OPINION: Not enough fish in the sea for this fisherman

Frank Schiff lives in Wantagh.

I fish to eat. I also fish to have fun, but fun for me is about catching fish to eat.

Don't get me wrong. Like others who fish in our Long Island waters, I enjoy the thrill of reeling in a fish. I also take great pleasure in the whole fishing experience: the great outdoors, the camaraderie and solving the age-old mystery of finding the fish. But I grew up fishing to put food on the table and food in the freezer.

Today, however, it's easier and cheaper to buy fish at the local market than it is to catch a legal-size fish.

Fishing, once a relatively cheap sport compared with golf or hunting, is getting more expensive each year. Fishing tackle, bait, gasoline, a parking pass, license and a permit add up. Last year, I spent $105 simply for a beach parking pass, a saltwater fishing license and a night fishing permit. I could have saved money simply by picking up $100 worth of fish at my local market.

That's a guaranteed way of having fish for dinner, but there's no comparing ordering a pound of fish at the counter with tossing out a lure to hook a swimming predator. Nonetheless, in these days of dwindling fish populations and mounting regulations, at least the market offers a sure catch.

Often, when I go fishing, I end up throwing back everything I catch. This is the dilemma of 21st century fishing. Size limitations and closed seasons have put a damper on the sport. Fishing, a passion since childhood, is a different ballgame today. It's more about catch and throw back than catch and eat.

Times, however, have changed since the early 1970s, when my father would wake me at 5 in the morning to go cod fishing or at 7 to go out for winter flounder. Some species, like winter flounder, have almost gone the way of the dinosaurs.

So each year I bring home fewer and fewer fish. Maybe it's because I was spoiled growing up when our waters were filled with fish on both the North and South Shores. As a youngster, I always expected to catch something. Not today.

These days, one keeper out of the 15 I catch means success. But I still fish. It's in my blood. The winter flounder season opens on Thursday, and I know my chances of catching a winter flounder in April are slim. But, I will still go fishing in the weeks ahead.

And if I turn up empty, there's always fish in the market. That's guaranteed.