CAPTREE STATE PARK

CAPTREE STATE PARK
West Islip

Fisherman's paradise

If you are a fisherman or even a novice angler, you cannot miss Captree State Park which lies on the eastern tip of Jones Beach Island. The park features a boat basin with open and charter boats available for fishing, sightseeing and excursions as well as scuba diving. It is known for its excellent Flounder and Fluke fishing and during fall, Blackfish and Sea Bass are common.  There are all sorts of boats available here on hire, for half day excursions or full day fishing trips. Choose from party size boats, open boats, larger charter boats, six-packers or a dive boat. One can fish from the piers, including two handicapped accessible piers or from the beach at Fire Island Inlet. Some boats stay in the bay, while others go into the ocean and all have experienced crew and excellent service As Captree State Park announces on its welcome board, it caters to the family fishing experience.

Situated at the confluence of the State Boat Channel, encompassing 298 acres, Captree State Park has been a fisherman's haven and a picnicker's delight since 1954. Captree Island consists of barrier islands on south shore of Long Island with islands and marshes on bayside. There are sandy beach and dune systems and natural salt marshes from the Nassau / Suffolk County Line in the west to Captree Island and Robert Moses State Park in the east. The Captree State Park on the eastern end of Jones Beach Island and western tip of Fire Island are also encompassed. The Park offers a boat launch ramp with parking for 64 boat trailers. Enjoy the beautiful outdoors while celebrating a special occasion with a boat ride. Afternoon trips usually start at 4:00 pm and the late afternoon is the pleasantest time to feel the sea spray on one's face and wind in the hair.

Narrated sightseeing tours and guided nature walks operate daily during the summer. Birders can delight in the excellent opportunity to observe many species of gull, terns white pelicans, black skimmers, common loon and many species of duck and other sea faring birds. The natural area in this Park provides an ideal location for one of the largest nesting areas of herring gulls along the Atlantic coast. Brown pelicans, the Pacific loon and red-necked Grebe have also been sighted here. Three species of plover, including the endangered piping plover are permanent residents. Other shorebirds that have been sighted are the sanderling, oystercatcher, ruddy turnstone, and willet. Look out for the northern harrier, a marsh hawk that soars low over the dunes and marshes, looking for rodents. The glossy ibis, great and snowy egrets, and great blue herons can be spotted in the salt marshes.

Winged creatures of another kind are a source of great delight to visitors in October. The gathering of the monarch butterflies is a treat that awaits you then. It is heartening that despite the development of the fishing piers and boat basin, the natural areas still thrive, with the avian and insect visitors claiming their own piece of the sun, sand and sea.

Directions: Robert Moses Causeway, reached via south end of Sagtikos Parkway.

Entrance $4 per car May 25-Sept 2, weekends/holidays Sept. Sept. 7-Oct. 14. Captree's 298 acres focus on a boat basin off State Boat Channel that draws all levels of boaters.

Season: Year-round, sunrise-sunset; boat basin open 5:30 a.m.-sunset (fishing pier open 24 hours; permit required).

Facilities: Marina with open and charter fishing, excursion and scuba diving boats (reservations required); 2 fishing piers (open 24 hours; night permit required); boat launch ramp; bait and tackle and marine fuel station (closes Dec. 1); free pump-out station; restaurant (seasonal), snack bar, playground and picnic areas (accessible to handicapped).

Events: Fishing contests, Captree Carnival, Bluefish/Surf Fishing Derby (dates not set).

Information: Captree Boat Basin, (631) 669-0449; restaurant, (631) 587-3495/3404; Captree Boatman's Association, (631) 669-6464.