The first place I read about "skishing" and Paul Melnyk was in David DiBenedetto's "On the Run," one of the best books ever on striper fishing. The book profiles Montauk New York angler Melnyk ("On one of his Popeye-like forearms was a tattoo of a striper turning on a bucktail."), who is clearly the most colorful and possibly the most fervent skisher around.
Oh, right, what is skishing? Well you can read about it in the Wall Street Journal today, "Swimming with the Fishes: Anglers Tangle over Skishing," and there's a great video too. (That's Melnyk on the left (WSJ photo), with eels before he sets out one night.)
Try this on for size: the best striped bass fishing is sometimes further from shore than the best surfcaster can reach, so skishers (ski + fish, as in water ski with a fish on the line) put on a wetsuit and flippers, put bait (usually eels) in ziplock bags, a stringer around their waist, and a big rod in their hands. They swim through the surf to spots one, two hundred yards off shore to start casting — often at night, when some think striper fishing is at its best. ( I wonder what sharks think.) DiBenedetto gave it a try with Melnyk, who told him, "This is our natural state, man. This is just like being in the womb or floating in space."
Never mind getting hit by boats, hooked by surfcasters, or thrown out of tournaments for cheating. Skishing is catching on, in a small way. Gearmaker ZeeBaaS has a skishing section and there is a "Skishing New England" website. And there are lots of skishing videos on YouTube.
You know crazy as it may seem, I'd love to try skishing. How about you?
-Ned Desmond
Have you joined GoFISHn? It' easy, fun and free. Try it out.
