NE winds, crazy fishing, winners of giveaway and Jack Yee

Let me get what’s on my mind out first, you’ll find all the giveaway winners at the bottom of this blog.

I have a hard time eating, sleeping or concentrating on work during NE blows in the fall. Its a disease I caught long time ago and just not can shake it of regardless how bad the fishing gets..and its getting downright scary. If you told me only three years ago that I would be fishing yesterday in those type of conditions at Montauk Point, I would have told you that after catching a fifty or a hundred fish I would have called it quits…by noon. Instead of making three thousand casts for three rats in caswels…but back to my story

I arrived in Montauk Tuesday night. Monday they had a wicked NE wind and no one more or less caught a single fish. Tuesday they had better day as they picked and picked at them all day on south side. No, nothing like it should be or nothing like it used to be but then again, we are not like we used to be.

I suited up alone in Camp Hero around 11 PM and took a walk to caswels. The conditions were awesome and quite a bit intimidating, 5 to 7 foot sets with NE wind gusting to 20. Not as strong as it usually is associated with noresters but enough to get fishing going I was hoping. How has the fishing been? I have a personal friend who has been plugging Montauk during the week since summer and he caught a LOT of BIG blues. He hasn’t seen a bass on the north side in weeks and weeks. And he was not  the only one. As such I wasn’t expecting much, few dinks would make my  night.

I really truly respect those who hunt for big fish. It takes a dedication to concentrate on one part of the sport, and probably the most difficult one. I am on the opposite side of the spectrum, I just love fishing “conditions” more than catching big fish. If I had to pick between 50 dinks at Caswels  that night or catch a one 50b bass I’ll take dinks six days a week and twice on Sunday. This is probably why I get psyched up for the storms. I just love that crazy white water, crazy wind and small 3/4 to 1 ounce bucktails cast sidearm.

After arriving at Caswels and finding a rock on the reef I thought for a minute what would happen if I cracked my head here as there wasn’t a single guy fishing on the south side. That proved to be premonition of sorts as getting off the rock later I severely jammed my thumb in the rock and I am still dealing with repercussions 5 days later. I am always looked as being weird for not carrying my phone when fishing rocks but I just don’t. I want to be alone, I want to enjoy these few hours in peace and serenity only Montauk or Cuttyhunk can provide for me. I want to get immersed into the nature, the rocks, the waves. I want my arm to become a long wand that will move in the rhythm with gyrating waves and will pluck bass from the milky foam one after another before I get to tired to lift my arms. I don’t want to be disturbed….and if something ever happens, if I need assistance? We all got to go someday, I’ll just crawl up on the rock and wait for what God has in store for me. Besides, good luck getting reception on the south side

Fortunately the jammed thumb was all the abuse I took other than some pummeling by waves, even better , it was on my non-casting hand..haha. I fired up a cast, cut my cast by a quarter so I can control my bucktail and I put my line on the roller. Immediately i felt the bump and I set a hook hard. Would you believe that  was my only fish for then next two hours!!!

The jinx of the first cast fish strikes again !

With a  tail between my legs I got back to my truck and took my gear off. After a very uncomfortable night in the truck I was up for dawn at Camp Hero again. I did not bother checking the north side at all, if there was fish there, they can have them, there really wasn’t anyone there to fish for them. I saw Vito, Donny Musso, Pat Abate  and crew plugging the Rat Hole but I did not see a bend in a rod. There might have have been one more guy in Kings and one in Browns but that was it. The water look absolutely gorgeous with big sets of breakers rolling over the reef and white water everywhere, hard to believe their rods were not bent. They were getting out of the water and walking towards Browns, where there was a single guy fishing the corner and it looked liked he was into some fish

I had to run to the restroom in upper lot and by the time I got back , they were all in Browns casting away. I suited up and joined them. I cant explain to you how awesome is to fish with these legends of the surf, especially during the week when you literally have a place to yourself. I found a rock where the reef met the cove and fired a sideway cast into a big roller. I managed five fish while the legends picked few each, I just got lucky on a better rock, plus don’t forget I can get out further as they are all about thousand years old….haha

A slow pick but it got better..at least for me..stay tuned

The winners of this past week giveaways

MTK LTD shirt winners and Big Poppa winner. Please reach us at info@surfcastersjournal.com with your shipping address and size

ERIC MATUZSAN

Pete the polish pistol

James Donnelly

The shirts are in the online store for a limited time while supplies last

The winner of Guides Choice Big Poppa giveaway is

Lonell Rodgers

stay tuned for NE wind…as Harvey would say..the Rest Of The Story

PS

On Saturday, October 3rd on north side of Montauk there will be a little ceremony for Jack Yee and after which his ashes will be scattered over his favorite place, Weakfish Rock. If you are in the area, please stop by to honor this extraordinary surfcaster