Tuna
07-15-2001, 01:20 PM
With some north in the wind to keep me off the rocks, decided to fish near shore on the south side of Montauk.
On the way from 3 mile harbor, didn't see anything of note until I approached Caswells. A small pod of birds was packed closely together over what looked like bluefish. I saw this off and on for the next 4 hours in the area, but they were scattered widely and stayed up only briefly. After a brief failed attempt to hookup, I ignored them and went to shore.
Picked some spots with rocks against the shore and dark bottoms and started casting a chartruese half and half on sinking line. Got a hit on the third cast, and a fiesty small bass on the sixth cast.
From 10 am until noon, I had pretty consistent action along a 100 yard stretch of shore. Every few fish I got a small (30 inch or so) keeper, but even the smaller fish were fighting with pep. With suun overhead and clear water, I got to see about half the fish that hit follow - this made it easier to coax them into hitting. Also on about half the fish, once hooked up there would be 2 to 4 other bass (usually larger than the one hooked) following the hooked fish during the fight. Got one of my better fish when a smaller fish got off and I cast back to the 2 larger fish following.
Around noon the bite slowed down and I extended the shore line I was covering a bit west, but only managed another 2 fish over the next hour. Went a mile or so west to another shore spot I like, but there didn't seem to be any bass there. Went back to the scene of earlier success and it was dead. Tide was a bit higher then, wind was shifting more to the west and the water was a bit murky.
Decided to look for something else but found nothing on the run back to 3 mile harbor so hung it up early. 3 mile harbor was a zoo, loaded with boats for the annual fireworks that occur after the 4th. Got some nice video of the fireworks later.
On the way from 3 mile harbor, didn't see anything of note until I approached Caswells. A small pod of birds was packed closely together over what looked like bluefish. I saw this off and on for the next 4 hours in the area, but they were scattered widely and stayed up only briefly. After a brief failed attempt to hookup, I ignored them and went to shore.
Picked some spots with rocks against the shore and dark bottoms and started casting a chartruese half and half on sinking line. Got a hit on the third cast, and a fiesty small bass on the sixth cast.
From 10 am until noon, I had pretty consistent action along a 100 yard stretch of shore. Every few fish I got a small (30 inch or so) keeper, but even the smaller fish were fighting with pep. With suun overhead and clear water, I got to see about half the fish that hit follow - this made it easier to coax them into hitting. Also on about half the fish, once hooked up there would be 2 to 4 other bass (usually larger than the one hooked) following the hooked fish during the fight. Got one of my better fish when a smaller fish got off and I cast back to the 2 larger fish following.
Around noon the bite slowed down and I extended the shore line I was covering a bit west, but only managed another 2 fish over the next hour. Went a mile or so west to another shore spot I like, but there didn't seem to be any bass there. Went back to the scene of earlier success and it was dead. Tide was a bit higher then, wind was shifting more to the west and the water was a bit murky.
Decided to look for something else but found nothing on the run back to 3 mile harbor so hung it up early. 3 mile harbor was a zoo, loaded with boats for the annual fireworks that occur after the 4th. Got some nice video of the fireworks later.