Montauk memories

[fishlipper]

Took the ride to mecca this weekend. They are not catching big fish regularly from the surf yet. It's mainly schoolies and blues, with an occasional 20 thrown in. Water out front is still pretty cold. Amazing place.

Thought I would put up some pics to keep the memories green. Anyone else with Montauk pics, show what ya got. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[fishlipper]

Montauk

[fishlipper]

more

[fishlipper]

more

[fishlipper]

turtle cove

[fishlipper]

turtle

[fishlipper]

some more

[fishlipper]

north

[fishinmission78]

Nice shots, man. :drool:

[bababooey]

Here's some o school montauk memories, amazing how they didn't have crowds back then:)
3zIoVXcCgGE

[DarkSkies]

I thought of starting another thread, then saw this one. Moderators, you can move this if necessary. I don't have a camera right now, but fished Montauk yesterday, and thought I might share my experiences and memories here for those who have never been, or are thinking about going.

For all you veterans out there, might wanna pass over this, too detailed and boring. :boring: I did try to separate it out into different segments so people could choose which detailed, boring part they want to check out.;)

Love beauty, the incredible ruggedness, the cool people I met (they say no one talks to each other up there, but I had no problem meeeting and talkin to lots of people. Must be easier talking to others when the fishin ain't that great.:D). These, plus some of the incredible fishing stories others shared with me, make me want to come back.

There are no guarantees in fishing. There are even less guarantees at Montauk. The legendary great days, and legends who have fished there, make Montauk a fishing and tourist destination for those all over the world.








It it truly, the end at the end. The end of the road. The Point past which all sea life flows and ebbs. It is wild, beautiful, and full of the beauty of God and nature. Oh, and sometimes it's also known for great fishin.;)

So here's my story. Warn you ahead of time it's going to be long, drank a few cups of coffee before starting today. Skip what diesn't interest ya, read what ya want - for all the googs out there who want to learn, we were all googs once.

We all love fishin, that's the common thread that draws us together, all age groups, all walks of life, fishing is the great equalizer. And Montauk is the place that humbles other fishing experiences.

[DarkSkies]

A few details from the fishing:

When I got there, S side was dead. Went to N side, also dead, no surfcasters were catching. Then within 1/2 hr things started to look promising on the N side, bait and predators blitzing just offshore.

There were less boats out there, and some of them had some talent, knew how to work a school of fish. In particular, these 2 boats with green and white were on the schools as soon as possible, and did a nice job working them figuring out the direction the fish were headed, and setting up to drift into them. Even with all that, I didn't see a lot of boaters hooking up where I was.

Kept surveying the birds and fish. At one point they were moving closer, to within 100 yards of shore, and there were about 4 separate pods erupting over the N area. Figurred it was time to suit up, got excited. As I was walking out to them, I could see the action had died completely, fish never came in close enough. Guys started coming off the beach. I met a few sharpies who were there all day, fished hard, and didn't have one fish.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot I met a guy who got 2 on a storm shad. I met lots of people, all of them cool and helpful,http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon14.gif more in another thread.

I decided to work the S side, and work my way N, where the guy got the storm shad fish. The sandy beach wasn't producing, so I worked my way into the legendary rips. Very tough to fish, but schoolies were there. I started throwing a 12" needle, big fish want big bait, but there were no big fish at that time. Got one small bass on a bucktail/pork combo, then lost another bucktail to the rocks. Other guys were there bucktailing, every few minutes someone lost one, had to re-tie.

My experienced friend told me to fish bucktails around 1z, but I found 1/2 oz and 3/4 oz would have been better. Only problem was you couldn't get enough distance with the lighter ones, and heavier bucktails hang up while you're keeping them in the strike zone.

Also tried a pink fin-s on jighead, got one tap on that, and then lost the jig later to the rocks. Tough fishin.

A guy I had been talking to in the parking lot came out, and I made some room. I knew he was hardcore when I saw him carrying a bucket of eels.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

Where we were only had small fish, and there were a bunch of amigos who were keeping shorts, and playing dumb about the size. I persuaded them to throw one back, but I knew from talking them in Spanish that they come there every chance they get, and keep shorts when they can get away with it. (Calll made to DEC).

I also realized we weren't doing the fish any good tossing the shorts down 20' on the rocks back to the water, so the "eel dude" and I decided to fish together, and move N with the incoming tide.

