New York Metro &
New Jersey

June 19th, 2003

More Rain!?!

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Okay, enough of this bad weather already! Seems as if just about every day I plan on fishing I can expect either rain or wind or both! Unbelievable!!!

Those of you who fish in the Northern New Jersey and New York Metro area know all too well the consequence of what has amounted to consistent down-pours averaging three days a week. New York City Sewage treatment facilities cannot withstand the volume of city runoff and they overflow right into the Hudson, the East River, Raritan and Jamaica Bay. The water turns an ugly brown color and catching fish in the bays and tributaries (for the most part our only shallow water fishery) is very, very tough. Sure, you can go out to the Lower Harbor areas where the water flushes at quick rate and the quality is a little bit better, but usually that requires sinking lines, dredging and the lack of visuals one associates with what I consider to be “true” saltwater flyfishing.

Yea, it’s pretty cool when fish are boiling on the surface and there has been a good amount of that this year, especially with the bluefish, but it still pales in comparison to seeing the shadow of a big spooky striper pushing a v-wake in shallow water while the sun provides a window into a world that is foreign yet obliquely familiar to us. That kind of thing was a common occurrence in most areas I fished last year, and the year before for that matter. Every morning that alarm clock goes off I wake with the expectation of experiencing that wonderful shallow water occurrence or maybe just the swipe of a tail on a popper. This year so far it hasn’t happened with any consistency at all. While I would like to just blame it on the rain I can’t, because the rain is most certainly not the natural culprit. The offender is the city of New York who collects untold amounts of taxes from just about every source you can imagine.

How on earth can a technologically advanced society such as ours not have the wherewithal to create a sewage and runoff system that can withstand a substantial amount of rain. I’m not an engineer, but it seems to me that creating a new system or altering the pre-existing one, while more than likely very expensive, could totally be done. However, I suspect if there is no money to be made off it, it just isn’t a priority. And why would the city make such a large investment on this new system? For a bunch of disgruntled fishermen, who fight tooth and nail the prospect of paying a meager $25 for a saltwater license? No way man… It’s not going to happen. So for now we’ll deal with a deeper water fishery in the NYC area and the post rain prolific hatches of Coney Island Whitefish and hope that one day decision makers get their priorities straight… but I’m not holding my breath. What can you expect… It’s telling that some of the biggest fish poachers in lower New York Harbor are NYC municipal employees. One of note even goes so far to hang a NYC municipal (I won’t name which one) jacket over his center console to avoid being boarded by the DEC or Coast Guard. It’s a tough world we live in…

But I don’t want to paint a dark picture of this year because, while the sight fishing on the west end has been tough, on the East End reports indicate that it has been excellent. On the West End, New York Harbor and in New Jersey, there has been plenty of surface action with big bluefish, and the weakfishing hasn’t been half bad. In central New Jersey folks are catching 40-pound fish like never before. Vast schools of bunker are located right off the beach and live-liners have been having the best year in recent memory as Chesapeake Bay hogs have been gorging themselves on this large bait. Flyrodders have been getting some here and there as well.

More rain this weekend, but the wind doesn’t look so bad. So get out there and fish!

And don’t forget to email me your own reports. Tight lines all.

Tight Lines!

John McMurray

New Jersey

The number of big bass off the Jersey Shore is nothing short of amazing. Captain Jim Freda of Shore Catch Guide Service has been thoroughly taking advantage of this phenomenon. Check it out:

“Its unexplainable, its absolutely phenomenal”. That’s the way veteran striped bass fishermen are describing the striper action right now from both the beach and the boat in Monmouth County. Twenty-five pounder aren’t even looked at right now. Most of the fish
are in the thirties and a good number of forty-pound fish have also been
caught. There are more big bass now than anyone has seen in a lifetime.
These big bass are hanging around here as they move up north from the
Chesapeake because of all the bunkers that are around. It's tough to get
them on the fly when they are so keyed in on these baits like they are
now but live lining a bunker produces instant results. Capt Jim was out
with Vic Kubu and Kevin Hyland over the past weekend to catch the
6:00-8:00am morning bite and they had 10 fish on with 7 coming to the
boat. The smallest fish was 15 pounds and the largest was 32 pounds, all
released.

