New York Metro &
New Jersey

July 16th, 2004

In Search of Something

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I’m pretty fresh off a plane coming off from 5-days in Nicaragua…  The flight home was joyous…  Imagine sitting at the runway for 3-hours in Managua (perhaps the hottest place in Central America in July) with no air-conditioning, screaming babies, and a big Caribbean man honking out the loudest snoring noise I’ve ever had the displeasure of hearing…  Then came the uncomfortable bumpy flight…  Tack on another 2 hours of sitting in another hot plane in Miami another bumpy flight and then 3-more hours at JFK airport waiting for a port to open up.  All because of a few thunder showers in New York…  All in all, a 6-hour trip ended up taking 14-hours and with the most hellatious head cold I’ve ever had.  I am perhaps the only human being that could contract such an illness in a climate that rarely gets below 90-degrees.  Good surfing bad fishing, … Ice-cold beer, don’t drink water….  Good spicy food, bad indigestion…  Men carrying guns, European women in Brazilian bikini bottoms…  Beautiful ocean front land, a day late and a dollar short, way out of range.  That about sums up the whole trip.

A mostly open and wild coast, Southwest Nicaragua doesn’t have the inshore fishing that Costa Rica does.  Deeper water is farther out and it’s a bit of a hike just to get a crack at the dorado, let alone sails.  The coast is beautiful though, although a lot of it is being clear-cut, subdivided, developed and sold in the great land grab I came down to possibly take part in.  Nicaragua like Costa Rica will soon head the way of resort destinations like Hawaii and the Bahamas.  Roads will be paved, seawalls will be built, large shiny hotels with neon signs will pollute the beach front, and the rugged, lush and fertile lay of the land will be changed permanently.  Some might look at it as a big shame, but it’s merely progress…  The sound of decades of poverty being replaced by good jobs serving tourists.  The way of evolution I guess.  Can’t stop it…  Can’t complain about it…  Especially if you take part in it. 

Back in New York I feel like I’m suffocating amidst the crowded heat and ringing cell phones.  But this is the life I’ve chosen.  For now anyway.  By tomorrow I’ll be running away from the crowds at Breezy point, headed southeast in search of bonito and/or skippies, and during the time I spend on the water I’ll  be free of the hold the city has got me in. 

For now I’ll put my pipe-dreams of becoming an ex-pat on hold.  On hold for a long time…  After all, who has time to think about those things when the arrival of pelagics are right around the corner.  In the meantime I’ll keep searching…  Although I’m not exactly sure what for…  But as we approach August, I think I’ll be searching for nothing but bonito and false albacore. 

Now on to those reports:

Not much in the way of info coming in this week.  A good sign that some areas are beginning to feel the affects of the summer doldrums.  Nevertheless, the guys at Shore Catch reported continued good action for school bluefin on the mid-shore lumps and some skipjack showing up along the beaches this week.  The New York Bight and Northern New Jersey seems to be dominated mostly by bluefish, but schoolies can be taken along the structure spots in the early morning and late afternoon hours.  The same can be said of the North and South shores of Western Long Island.  The Eastern end of Long Island seems to continue to fish well.  The south side once again is producing some larger bass.  In East Hampton, there is plenty of bait in the flats and the sight-fishing is reportedly holding up well.  Because of the abundance of tiny peanut bunker, most believe that the fall will be an extraordinary one out east. 

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

Tight Lines!

John McMurray

New Jersey

The only Jersey report this week comes from the guys at Shore Catch Guide Service who seem to be doing well with the bluefin…  Check it out:

John,
 
Another absolutely BANNER week with school Bluefin Tuna on the Fly. On Saturday's trip John Yusach took 16 Bluefin on the fly!!! Man were his arms tired!! Because of the inclement weather this week, we were unable to get out, however the bigger Sportfishing boats that did make it out later this week has red hot bites both on the troll and chunk (these bigger charters dont fish the fly) and also reported to me lots of topwater action as far inside as 17 miles off the beach! We are back in the swing of it and heading out starting today.
 
Inshore things have slowed with sporadic catches of big Bluefish, Stripers, and Bonito and Skipjack tuna along the beaches. Gotta run to the Bluewater.....I have feeling this is going to really be the season for inshore tunas!

Seems to be nothing but small bluefish and fluke around these days.  Some scattered reports of schoolies being taken in the known rips and structure spots.  Jamaica Bay is dark with red tide and sea lettuce, but peanut bunker are beginning to make a showing.  Albies are just around the corner.

Western Long Island

Nothing to report from Western Long Island this week.

Eastern Long Island

Captain David Blinken reports an inordinate amount of bait in East Hampton.  Huge masses of peanut bunker in the estuaries.  Lots of sandeels and spearing as well.  There are tons and tons of bluefish eating them and some bass still to be had on the flats. 

On the South Side the fishing seems to be holding up nicely.  Captain Jim Hull from Light Tackle Challenge checks in with this report:

Calm seas and gin clear water have given the flyfisher a big advantage over other methods recently. The only way to trick them under these conditions is with a good cast and light line. Max and Chris had fun on top with 6 bass. The kims played with bass and blues on top all day. Neal hit it good with 20 bass, 8 of them over 25lbs all on top using light tackle including a 48" female, his second big one this season, go Neal. Hawk took out bonefisher Chris A. with Ken landing a 36 a37 and a 38 on leech flies. Chris was in awe over the productive striper fishing and may convert. Hawk came back next day landing a 17lber as his top fish on a tougher day with lots of eye candy. Neal came back for more but found it tough with only 4 smaller fish. Lots of resident fish have settled in and if water temps remain cool it should be a great summer. It already has been by far the best season in the 14yrs I have been keeping records.  

From the beach Reel-Timer John Papciak reports tough fishing:

I did a long night last Sat night out in Montauk. I started with the fly and
had two violet hits but dropped both fish on the south side rocks at night.
Then that was it. I was fishing a big eel fly and then a 6 " deceiver.

I changed locations twice - fished the sand behind town and then another south
side location. I then got out the spining rod. Only 3 bass to about 17 pounds
on needlefish before I decided to call it quits. If I could have cast 200 feet
I might have been able to land these fish on the fly rod. They were out a
little further out this time.
                     
Father West, Reel-Timer Joel Filner has been working the shore also… Check it out:

The outgoing in the early morning was again the key to the bay
fishing at Shinnecock. I unfortunately had to work on Friday and
slept in on Saturday, not getting to the water until 530 AM. My local
fly fisherfolk did very well prior to my arrival, and I was left with
a blue fish. Nice sized stripers on sandeels and clousers and squid
patterns. Saturday early evening was again a nice time had by all.
The ocean side was okay for blues and some stripers on both fly and
lure. Sunday was  beautiful morning but missed the ocean and went
back to the flat on Peconic bay. Outgoing to the end and a slight
turn on the incoming found a few small fish, operative word small,
hit a small fly. The slight haze kept the visibility poor, unlike
last week when one could see quite well from shore line and flat.
Water temp. on Shinnecock bay was 67, and on the Peconic a balmy 71.
Again the night time is the hot time. P.S. Can anyone get a boat
without training? I watched a pair of novices( I think) run back and
forth across the flat, hit a rock that was clearly visible 3 ft from
shore then run up on to the beach. Aside from the ineptitude, the
danger of one of them getting tossed out was pretty great. Not to say
the disturbance of the peace.

Joel

I’m off to get some much needed rest.  See you on the water this weekend…