Fishing Reports 2009

12/9/2009 The "Skimmer" is having a complete makeover this winter. After 30 years of hard fishing and many exciting days on the water my "baby" deserves some tender loving care. The decks were going soft and the tanks needed inspection or replacement. I intend to also rebuild the transom, upgrade electronics, new trim tabs and possibly a new paint job. To follow the progress of this project go to http://skimmer.smugmug.com/Boat-Maintenance/Skimmer-Makeover/10633412_iftzT#739629695_JPWKg

I was very lucky that my buddy George has a beautiful shop where I can do all the work in comfortable conditions over the winter season. Here is the boat just getting loaded on a set of dollies so it can be mover around the shop. It is very exciting and I am enjoying doing the work. I have buddies that can do all the stuff that I am not good at and hopefully it will be ready for spring bass season and looking real good. To watch the progress of the project go to skimmeroutdoors.com

11/20/2009 Last week my wife and I were once again down in Baja California for a few days of relaxing and fishing. The Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort is a family run business of the Valdez family on the east cape of the Baja peninsular. Axel Valdez (holding Wahoo in photo) invited me to check out a new service they offer in the winter months. More Images to Be Posted Soon! http://hotelbuenavista.com

11/19/2009 I fished today with Mark Epstein and Dave. We had a good day of catching striped bass and bluefish on jigs in the ocean. Here is Dave with a nice bass taken on an AVA 47 green tail.

Dave with a couple of other fish from the day. It was hot action but the ocean was pretty tough today. Sometimes its easy and sometimes you have to work hard and endure some tough weather to succeed. Another excellent day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

11/16/2009 I fished today with Captain Dave Zarrello. We worked live bait for a couple of bass to 20 pounds. We saw a few being caught by other boats including what looked like a real nice fish. The water is cleaning up and I would guess that from tomorrow on it should be good. Another good day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

A friend Steve Neary and his fishing buddy Buddy Robinson were nearby when Joe was fighting the big fish. Steve was kind enough to take some great photos of the fishing scene. Here Joe is working the fish to the side of the boat.

Fish in the boat! That finally got a smile from Joe. It was an excellent day of fishing and thank you Steve for the photos. Captain Al Lorenzetti

11/10/2009 I knew it would happen. The big fish are starting to show. I fished with Joe Tropia today. Joe fishes with me once a year in the fall. Joe must have a rabbit's foot implanted somewhere on his body because every time he fishes with me we slam the big fish. This fish was 35 on the scale but should have been 40 plus. A huge head and shoulders but no gut. Still an excellent fish. We had a fun day as we always do and caught nice fish. We had another fish that was just the opposite. Short like a teen size fish but fat as they come and weighed 25 pounds. We had other fish and good action all on live bait. I look forward to fishing with Joe again as always. If anyone needs a great painter, houses that is not fine art, Joe is your man, just send me an email. Another excellent day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

11/8/2009 I fished today with my girlfriend Lenie and her son Russell. We went out for a few hours in the afternoon and had a blast. We found some good bait and drifted live bait and tossed plugs for some real nice striped bass. These two fish were 27 and 31 pounds. Russell angled both fish and had a great time of it. Lenie acted as photographer and supplied encouragement to Russ. It was a fun afternoon. I think the fishing is going to be excellent for the next two weeks. The big fish are inside the inlet and the bait is just starting to move. An excellent afternoon on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

11/5/2009 I fished today with Kevin Ryan and his buddies Jason and Gene (left, right and center). We had a good day on the water. The weather was excellent and the fishing was OK. Plenty of bait in the water. The entire inlet is loaded with sand eels. We caught a nice 25 pounds fish and missed a couple of other opportunities. Overall it was a good day and very enjoyable. I really believe the best fishing is still to come. It will be a late season. The water temperature is ideal in the mid fifties and there is bait all over. The bunker have still not left the bay. The fish will be here soon. Another great day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

11/4/2009 I hunted for sea ducks today with Frank Iannucci. We had a good time of it in the ocean and the birds were flying. We bagged our limit of scooters, mostly white wing. It was a beautiful morning hunt on Frankie's boat. Another excellent day on the water with a good buddy and my Benelli Super Black Eagle loaded with Black Cloud ammo. Captain Al Lorenzetti

Riverview Final Standings Look for all the images tomorrow. Thanks again Riverview Riverview 2009 Images (Click Here)

