Fire Island: A Nautical Weekend

I’ve enjoyed my trip around Fire Island - by way of your blog, Bathgate. You sell it very well.
The beautiful clean beaches, coastal homes, wildlife and the Flora too. I’m a fan of the coastal vibe, love the boat pics too.
The photos of the long “boardwalk” paths look inviting, to the beach maybe?

Thank you Paul I agree with Kate a very enjoyable trip round the Island ,The beaches really are wonderful and clean , did you catch any fish or was it the one that got away ;o)) 😊

yes I agree a beautiful day out. and what about the fishing? did you cast for anything.
BC [before children] hubby and I would go boat fishing off Whitby/Hornsea/Bridlington and sometimes we had too much fish, so we'd give it away to our neighbours and other times just enough for our tea. As a child I used to fish off the beach up in Sunderland. During the day with older brothers, if at night with dad.

But I can certainly say no where near as pretty as here Paul. You must be feeling better then. Good.

That brought back memories Sbg my hubby use to go fishing I remember he once brought back a lot of Dabs ,he gave some to our elderly neighbour she put them on her work top , her husband found her screaming her head off when she went back into the room they were flopping about on the floor ,she didn't know they were still alive ..

oh dear but that is so funny Amy2. We always killed the fish as soon as landed if they were big enough to keep.

Thank You Kate. All paths lead to the beach. It's all about the beaches here, of course a watermelon margarita would make it that much better. Feels more like Honolulu in the Summertime.

Amy: The fishing is really good here. We've caught lots of fluke and flounder. I think anybody can catch 'the big one'. the fish are so abundant. The snappers are really good. I really love diving for clams, but too cold now. The bottom is literally covered in clams & oysters - and the occasional artifact from times gone by.

Eileen: the fishing is abundant here, but I do it more for sport - just for the thrill of catching something competing with my friends. I'm not a huge fish eater except the snapper is really good. I'll keep one and throw the rest back. I love the clams though (or are they oysters?) - and diving for clams is really fun. The bay is only about 5 feet deep in parts. Plenty of nice restaurants here as well - in the summer.

LOL Amy that must of been hilarious. We have a cooler full of ice. When I catch a keeper, it goes right on the ice. It keeps the fish fresh until we can prepare it. We only keep what we can eat for that day - it's mainly for sport - we throw most back in, except the clams they are so good, can never have too much.

Thank you everybody for your comments. I so glad to share this with you.

What a fantistic place to spend the weekend and as you said with out to many people around ,I throughly enjoyed the journey over on the boat then the amazing walk around even though it was in photo form thank you for inviting us !

I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your lovely comments.

What lovely place it seems fun to go and explore.

Oh yes, each time I go, it's a whole new experience. Just meeting all kinds of interesting people - music concerts. The whole atmosphere is very uplifting. The sand glows at night under the moon. Sometimes the ocean is like glass and sometimes you better run like heck to higher ground - if you can find it.

At least music concerts will bring in revenue for the island hoping of course it doesn't destroy the island. The sand and sea effect sounds great . Is that incase the ocean doesn't swamp the island running to higher ground? I would love to see it wnut with the crowds of people😁

Yes, sometimes a hurricane or Nor'easter comes ashore and it's time to pray. They leave a lasting impression or take a house or two.

Ahrr so it's the winds and hurricane thank you for letting me know Paul.

Great blog Paul - thanks for giving us a “taste” of your fish! Why is it called Fire Island?

LOL Hi Sheila. Do you like to fish? According to my research. It was named by the Dutch in 1789. The name came from a mispronunciation of 'Five' Island Inlet. Somehow 'Five' became 'Fire'.

Thanks Paul. I've never fished in my life, but they make good eating :)

They sure do. The snapper is my favorite - sweet, tender & sumptuous eating.

THANKS FOR THE TOUR PAUL. THE SEA REMINDED ME OF WHEN WE LIVED ON THE I.O.WIGHT. I USED TO GO FISHING THERE.

Your welcome Linda. So you are a fisher as well. Aren't those the best fish - the ones you catch yourself? My favorite is the red snapper - such a rich and succulent fillet - but the clams are really good too. Thanks for stopping by.

I USED TO FISH FROM THE PIER AND FROM A PLACE ON THE BEACH WHERE THE WATER WAS DEEPER ONE SIDE. I CAUGHT A NICE BIG PLAICE ONCE AND WE ATE IT FOR OUR TEA.

LOL nice. After fishing we like to dive for clams. The bottom is carpeted with oysters and clams and the water is only 5-6 feet deep in places. We catch enough to make dinner for 5 of the best clams.