Talking about Zachs Bay

[walterv]

When I was a kid late 60s, we use to fish in Zachs bay
One of the fishes we use to catch was a blow fish, anyone know if you can still get these fishes in Zachs bay?

For that matter has anyone ever seen blow fish around anywhere on LI?

 

[CurrentSea]

I used to fish for blow fish. I think they were also called puffers. They were all over the bay.

 

[mintregila]

We used to catch them there as well in the 1960s.

 

[Quigley]

There still around. I've seen the caught by the babylon docks. This year I saw a bunch caught by kids at kismet .

 

[skateking]

We use to catch blow fish & flounders in zacks bay in the 60's. is that quigly from " A "
dock

 

[Perry]

They're making a big comeback.

 

[Robski97]

Don't. Forget searobbins too

 

[JVM225]

I've come across a few in the bay, but not a whole lot of them.

 

[walterv]

I asked because it would really be sad if the were no longer around. Really cool to show a young kid how their bellys blow up when you rub them

 

[Perry]

I catch them all the time while porgy fishing in the Peconics. Love tossing a couple in the live well and let the kids have a up close look.

 

[rduhon]

We have Blowfish on the Gulf Coast. Never caught one. They have small mouths.
But I have seen them many times dead and puffed up on the beaches.

 

[Billylll]

This year for about a month in starting in early November most of the guys at the marine were catching over 100 in an hour. Many times they didn't even use bait just the shiney hook was all that was needed. I think clam was the choice bait. I always thought you couldn't eat them but evidently you can if they are properly cleaned. When the going was good it took them longer to clean them then catch them. There a series of traps in Little Egg they seemed to hang around the traps.
Bill

 

[Billylll]

quote:

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Originally posted by rduhon

We have Blowfish on the Gulf Coast. Never caught one. They have small mouths.
But I have seen them many times dead and puffed up on the beaches.

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Up here the guys use light wiegth rods and tackle and small almost freshwater hooks. Sometimes having 3 hooks along the leaders. A few of the guys would pull up the lines and would have 2-3 hooked before they reeled the line in. It was preety cool because for young children it wasn't boring and they got to catch their 1st fish ever.
Bill

 

[JohnC]

We used to get them while flounder fishing in the bay, they seemed to come and go and you never knew from year to year if you'd get none of them or a load of them. I remember once snorkeling in the bay and a whole school of blowfish was following a horseshoe crab, looking for stuff to eat as the crab stirred up the bay bottom as it plowed along. It's been a while since I flounder fished in the bay so haven't seen them in a while. The ones we get in NY are not poisonous and are very good to eat.

 

[Ted C.]

Were they called Chicken of the sea?

 

[CurrentSea]

I went looking for them found Hootie and the blowfish when I searched for long island blowfish. Guess they played jones beach.

 

[BJL]

Yes, they were called chicken of the sea. People say when cleaned, the tails taste just like chicken. I used to catch many of them years ago when I went flounder fishing. Both flounder and blowfish seemed to mostly disappear in the bay the last several years.

 

[Radiowaves]

quote:

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Originally posted by CurrentSea

I went looking for them found Hootie and the blowfish when I searched for long island blowfish. Guess they played jones beach.

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I was at that concert....

 

[Gerry Heimann]

Not that Quigley. Quigley from A dock and computers don't know each other!

Gerry from A dock.

 

[dougnash]

Wow this brings back memories.

I was a kid in the 70's and would spend Sundays on my uncle's 28' silverton which he kept docked at guy lombardo in Freeport.

We would fish for flounder all day and there were always blow fish in the catch.

Back at the dock, my father and uncle would always lock themselves in the cabin with the beer and schnaps and made all the kids wash the boat.

We would go back to my grandmothers house where she would fry up the catch.

I specifically remember my father going on and on about the blowfish being the "chicken of the sea"

I havent done much fishing since then, but have always been curious if they are still around.

Then 2 or 3 years ago, I was working in Riverhead and stopped for lunch at The Lobster Roll.

Wouldnt you know it, on the menu, BLOWFISH!!

Couldnt resist, they were delicious.

I dont see them on the menu in Riverhead now, but they have them on the menu at their Montauk location (which is probably closed for the season).

http://www.lobsterroll.com/