The above is a fairly common fishing scenario along the striper
coast.... I'm sure most of you have fished in similar areas. This inlet
is on the bay side (ie not open ocean). The obvious time to fish
places like this is during an outgoing tide when the bait is being
flushed out. I often fish inlets like this at night as that's usually
when the bass are feeding (seems like mostly bluefish during the day).
I've seen many big fish in the areas surrounding places like this but
the only fish that seem to be actively feeding (at least the ones I can
hear popping) are all small. Is it that the bigger less aggressive fish
are hanging out of the fast water? Are they deeper? How would you fish
this?
OK.... It's official Go Fish North America
has officially kicked off and we have our first fish: Check out
Bassmaster Elite angler Byron (B.J.) Haseotes:
For more info on our Go Fish North America campaign with Tackle Grab, go here: www.gofishna.com
The Fin & Tackle Grab are
teaming up! Help send this lure across North America and get a cool
t-shirt and other stuff if we pick you! For a chance to participate
simply 'LIKE & SHARE' this photo and send an email saying "I want
in!" to fish@gofishna.com. We'll email you back with all the details to get started.For even more info, visit www.gofishna.com. Go Fish North America will be limited to 40 anglers - sign up today!
Colin Scott from Grip Studs reached out to me in March and asked if
I would be interested in testing and reviewing their surf fishing
studs. I of course jumped at the chance but sadly I have not been able
to get out and test them yet, but because I'm so intrigued with them I
thought I'd share some photos and initial thoughts.... and I promise
I'll be back with a full field tested review ASAP. In the meantime,
check out there site www.gripstuds.com
Just by looking at
them, there is little question that they will work. My main concern is
how will they hold up after a 30 minute walk one way across the rocks of
Montauk to where I like to fish? Stay tuned!
As much as I love finding fish, I really love finding good food.
To that end...I had the pleasure of chowing down on the most delicious
fish sandwich yesterday in DUMBO. Created by the the folks at Bon
Burger part of the already popular Bon Chovie (get it?) brand. While
waiting for my food I asked Neill Holland, who happens to be the owner
with his wife Renae, if he fished... His answer "hell yeah".... As it
turns out, this genius food creator is also a passionate angler.... he
even worked at Urban Angler and Capitol Fishing here in NYC for a bit.
Want the full story on Bon Chovie? Check out this piece in This Is
Fly.
Ok... So where does one get this sandwich? Well, it
won't be easy for most of you but if you happen to be in Brooklyn on a
Saturday and Sunday you're in luck. See details here.
Over the last 10 years I have slowly but steadily transitioned to less fly fishing and more (spin) surfcasting. The reason for this has been the quest for bigger and bigger fish (striped bass). Where I fish, the options from shore are back bay stuff, open sand beaches, inlets, and Montauk. And when I say Montauk, I mean mainly the rocky south side to Ditch Plains or The North side to Shag. My roots, are in the open sand beaches. That is where I learned to fish the surf. I started out as a kid in Nantucket, casting rangers in to the Great Point Rip for huge bluefish and then for striped bass, albies, and the occasional spanish mackerel. I have never not fished, but during high school and college, I fished way less than I do now. For the last 20 years 90% of my fishing has been on the east end of Long Island. As I matured as a fisherman (still waiting to mature as an adult ;) fly fishing became more my thing...not that I didn't always have a spin rod nearby, but fly fishing almost seemed to be more effective in the places I fished. I will never be one of those guys that just fly fishes, not that there is anything wrong with that, I just like all types of fishing. I've even been know to dead stick clams in the surf while enjoying the beach with my family. For years, my fishing season would begin the last weekend in April, at night, on fly on a back bay outflow somewhere in eastern Long Island (east of Hampton Bays). As the weather warmed, I would slowly move east. By the time June would arrive I'd be catching striped bass on the flats during the day and on the outgoing tides at night. By the time July was almost over I would begin fishing Montauk at night from the surf and mostly with a spinning rod. The allure of Montauk is the reality of bigger fish and the ability to target them in specific locations on specific tides and weather conditions. Slowly over time, it's been that allure which has changed me to only fishing Montauk, only with a spinning rod, and only at night. Don't get me wrong, you can, and I do fish Montauk with a fly rod but it's not easy, and for me not that productive. The fish I'm hitting in Montauk are often at the end of a cast with a 10' lami. Plus, fishing the open surf with a fly rod at night is very messy. So what's the problem? For the last few years, the fishing has not been what it was. Especially last year, for me, it was not a good one. To start with, I fished less, because of family obligations and marathon training and when I did get out I had lackluster results. In order for me to fish Montauk, It's a 30 minute drive, and often times a 30 minute walk to where I like to fish, so that's 2 hours of just travel time. To go through all that effort and then get skunked is not fun (on top of that I miss a night of sleep). I don't mind if I don't catch fish...I do love the hunt, but if I'm going through all that effort it would be nice. I'm not sure why, but during the winter I have developed a strong desire to go back to my roots. That being, fly fishing back bays at night and open sand beaches closer to home. I can 100% guarantee that I catch fish every night and only have to drive 5 minutes. The problem is the size. Hmmmmm....what to do? How has your fishing developed over the years?
Can't Make it to The Fly Fishing Show in Somerset this weekend? Have no fear, I'll be covering the whole thing on The Fin APP so you won't have to miss a thing!
I'll filter through all the clutter and bring you the best of the best. Any requests? Message me and I'll cover it for you.
