10/10-13: Hot and Cold at East End

[Tuna]

The fishing was red hot Thursday (and several people told me it was not as good as the two previous days). Started with albies at Shagwong, both inner and outer, and along Gin Beach. Sometimes small pods, but with eager biting sometimes big fat mean albies. Sometimes big pods, like one in the oputer rips that I will remember all winter, even if it shape shifted and dissipated within minutes. But in either case good steady albie action.

Tried the Point, and had an albie fight me long and hard, only to get off before I touched the leader. On days like this, I can get a bit slap happy and crazy, and this lost albie set me off - I said "bad albie, bad albie" and ended up talking to the albies for the rest of the day (which Ted later told me he heard some of).

Back to Shag for some more albies inside. Met someone named Carl a week ago - first year at Montauk chasing albies, and on Thursday he was in a zone, being where he needed to be, hooking up consistently. I think I'll be seeing him next season too, as he clearly has become addicted.

Back to the Point for a large blues, albies and bass feed in later afternoon. Great wild feed that I got some good video of.

Then back to Shag for another great rip feed. Ended up leaving the albies biting and Ted chasing them, as I had caught my fill for the day.

I was supposed to fish with my brother Jim Friday but he had already rescheduled other things due to the dire NOAA predictions. I tired to talk him into a few early hours, but he couldn't get out of his new plans. Hit the water early Friday in dirzzle and rising wind. Found abies in Shagwong rips immediately and got 3 quick ones. But the rain kept increasing, as did the winds and the swell, and after sharing some pods at inner Shag with the 3 other fly boats out, quit around 11 am after 7 albies landed.

Both Thursday and Friday I got a lot of real close to the boat shots, and got to see some great hits and sights. Once on Thursday I had an albie hit and skim the surface in a circle while a guide (I think it was Sullivan) watched feet away. Its cool when albies thrash the surface for a few seconds before taking off, and this was a long example of it.

Saturday was a wet blow out. Didn't even think of going out. Saw a great home video of Blinken and his pop catching tarpon and bones.

Sunday I got out early again, psyched for more albies. I saw one early bluefish feed in wild rip break at Shag - took a few casts in case there were albies too, but no go. My only casts of the day. Never saw another feed for the next 5 hours - went to Gardiners - nothing, Fort Pond Bay - nothing, Shag several times - nothing, even got close to the Point - maybe there was something there, but I dared not get close enough to find out. It was still pretty windy past 1 pm and still drizzling - I quit early, bored, but grinning at a good skunking (nothin' like a good skunkin' to make the good days seem better). Saw Levison going out as I went in - hope he found something later after things calmed down a bit more.

We got another blow going today (Monday) and another mean NEasterly coming Tuesday/Wednesday. Hope that doesn't shut off the albies, but if it does, what a great season it has been.

Water temps at Shag Sunday were still near mid 60s, so maybe we still have the rest of October.

Note to anyone seeing albies around the East End last few or next few days - please post!!!

[Hawk]

In your post you mentioned hits close to the boats and great sights. I have been fishing crease flies almost exclusively this season because of the visual excitement when they hit em. I have seen almost every take this year some or which where when I was just dabbibg the fly in the water waiting for the next shot at breaking fish. I can also remember at least three occasions where the fish have left the water and grabbed the fly prior to it ever even hitting the water, I know some may not believe me and I was skeptical myself the first time I thought I saw what I saw but after three times I am confident I was not hallucinating. To make a long story short fishing surface flies for these fish really adds to the excitement and I don't think it hurts your numbers all that much, a few guides I have fished with seem to think I would have done better with smaller more traditional epoxies but I managed 3 days with +20 Albies landed and obviously many lost in the tussel and got to witness all the takes and many misses, so if I missed a few so be it.

[joshr]

I haven't fished in 3 weeks...alas...finally getting a few days away late this week and weekend...sure hope the big NEster on Wed. doesn't put an end to things!

With fingers crossed,
Josh

[PhilDKreal]

I'll be out on friday.

Hope its happening!:eek:

[peteD]

Tuna,

Thats all I heard on Saturday and Sunday was you should have been here Thursday or Friday. Just what I love as I slog up and down the beach with nothing to show for it. I hope thinks clear up next weekend.