It was cool meeting him. I fish alone a lot, but a new place at night is a good idea to have a friend along. You can both look out if one gets in trouble in the water. As it was, I slipped when we were wading, fell in once. There is almost no flat bottom on the N side - all rocks.

Because of this, I understand why those guys skish, to get to deeper and more productive water. I developed a new respect for them when we decided to move out onto outlying rocks to find better water.

I fish jetties all the time in NJ/NY, but my experiences were nothing like this. Fishing these rocks made me realize how lucky we guys on NJ have it. We can fish at eye level when it's calm, or a few feet up during rough water, which makes all the difference in the world on stormy nights with cold water.

We decided to fish some outlying rocks about 30' out. I beat him to the biggest rock,:HappyWave: but it evened out b/c mine was a little further out and more exposed to the rollers.

Did I mention rollers? We were getting pounded by the swell from the East, maybe from the latest hurricane. I have no problems fishing rough and white water, that's where the bass live. The issue here was the incoming tide and the rising water over the rocks we were on. Would have preferred the outgoing, but that would be later in the night.

We fished that area hard because I felt the fish should be coming in to feed there. Over an hour, only one tap.

We were still lookin for a place for him to drown his eels. It occured to us later, after learning the n side is mostly boulder fields, that we shoudl have been on the s side throwing those eels, or found a secure spot at the rocks in the rips, that would have been ideal. Live and learn.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

We ended up taking a break fo eat, went back out again to the n side. One clue to the quality of the fishin is that most of the other people we saw were hanging out, partying, or half-sleeping. Maybe they were waiting for the outgoing.

I know the outgoing is better, maybe we should have waited for that. I had to get home for work in the am, so I took off. He stayed to crash a few hours, was going to fish the outgoing for an hour before he left. Hope he stuck a fish, we were really tryin.

In all, I had a great time. No great catches other than a small schoolie, but learning to do new things is what keeps us alive and motivated.

Mastering the area you fish in is good. Transferring that knowledge to another area to challenge yourself to succeed is better.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

I will always remember night fishin at Montauk. Can't wait to go again.

[DarkSkies]

A Goog's experiences with the water and wet conditions:

Bring several sets of dry clothes. Not the greatest feeling walking around with wet balls.

Wetsuiiters have it different but even they have spare clothes for the hang time in between.

Be prepared to fall when you're out on the rocks. The current is strong and you will eventually to swimming.

Have stragegic rocks planned to jump to as the tide comes in or goes out. This is important if you have others near you and you will naturally want to compete for the best rocks.

[DarkSkies]

Lots of characters there. Just like the ebb and flow of the tides, and the different fish we catch, you never know who you'll meet up there. Some cool people I ran into:

LILCO Joe
Willy Young
Some of the LIBBA guys
Many regular LI fishermen who fish locally but take the drive to mecca when the bite is hot.
Some guys from England, others from Canada....this is the time of year when fishermen all over the world visit Montauk.

[DarkSkies]

Coming from Jersey, it's a killer. Some things I learned:


"Traffic Moving Well" is something you really want to hear on the news reports....the LIE is a bear to drive during peak hours, Southern State is not much better.....

The last 30 miles through the resort and upperclass towns are hell...Wainscott, the Hamptons,,,,etc,,,
Do not speed over the posted limit. They target tourists and fishermen for the revenue not the safety.

When you see the turnoff for Shelter Island, you may want to take it if traffic is bad. It will save up to 1/2 hour off your drive, most importantly you will avoid the stop and go......

Going to Montauk, especially if you live far, is best if planned strategically, and done during the most off peak hours you can manage, and NEVER on a holiday weekend......
The GWB, and other bridges that funnel folks into the New England area can be a nightmare at peak periods, coming or going.
Also keep changing radio channels for construction reports.....I have sat in slow two lane traffic for as much a 1 1/2 hours to go or return through the gritty streets of the Bronx and the GWB area. :mad:

[DarkSkies]

Whatever I thought of out there to make things easier for others.

[bababooey]

Nice first person account, Dark. Good job (for a googan):D

[wish4fish]

dude, great report, when are you finishing the rest of the posts? i gotta go to montauk, hope i can make it this year, anyone want to car-pool and split gas? :D

[strikezone31]

What the hell is a googan? I saw it written on someone's bucket. Now saw it here. Looked it up here under "fishing terms" but not listed yet. Maybe I can be filled in? Maybe I'm one and don't know it:scared:.