1st. Left - Scott Leonard 36.5 2nd Center - Jim Leslie 29.8 3rd John - Schweitzer 29.4 Riverview 2009 Images (Click Here)

11/3/2009 Fishing has been tough this fall season making the Riverview more challenging then ever. Team Augie's however already had 3 nice fish on board as of noon. 1:35pm Tim C. Smith Riverview 2009 Images (Click Here)

11/1/2009 Ray Bartlett of the UPS store in Babylon Village holding up this 44 pound Bass he worked hard for. The Striper was weighed in at Saltwaters Tackle in West Islip http://www.tacklefishing.com/

Hi all! You are invited to attend the Frank and Dick's End of the Season Party!! Here's the deal: Date: Sat., November 7th '09 Time: 1pm-5pm Free Food and 1/2 off drinks...until it's all gone :) Please try to "boatpool" so we can fit everyone in! Thanks for a great season and we can't wait for next year! - The Crew @ Frank and Dick's -

Forgot to post a shot from a while ago with Dom, Charlie and Gary Arnold (left to right). We did a bass trip and worked hard for fish. It was a lot of fun however with Dom "The Gregarious" keeping us laughing and well fed. Charlie turned out to be top gun for the day. Another great day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/25/2009 Today I fished with Steve Perrine, Joel and Adam (Front, left and right). We had a fine day for fishing but the fishing was tough. Boat traffic was very tough with boats fishing everywhere. We did manage to catch and made a good day of it. These guys were good sports and we had some laughs and enjoyed the day. Another excellent day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10-24-2009 Despite the miserable forecast the weather held out, there were even breaks of sun for the 15th annual Kismet Striped Bass and Bluefish tournament. Striped Bass 1st Brian Doherty "underdog" 28 lbs 0 oz 2nd Gavin Vice "Underdog" 26 lbs. 12 oz. 3rd Chris O'Hare "Sea Bisquit" 23 lbs 3 oz Bluefish 1st Jim Sposota "Lady J." 10 lbs 6 oz 2nd Bill Rauft " Deeper" 9 lbs 5 oz 3rd Dennis Thomas "more Sea's" 8 lbs 13 oz

10/20/2009 I fished today with Rich Nelson Jr. and his buddy JB. We had a good day of bass fishing with three fish. One nice fish on live bait at 32 pounds and two on plugs 18 and 14 pounds. Both plugged fish were on the Gary Soldati "White Pearl" giant pike plug. Here is JB with the 18 pound plugged fish. The fishing should remain excellent through mid November and I still have a couple of days available.

This was the fish taken on bait at 32 pounds. Another excellent day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/19/2009 Fishing was good today. I had 10 fish on plugs o 25 pounds, none less than 14. Good action. The next two days should be real good and then when the weather turns nasty on Friday into Saturday it should be great. Starting to kick butt..... Captain Al Lorenzetti

Date Caught: 10-17-2009 Location: Fire Island I was able to sneak out for an hour here and there and landed some nice fish. First trip had 3 fish to 39lbs on Shad. Second trip had fish to 35lbs on Shad and then last night had fish to 34lbs on Eels. Weather and wind is difficult but fish are on the move. ---Gary Arnold

I fished today with Captain Dave Zarrello. We had a beautiful day and did OK with the bass. We had fish on plugs and bait. Here is a plugged fish taken with a Gary Soldati "Pearl" giant pike plug. These plugs really work great in fast water. A few shad have begun to appear and I think that is why the white plugs are working best now. When they are around white is always hot. When the bunker are around yellow is best. When they are all around then anything you throw in the water works best. This Northeaster is really going to turn things on. The bait is going to pour out of the bay. It has already started. The next four weeks should be excellent fishing. Now is when the big fish will turn to live bait and big plugs. The clams will mostly catch the schoolie fish. Now is the time for a trohpy. Another good day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/14/2009 While out on the water this morning I noticed quite a bit of bird life in the East West channel. I stopped for a few minutes and jigged with a crippled Herring. The Spearing where so thick on the bottom i actual managed to snag one of the little guys. Looks like the bait is on the move and things should bust open any time now. Tim C. Smith

