New York Metro &
New Jersey

Mere words are not enough...

Beauty still exists in this world - One More Cast Charters

It’s horrible. Absolutely horrible. Friends of mine are, as of now, unaccounted for and most likely dead. I can walk out of my apartment in Rockaway and see a smoldering city emitting a strange gray smoke almost 57 hours after the event happened. Two distinguishing landmarks that plastered the skyline are gone. I watched them both drop with mouth agape. The news seems to get worse and worse as I find myself glued to the TV in a morbid trance. It’s like a bad traffic accident that you just can’t turn away from. All the e-mails and cell phone calls to loved ones before everything was lost. All the graphic pictures of people plunging to their deaths. Both days I woke up thinking it was only a dream. Truly terrible.

It has been said that we are at war. But as one concerned citizen said "the most important battleground will be in our hearts and minds.  If we give in to fear, stop taking risks, stop trusting in ourselves and forget how to live as a free people, then we've lost." A touching truth. If you’re friends and loved ones are still missing, my heart goes out to you in such a way that makes my heart sink and my throat curl. My deepest, deepest sympathy. But we must continue to live. It takes courage to live.  It takes bravery to live each day, even in the face of evil and death.

Today, I went fishing. And for what seemed like only a few hours, I spent 9 hours with David Azar hooking albacore and bluefish in the 15 pound range. For those 9 hours I felt good and healthy and, for lack of a better word, at one with myself. (Sorry about the cliché.) But it’s very true. Fishing is one of the few things in the world that causes you to be completely focused. Of course there are always problems in the back of your head, and during these 9 hours, I never forgot the horrific events of the past two days. But I was still in tune. Focused on the hunt. It seemed like the only thing that was true and real at that moment. That is the beauty of this great sport that we all love. It was good, and it really relieved a tremendous amount of pressure and angst. Today I did not let them win.  I lived as a free person. 

Am I still hurt, and sick to my stomach? Yes. Am I still angry as hell at the moronic religious fanatics that did this catastrophic thing? Yes. But I honestly feel better. There are truly evil things in this world. But there are also beautiful and great things. Fishing is one of them. Don’t let anyone, or anything take that away.

Continue to pray for the losses, but be thankful for what we have. Life must go on! LIVE!!!

Below are the few reports that came in this week.

And don’t forget to email me your own reports. Tight lines all.

Tight Lines!

John McMurray

Guidelines - Your chance to question the pros. Send your questions to brodgers@ddtcom.com with the subject heading "Guidelines."

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New York & New Jersey's Fisheries

Western Long Island

The Author with an albie taken this week

 

Hi John

Fishing reports may seem trivial right now, but life must go on or they win.
As a veteran I can not and will not let them win. Gorilla Bluefish are now in the western sound area. I had John Ryan out this week for Blues up to and over ten pounds in Hempstead Harbor. Teeny 650 sinking lines in the deeper holes with Dinos' Bunker Flies did the trick. Bonita are hard to find but can be found early mornings around Matinecock
Point. They are extremly skidish. Maybe one cast is all you get. I will be out at Montauk next week for the PFLGA - RedBone tournament on Thursday and Friday. I have half day charter openings for Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in Montauk.
May God bless the souls who died today.

Capt. Ken Courtlangus
"Frequent Fly-er"
516-932-0685

Well-said Ken. I admire your courage

Eastern Long Island

Captain Don Kaye sent in this report on Monday:

Hoping to tighten their flylines, anglers Andy Cobb and Murray Wilson spent
an eventful session on the Shinnecock waters. A stiff  northeast wind greeted
us as we left the inlet toward the ocean. Plowing through choppy seas, we
were eventually rewarded with the sight of diving birds over 'breaking'
schools of fish. The duo began casting and the hookups were fast and furious.
The predatory fish were mostly Bluefish, feeding on small anchovies
('Rainbait') as well as 'peanut' bunker. A few schools of False Albacore were
around but the Bluefish overpowered anything in their way. Eventually, the
wind subsided a bit and the Bluefish pushed the large schools of bait almost
onto the beach where a lengthy 'feeding frenzy' began. Andy and Murray took
full advantage of the situation and hooked and released more than 50 Blues,
averaging 4-8 pounds. Their lines were straightened as well as a few of their
barbless hooks! They'll be back for the late fall run. Capt. Don Kaye,
631-7288175

Joel Filner sent in this report on Tuesday:

Yes Virginia there are albies at Shinnecock. Tough to hook up but some
lucky, skilled fishermen got 'em. Friday, Saturday and Sunday fish were
around, mostly outside and off the jetty with a few passing schools of
albies coming through the inlet. From the beach keeper bass and larger
blues all along the ocean beach from Flying Point to the Shinnecock inlet
with the surf casters and some fly casters catching on the beaches in the
early morning hours. Small bass and bigger blues later in the day on the
back side of the bay on the outgoing. Snappers and more snappers shredding
the fly tails are a major hazard, but lots of bay anchovies holding the
fish along the shore. I think the fall run is on.