Great pics fishlipper. Haven't been to Montauk in a while. Read the reports on Montauk from a couple weeks ago. Do you know how the fishing is lately up there?

[stripercrazy]

googan is a new guy who doesn't know any better. Sometimes, with hard work and practice, pitting your time in, you can graduate from a googan to a surf rat, and then a sharpie.:D

[VSdreams]

Glad I put my time in!

[williehookem]

Let's see some Montauk pics guys! I'll be there in 3 or 4 weeks, can't wait!:fishing:

[blitzhunter]

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[nitestrikes]

Montauk, a small town with a big drinking problem.:plastered:

[BassBuddah]

I love Montauk. The fishing is not as great today as it was 20 years ago, but every year you still get consistent large by folks fishing eels at night. The best way I like to fish it is on a weeknight, or to time it during some bad weather when the tourist traffic is down.
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[blitzhunter]

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[bluesdude71]

Great thread!
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[crosseyedbass]

That last pic is incredible bluesdude.:drool:


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[stripercrazy]

The benefits of skishing, eh crosseye?:dribble:
Cool pics, keep em coming!

[bababooey]

There won't be too many Montauk memories this weekend folks, winds forecast to 50mph, seas to 12 ft.:scared:

[nitestrikes]

:clapping::clapping: Here is an interesting viewpoint I found on another site---


MECCA

The term MECCA is the Holiest site in Islam.
Montauk is perhaps the greatest site in Surf Fishing.
When a Muslim Prays he always faces towards Mecca or the rising sun in the EAST which is in Saudi Arabia.

When a New Yorker or other mainlander looks to fish he heads EAST towards the rising sun.
A Muslim is supposed to make a pilgrimage at least once a year to Mecca.

A Fishermen is supposed to make a pilgrimage at least once a year to Montauk....
And if he doesn't he runs the risk of angering Neptune who may skunk him for a year. http://www.noreast.com/discussion/images/smile.gif

[DarkSkies]

A Fishermen is supposed to make a pilgrimage at least once a year to Montauk....
And if he doesn't he runs the risk of angering Neptune who may skunk him for a year. http://www.noreast.com/discussion/images/smile.gif


Ya don't want to anger King Neptune. :scared:
I say a prayer to him every time I go out there. :thumbsup:

[nitestrikes]

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[albiealert]

Awesome pics!

[blitzhunter]

That is crazyalberto there in the first pic nitestrikes, cool shot!
Anyone fishing Montauk from shore yet? They are starting to pull some nice bass from there, trolling and eels. Time to check it out.

[nitestrikes]

blitzhunter I just realized in your top picture the girl to the left has shorts and a tank top on. You can't see whether she had korkers or not. it looks like her boyfriend is next to her so someone is watching over her. Not the best clothes to wear on the rocks out there, she should at least have waders on. Nice pics anyway

[SharkHart]

Here are some of mine :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftEUm18v5Jk

[basshunter]

Dude it looks pretty crowded in some of that video, is that just the weekend or like that on the weekdays too? Thanks for posting that, sweet video!

[baitstealer]

Beautiful work sharkhart. Do you wear a wetsuit when you go out there to fish montauk?

[SharkHart]

I dont wear a wetsuit it be nice if i had one, Weekdays are lighter crowds but the 6 week hot time is always crowded to some extent

[BassBuddah]

Well-done, shark hart.

[seamonkey]

That action looks incredible. Wish we had that here. I guess the only place you can see stuff like that is Montauk. Very cool video!

[skinner]

Here are some pictures I found for you guys.

[albiealert]

I love old deep sea pics like that skinner, thanks for sharing,

[williehookem]

The second pic looks like Hither Hills, that's a hell of a drop to the water.

[surfstix1963]

Capt Gene Kelly


http://www.tropicalfishing.com/profileimages/wpc9f8728a_05.jpg

I’ve been fishing all my life, and one of the first memories I have of Montauk, was when my father took me out on a head boat out of Montauk’s old Fishangrila dock. The family, minus my old man who had to work, would spend the summers in a small cottage on the lake at Watermill, and this Saturday the two of us drove out for the days fishing. We got there early and it was a good thing we did, because we beat the Long Island Railroad’s famed Fisherman Express that brought out hoards of anglers from the city. We already had our spot on the boat when the train pulled in and the stampede started. Guys were literally jumping out of the train windows in an effort to get to their favorite boat before it was filled up and on it’s way.

