New York Metro &
New Jersey

September 26th, 2003

Here She Comes...

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With out a doubt, Isabel is coming, and while she’ll be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time she reaches us, she’ll undoubtedly create some havoc and may be doing so by the time you folks read this.  I spent this morning at the marina pulling both boats out of the water in lieu of the “just in case” factor or what can be more accurately described as “Murphy’s Law” in my case.  The Montauk Redbone Tournament was canceled and most agree that this violent weather will negatively affect the fishing for several days if not more.   I can only assume that most are cursing Isabel, and sure, I’m a little bummed about the negative aftermath of a storm this big in the fall.   But I have to admit…  I share a deep fascination with big storm systems like this one.  it can be better explained as a love affair…  While I haven’t been around long enough to see many, the massive storms that I have seen were visually awesome.  Perhaps storms of this magnitude can be described as biblical in the Old Testament sense, offering a brief glimpse of the sheer unbridled power of the ocean and it’s ability to clean house if it so desires…  I actually had my house cleaned by what Allan Weisbecker so aptly described as “Big Blue” yesterday: 

For the last three days I’ve been getting up at the crack of dawn to witness and actually glide across the steep faces of the powerful swells Isabel had pushed in from hundreds of miles away.  Yesterday (Wednesday) was quite possibly the most extraordinary day I’ve witnesses in my 11-years in New York.  Ten-foot-plus sets of smooth rolling saltwater were marching in one after the other peeling to the left while a light offshore wind blew.  The turquoise sky provided no indication of the charging hurricane headed our way.  Finger mullet were abound inside and outside the surf line and once the sun had come up enough, you could catch glimpses of large bluefish surfing down the big swells after the scurrying bait.  Being right smack in the middle of it was very cool and I caught myself saying “wow” to no one in particular several times.  There were even a few times when mullet jumped across my surfboard in retreat only to be followed by huge boils from voracious bluefish.  I couldn’t help but wish that I had somehow attached a flyrod to the board.  It was a scene few would expect to see so close to the New York City’s boundaries.   

Amongst my elated trance, I heard whistling, which is what surfers do when a big set rolls through…  I looked up to see a wave masking the horizon and everyone paddling furiously to avoid getting caught underneath it.  I followed suit, but then realized that this wave was going to peak right where I was…  Turing around I took one paddle and felt myself being lifted by what was no doubt the biggest wave of the day.  I stood up and was shot almost vertically down what I estimate to be a 13-foot face.  As soon as I reached the bottom the nose of the board buried itself the water.  Falling off the board I skidded across the surface like a skipped rock, the wave picked me back up and pulled me up on the face, then onto the lip and tossed me back down like a limp rag-doll as water exploded all around me.  The ensuing mayhem can only be compared to what it must be like to spend 15-seconds in the wash cycle at the laundry mat.  Arms and legs flailing wildly I smacked the sand bottom only to feel my left ankle pop out of joint.  I rose out of the wash, gasping for air and found myself right smack in the middle of bluefish going berserk and mullet flying everywhere…  Very cool… 

I limped back in feeling humbled and hurting but pretty darn happy, and grateful to be placed amidst such a profound and wild scene…  If you are familiar with surf lingo, one would say I was “stoked.” 

Man, I love the ocean and all it has to offer!

Thanks for letting me share that with you…  Now let’s get on to the reports:

Some fantastic albie fishing along the New Jersey coast this week and not so bad in the New York Metro area either.  One thing is for sure, there is a plethora of bait in all different sizes and species.  Finger mullet really turned on the big bluefish this week and the corresponding surf has created some awesome shallow water action in the surf line.  Peanut bunker continue to get more and more abundant and seem to be increasing in size as well…  Bay anchovies are around and the bonito are still crashing rain bait in the central North Shore while the South Shore is abundant with mullet.   Eastern Long Island is still comparatively slow for this time of year, but most guides expect things to get better after the storm passes. 

Despite continued high surf, the weekend weather looks pretty darn good.  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

Plenty of big bluefish have been around all week and schoolie bass are being caught deep.  Albies have been off and on with many anglers scoring well, including Brian Goulard who took upwards of 20-fish before the wind kicked up on Wednesday. 

Captain Joe Mattioli from On The Bight Charters had some good action this week.  Check it out:

Hi John
 
Bluefish from 3-8lbs have been marauding schools of baby bunker in the Raritan Bay and are providing non-stop action on the Fly. Clousers with a lot of flash and poppers are the choice patterns. False Albacore fishing has its good and bad days. Striped Bass fishing is picking up with fish up to 8lbs, fish structure and rips.
 
Capt. Joe Mattioli
On The Bite Charters

Captain David Azar from One More Cast Charters checks in with this interesting report:

After the entire day (wed. 9/17) on the water I can only say that while saltwater fly fishing is probably the most rewarding way of fishing it can also be the most frustrating!   I mangaed to take the day off and, of course, I went fishing.  None of my friends could go and no one was booked for a charter, yet I was not alone.  Today I fished with Murphy!   Immediately upon arriving at the Breezy Point Jetty I found birds and blues in a frenzy.  The blues were their usual cooperative self, and I managed to catch a few fish and get some photos of fish and birds working.  As the bluefish action quieted down I saw albies coming up a half mile away.  In fact they were coming up well all morning, throughout the incoming tide.  They were moving around a lot and there was a lot of running and gunning going on, but I managed to get straight on shots at least 20 times.  Somehow every time I made a cast my flyline tangled into a hopeless mess.  So I calmly cleaned the line which usually does the trick.  No such luck!  So after several aborted shots at busting albies I decided to clip off my fly and drag the line behind the boat to stretch it, and for good measure I cleaned it again.  So the next time the fish came up I was ready.  NOT!   After spending untold minutes untangling flyline I decided it might be prudent to switch to a spinning rod.  Okay this was better for me, but the fish were having none of it, but I knew if I persisted I would connect.  And sure enough I did, only to have the hook break off my diamond jig!  As you can imagine by now I was cursing, screaming and stamping the floor like a five year old (according to my wife i usually act like a 2 year old, so this may have actually been an improvement).    Well enough venting.  I did manage to hook and fight one albie on the fly during the outgoing tide.  And there were a dozen or so bluefish on poppers and crease flies as well.  (Yeah I know, you're all crying for me.  Does anybody know how to add violin music to these e-mails?)

