8/31: Skunked but saw a few

[Tuna]

Driving out to east end early Saturday morning, looked like the wind would give me a few hours before it got too bad.

Not to be.

As I rigged and changed into fishing clothes, heard the wind begin to come up.

Hit the water after 8 am to 15 knots or so. From a voice message I got from what Josh saw Friday, headed west.

Saw 2 small pods of albies around Culloden Point, even got to cast near them.

Saw nothing at Gardiners, but felt the wind rising.

Saw another pod of albies heading back East.

Saw a big group of birds, but it was blues beneath them.

Nosed around Fort Pond bay, then decided to call it a day, as the winds were probably about 25 knots by then.

Hope next weekend has more fish or lighter winds. If there had been more fish, I might have stayed out longer than 2 hours, but my chances were few a far between.

[fmw]

It will be interesting to see what impact, if any, the blow of the last week. While I'm no weather buff, I can't often remember it blowing so strongly from the northeast for so many days in a row (from last Wednesday). Talking to someone who stays at a house around White Sands, they spoke of a huge amount of beach erosion and very high tides. Will this blow out the fishing? Remember 1999 with the weeks of high seas from Hurricane Floyd, et al.?? Remember last year when a noreaster blew out the bass in late September?? I would guess that its still too early to impact our fishing in an adverse way and if anything, will succeed in getting the fish going and kicking off the fall run. I guess we will see.

[BIGE]

Tuna, don't know how we missed each other. I headed out about 7:00 and went straight to the Tobacco Lot. I figured the bait would be pushed in from the wind. Tons of blues in the Lot. Headed back around 9. Saw one albie on the way back.

I bet the wind was pushing 30 and a quartering sea all the way to the inlet. Really rough conditions.

[peteD]

It had a great affect on the fishing at Montauk point. You had to plug for them, but there were bass and bluefish in the surf under the light house. I fished there about 3 hours Monday in the wind and rain and got 5 bass about 30' and a huge bluefish in the rocks.

[Tuna]

Rich - you were probably coming back as I was going out, as I got out about 8:30 am and hung around Colluden Pt for a while trying for the first albies I saw. Then went straight across to Gardiners.

Yea, it was rough out there. Had I seen more albies, I would have hung in there longer, but 2 hours of snot water was enough for me.

Saw a few posts elsewhere which make me think the albies may have continued to come in over the weekend. Looks like the northeasterly was not enough to change the bait situation much (1999 was a bit different, with FIVE big storms in a row).

Sure wish I wasn't at work now, I bet there are albies at the point and Gardiners as I write.

Gonna take Friday off, looks like better weather this week.

[venture]

Thanks Pete for reminding me... I remember back in the sixties and early seventies, before I moved to Martha's Vineyard, we used to fish the Montauk surf exclusively...

On the north side, at places like "Scott's", "the House", Jone's Reef. and the North Bar, the "regulars" waited for a good NE or SE blow to push the bait and fish into the pounding wash...It was pretty rough during those blows, and being hooked up to a good fish, while perched on a rock, was as tough and as good as it gets... the tide ripping, the surf pounding, and the fish, just impossible to control.

That was and still is by far, the best way to catch a bass. Rough surf, big plug, and lots of wind and a big fish on and taking line...Raw sport. While all the boaters were whining about the conditions this weekend, the "regulars" were in their glory. The surf is were the bass is king. Thanks for reminding me Pete...

Howie::)

[peteD]

Howie,

No problem, now I have to figure whether I want it howling for bass or calm for the albies.

[fmw]

peteD: You're killing me! I took a drive to Camp Hero on Saturday afternoon. It was so windy and unpleasant I barely got out of my car. On top of that, there didn't seem to be anything going on at all. Was this middle of the day? Was it a blitz or blind casting? Also, were you literally on the jetty "under the light" or on the beach at Jones/the Bluff adjacent to the light?

[peteD]

Frank,

There wasn't a blitz and if there was you couldn't see them because of the surf. I was under the light on the north side a little left at the bottom of the path. I fished the south side but it was dead. There were also a bunch of guys toward the concession stand.

Sorry I didn't get this out earlier. But you may get similar conditions, without the rain with the NW blow from Tues. on.