Last week, The Rockaway Times introduced a new beachfront fishing report from Timothy Moriarty called Walkabout Angler. Surf fishing in the Atlantic has been part of Rockaway culture for many years, but Rockaway has two shores. Jamaica Bay also has many an angler casting from the bay wall near the ferry station, or in Bay Breeze Park. The typical catch may be a small porgy, a small bluefish or a flounder. On Sunday, August 16, Matthew Lynch of Belle Harbor reeled in a fish that is much rarer in our waters: a cobia, also known as a lemonfish or crabeater.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, cobia are most abundant from Virginia south through the Gulf. It is a large, powerful fish that puts up a good fight and provides a tasty meal. This cobia was much further north when Lynch encountered him in Jamaica Bay. This fish weighed 15 pounds and took five minutes to reel in.
