‘Gone fishin’: Buzzards Bay Coalition hosts clinic in Onset

May 21, 2022

Cool winds, sunny skies and a busy pier greeted those attending the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s fishing clinic on Saturday afternoon, which it hosted alongside the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries.

Bay Adventures Manager Laura Lamar helped lead students old and young alike in learning the kinds of fish available off Onset Town Pier, how to rig their lines and how to cast into the water. Lamar, a member of the Buzzards Bay Coalition, worked alongside others from the coalition and the Division of Marine Fisheries, which is part of the state’s Department of Fish and Game.

The day started with instructional time in the Onset Bay Center, she said, before clinic participants practiced casting their lines in the grass. Tautog, scup, stripers and black sea bass are some of the fish participants were taught about, Lamar said.

Then, it was time to take to the water.

Nine-year-old Payton Parks stood at the end of a dock on the pier, waiting patiently for a bite.

She was hoping to catch a striper, she said. “I’ve caught one before.”

On the other side of the pier, Constance Cook was sitting on the edge of the pier as her line dangled into the water below. The woman said she’s spent more time clamming than fishing, but she was enjoying the relaxing afternoon out practicing her casting skills.

“Clamming is so relaxing,” Cook said, her sunglasses and hat shielding her from the strong sunlight.

The woman said she’s also worked with the Buzzards Bay Coalition before, volunteering to test water at parts of the beach. She’s helped test the water for dissolved oxygen and salinity, she said.

Lamar said the coalition started monitoring water quality about 34 years ago, and volunteers help make it possible.

But on Saturday afternoon, as an ocean breeze playing across the harbor and kids on the beach could be heard screaming as they sprinted into the water, Cook and other participants were focused on unwinding and, if possible, catching a fish to bring home for supper.