[Tuna]

Hawk:

For two seasons, I have been telling myself to use crease flies more for exactly the reasons you state - more visuals hits. But for a variety of reasons (habit probably being one of them) I rarely use them, even less so this year. I have fished a lot of 15 knots plus days, and I find them a but harder to cast than small epoxies, but mostly its sticking to flies I have had success with in the past. On a few days this year when I used them, I was in mixed schools of albies and blues, and I switched back to small epoxies hoping the blues would hit them less than the crease flies (which blues love). Not sure if I was hooking less blues after the switch though. I did try once at the end of a good day in Sept and was rewarded with my largest albie of the day which hit the crease a foot from the boat at the end of a retrieve while I was looking where to cast next. Major explosion at the boat nearly made my heart jump out of my chest - about as visual as you get.

Well, guess I should tell myself to do this again, as I really get a kick out of watching albies hit - sure hope to get some more chances this year!

[PhilDKreal]

Anyone know anything about this weather that is supposed to show up wednesday? heavy rain and wind?

This a hurricane somewhere now?

Haven't tried the crease flies yet for the albies. Are the bay anchovies still around?

[Hawk]

Tuna,

I hear you on sticking with stuff that works, I can't blame you in the least. As for the bluefish I originally thought the same thing but in fact you can avoid the blues with the crease fly a little easier. It seems the blues don't look up as much as the Albies so if you are not moving the crease fly too quickly making a big splash it seems to go untoticed by blues many times and even if noticed you can see them coming and either rip it away from blues stop the retrieve before they hit and they might turn off or not set the hook all have helped me avoid blues when there is a mixed bag. Obviously you won't win all the battles but you can get pretty good at avoiding the blues. Good luck and pray for no wind.

[Tuna]

Hawk:

Interesting what you say about blues and crease flies.

I think one of my problems is I move the crease too much. I remember an ESPN show on albie fishing in NC where they showed someone fishing for big albies with poppers (fly popper). The guy would cast out, let the popper sit, then twitch it just a bit, then wait, then twitch (at some point in the video this pattern stopped, as a big albie crashed the fly). I should probably fish the crease more like that - I have been doing slow retrieves instead. Most of my hits have actually been when I stopped the fly (and then wow, 'cause with any light you will see the albie swipe it). I have told myself to do this more, now I will try next chance. Hopefully in 2002!

[teds]

Tuna,
Don't worry about talking to the albies.Next year we can team you up with another fisherman that also talks to the fish so it will look as if you were having a conversation.I never talk to the albies, I'm too busy talking to my line and leader knots.
The good news is they are still out there as of yesterday, tuesday the 15th.After a dull and rough morning with many more blues than albies they came up in the north rips for 2+ hours.Even after most boats went in close to the lighthouse for bass they came back up again.It was actually a little lonely out there in the 5 foot swells.The sky before the storm was amazing.The high clouds looked almost platinum with the low easterly rain clouds coming in and being lit by the sun.Peter you would have liked this visual.
Still time to try the crease fly even though all I used yesterday were my copies of Glenn Mickelsons" skeeter".I tied some very small crease flys but no luck with them yet. I hope to go out again after this latest NE storm with Josh.
Don't pull the boat yet!
Ted

[fmw]

As I expect I may be on the Montauk shoreline this weekend, how did the bass action look??

[Hawk]

You might want to check this out they update it daily:

http://www.noreast.com/regionreports.cfm?Article_ID=1525

[teds]

fmw
I didn't fish for the bass but I did see one of Jim Hull's party drop a nice one after an explosion at the boat.They must be in the big whtiewater rolling in at the point not a place I like to be in a boat by myself.As far as I'm concerned the best thing that can happen to great abie fishing is great bass fishing, more tuna for Tuna and me.
Teds

[Tuna]

Based on the Teds report (thru Josh) it looks like I will finally get my brother Jim out this Friday. Last year, the only day he could fish with me in the fall was the Friday after 9/11 - could time to be with family, but it was, well, a bit wild out there. We managed 2 albies apiece before deciding it would be wise to get out there. I've told him there is a chance that today's blow may kill the albie scene, but that we will have more than 24 hours of 20 knots of less from the west before we get out (or so I hope from the last NOAA report I saw) and that my guess is we will see albies to cast to.

Hope Josh and Teds knock 'em dead Thursday afternoon. Ted, I'll probably try to call you when I get out Thursday night.

[peteD]

fmw,

Trust me you'll never be able to look at reports on Fri. and hope to get the same results Sat. I hope to get out Sat. With any luck on weather, and crowds I'll be fly fishing on the south side.