Fishing Flea Market Helps Anglers Scratch an Itch

[caption id="attachment_62073" align="alignnone" width="800"] Tackle dealer Alex Werner demonstrates a fishing rod to Ronaldo Mascerenhas during a Fishing & Tackle Expo to benefit the Sag Harbor Fire Department Dive Team at the fire department's headquarters on Brick Kiln Road on Saturday. Michael Heller photo[/caption]

By Stephen J. Kotz

The choice was simple: Stay home and repair a leaking sink or put a towel under it and swing by the Sag Harbor Fire Department dive team’s fourth annual fishing flea market. The opportunity to browse lures in every size and shape won out over trying to fit a pipe wrench into the limited space behind a pedestal sink.

Although Saturday’s weather hinted more toward the possibility of snow than the imminent return of the osprey, inside the Brick Kiln Road firehouse, the focus was firmly on spring and the coming fishing season.

The fair featured about a dozen tables. Kenny Morse of Sag Harbor’s Tight Lines tackle shop was there, trying to lighten up on a little of his vast inventory, and some took advantage of steep discounts to buy a dozen lures or more. At the table next to him, Bill Rizzi was trying to unload a few of the extra Penn reels he had acquired at one too many yard sales.

“When you buy a bunch of tackle, you get a certain amount of used lures,” said Al Daniels of Sag Harbor, who writes the Outdoors column for this newspaper. He regularly combs yard sales and is one of the guys people call if they want to sell a lifetime’s collection of gear. “You put them on the table for a couple of bucks and someone doesn’t have to spend 20 bucks for a new one,” he said. The money he makes from sales like Saturday’s help fund his next treasure hunt.

John Fischetti, another Sag Harborite, who said he prefers offshore fishing, nodded toward a vendor at a table across the room. “He buys from me and I buy from him,” he said. His table held everything from a collection of exquisitely made fillet knives to an underwater camera kit that he had acquired as part of a large-lot purchase. For $350 it could make for the perfect accessory for someone who finds himself fishing with some restless kids who want to see exactly what is tugging on their line.

“Our wives pay for our table,” quipped Rich Strzepek of Mattituck, who was there with two friends, Frazer Dougherty and Steve Kellner, all members of the North Fork Anglers.

“We’re sick,” responded Mr. Kellner, when asked what leads fishermen to acquire more tackle than they can reasonably expect to use in a lifetime, or two or three for that matter. “If you could see what’s in our basements…”

Steve Tekulsky, an East Hampton town justice, offered a bit of wisdom as he passed by. “You know what they say,” he said. “Lures attract fishermen, not fish.”

That would be the case with the lures made by Chuck Purificato of Calverton. For more than 30 years, Mr. Purificato said he has been trying to make the perfect bucktail.

The bucktail, which consists of a lead head, a bucktail skirt and single hook, is one of the most basic, but versatile, lures around. They are so good at catching fish that they are included in the survival kits packed with U.S. Navy life rafts. Most fishermen keep a bunch on hand.

Mr. Purificato’s obsession with the simple lure began when he noticed that the tails of the mass-market lures he was buying did not stand up to heavy use. At first, he tied his own tails, but soon enough, he was starting from scratch: buying blocks of lead, which he would melt down and pour into molds of various sizes. He paints and bakes the lures and typically dyes the tails in contrasting colors “because I’ve never seen an all-white bait,” he said.

Years of tinkering have led to a better bucktail, if not the perfect bucktail, he said. Other fishermen must agree because he no longer has to hawk his wares. If you want to give them a try, you have to find one of the local tackle shops that carry them.

Al Goldberg, who grew up in Brooklyn and had a successful career in corporate finance before becoming a custom rod maker after moving to East Hampton, said he was driven by a similar goal as Mr. Purificato. A lifelong fisherman, who was often dissatisfied with the rods available to him, said, “I wanted to build the perfect mousetrap.”

What he learned after years of study, he added, is there may be as many perfect mousetraps as there are imperfect fishermen. Mr. Goldberg, who is now semi-retired, said he only works on referrals and makes about 50 to 75 rods a year, with prices starting around $400 for a simple, light rod and soon escalating.

Also on hand was Tom Federico, whose Surfmaster Charter business, is based at Long Wharf. Mr. Federico had donated a half-day charter, which typically costs $600, to the dive team. A Super Bowl-like 100-box pool was set up, with ticket chances going for $10 or three for $25.

“Mostly I give out lots of cards and hope to talk to people closer to the season,” said Mr. Federico, who has the only charter at the Sag Harbor docks. “A lot of people don’t know I’m here.”

It was not only fishermen on hand. Vito DeVito, a Sagaponack artist who lived for many years in Sag Harbor, had a table where he was offering limited edition etchings depicting the whaling trade and the village’s role in it. The completed 10-piece set will be on display later this year at the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum before moving on to exhibits in New England. Admittedly, there were not a lot of takers on Saturday, but that was okay, Mr. DeVito said. “I try to donate to everything I can.”