joel

Reel-Timer Mark Soley sent in this report:

Well my family and I just finished up 8 days of camping at Hither Hills.  We started with killer snappers at Accabonnac Harbor, had Cocktails(blues not bloody marys) every morning at Hither Hills.  I was tossin a blue/white popper on my 8 weight and scoring well.  Lots of Mullet in the water every where we went.  We did  two days with Capt Jim Hull and had a great time!  The first day was on Monday 9/3, was a little slow.  On Thursday 9/6  I caught my very first bass on the fly at 36".  We had a few Albies on but they were a little picky that day.  We also ran into some alligator Blues right off the point.  Jim is an incredible guide and certainly knows the Montauk waters.  

The trip was loaded with a lot of firsts.  I fished, al la spin gear off the Point on Tuesday and Wenesday evening.  A little tricky getting down the rocks at Scotts but the locals were surpising friendly and accomodating.  Hooked up with a bunch of 8-10 # Blues on pencil poppers.  The action was pretty good.   

We spend one day up at Goff Point and my 10 year old son hooked up with a monster 12# Blue on a snapper outfit .........6' light action-8# test line.  He had a great time until Dad removed lure and buried it into his finger, good enough to push it thru and snip off the barb.  If I can tell you one thing to bring with you is a good set of pliers or dykes (the tool) when ever you go out

I picked up theCamp Hero permit at Montauk Downs Golf Course -  the permits will be on sale until this Friday 9/14.

Mark Soley

New York Metro

David Azar with an albie taken this week while fishing with One More Cast Charters

It really was liberating being out on the water today. While the awfulness still exists, I feel as if there is plenty of good in the world. We had a phenomenal day with a couple of Albies in the morning and some gator blues in 2 feet of water mid-day. We, more or less, sight-fished for these monsters for 4 hours straight. It was absolutely beautiful seeing them chase mullet in gin clear water as they turned to hit our poppers. Fantastic!

New Jersey

Captain Gene Quigley from Shore Catch Guide Service sent in this report:

John,

Just got back last week from the fly tackle dealer show in Salt Lake City and
man is the fishing HOT!! The entire week I was away the crew had Albies
busting all over the place every day. Some of the local sharpies are even
getting them from the jetties in good numbers. The last few days we have had
busting fish for miles -- with Albies, Blues, Bonito, and Spanish Mac's all
mixed in together. The tuna fishing has also exploded inshore. Close to 30
Giant Bluefin over 600 lbs have been taken just 18 miles from the beach in
the last two weeks. Our Striper fishing has also started to open up good and
we are getting keeper sized bass in and around the Barnaget inlet. Hot flies
for the Albies have been big surf candies and jiggies in chartreuse and white
and tan and white and also Baby Angels in silver and pearl. Things are just
gonna get better and hopefully we wont get bothered by too many storms. The
amount of bait between Manasquan and Barnaget is astounding. Heading to the
Redbone next week and really looking forward to it! Hope the fishing is good!

Capt. Gene

Captain Bryan DiLeo from Iowa Fortune Guide Service also check in with a report:

Really some banner days on the water, with NW winds, good size stripers and
tracking very well in the shallows all through out the morning. 1st flat of
the day provides us with 10 hook-ups (not including the 6-9 others raised)
with bass ranging from 22" -30" with much larger fish mixed in. The next 2
flats where fairly quite only seeing bass but not interested in flies or
artificials.  4th flat was very clear and alive with small blues and loads of
bait (spearing) and again some good size bass. Not including the 10 bass
raised we had 6 bass ranging from 24"- 30" with 50-yard runs, not uncommon
when catching bass in 16" of water. All fish where taken on the surface with
6lb -- 8lb tackle and released.  In the evenings as well the bass where
extremely active and aggressive on surface feeding on big schools of spearing
that where moving in with the tide. The bass where a bit smaller than those
of the previous day ranging from 16" to 24" with some 30" fish raised again
all taken on the surface and released. Also some larger blues have been
moving in the 2-3lb range. In all we had 6 bass and 2 bluefish.  Also this
week I have been for Albies at 1st light. Seemed to a good amount of fish
around very picky but had only 1 brief hook up. Huge schools 1 to 2 lb of
bunker pods off the beaches and the albies seemed to be mixing in with the
pods of bunker and very spread out.  Boat traffic definitely became a factor.
Water temps 75 in back and 72 out front.
See ya'll
Capt. Bryan DiLeo

That’s all for this week. Pray for the suffering and the dead. BUT KEEP LIVING!!!!!