8/4: Snappers and a Few Bass at Montauk

[Tuna]

Couldn't fish last weekend, so I was psyched for Saturday.

Overcast, low wind, ran into first school at Shagawong - probably blues, so I left it after watching a minute or two.

Then a school at Caswells - seemed like small blues - landed a snapper and had a good lauch. Saw schools of snappers off and on for the next few hours.

Went to a spot on the south side to throw a sinking line for bass. Saw some very funny water movement in the area, but tide was about dead. Focused a bit and saw many 20-24 inch bass just below the surface, finning, sometimes crashing the surface. Threw my sinking line with large half and half - nothing. Threw intermediate line with small epoxy - many follows, no hits. Threw intermediate line with small brown clouser, boom - 24 inch bass.

Not sure what had the bass to the surfface, but I saw some gulls around the area on the water acting like they were feasting on a crab hatch.

Drifted the area again, but the bass were leaving the surface. Switched back to sinking line and got some more, all 22-25 inches. Got another later under the radar.

Something about all the bait in the water, the snapper feeds in the ocean... its beginning to feel like fall is around the corner.

Had met Ken Rafertty for the first time that morning, at a gas station in East Hampton that has a bait and tackle shop. He said he thinks the albies will show in about 2 weeks. Hope he's right, I'm looking forward to the fall run.

[fmw]

Good to hear that you are still catching through the summer doldrums. This weekend it did start to feel like fall was around the corner on the east end -- although with this heat wave it now feels a long way away. While I only made one unsuccessful trip to Northwest Creek on Saturday morning (last year at this time there were always some blues in Northwest), I saw some birds working off Wiborg's Beach over the weekend and heard a report of tons of blues in Gardiners near Cartright/Napeague. It seems like last August, the harbinger of the great fall run was the hordes and hordes of cocktail blues in Gardiners Bay on the hordes and hordes of bay anchovies. This seemed to be the sign that there was plenty of bait around to provide the Sept./Oct. blitz action with albies and bass at Montauk. Hopefully, we will see that again.

[Tuna]

Yes, I remember August last year around Gardiners (must not have been doing as well on the south side then), these incredible small blue feeds. Perhaps another great fall coming.

Even at work, in AC, it seems pretty hot to think of fall. Yet, oddly, hot weather is just what I want at this time of the season. Kind of vague, but in past seasons when this has happened, it seemed to bring the albies in earlier. Maybe helped cook up the bait stew - or maybe they followed warm water in and stayed - don't know, but the only thing I like about the hot week is this vague feeling it may help prepare things for the fall.

I read on another board a report claiming to see lots of albies outside of Moriches inlet on Tuesday. Whether they were albies, bonito or skippies, hope the report is right. They are just around the corner.