Here around Long Island is a great place to fish; anglers have many secret spots. However, as is the norm, most hate to tell exactly where they catch their fish. When you ask an angler where he caught his fish, most of the time you get a very general answer like Montauk, Peconic Bay, Shinnecock Bay, Pt. Jeff Harbor or Orient Point. In this article, I want to let you know about the fantastic bluefishing in Orient Point. Orient had some of the best fishing I have seen this past year. I had arranged a number of bluefishing trips on board Orient's charter boats, The Orient Star and The Prime Time III. Needless to say, we experienced some great fishing on both boats. Capt. Bill Russo of the Orient Star is a great captain. And before I forget, Bill called me over the winter and said he purchased a 50' boat, The Orient Star II that will replace the original. Capt. Mike Boccio of the Prime Time III runs his boat as an open boat as well as a charter boat. Both captains have experience and definitely put their anglers on fish.

The bluefishing really picks up in August and September. This past September, I filmed segment for our TV Show, ADVENTURES IN FISHING WITH CAPT. RAY KELLY on board The Prime Time. This particular trip was special because it was a Memorial Fishing Trip/Tournament held in memory of an avid angler, Frank Ricciardo. What a tribute to an angler - to have a fishing trip/tournament held in your honor! The angler who caught the biggest bluefish would be the tournament winner, and would have the honor of the keeping the beautiful wall plaque that was made up for this event in their house for the following year.

I made the arrangements with a friend of mine, Jim Ricciardo, to film the trip for the show. I had told him about the fantatic bluefishing out in Orient and he told me to book the trip. Most of the anglers for this special trip are from Jim's family, young and old. There were a couple of father and son teams, Frank Johnson Sr. and Jr. and Steven Raimondo Sr. and Jr.. It was great to see fathers and sons fishing together. I interviewed last years winner, Craig Bohl, and he explained he does most of his fishing out of Fire Island Inlet. He also said that he was going to win the tournament again this year, so we'd have to wait and see what happened. There were 14 anglers in all, from 4 different states, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and North Carolina.

The anglers boarded the boat and your could feel the excitement. I overheard them talking about last years trip; they kidded themselves and I wondered who this years winner would be. Capt. Mike pulled the Prime Time from its slip and headed out of the marina. We cruised past the Orient Point lighthouse and set up our first drift just north of Plum Island. Capt. Mike told me that this was where he had been catching the bluefish. The rods were rigged with diamond jigs and the anglers were told they would be jigging for bluefish. Orient Point bluefish usually run from 3-8 pounds with an ocassional 10-12 pounder mixed in. There's also always a chance to catch a striped bass, although they really come to life after dark. Since this was a twilight trip, we'd be heading back to the dock just after dark.

The first two drifts were unproductive. I started to wonder if the bluefish were there. However, on the start of the third drift, Frank Johnson Jr. and Jimmy Ricciardo both hooked up. Jimmy landed his fish first and you could see by the big smile on his face he was a happy man. Frank landed his blue right afterwards. It was non-stop action after that; Bluefish on every drift. There were many double, triples and quadrouples. I was having a hard time filming all the action! And anyone who has ever caught a bluefish knows that pound for pound they are one of the best fighting fish in the water.

The fish were averaging five pounds or so but as the night was passing, the got bigger and bigger. After Frank Sr. caught a nice one, he mused that that he just enjoyed being out there with the others, and particularly his son. So many anglers get mad if they don't catch fish, but after all, that's not what fishing is really all about. It's about enjoying the outdoors, being on the water and experiencing a sport in which some not so lucky are unable to participate.

The sunset was spectacular and our group was having a great time; the bluefish just kept coming over the rail by the doubles and triples. This is usually how it is out in Orient. There's great fishing out there. With about an hour left on the trip, last year's winner, Craig Bohl hooked into a monster bluefish. He struggled to get the fish to the surface and as Capt. Mike tried to lift the leader into the boat, the fish got off. Disappointed as he was, Craig immediately dropped the diamond jig to the bottom and started jigging again. It didn't take long and he was hooked up again. Another monster bluefish was on the line. This one didn't get away. I lost count at all the fish that were caught. It was going to a very close contest.

I felt bad for Steven Raimondo Jr., who had not yet landed a fish. I whispered to Jimmy that it would be great to see him get one and Jimmy took the hint. Jimmy hooked another fish and immediately called over Steven Jr. and gave him the rod. You should have seen the happiness in Steven's face as he struggled to land his fish; and land it he did. In fact, everyone on the trip landed fish. It was another great Orient Point Bluefishing trip.

So who won the tournament, you ask? Craig Bohl won it again just as he predicted. The Frank Ricciardo Memorial Fishing Tournament plaque will stay on his wall for another year. If you want to experience some fantastic bluefishing, give ADVENTURES IN FISHING a call at (516) 929-6711 or check the ADVENTURES IN FISHING Website at http://www.adventure-fishing.com.

And remember- "Let's get kids hooked on Fishing...NOT on drugs!"

Visit Capt. Ray at his website http://www.adventure-fishing.com or drop him a line at [email protected]