets in Great South Bay which this bill establishes will offer the commercially and recreationally popular weakfish, and possibly other species, unfettered access to and from their preferred spawning grounds. This will aid in bolstering the now overexploited populations of weakfish in New York. In its January 12, 1998 Legislative Briefing Summary for Marine Finfish and Crustacean Management, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reported that, with respect to weakfish, "additional effort reduction will be needed in 1999 to meet the target exploitation rate of 44%" (as called for by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Fishery Management Plan for weakfish).

Protecting the environment of Long Island and in particular our fishery resources is one of my highest priorities. Thank you for considering my view and for working on this important issue.

Sincerely,

NAME

ADDRESS

PHONE NUMBER

Need to know where to write your NY State representative? These web sites can provide you with the information: State Board of Elections at www.elections.ny.us, New York State Assembly at www.assembly.state.ny.us or the New York State Senate at www.senate.state.ny.us By phone you cancontact the State's Voter Information line at 1-800-367-8683.

Tournament Rules

1. This is a catch and release tournament. Fish must be landed and photographed with a measuring device by the guide and released alive to constitute a catch. Length measurements must be noted (with release times) on all score sheets. Points only to those releases measuring 16" or greater, full length. All fish must be caught from a boat.

2. The rules of the tournament will follow all IGFA regulations governing fly and spin tackle.

3. Line no heavier than 15-pound test breaking strength or IGFA rated leader material can be used.

4. No bait, chumming, tipping or trolling is permitted. Artificials only in both fly and spin categories.

5. Anglers have the option of being accompanied by a coast guard licensed captain. All anglers, whether accompanied by a captain or not, earn the same release points. Captains may not fish.

6. Only one rod in the water at a time. Bow time must be split equally between both anglers when there is more than one angler on a boat.

7. No more than two anglers per boat.

8. Boats must depart from and return to

9. Boats must depart dock 8am and return by 4pm; later will result in DSQ.

10. Rules committee will make any weather related decisions. All decisions by the Rules committee are final.11. Any violation will result in DSQ. All protests must be in writing to the Rules committee no later than 4:30pm on the day of the protest. Anything later will not be considered.

12. Points will be awarded in each of the following categories: Grand Champion, Largest Striped Bass, Largest Bluefish, Most Striped Bass Releases, Most Bluefish Releases, Fly Division Champion, Spin Division Champion.

Guided Entry Fee: Team $1000 / Individual $800

Non-Guided Entry Fee: Team $600 / Individual $500

If you'd like to receive an entry form, mail a self-addressed stamped envelope to: ZenBait, 131 East 81st Street, #2, New York, NY 10028 Attn: David Blinken. Deadline for entries is 6/15/99.

OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

GUIDED Entry Fee: Team $1000/Ind$800

NON GUIDED FEE: Team $600/Ind $500

Angler Name_____________________

Address_________________________

City/State/Zip_____________________

Guides Name and Phone____________

________________________________

___Check If Need Guide assigned.

___Check to go on Our Mailing list

Make checks Payable to Boys Harbor

Mail to: Zenbait,131 East 81^st St,#2

New York, NY 10028

Attention: David Blinken

I have read and agree to abide by all Tournament Rules.

_________________________________

signature and date