(no subject)

[venture]

Hey you guys. Did you know that September brings the school Blue Fin within reach of you with smaller boats?? The small boats are out there in the fleet on calm days. Did you know that you can catch them on flies if you have the patience, and are lucky enough to get them thick in your slick. You for sure can stick a 200 blue shark which like blue fish have a bad rap, but on fly they are pretty spectacular. If you have a GPS or Loran, and know how to use it, or know how to dead reckon, I could give you some numbers that is within easy reach of the point. On many calm days, it's like a lake out there. You have to have at least a 21 foot boat, and you could safely do it. If you want to know how, just ask.

If you think Albies give a good fight you ain't seen nothin. Try a 50# - 80# bluefin on a 13 weight. You'll fight him for at least an hour if he doesn't strip you clean within the first few minutes. Some fast boat handling is also called for if he gets too deep into your backing. If I get some feedback, I'll give you the secrets.
Howie

[Ltack18]

I don't know. I keep hearing about these calm days at Montauk. I trailer an 18 foot Hewes skiff out there every year a few times from mid September to early October and I've never seen a calm day at Montauk. A relatively calm morning, maybe, but that generally turns into a real snotty afternoon or vice-versa. I usually have to scare myself just getting across Shagwong. Maybe, it's me. I've also never seen a day on the Cape with winds under 20, a day on Chesepeake bay with winds under 25, etc. By the way, I'm leaving for Nantucket this morning. I'll have to keep a close eye on Erin which they just said is heading for Bermuda and points North and West. Yeah, maybe it's me.

[peteD]

You should have been there on Friday. I had my 13' whaler past Gardners it was so calm. Should be a great weekend.

Bonito and blue fish were around the point at Tabacco Lot but they were hard to get. I kept one blue fish and the stomach contents showed they were hitting baitfish about a 1/2 inch long.

[venture]

Hi Jason, Thanks for your reply. As I mentioned calm waters in the "near" offshore grounds, it was related to boats 21 feet and over. Personally I have yet to fish the Montauk waters in anything less than a 21 foot boat, and I would tend to agree with you that even on a calm day, the rips alone can soak an 18 foot boat made to fish skinny water.

I did get a personal response to my post to my email from a person who does fish Blue Fin Tuna on fly from a 20 boat that is not a skinny water machine. He fishes a 12 weight rod with 500 yards of 50# backing, and has found the fish as close as 10 miles off the beach. Sometimes they are that close.

By the way, on a relatively calm day, it normally gets a much calmer once you leave the shallow inshore waters which are subject to wind/tide situations with rips making it quite choppy. Once you get past Cartwrights, about 5 miles off, the water begins turning into gentle swells with just a surface ripple. The waters around the point, and Cartwright especially make many boats turn around because they think it's going to get worse the further they go. But that is not the case when you have a 10 knot wind.
Howie

[venture]

OOPs, I ment Armond not Jason in my last posted response.