Farther south in the Atlantic City / Ocean city area, Captain Bryan DiLeo checkes in with this report:

Ocean City Report/Atlantic City
Capt. Bryan DiLeo/Iowa Fortune

Things down here have been pretty good since returning home from Keys. Last
week produced nice catches of Bass through out the backcountry willing to play
with both light tackle and fly anglers alike. Most of the fish seemed to be
traveling in smaller schools (10 or so fish) consisting of mostly fish in the
12" to 26." Also mixed in along with the Bass were bluefish in the 3-4Lb. range
making short time of any well placed cast in front of them. Very few fish
were taken on top water this week, it seemed that the bass most receptive to
smaller bucktails tipped with a culprit worm in combination with a nice slow
retrieve and chartreuse and white deceivers for the fly guys. Water temperatures
are still between 65 and 69 which is very cool for June making the striped Bass
action still an all day event, a real treat. Look for things to remain
consistent coming of the full moon, this in combination with good tides, should a
good recipe or both daytime as well as night Fishing. Quick note on our action
in the keys. For 2 weeks being there, 11 Days of fishing, we jumped 19 Tarpon
and boated 7 others with the Smallest fish at 60lbs. and our largest tipping
the scales at 140lbs.
Capt. Bryan DiLeo
609-926-5415

That’s all for this week… Pray for better weather!!!

The bays and flats slowed down considerably this week, but the areas outside compensated. Lots of big bluefish under the birds and if you could manage to get down below them, there were some nice bass around. Keeper sized bass are also holding in the rips and along structure. There are still some big bass in Jamaica Bay and the bait guys are still hammering them, but the flyfishing has been tough.

Captain Dino Torino from Fin Chaser Charters reports good action along the popular rip and structure spots. It’s been generally agreed upon that we are beginning to enter into our summer patterns in the Lower Harbor.

Captain Ralph Burtis from Island Charters reports good bluefish action… Check it out:

The Metro area is still loaded with plenty of blues if you’re looking for a lot of rod bending action with very little work to find them. We found lots of blues to 24” schooled up on the surface and in some of the structure spots, blues up to 30”. Nice sized stripers are still hanging around on structure and rips. We had bass to 32” this week on chartreuse & white half and halfs fished on sinking lines. Slow retrieves seemed to work best for some of the finicky eaters that seemed to be sitting on structure and not moving to take flies. Artificial lures scored week also, but not on the bass on structure, flies out scored artificials 4 to 1 every trip this week. I’ve included a picture of George Stewart with a nice fly caught NYC striper. There’s plenty more out there, so stop wishin’ and get fishin’.
Until next week;
Capt. Ralph Burtis

Western Long Island

The South Shore lit up this week for Captain Barry Kanavy of Natural Anglers. Check it out:

You should'a been here yesterday. How many times have you heard that? Well yesterday, was that yesterday, everyone refers to. 6:00 AM, "Tino the Machine", and I are heading down the bay and into the backwaters. Tino stretches out his fly line and wham! second cast he is on! And that's the way it went all morning. We had Stripers tailing on the flats and feeding in the shallows. Blue fish 4-7 pounds were working the edges. My afternoon trip was with Long Island Flyrodder, Mike and his infamous brother Ed a super light tackle spin caster from Florida. Mike is swapping sea stories while Ed makes his first cast; his surface plug is immediately crashed and missed by a good size Striper. We all look at each other. Second cast Ed was on! Wow, I'm thinking this can't happen twice in the same day! Maybe it has something to do with the number two?? A few minutes later I have Eds 8 pound Striper by the lips. Mike is being prevented from topping Ed because Blue fish and smaller Stripers keep nailing him. But, Mike pulls off the cast of the day a sixty footer directly into the wind two feet in front of a 10 pound Striper feeding in 8 inches of water, now Mikes' off to the races! What a day! By the end we had Stripers, Blues and Hickory Shad, and some very happy anglers.
Check your backing!
Captain Barry Kanavy

Nice!!!

