The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.

This very sentence, taken from The Old Man and the Sea, is one that Steve and I have quoted many times when referring to the relationship between Steve and the person who first introduced him to the ocean, his grandfather.

Steve grew up spending much of his time with his grandfather, Robert (Bob) Lake, who eventually became Steve’s best friend. Bob was an avid fisherman himself and would tell us many a story about his days in Montauk fishing on the Viking and his nights at Salivar’s. Steve’s introduction to fishing came at a young age, and once he started he never stopped. Although Bob continued fishing for many years thereafter, he gradually moved away from fishing and began rod building, a “hobby” that he continued for years. To this day, Steve and I have have an entire collection of beautifully built rods, from light to heavy tackle, most with Bob’s signature on them.

Steve and I met almost 20 years ago and we’ve been fishing together for the last 15, many of which were spent in Montauk. This was my introduction to fishing and I fell in love with it immediately. I remember catching my very first fish, a snapper (!!), off the Coast Guard station in Montauk. The fish couldn’t have been more than two pounds, but it was all I needed to become hooked. From there, we started trailering our 22’ Mako to Montauk, first for a weekend, then for a week and then for a few weeks. Our next boat, a 28’ BHM, would be docked in Montauk for half the season and then, eventually, a full season. In 2003, we started November Rain Charters and in 2004 we purchased the current November Rain, a 35’ Young Brothers.

We don’t claim to be more knowledgeable than other captains, nor will we tell you that we’ll catch more fish than any other boat. What we will tell you, however, is that if you decide you would like to fish with us, we will try our absolute best to make sure you have a great day, including going home with a great catch.

On July 15, 2006, Bob passed away. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t thank him for having introduced us to the love of our lives. He is now one with the ocean and I know he watches over us when we’re out there!