 Sunday  afternoon (9/14) I found blues on top near the Breezy Point Jetty.  Monday morning (9/15) the fog kept me from getting out to the jetty but i did manage to find some blues working the area near JFK, as well as at least one large blue under adult bunker at the marina, which i hooked but lost.  There have also been several reliable reports of striped bass, though at this time to year the albies have me preoccupied, so i haven't spent any time looking, soon enough they will probably find me. 

The marine forecast is still calling for some heavy weather for thurs & fri.  but the weekend is supposed to see some clearing, with a major calming down on Sunday.  Hopefully the fish know where to hide while they wait for us to get back on the water, and we can only hope that they will wait, I'm optimistic.

Until next time, remember to clean and stretch those lines and if you happen to bump into Murphy don't say I said hello. 
Capt. Dave 

Western Long Island

From the North Shore Reel-Timer Angelo peluso reports some surprisingly good bonito fishing…  Check it out:

Hi John,
The story out this way is a bit like the nickname for Captain Kirk's medical officer..."Bones".  The week started with a veritable blitz of bonito both offshore and right up on the beach.  I actually had them blasting peanut bunker right at my feet while wading.  Seeing that assault coming right at you is akin to experiencing buck fever. But a couple of fish willing to eat made me feel somewhat like I knew what I was doing!  Monday saw more of the same but this time it was from the boat...with my first "Triple Bs" of the year...bass, bonito and bluefish.  I tried to find an albie for a real four-bagger but non of those pelagics were anywhere to be found.  Tuesday and Wednesday found enough bonito willing enough to play to keep it interesting.  While beach fish on Sunday ate an epoxy peanut bunker fly, the weekday fish wanted nothing of it. They were keyed in on 2 1/2 to 3 inch spearing and a sparse white/olive and chartreuse fly was all I could get them to take.  This is usually the time of year out this way that the alblies are in strong but the bonito are dominating the scene right now.  Surface temps have been fluctuating between 70 and 71 degrees. I've had my best albie luck  with those temperatures at the 67/68 degree mark...so we shall see. And only the good Lords knows what affect Hurricane Isabel will have on our fishing. Until after the storm...stay well...Angelo

Not much to report from the South Shore this week, but there were some sporadic sightings of false albacore and the bluefish have been pretty thick on the beach chasing mullet…

Eastern Long Island

The story out east is bluefish, bluefish and more bluefish…  After a 5-minute ride, Captain David Blinken from North Flats Guiding put Richard Reagan on plenty of fish up to 12-pounds on Wednesday.   Still no big run of false albacore yet and Captain Jim Hull of Light Tackle Challenge reports that the bass fishing has been a slow pick. Any day now most expect it to explode.  

Salty Flyroder Joel Filner reports tough conditions out east…  Check it out:

Where are all the albies gone? Long time passing between shots. It seems the compass rose became the inspiration for the winds starting last Thursday the 11th through Sunday the 14th. Thursday was Amanda day for me but the winds did not cooperate, blowing up to 25 knots in the morning and finally laying down to a mere 15 to 20 for the afternoon. We ventured out in the afternoon, finding blue fish on peanut bunker, and more bluefish on bay anchovey and then on spearing. We watched a spincaster take one keeper bass out of another hole but were unable to duplicate the feat.
Not an albie in sight all the way out to Montauk, and few stripers as well, as the montauk boats came back into the bay in their search for fish. Winds were out of the north, north east finally ending out of the east at a moderate 10 knots. Friday was windtunnel test day, at Shinnecock, with the northeasterly switching to the east at 25 to 30 knots. Two spincasters only on the jetty and two on the west side watching the hopkins come back to them in the breeze. Saturday was truly ugly, even the wet suit guys abandoned the jetty and the rain a bit intermittant but howling winds again out of the south east to east. Sunday morning the clam guys in the rain brought in two keepers that I saw, but soon gave up at first light. The back of the bay was dirty with the bait all hidden in the murk. Winds were out of the south to south west then shifted to easterly again but castable to the fly guys, whose time was spent lamenting no albies, not too many stripers and the odd blue fish about. Wait til next week when Isabel will drive the albies south for the winter.

From the Shinnecock area, Captain Don Kaye checks in with this report:

The Shinnecock winds continued to increase this past week, making 'skinny water'; sight fishing all but impossible. However, setting up a good drift line at drop-offs and channels have produced some decent angling. Using fast sinking flylines and light tackle jigs resulted in the capture and release of both medium-sized Striped Bass and some large Fluke. The Shinnecock waters now harbor acres of baitfish which are pursued by large schools of 'Snapper' Bluefish. Great opportunities to take a kid fishing and almost  be assured of tight lines and smiling faces. Hoping that these winds abate and that the latest Hurricane stays far out to sea in time for the excellent angling opportunities the Fall season usually offers at Shinnecock. Capt. Don Kaye, Shinnecock Guiding 631-7288175

That’s all for this week…  See ya on the water…