10/10/2009 Hunting season is now underway with the bow season on Long Island. Here is my buddy Jim Conte with his first buck taken with a compound bow, a beautiful 9 pointer. Congratulations Jim! Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/11/2009 Pictured are Frank Iannucci and Scott Leonard (left to right) with a beautiful 40 pound striped bass caught yesterday in the Suffolk Marine Striped Bass Tournament. The big fish are starting to show now. The bass bite should be in full swing by late this week. I still have some prime dates available for all weeks through November 15th. If you want to fish drop me an email at captal@skimmeroutdoors.com. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/6/2009 I fished today with my buddy Jim Conte and his brother John who is visiting from the UK. The fishing was tougher today than yesterday. We fished live bait and had bluefish. We then switched to plugs and caught a couple of bass up to 15 pounds. The weather was beautiful but the fishing could have been better. However, any day that you catch striped bass is a good day of fishing. I know most people today caught nothing. Another good day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/5/2009 I fished today with Captain Dave Zarrello and Captain Roger Dean. We had fun with big bluefish and bass on live bait. It was a good bite and the fish have definitely moved into our area. Another good morning on the water. For those interested, the bluefin bite is still on big time in the Bacardi area now. Buddies had fish to over a hundred yesterday. Tomorrow looks like a good window to make the run and then it is over for the next bunch of days with strong winds predicted. Go get them tomorrow. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/3/2009 Just got the hot report. Good bass weighed in today. Clean ocean fish into the 30's. This fish moving our way from the east finally arrived. As of today the fall run of striped bass is on. I still have dates available every week through mid November so now is the time to set it up if you want to fish for trophy striped bass on the "Skimmer". Email me at captal@skimmeroutdoors.com to set a date. Captain Al Lorenzetti

10/2/2009 I fished today with Lou Barrish, his son Zach and buddy Woody (right, left and center) out of Seaview, Fire Island. Bass fishing was tough. We tried every place and worked it hard. We did some plugging and connected with an 11 pound bluefish to save the morning. I expect the bass to be here at any moment but not today. Another good day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

I know this is not a fishing report, but I wanted to give a quick review of a new Thai restaurant that just opened up in Amity Harbor. The "Green Leaf" is located at 47 Merrick Road about a mile east of Route 110. The atmosphere is simple, but the Thai food is the best I've had on Long Island. My wife and I have visited the "Green Leaf" three times since their opening and so far they are 3 for three. For now it's B.Y.O. alcohol and the menu is very reasonable with entrees ranging from $9.95 to $20.95. Pictured here is the pineapple and shrimp curry that was served in a half pineapple and loaded with quality fresh shrimp. Tim C. Smith www.thai.netau.net 631-789-8866

9/25/2009 I fished today with Jeff Schumacher, his brother Craig and buddy Jim (center, left right). We targeted striped bass but as was the case yesterday the bass did not cooperate. It was bluefish only and the guys kept one for the table. A nice day on the water even if the fishing was below par. Another good day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

9/24/2009 Today I did an ESPN shoot with Byron Velvick of the "Going Coastal" fishing series. The fishing was tough but we did our best and maybe the piece will make it to the show. Conditions were good but the striped bass did not cooperate. We fished really hard with both bait and plugs but couldn't connect with a bass. Byron caught bluefish and showed his master angling techniques but even that was not enough to lure a bass to the hook. We called it quits at about 6 pm and decided to stop on the way back to Babylon for some nourishment. Here we all are at "Frank and Dicks" in the State Channel where we stopped on the way home for some dinner and refreshments. Hanging and having a good time are yours truly Captain Al, the host of ESPN "Going Costal" fishing series Byron Velvick and cameramen Mike and Chris (left to right). Another great day on the water. Captain Al Lorenzetti

Roger's nice fish which was one of many we released.

Captain Al got in on some action over the course of two days.

Davey admiring his big one.

9/22-23/2009 I had two great days of fishing for tuna. On 9/22 I fished with Mike DeSimone and Captain Dave Zarrello on Mike's 32 regulator. We found the fish in a dragger fleet about 50 mile from Fire Island Inlet. We jigged and chunked big tuna all day. It was awesome. On 9/23 I fished with Captain Roger Dean and Captain Dave Zarrello on Dave's 25 Contender for another go at the tuna. We had another awesome day with fish to 150 pounds. Here is Dave and Roger celebrating after the catch.

Captain Dave with his 150 after a bruising half hour fight. This fish was tough. I ran the boat and Roger did the gaffing. A team effort put a nice fish in the box.