Tuna
07-04-2001, 12:44 PM
Got 1 bass around 8 am Saturday in 3 mile harbor - there were more bass to be had, but I missed several hits.
Rest of that morning I tried the flats of North Haven. Had decent visibility, but saw no bass. Water temp at 10 am was about 78, a bit high for chances there. I did see a few fish surface, but they seemed like small blues (first one was - lost a fly to it at the boat).
Took Ernie French up on his offer to fish the flats in his boat in the afternoon. I enjoyed fishing with him and listening to new fishing stories (like the finning bass last week on a crab hatch). The flats to the East, however, didn't show anything more than North Haven had in the morning. Ernie put me onto some rips and I managed another bass which seemed, while fighting, to be much bigger than it was.
Sunday, I got another bass and a blue around 7 am in 3 mile harbor. Fished around Shelter Island without luck, then went to Ram Island and got several sea robbins before landing several bass blind casting with clouds overhead. Sun popped out and I drifted the mini-flat there, but saw nothing. Tried a few more spots, no luck.
Monday was a blow out - sat it out - would have been fishable in the afternoon, but I actually did some of the types of chores I usually reserve for winter.
Tuesday, I got another bass and a few rat blues in 3 mile harbor around 8 am. Had good sun, and had had several cool nights, so I decided to try the flats to the west again.
I had 2 sight casted hookups on a flat just south of Coecles Harbor, but lost both. Tried Ram Island, but only caught a sea robbin (I've been getting quite good at that lately).
Tried the flats on North Haven's east shore. Water temps were down to 74, and I had a good shot at two bass cruising at me at the first outflow moving north from Sag Harbor. Got one of the fish to turn to the fly, but no hit.
Water was a bit murky and tide was a bit high, so when I saw my first good size bass (just past "4 docks") it was just a few feet from the boat. Didn't spook, though, and turned to the fly... but no hit. Saw several other bass there (one another good one), and got one more bass to turn to the fly, but no hit.
When I flats fish, I try to focus on the excitement of seeing the fish, trying to make a decent presentation, getting a good retrieve, staying calm and collected. Otfen, though, I lose that focus.
Tuesday was such a day - beautiful crisp clouds in the air, sun above, shots at bass sight casting, but rather than enjoying it all, little by little I was letting myself get into a funk. I wanted one more sight casted fish in the area, before it turned totally off. It was also my last day in my old whaler, and for some reason I was obsessed with the idea of it getting me one more sight casted bass.
Started heading to Peconic (had to drop the old boat off to be inspected for the trade in) when I remembered I had always wanted to try more of the North Haven shore. Saw a strip of sand closer to the ferry in an area I hadn't tried before.
Nothing like fishing a new sand bottom area to get myself out of a funk. Saw only two bass, both headed slowly away from me. Got a cast to the side and slightly in front of one of them, and it hit hard. Nice fight, the last sight casted bass on the ole whaler.
Rest of that morning I tried the flats of North Haven. Had decent visibility, but saw no bass. Water temp at 10 am was about 78, a bit high for chances there. I did see a few fish surface, but they seemed like small blues (first one was - lost a fly to it at the boat).
Took Ernie French up on his offer to fish the flats in his boat in the afternoon. I enjoyed fishing with him and listening to new fishing stories (like the finning bass last week on a crab hatch). The flats to the East, however, didn't show anything more than North Haven had in the morning. Ernie put me onto some rips and I managed another bass which seemed, while fighting, to be much bigger than it was.
Sunday, I got another bass and a blue around 7 am in 3 mile harbor. Fished around Shelter Island without luck, then went to Ram Island and got several sea robbins before landing several bass blind casting with clouds overhead. Sun popped out and I drifted the mini-flat there, but saw nothing. Tried a few more spots, no luck.
Monday was a blow out - sat it out - would have been fishable in the afternoon, but I actually did some of the types of chores I usually reserve for winter.
Tuesday, I got another bass and a few rat blues in 3 mile harbor around 8 am. Had good sun, and had had several cool nights, so I decided to try the flats to the west again.
I had 2 sight casted hookups on a flat just south of Coecles Harbor, but lost both. Tried Ram Island, but only caught a sea robbin (I've been getting quite good at that lately).
Tried the flats on North Haven's east shore. Water temps were down to 74, and I had a good shot at two bass cruising at me at the first outflow moving north from Sag Harbor. Got one of the fish to turn to the fly, but no hit.
Water was a bit murky and tide was a bit high, so when I saw my first good size bass (just past "4 docks") it was just a few feet from the boat. Didn't spook, though, and turned to the fly... but no hit. Saw several other bass there (one another good one), and got one more bass to turn to the fly, but no hit.
When I flats fish, I try to focus on the excitement of seeing the fish, trying to make a decent presentation, getting a good retrieve, staying calm and collected. Otfen, though, I lose that focus.
Tuesday was such a day - beautiful crisp clouds in the air, sun above, shots at bass sight casting, but rather than enjoying it all, little by little I was letting myself get into a funk. I wanted one more sight casted fish in the area, before it turned totally off. It was also my last day in my old whaler, and for some reason I was obsessed with the idea of it getting me one more sight casted bass.
Started heading to Peconic (had to drop the old boat off to be inspected for the trade in) when I remembered I had always wanted to try more of the North Haven shore. Saw a strip of sand closer to the ferry in an area I hadn't tried before.
Nothing like fishing a new sand bottom area to get myself out of a funk. Saw only two bass, both headed slowly away from me. Got a cast to the side and slightly in front of one of them, and it hit hard. Nice fight, the last sight casted bass on the ole whaler.