Patience pays off in shark tourney

When it comes to shark fishing, some days you have to wait hours for a hook-up, and some days you don't.

Last Saturday, Vinnie Tantillo, his father, Carl, and crew member Chris Edmonds didn't wait long at all. They were entered in the 38th Annual Freeport Hudson Anglers Shark Tournament and had run the 29-foot Topaz, This Is It!, offshore to 68-degree water near the Virginia Wreck.

"Ten minutes into our first drift a huge thresher grabbed a bluefish fillet,'' said the younger Tantillo. "Instantly, we knew it was a good one.''

The powerful whiptail held out for 2 hours, 20 minutes before the crew could get a tail-rope around it. At one point, it jumped clear of the water, then thrashed the surface with its long tail for another 20 yards before submerging again.

"It was quite a battle, but we had the fish corralled by 10:30 a.m.,'' continued the Amityville resident, "and were headed home before noon.''

I imagine it was an interesting ride back to port as the crew considered the possibility of capturing first place for the largest shark in the tourney, plus the $300, $500 and $1,000 calcuttas. At the dock, the hefty thresher tipped the scales at exactly 400 pounds, rewarding the happy anglers with the thrill of a lifetime - plus more than $116,000 in total prize money - as it swept all four categories.

Interestingly, Tantillo, who previously boated both makos and threshers in excess of 330 pounds, noted patience as the most important ingredient in hooking-up with prize-winning beasts.

"Given a decent drift and life in the water, allowing the fish enough time to cross your chum slick is the key,'' he said. "Many anglers quit on their spot too soon. Once you start chumming, stick it out.''

It shouldn't be hard to find the shark fleet this weekend. Word is out that the Virginia Wreck has been good, but so have many of the traditional sharking hot spots between 25 and 30 fathoms. With several shark tourneys scheduled for Friday through Sunday, it's likely to get quite busy offshore.

"There's a lot of bait in the water right now,'' said John Raguso, captain of the charter vessel, MarCeeJay, "and water temperatures are favorable. Surface temps are averaging 66 to 67 degrees to the east, 68 to 69 to the west, and about 70 degrees at The Glory Hole. With a decent wind, there should be some very exciting fishing.''

On Tuesday, Raguso managed several sharks around the Virginia Wreck. He noted plenty of pilot whales pushing between 25 and 30 fathoms, but added that bluefish were ravenous short of the 25 fathom curve.

"I would bring along several kinds of shark bait this weekend,'' he said. "With such a variety of baitfish in the water right now, who knows which might work best?''

On Tuesday's trip, Raguso tried mackerel, bunker and squid but every shark he hooked struck a bluefish.

"Things can change from day to day,'' he noted, "so carry several different shark appetizers - just make sure bluefish is one of them.

'Free fishing weekend'

The Department of Environmental Conservation has designated Saturday and Sunday as a "Free Fishing Weekend." No license is required to fish NY State waters during this period. All other fishing rules and regulations remain in effect.

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