From the North Shore, Captain Ken Courtlangus from “Frequent Fly-er” reports excellent weakfish action:

Hi John
Weakfish to ten pounds made for happy customers this past week. Almost any point with moving water was sure to hold fish. Chartreuse and white half & halfs were the fly of choice. A ten pound Weakfish that was destined for the dinner table had an eight inch lobster in its stomach. That was a first. After the moon this past weekend fishing seems to have picked up a bit. Finally white bait has moved in and the predators followed. Bass and Small Blues were in the grass lines waiting for a properly presented popper to be cast their way. All we need now is a little sun to warm things up.
Till next time,
Capt. Ken Courtlangus
"Frequent Fly-er"
516-932-0685

Eastern Long Island

Seems as if the eastern portion of Long Island was the place to be this week. Check our Captain Jim Hull from Light Tackle Challenge’s report:

Hi John, A week of higher education where it seemed like most of my sports held some kind of honored degree. Dr. Sheets started off with over 2 dozen bass to 40". Phd Prof. Jed Donovan clubbed several bass to 20lbs.making his trip from Maine a worthy one. Vermont flyfisher Dr.Bob Hamill skillfully hooked and played his fish of a lifetime at 35lbs. He labored under the weight of this cow to take a picture just prior to a healthy release. Phd Chris Reisch started out his day with the bluefish blues but vindicated himself later in the day with some nice bass. Frank Phillips duped several nice bass on top.Master Chef (and fisherman) Bob Carr saw a load of bass come boatside. Breathable rain gear and a good gps were the tools of success for this good old boy captain several days this week. As I look away from my keyboard out onto the bay behind my house,I see it is foggy and beginning to drizzle with no wind. This should be a great day to fish so I have to run. Pump up and reel down and hey, always release those mother brood fish. Jim (captainjimhull@aol.com)631-749-1906 (caption- Dr. Hamill with his trophy bass )

Checking in from East Hampton is Captain Josh Gruss from Striper Flats Flyfishing Charters. Josh reports some great sight fishing:

Hi John,

The fish are all over the flats of Sag Harbor. ALmost every flat has two or three big schools of sandeels with large stripers encountered in the vicinity of each school. Incoming tide produces the best results by far. These next two weeks will probably be the best flats fishing of the season. Backside of a full moon and incoming tides in the morning, mixed with (hopefully) the beginning of regular summer patterns. Thin, sparse dark colored flies sandeel patterns with enough weight to get them down are producing the best.

I have to mention something that hapenedlast week. SOmething that I have never seen before on the flats. I was poling a freind of mine down a flat near Robins Island on a overcast and windless day. I was staring down into the water from the poling platform scanning for fish. What I saw was two stripers , one maybe 36" the other 28" heading towards the port bow of the boat. The larger one had a medium sized bluefish in it's mouth. It was carrying it like a dog carries a bone.The smaller fish was trying to take it away. When the stripers saw the boat they were startled and the big striper let go of the bluefish. My friend and I watched the injured bluefish swim in spiraling circles (a fishes death dance) while the stripers lay at bay thirty feet from the boat ready to come pounce once our boat moved. We moved along and about twenty seconds later we heard a big "whoosh" and a few splashes. I have never seen a striper go after such large prey (the bluefish was probably 22"). I wonder also if the bluefish was injured somehow to begin with.

Anyhow, my fellow fly fishers, now is the time to fish the flats of long island. I have days open between now and June 30.

