We was I ? Oh, yeah, making the first cast of the fall. Man, that did feel great. I woke up in the parking lot a bit sore so I told myself to take it easy..unless you run into the fish again. By the morning the north east winds were whipping the seas in the frenzy of white foam and waves. Unlike last night, the whole reef was cover in the white foam but the waves were still building. By tomorrow morning they will reach their crescendo but the place was already rocking. Those who knew or thought that they knew what northeast winds can do , they were here or on their way, the rest I am sure at work cursing their luck. Don’t care what anyone says, the 7/11 is the best thing that happened to MTK since they made it a state park. Every night I fill my thermos with coffee and when I get up in my truck, I sip on a hot, delicious (of course, at that time, hot mud would feel delicious) coffee, waiting for the nature’s call. Because I don’t go anywhere before that….ever. Been fooled to many times.
I ran over the north side where Ryan Smith from RM Smith Lures and some of his friends where lined up with the rest of the north side crew. It’s funny, as much as we say that we will go wherever the fish are ,most of us are creatures of habit, you can find us at our “usual” spots most of the time. I took some shots as the sun came up and then drove away and parked on the south side. I did not bothered to look what the water looked like. I knew it was good and getting better.
I suited up and walked down the hill. In spot I wanted to fish I found two fly casters. Not only that but I counted 7 more spread along the reel. Holy crap, I give those dudes credit ,to be able to cast in that wind! Time for change in plans, as I was late. I was not going to muscle in amongst the fly crowd. The fellows in the spot I wanted to fish were Mike Oliver and his buddy, recently arrived on their annual trip from United Kingdom. Like I said, I had no interest in getting a fly imbedded in my face and I needed more room than usual to do a sidearm cast.
As I surveyed for any good rocks from which I could get my small bucktail into white water I spotted one as the wave was receding. Can I really get on that one without getting killed? I realized that tide was dropping and if I can hold the rock now, I could probably stay on for few hours. Getting on it was a little easier than I thought if you discount the dozen or so times I tripped on the rocks and fell on my ass. But finally I was standing on the top of the rock, looking at this big wall of white water coming at me. Fortunately, with low tide approaching the wave would break few feet in front of me.
From this rock I could probably reach water slightly deeper than yesterday and when you are account for bigger waves, I could probably get away with a 1 ounce bucktail. I find it fascinating when people say “you need a 1 1/2 bucktail in mtk, that is the standard”!. Yeah, maybe under the light but not many other places. Conditions, not what you have at the time, not what you want to toss, not what your buddy told you, not what you read on the net, always ,always dictate what lure to use.
The problem was that when the water receded I was looking at about half dozen big boulders sticking out of the water. And I knew if I did not timed my cast, I will be digging bottom all morning. Yeah, many have come over the years and told me that the “white water” thing changed their whole perspective on surf fishing. And I am sure many are saying that it’s just bullshit. It does not bother me which way you are leaning, all I can tell you is what works for me. Even that morning, with all that white water, when I miscast and cast in between the sets (of waves) I drew a blank.
Anyway, after deciding on the one ounce bucktail and 240s pork rind I made a test “cast” by flinging the bucktail sideways just above the wave. This not only saved my elbow from pain but it kept the bucktail under the wind, cutting down on the useless loop of line I would have to retrieve by casting overhand. Was the one ounce the right size? It must of have been because I hooked up on a first cast and twenty times afterwards.
The fish were so amped up, so crazy aggressive that they ran with a sweep striping a line from ZeeBaaS with ease. Yet when you landed them you’d say “This is it? You are not even ten pounds!”. All you needed was to place a bucktail in the proper part of the wave and you were hooked up. I looked around and seen fly casters were in, my buddy Vinnie who ran from Nassau that morning was bailing them as was legendary Joe Bragan and few other guys.
After fish number twenty, the tide was almost all the way down if I remember. Whatever it was, the action lightened up. I really wanted to catch more fish than the day before but I was content with what I got. The only thing that bothered me was that I did not keep a fish. I wanted to surprised my wife by coming home in the afternoon and picking my daughter from school at 3. I wanted to help her with a full plate of religion classes, doctor, therapy and God knows what else the poor woman had to do alone while I was gone. And I wanted to bring one fish to Wok and Roll in town to make it Sesame striped bass and bring it home for dinner. But fish got smaller, I got antsy and I ran back to the car, unsuited and grabbed the camera. After all, the only way I could sell this trip to my wife was that it was “work”. Which you might find to be funny but after I explain one day what exactly I was doing there for a week, you’ll understand.
Anyway, I ran back to north side with the camera but the rain chased just about everyone away…and lack of fish. Oh crap, now what ? There was nothing to film and I knew there won’t be anyone under the light at the bottom of the tide. It was 10 AM and I drove back to south side and just shooting bull with Ryan Smith and his friends. Now I was debating what to do. Try again and maybe get a keeper for home? Go home empty handed? Go to lot and rest the elbow? I could have done any of those things.
My friend Vinnie walks up to path and says” I got to go but get yout butt down there, they are banging them again “…hmmm, socialize, or fish alone and get my ass kicked? Not even close. Remember that my wife calls me the most anti-social mammal she ever met…haha
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