This blog post should really be called making the smallest adjustments, because that is what this really is about. But then again that does not sounds as sexy as Hermine Diary from the East End
Besides, everything we do while surf fishing depends greatly on making very small, calculated adjustments
Some people think that i don’t have much between the ears and that’s fine. Over the years I’ve caught fish by sheer perseverance, dumb luck, by getting info from friends and many other ways that had nothing to do with my skill or ability. But this morning was different…and I don’t care what anyone says….. I feel a story coming up so grab a chair and cup off coffee..lol
2 30 AM Packing a truck for a run to Montauk. Not taking a single plug with me. A belt with Boga, pliers, Pork in Rockhopper Pork Rind holder and a pouch on a belt with bucktails of assorted sizes and leader wallet. That is. Plugs stay home
5 AM pulling into Montauk lot. Jesus , is there enough trucks in the lot? Looks like an October morning!!! I put my wetsuit on in the upper lot not to bother those that are sleeping and got back into the truck. I don’t like the wind speed, I thought (was hopping) it would be more. Too many people in lot make my decision easier. South Side it is
5 30 AM on the south side. Not a single dude fishing. Zero, nada, zilch..wait…I am wrong, there is a faint light in the distance to the west. Doubt its a surfer, this wind is not what they crave (It turned out to be Bill Wetzel)
5 45 AM Surveying the water. Not really enthralled with what I see but its not bad either. Its Good but I was expecting GREAT. Tide is at bottom and its going to build as tide comes in. Big , clean sets of white water…yummy. This is just a personal thing, but I would rather catch small fish in that mess than 30 pounders on pencil poppers and flat water. Don’t ask me why, I am weird that way. When NE goes hard I cant concentrate at work, I cant eat, I cant sleep. All I want is a bucktail hanging off my rod and pork rind.
6 30 AM Tossing 1 ounce bucktails in that crazy water. So far I managed 4 fish but I was expecting more……a lot more. But I will take it. A lot of long faces in the lot and pent up excitement. Fish have been few and far between is what I hear. Guys are starting to get on the rocks around me. Why did they wait after sunrise to show is beyond me? Maybe they are coming over from the North side ?
7 AM Still staying with 1 oz bucktail. The water is still low and you really cant work anything heavy over shallow reef yet. Then I see birds on the other side of the reef but big waves are obscuring my vision. No one has picked up fish yet in the water that looks like it should hold million, make that gazillion bass. Waves flatten out for a moment and I clearly see few fish rolling on the reef in the foam….problem is they are too far for my 1 oz bucktail. I replace it with a 1 1/2 oz Magic-tail buck and I take a Fat Cow Jig Strip which I sliced in a half lengthwise yesterday in preparation for the trip. Its narrowness cuts down on wind resistance during a cast in conditions like this, yet it still gives a jig a little flutter. Instead of diagonal casting I fire up a cast straight, and I hook up almost instantaneously. Then I do it four more times. No one else is hooked up….
Now if you think I have a super-duper long distance rod and reel…you’d be wrong. I do not use 11 rods any longer due to some health issues. What I do use most of the time is and I did yesterday is a 10 foot Century Noreaster and VSX 250.To me a great combo but most 11 footer ill outcast me. I probably had the shortest set up of anyone there. So it wasn’t my rod, it was the adjustment on bucktail size and trailer. I saw one fish caught all morning (and when i got home I hear of one fish under the light, one on north side and one on Shag on a chunk, so basically a disaster of a day considering conditions). Granted, these fish could have just blew up in front of me and I was the only one that had a shot. In no way, shape or form do I in any way disrespecting those around me. All I am saying it that if I don’t make adjustment I do not catch those fish (probably same thing happens if I sleep past sunrise too)
8AM Hanging with Mr Wetzel and his customer. Always a pleasure. I actually asked If I can take picture with the legend. Bill is good people. Yes, he was annoyed that I was in his “spot”….lol…people like Bill is what makes Montauk great! Like The Professor or Jack Yee before him, he becomes a fabric of a place. The hardest Working Guide in The Business
9 AM in Montauk Bake Shop getting some jelly croissants for wife and kids. Line is insane but I wait and swat at bees in line. Cant come home empty handed now! Eating my Greek yogurt and cup of fruit while driving and looking at jelly croissants….
