Montauk

[edhank]

OMG, what a day I had on Thursday out on Montauk point. First trip there and caught some incredible fish on the fly. Chartered 2 boats for 4 ppl. One of the guides was Capt. Paul Dixon of the Guide House on ESPN2. Caught a number of False Albacore and a bunch of stripers and a big bluefish to finish of the northeast grand slam.

The albacore were incredible. Caught one 12 pounder that ran me into backing twice on a reel that had the drag locked down tight. After that fish I was wooped. Fish were blitzing everywhere.

This fishing isn't for the faint of heart. 20 knot winds made the boat ride and fishing a little rough, but well worth it.

If there is anyone in southwest PA that ones to go out next year and share the cost of the trip, please IM me or something.

 

[Fishidiot]

Ed,
Yeah, Montauk is awesome! It's about the same drive time for me as the Erie tribs and since I love the ocean the choice is a no-brainer for me. I usually fish the beach. They're similar in both being very crowded although I think the crowd on the Montauk beach is possesed of considerably more colorful language and less restraint in using it. Surf fishing here is not for everyone, certainly not the faint of heart. I've seen fist fights, arguments, dudes getting plugs with trebles bounced off their heads, boats smashed on rocks, fishermen in wet suits getting snagged, crazy swimmers, and all kinds of hard core stuff unlike anything I've seen anywhere else - and I've fished all over the US. In spite of this, the fishing is a blast and a thick skin and some patience makes it tolerable. I usually head west a few hundred yards out of Turtle Cove and the crowds aren't as bad. I'm hoping to get there myself this fall - gotta love it.

 

[edhank]

I got to see, er hear the colorful language coming from the boats as well. Amazing stuff.

We rolled in Wednesday and fished turtle cove from shore and I had one heck of a time with the fly rod. Those rolling 3 or 4 footers were killer. The one guy that was with us almost got washed out to sea. I got fed up and switched to spinning tackle and had no luck.

What weight rod do you use when fishing from shore. Do you take a spinner as backup? What kind of lines do have on the reels? Hiring a guide was great, but I can't afford it all the time. I have had horrible like with fishing the salt from shore and any help and advice is appreciated....


Ed

 

[Fishidiot]

Ed,
Great albie photo. I like a 10WT with either a fast sink shooting head or WF floater for most surf and jetty work. A lot of guys prefer the traditional 9WT but a 10 gives you enough backbone to fight fish in quicker - a necessity on a crowded beach. A 9WT is fine for albies and stripers up to about 15-20lbs but a fish over this size (or bluefish over ten lbs) requires a bigger gun, esp if the beach has a strong undertow. An 11WT is good too. I prefer an 8WT for back bays and fishing from a kayak but I won't take the 8 out on the beaches at Montauk - it will just get destroyed. Yes, I take spin tackle too. I like a 7 ft medium action paired with a reel with close to 200 yds of 20 lb test. There are simply days at the beach when fly fishing just isn't worth it and spin tackle will get you hooked up. It's nice as a backup too - the last time I was at the NJ shore I busted my 10WT on a striper and the spin rod allowed me to salvage the day. On days when the beaches seem fishless, sometimes I'll search with a spin rod with plugs or bucktails and if I find fish I'll break out the fly rod.

 

[Fishidiot]

I thought I'd refresh this thread with a report for Oct 18-20th. This time, Montauk was blown out - the only time I've been skunked there. The drive from SC PA out to "The End" is punishing and I'm reminded once again of why I don't go there every year. The forcast was for windy, cooler weather but the winds were much worse than I expected: 20-30mph and the sea was extremely rough with massive surf. Fly fishing was impossible and even the spin guys were struggling. Even under these conditions, stipers can usually be caught in the surf, esp with winds from the east/northeast but they just were not in. There were some birds but they were never closer than half a mile out and no boats were out in the rough sea. I never thought I'd have Turtle Cove all to myself in Oct, even on a Monday morning. Disappointing trip.