Capt. J Gruss
www.striperflats.com

Captain Brendan McCarthy from Urban Fly Guides has moved his second boat out to East Hampton to enjoy some of this fantastic sight fishing. Check it out:

Hey John- Having great Flats fishing out East here. Mostly west of Gardiner's with lots of eaters. Sight-fishing is great right now when you have sun, and good fishing blind casting if there isn't sun. Had Al Caucci of the Delaware River Club out today with his pal Tony May for 6 or so fish while sight fishing. 2 went 30 inches. Have been out everyday and am having a blast putting people on fish. Can be crowded on weekends, but if people are cool and don't hog a flat by fishing it over and over, then the fish are happier and so are all the fisherman. Just like you wouldn't anchor on a bonefish flat, drifting it over and over is the same thing. Hope you are well back there and those fish from last week are still there. BTW I now have a boat both in East Hampton and Jamaica Bay, so I can fish both places..
Take Care
Capt. Brendan McCarthy
Urban Fly-Guides
917-847-9576
http://HOME.NYC.RR.COM/URBANFLYGUIDES

Old Reel-Time columnist Josh Reibel reports some good action on the flats as well. Check it out:

Hey John... have gotten out a couple days since last report period. The flats out east have nice numbers of fish—and a lot of big ones too. Because of the screwy weather, things are not following typical patterns with neither bait nor bass showing on some flats that are old reliables for me this time of year, but with others that I fish less frequently providing great shots at nice fish. The nice thing about a weird spring like this is that it pushes you to explore new places, try ones you haven’t fished in ages etc. Until yesterday (Tuesday), I had been doing my flats fishing around Shelter Island and North Haven where the warmer water seemed to be holding more bait and fish. But yesterday decided to head east and found a lot of fish with a few takers in just a couple hours of fishing time. The fly of choice has varied day to day… got a bunch of follows and refusals yesterday on a fly that had been getting aggressive takes just a few days earlier (and it was a very small, subdued fly…nothing flashy). Switched to a fly that had been failing me a week or two ago and whammo—3 aggressive takes. These guys are mysterious beasts!

The rest of this week looks to be clouds and rain—geez, enough already!

--JHR

Farther west in the Shinnecock area, Captain Don Kaye from Shinnecock Guiding checks in with this report:

Some decent weather finally arrived on the East end of Long Island and the fish cooperated! On each incoming tide, schools of hungry Bluefish were surface feeding and chasing them was lots of fun! The trick was to get above the 'breaking' fish in the swift current. When that was accomplished, strikes were immediate and savage! These swift swimming predators hit just about every fly and lure presented and the tough fighters all earned their release! When the tide began to drop, sub-surface presentations in the deeper channels produced some fine Striped Bass. We stowed the rain gear and 'had a ball' in the Bay! Capt. Don Kaye, Shinnecock Guiding 631-7288175

Fishing the Shinnecock area from shore, Salty Flyrodder Joel Filner sent in this detailed report of the week’s action:

A minor accident proved fortunate for my fishing schedule as I spent the
end of the week and all this current week ministering to the department of
labor who broke a bone in her foot and cannot drive or cook or shop with
cast and crutches. Fished last Thursday on the beginning of the outgoing in
Shinnecock, nice weather, only 15 knot winds out of the east and a touch of
sun. Still no bait but warmer water, 60 degrees, and a reasonable tide flow
brought three stripers on a Mikkleson epoxy spearing, all of 24 inches, for
an hour and half fishing. Friday afternoon, the weather settled down, fog
came in, and two hours of casting almost the entire box to no avail. Sunday
morning was lovely but again the wind out of the east and the incoming made
for difficult fishing. One striper for me, two eastern flyrodders on kayaks
had a mixed morning of bass and one blue and another wade fisherman one
blue. Monday I was a guest on a boat but the 25 knot winds out of the
east, the low pressure and the tail end of the moon tide made it difficult
on the fly. I did for the first time ever fish with clams anchored in
Shinnecock Bay as the only way to fish with the wind and tide, and
managed a keeper bass and about 10 other fish in the 22 to 26 inch range.
A good day but slow according to the captain. Will fish the rest of the
weekend as a warmup for Amanda on Sunday.