By REBECCA SHALOMOFF
The sky radiates its reliable blue splashed with shades of red and orange. The sun is a diminishing ball of hot pink. All the elements are in place for a perfect night of fishing in the Atlantic Ocean - high tide, plenty of waves, warm evening air and a full moon lurking beyond the horizon.
Standing on a rock of a jetty made slippery from being saturated by water is a balancing act. Nearby, birds are swarming for their prey - the fish. Black fish, striped bass and blue fish are what they'll catch this time of year, like their human competition perched along the jetties in Atlantic Beach.
Steve from Atlantic Beach, known locally as "the hatman," stands midway along the jetty near Daytona Street. Even as the sky darkens, you can't miss him geared up in a bright yellow wader (the rubbery, water-proof, suspender-held fisher's get-up), which he admits he's been too stubborn to have bought sooner. He sports layers of shirts for warmth, just in case he gets splashed by water.
The waves are playing rough with the rocks, and Steve experiences the aftermath. He wipes the water off his forehead and says that he's been fishing for almost 30 years. But he says he's not that great, like the guy at the far end of the jetty with the good tackle box and a bucket half-filled with fish.
"Me, I just go for the scenery. If I catch a fish, I just let it go, unless he's real big, but that hasn't happened," Steve says as his line gets tangled, which keeps him busy for about 15 minutes. "This is what happens when you do this type of fishing."
Steve's method is known as surf-casting. It's simulating the activity of fish, using what's called a lure, the artificial alternative to live bait. So he launches his line out as far as he can, then slowly pulls it in, hoping a much bigger fish will suspect it to be a little fish suitable to munch on. Once the line is back where it started, he sends it back out. Some fishers also stand in the ocean to surf-cast, as far as waist-deep.
While Steve's body jerks around from continually sending his line out, the fisherman sharing the jetty with him remains still. He takes a different approach to search for edible aquatic treasures. He's using a hook with a sinker and letting it sit on the ocean floor, otherwise known as bottom-casting. He waits for a fish to sense the bait and attack it. In this case, it's clam bellies, which are the same clams - baked, fried and steamed - humans nosh on. Also seen at the end of fishing hooks are eels, bunker, crabs and worms.
Some fishers bottom-cast from the shore. They bury their poles in the sand with a long fishing line extending into the ocean, giving them the freedom to roam the beach or soak up sun rays
It's Steve's third time out since the morning, and nothing's been biting. But that doesn't ruin his good mood; neither does the tangled line.
"If you start getting upset, that's when you say, okay, time to watch the sunrise or the sunset, and tomorrow's another day."
You can see fishers most any time of the day, each day of the week, and each week of the year. Jetty fishing is a hot activity that draws local and out-of-town fishers, experienced and novice, to Atlantic Beach. According to one, "Being on the rocks is like trading on the floors in the [Stock] Exchange. You have to be there early to get a spot on a good fishing day."
Justin of East Rockaway comes to Atlantic Beach every weekend of the summer and fall. Sometimes he's surfing with his buddies at Eldorado Street, wedged between Catalina and Silverpoint beach clubs, but today he's fishing on the big jetty, spending quality time with girlfriend Annie.
Where they stand, along with about 10 other fishers, is the westernmost edge of this beach town. It's referred to as "the big jetty" because it's the longest line of rocks that wraps around this little barrier of Long Island, enclosing Silverpoint. Because it technically belongs to the beach club, fishers are supposed to obtain a permit to fish here.
It's the most populated jetty in Atlantic Beach because it holds way more fishers at a time than the others, which see three or four people at most. It's also arguably one of the best spots to go fishing, because it's the point where the bay feeds into the ocean, bringing in a lot of fish. At this inlet are some of the deepest areas close enough to reach with a long fishing line and some of the best waves to surf in Atlantic Beach.
It's a cloudless day, so you can see a view of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. "That's where I work," says Justin. "It's about as hectic a place as I can think of. When I'm here, I could be in Fiji." Minutes later, Justin feels a tug at the end of his line. He stiffens, leans back and quickly reels in a little black fish. The first keeper he's caught all day.
Catching a fish isn't always as simple as chucking it into one's bucket. There are state regulations establishing the sizes that fish have to be in order to take them home. The idea is to allow fish under a certain length the opportunity to grow a little more before their doomed fate is set. Some fishers have spotted fishing wardens in Atlantic Beach, patrolling from the boardwalk or along the shore.
Howie, over on the Jefferson Street jetty near his house, hasn't caught anything yet, just a lot of seaweed. In fact, he's only caught two striped bass all summer; one was a throw-back, the other a keeper that he took home and grilled.
But that doesn't bother him. He's confident today will bring him his third.
On this exceptionally warm Saturday in autumn, he resurrects a beach lounge chair and props it on the jetty. A place set for a fisher-king.
"This is the ultimate, what can I say," he says with a half-smoked cigar in his mouth, sunglasses tipped at the edge of his nose and barefoot.
Howie says that you feel the rocks better without any shoes. His cigar has gone out, and he needs a dry book of matches.
But there's no way he's going to leave his makeshift throne. When someone walks by, he just calls out to inquire.
Of course, there's technique involved to the craft of fishing, like knowing how much line to let out and pull in and how to read the waves, wind and birds.
Steve says, "It has a lot to do with skill and a lot to do with luck. But being in the right place at the right time will help."
At least, the view is sublime.