11 AM Not a stitch of traffic!!!!! I am in my basement doing Bulgarian Squats, presses,pushups and God knows what else for almost two hours. Wife comes home with THREE, count em’ Three Tri-Color Cookie Donuts from Lynbrook Bakery !!!!!!!
I kid you not. I have a plum and a yogurt and hit the shower.Watching what you eat sucks.
Yes, there should have been 800 fish there for all to catch instead of 8. That water looked that damned good as it was flooding. The north side, to me did not look good or “big” enough yet. By Monday it should. Will anything change? I am not sure, water felt piss warm but if bait will find their way in the surf so will the fish. Good luck to all of you out there and please be safe.
2 30 AM Sitting and writing my thoughts. Time to hit the surf one more time before we say goodby to the weekend. Please be safe out there.
I really enjoyed that story. Maybe not a “lights out” day but one of satisfaction . Then meeting up with friends on the beach makes it even better.
↓Fished Saturday South Side in the afternoon on the low turn. Had four fish on buck tails. Same thing: water not as big as I wished and I did not see any bait (except some snappers under the Light Friday night.) Hadn’t fished the surf since June so just good to be back at it.
↓enjoyed, thks
↓This post was a good read with coffee. I got skunked on the day of Sat Sept 3rd, but here’s my small report that may/may not be of any value: reached Montauk unfortunately a little after 6am. Dropped by Paulie’s at 7 (met Ray and another person working at the time – shout out to them). Checked out Shadmoor for a bit; was told by another angler that activity has been minimal, and I got nothing on my bucktail w/ a strip (I wish I didn’t give up so easily). I move over towards Shagwong (it’s later AM); one fisherman told me he hasn’t had any luck so far, and a father & his kid caught fluke off of clams. One short and one keeper at 18.5″. I try my fluke rig for a bit, moving around on the sandy shores, and got a Gulp tail bitten off, but I’m craving blue action. I move eastward towards the Light (it’s after 1:15pm) and saw a handful of surfcasters throwing out poppers. Being the self-conscious fucker I am, I take a seat and watch. And watch. And watch. No action and long faces too. I leave a little after 3pm and concluded it’s not my day.
↓Great story Z made a run out there on Friday night till Saturday morning pretty quiet just seen one guy by the light with a blue using Bunker chunk that’s about it hope things get better soon
↓Great write up. And congrats on scoring after the adjustment. Was at the south side myself Saturday and got into some blues and there on Sunday with the GoPro…
https://youtu.be/Lp6qqWTDpAI
↓z – just like at work measure twice cut once ,same goes for fishing – call twice , drive or don’t ! The night shift covered all the spots. I’d love to tell you that you missed it , but out of five guys
A lone rat hit the beach . Well after the blow I’ll be chest deep all week and hopefully knee deep in bass .
? ? Intel by ?
Reach out and call lol
Bill
↓Great old tyme SJ blog post! My son and I hit the area just west of you before sunrise each of the last four days for about 2 hours each day. One small blue yesterday, four SB on Sunday with only 1 legal, 2 bass & 2 blues on Saturday all on bucktails. Friday we caught 2 porgies on a kastmaster and 4 small blues on poppers.
↓Nice story. You look like you could pose for GQ in the wetsuit, LOL.
↓There’s NO WAY I would make the ride home without inhaling one of those jelly donuts. I might run an extra mile or two, but it’s like when I tell my wife I’m bringing the rod on a family trip, but I’m not really gonna fish. Ha ha,
↓Mind over matter John. .lol
↓I love them too but fir the first time in my life I passed on it and tricolor donuts
I did have to make them eat it all before I got up in the morning because I was afraid of what I might do before work haha
Good Lord, Zeno! Did you cut that strip with a chainsaw??
↓teeth..lol
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