Fishing in : United States : New York : AuSable RiverWalker

AuSable RiverWalker

Address:

United States

New York

83 Cascade Ln, Jay, NY 12941

Coordinates:

Latitude: 44.443023

Longitude: -73.732079

Frank Pina, Jr,

Contact:

518-647-2284

Communication language

English

E-mail

Frankiefly@Frontiernet.net

Web-site

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Frank Pina, Jr, Guide and Owner of AuSable RiverWalker Fly-fishing Guide Service, was destined to be a fisherman from the very beginning of his life. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, close to the ocean. His rich cultural heritage gave him a strong foundation for his love and respect of the natural world. On his mother’s side, Frank is a proud descendant of the Wampanoag Indian Tribe of Cape Cod, the first native peoples to greet the Pilgrims of the Mayflower. His grandfather, Julian E.T. Youngblood, was a WWII veteran, a carpenter, a chef, an avid gardener, a historian, and a fisherman who designed many of his own lures. He was also a great storyteller. He imparted his wisdom, experience and reverence for nature to Frank and his brothers.

On his father’s side, the tradition of the sea was passed on to Frank by his Cape Verdean ancestors. His grandfather, Alfredo dos Santos (who later took the name, Alfred Pina), was born on the island of Fogo, one of the Cape Verde Islands. Alfredo was a crewman for two years on an American whaling ship, The Carleton Bell, which eventually brought him to this country. He was “the strong, silent type” who worked hard to care for and advance the lives of his ten children. He taught Frank to respect others and value family and community. Frank’s father, Frank, Sr., was most significant in educating his son about all of nature’s creatures. He had a “hands on” approach to teaching Frank and brought home all types of insects and reptiles to be observed and then returned to the wild.

Frank began fishing at an early age. His father was the first to take him. He remembers his first trips with his father. On one such trip, at the age of 7 or 8 years old, Frank recalls catching a pickerel and excitedly running down the road to show it off to his father. His dad’s urging to return it to the water so it wouldn’t die was Frank’s first experience with “catch and release”, an ethic which has stuck with him ever since.

Fishing with his maternal grandfather is another precious memory of Frank’s childhood days. I remember one of the last trips with Julian. I watched Frank and his brother, Wesley, help “Papa” over the craggy shore to feel the sea air on his face and watch the excitement of a battle with a bluefish. Julian was 87 years old. Although both grandfathers have now passed on, Frank’s interest in the natural world is without limits as a result of their tutelage.

Frank’s young-adult life took him to Nantucket Island and I’ve heard many stories of the huge stripers caught on the beautiful shores of this New England jewel. He says it took one whole year and many nights in rough water for him to master the skills of surfcasting and finally land his first fish, the elusive “line sides”, which happened to be a 40-pounder (What Luck!) The bluefish stories are even more “colorful”.