Stagger_Lee
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2012
- Messages
- 4,313
What a f’en zoo ….
Got into Montauk late Friday afternoon. Met up with my friend, his bud and his father (Montauk surf-caster for 42 years), at the camp site in Hither Hills park … right on the ocean and my first time camping since I was a kid tho this was in camper not a tent and I had a pullout couch … my speed lol.
Shot the #censor# for a lil over a beer or two and we head to the beach to get me comfortable … only fishing I have EVER done is the Fly Fishing over the past 18 months. Got the casting down in 5 minutes but have some fly fish habits as to what I do once the fly (lure in this instance) hits the water. First rod they put me on was heavy, the reel was high end and I tangled it up. They put me on an easier, lighter rod, which was more my preference and I was all good ….. of course they had fun ragging on the ‘rook’ all weekend. Fished (practiced) for a few hours, back to the camper for some beers and out to diner to eat, drink and watch the USA MNT officially qualify for WC 2014.
Woke up very early Sat AM, coffee and bfast to go and we were off. Drove to abt 4 different spots (Montauk has tons, and tons of spots to surf cast) and fished each area for abt 1 hour and we all got nothing. We also spoke to a bunch of fisherman at these spots and nothing at all as well. By 12PM we were spent and needed lunch. Montauk is a great small beach town with a ton of offerings to eat from quality inexpensive food to high end that caters to rich and famous that spend time on the east end of LI.
We met his dads friends at a local pancake house and we shot the shinola for 2 hours. These guys are too Montauk fishing as many of you guys are to FFishing in Pa and other areas. I found it very interest that the striper fishing has been really poor excluding a few spots … which we needed to find and yes … they have spot burn issues. Very few blitzes that past few years and there are different and very strong views as to why they are seeing a small striped bass population as years past. Anyhow .. nice enough guys cause they new my buddy and his dad for years, otherwise they would’ve never told us where to go. They spoke very quietly and put us on a spot where we were bound to catch fish as they have had success there the past 2 days.
Got to the small lot that wasn’t that crowded and we took the 45 minute hike on a nice trail and got to a really nice, remote area along the shore. Decent amt of fishermen there but surely not even close to the what I witnessed early or the complete madness near the lighthouse where we didn’t fish but just drove bye. Walked abt ½ mile east and set up shop. White buck-tail was the call and we cast, and cast, and cast and got nothing … nada. Meanwhile this guy next to us (maybe 25 yards from us) was hooking on what seemed every 3 casts. We spent a good 2 hrs in the area, moving up and down the beach to different spots, nothing. As we headed back to the trail end to get to the lot we saw a couple of my buddies dads friends and we talked .... we were using a 1 ½ buck tail which he said we needed BUT we had white tails and everyone with action had red tails .. that made the difference. These guys were all nice BUT IMHO, if I met a fly fisher, not even one I know but a stranger, and we were shooting the shinola on what was hitting and what wasn’t … no doubt that they would give us one or two of the flys that were working … or at least that has been my experience. No one offered and I didn’t ask but maybe it’s just cause they are New Yawkers .. lol. Off to one of the local fish shop to get red tails (I think they called’em pork grinds), got diner, drinks bed.
Got up Sunday but not as early as the prior day, finished up our hike and we were casting by 7AM. Third cast boom … got my first fish from the surf. Similar to nymphing in a sense that you don’t see anything but you feel it. Nice fight in those striped bass and I ended up getting four that am all around 12 – 15 lbs … headed home yesterday arnd noon.
All in all had a blast but a few things from Stagger
1) All weekend constant wind of abt 22 MPH and 30+MPH gusts .. made casting a challenge
2) Those cats in wetsuits that go abt 50 – 100 yrds out to fish on rocks are ‘nutz’ but that is where the big fish are ... I admire their nutzy-ness getting whacked by big waves what seemed every few seconds.
3) Enjoyed surfcasting and will defiantly do it again BUT FF for tout and SMB > surf casting …. I love the beach, and maybe it was that it was so windy, but there is something to be said about chucking fly’s and the subtle sounds of a fresh water stream. I will FF salt down the road in one form or another down the road
5) The amt of people in Montauk to surf cast is insane … the two parking lots (BIG LOTS) near the light house full and 90% of the vehicles were fishermen .. INSANE
4) Next time I drive 200+ miles for a weekend it will be west to hit up some of Pa’s big spots to fish for trout
5) If there are any surfers on the board … never realized what a popular destination Montauk is for surfing BUT some of the surfers are complete schmucks … I saw tons of words btwn fishermen and surfers .. lol
6) People come from all over the country and globe to fish Montauk … I met a few from out of state who were very disappointed in the conditions and the amt of fish
7) All in all a great weekend and really enjoyed my 1st fishing trip weekend
Got into Montauk late Friday afternoon. Met up with my friend, his bud and his father (Montauk surf-caster for 42 years), at the camp site in Hither Hills park … right on the ocean and my first time camping since I was a kid tho this was in camper not a tent and I had a pullout couch … my speed lol.
