Boy Scout Troop 343 and Troop 3 Go On a Family Fishing Trip aboard the Osprey V of Port Jefferson

A total of 39 Boy Scouts and family members from Troop 343 (Hauppauge) and Troop 3 (Smithtown) participated in the Troop 343 Family Fishing Trip aboard the Osprey V out of Port Jefferson on Saturday, July 13 2013 from 4:30pm to “returning in the dark”

            After leaving the Port Jefferson marina, the crew of the Osprey V took the scouts and their family members into the beautiful Long Island Sound in search of Porgies.  A number of first were achieved this evening – for some, it was their first fishing trip, for some it was their first time in the Long Island Sound, and for some it marked their first catch!

            Quite a few Porgies were caught, and in fact the largest fish caught was a Porgy but Sea Bass, Fluke, Sea Robins and even a Sand Shark were among the fish that were caught and brought on board (even though not all were “keepers”).  A number of scouts were able to move towards completion of requirements for the Fishing merit badge (headed by scouting parent/Fishing Merit Badge Counselor Ron Moe) as they caught and assisted in cleaning their fish as well as were able to identify the type of fish as well as to name and explain five safety practices you should always follow while fishing (including  explain how to remove a hook that has lodged in your arm, should this ever happen), discussed the differences between two types of fishing outfits and to identify the parts of several types of rods and reels (fresh and salt water equipment), and also how and when each would be used as well as how to care for this equipment.

             An interesting mix of weather included fog, sun and clouds but the rain held off and all had a good time.

(Photos by scouting parent/fishing trip coordinator Darius Bobelis)