Shot the #censor# for a lil over a beer or two and we head to the beach to get me comfortable … only fishing I have EVER done is the Fly Fishing over the past 18 months. Got the casting down in 5 minutes but have some fly fish habits as to what I do once the fly (lure in this instance) hits the water. First rod they put me on was heavy, the reel was high end and I tangled it up. They put me on an easier, lighter rod, which was more my preference and I was all good ….. of course they had fun ragging on the ‘rook’ all weekend. Fished (practiced) for a few hours, back to the camper for some beers and out to diner to eat, drink and watch the USA MNT officially qualify for WC 2014.
Woke up very early Sat AM, coffee and bfast to go and we were off. Drove to abt 4 different spots (Montauk has tons, and tons of spots to surf cast) and fished each area for abt 1 hour and we all got nothing. We also spoke to a bunch of fisherman at these spots and nothing at all as well. By 12PM we were spent and needed lunch. Montauk is a great small beach town with a ton of offerings to eat from quality inexpensive food to high end that caters to rich and famous that spend time on the east end of LI.
We met his dads friends at a local pancake house and we shot the shinola for 2 hours. These guys are too Montauk fishing as many of you guys are to FFishing in Pa and other areas. I found it very interest that the striper fishing has been really poor excluding a few spots … which we needed to find and yes … they have spot burn issues. Very few blitzes that past few years and there are different and very strong views as to why they are seeing a small striped bass population as years past. Anyhow .. nice enough guys cause they new my buddy and his dad for years, otherwise they would’ve never told us where to go. They spoke very quietly and put us on a spot where we were bound to catch fish as they have had success there the past 2 days.
Got to the small lot that wasn’t that crowded and we took the 45 minute hike on a nice trail and got to a really nice, remote area along the shore. Decent amt of fishermen there but surely not even close to the what I witnessed early or the complete madness near the lighthouse where we didn’t fish but just drove bye. Walked abt ½ mile east and set up shop. White buck-tail was the call and we cast, and cast, and cast and got nothing … nada. Meanwhile this guy next to us (maybe 25 yards from us) was hooking on what seemed every 3 casts. We spent a good 2 hrs in the area, moving up and down the beach to different spots, nothing. As we headed back to the trail end to get to the lot we saw a couple of my buddies dads friends and we talked .... we were using a 1 ½ buck tail which he said we needed BUT we had white tails and everyone with action had red tails .. that made the difference. These guys were all nice BUT IMHO, if I met a fly fisher, not even one I know but a stranger, and we were shooting the shinola on what was hitting and what wasn’t … no doubt that they would give us one or two of the flys that were working … or at least that has been my experience. No one offered and I didn’t ask but maybe it’s just cause they are New Yawkers .. lol. Off to one of the local fish shop to get red tails (I think they called’em pork grinds), got diner, drinks bed.
Got up Sunday but not as early as the prior day, finished up our hike and we were casting by 7AM. Third cast boom … got my first fish from the surf. Similar to nymphing in a sense that you don’t see anything but you feel it. Nice fight in those striped bass and I ended up getting four that am all around 12 – 15 lbs … headed home yesterday arnd noon.
All in all had a blast but a few things from Stagger
1) All weekend constant wind of abt 22 MPH and 30+MPH gusts .. made casting a challenge
2) Those cats in wetsuits that go abt 50 – 100 yrds out to fish on rocks are ‘nutz’ but that is where the big fish are ... I admire their nutzy-ness getting whacked by big waves what seemed every few seconds.
3) Enjoyed surfcasting and will defiantly do it again BUT FF for tout and SMB > surf casting …. I love the beach, and maybe it was that it was so windy, but there is something to be said about chucking fly’s and the subtle sounds of a fresh water stream. I will FF salt down the road in one form or another down the road
5) The amt of people in Montauk to surf cast is insane … the two parking lots (BIG LOTS) near the light house full and 90% of the vehicles were fishermen .. INSANE
4) Next time I drive 200+ miles for a weekend it will be west to hit up some of Pa’s big spots to fish for trout
5) If there are any surfers on the board … never realized what a popular destination Montauk is for surfing BUT some of the surfers are complete schmucks … I saw tons of words btwn fishermen and surfers .. lol
6) People come from all over the country and globe to fish Montauk … I met a few from out of state who were very disappointed in the conditions and the amt of fish
7) All in all a great weekend and really enjoyed my 1st fishing trip weekend