We spent the day fishing off the south side for seabass and catching plenty (I still wonder why we never caught any fluke, but I know that we didn’t), until the time came that the boats were notified that Camp Hero would be having shooting exercises and we would have to move out of the area. Later, on the way home, we made a drift off the Lighthouse, and had the fastest fishing of the day, with a steady supply of double header porgies.
The next memory was the following weekend, when back at the lake, we heard a seemingly never ending steam of amblance sirens. We later learned that the Pelican, the boat that we fished on the week before had sunk off the Point, with the loss of forty some people including the captain.

I continued to fish at Montauk on occasion with my father, but it got more serious after high school when I started to surfcast along with a buddy, usually sleeping in the car in back of North Bar, or up on the cliffs overlooking Caswells on the south side. But we weren’t very good at it, rarely catching fish. All that changed when I bought a twelve foot aluminum skiff and he bought a buggy we would use to transport it. Then we could catch stripers, launching it into the surf at Clark’s Cove, and spending nights trolling big plugs between North Bar and the Lighthouse. Come dawn we’d head back to town and the back door of the Shagwong Bar & Restaurant, where we’d peddle our fish and grab a quick manhattan before heading across the street for breakfast.

The next step up was a twenty-five foot Bertram that I bought. This allowed us to get offshore, where we did OK with sharks, school tuna and even an occasional white marlin, but then the Russian draggers showed up along with the giant bluefin that would mass in back of them when they pulled their nets. Hooking up with a fish was usually automatic and quick. We tried, but were woefully ill equipped, and would usually hook up on our 6/0 tackle and just watch the line disappear. Determined to catch one we bought a couple of 9/0 outfits and a small fishing chair. We finally gave up after spending six hours on a fish, breaking the gimbal on the chair and cutting the fish off under the boat.

Until the early 70’s I worked in highway construction, mainly building bridges, and because work slowed down during the winter months I started traveling, along with a couple of buddies, to what was then called British Honduras for a couple of months, with occasional side trips to Costa Rica for tarpon fishing.
These trips led to my quitting real work in favor of fishing, which was easy to do since I had no wife and kids that I needed to provide for. I started my fishing career by opening a small fishing lodge in Belize on South Water Caye, an island of about fifteen acres twelve miles off what was then called Stann Creek, now called Dangriga, sitting on the barrier reef. I aimed for one group for a week, followed by a week off, but I became somewhat successful and wound up having a second boat built to be run by a local and more often having to work on my planned for week off.

I would head south just after Thanksgiving and return to Montauk in May, when I would fish, mainly commercial rod and reel fishing, aminly for striped bass and porgies, with occasional charter trips working with Capt Frank Mundus on his CRICKET II. At that time Frank would have occasional promotional deals and I would run the boat when he wasn’t available, and for a couple of years would run the boat on night trips while Frank ran it days. Frank didn’t like inshore fishing, so when the shark fishing ended, around the beginning of October or so, I would take over the boat for the fall bass season. That lead to a full time gig running the charterboat SEA DOLL and then the HUSTLER.

By 1980 a decision had to be made based on two little kids who had to go to school, and I closed up my little Belizean business and returned to Montauk full time, buying the KELLYBOAT, which I operated as a single-handed charter boat. It was a pretty good deal. I charged the same amount for a charter as all the standard two man boats and didn’t have to pay a mate. Plus, I’d even get occasional tips. I wasn’t used to the winter weather, but learned to deal with it. In those days, longlining tile fish was a big deal in Montauk with a dozen or so boats doing it. I wasn’t dumb enough to want to spend the winter seventy miles off shore for a week at a time, but there was another side to the operation - baiting the hooks. It was dirty, stinky work, but we did it in a heated trailer and actually made a pretty decent amount of money - $10/tub. Eight to ten tubs a day was pretty good pay in those days, and it was also pretty steady. While the boats were out fishing we’d ready the tubs for the next trip. The boats would get in and we’d start over again with a new batch of tubs. Of course, I missed the tropics, but once the kids got old enough, we’d be able to at least get in a warm vacation, and naturally that would include some fishing. Since my wife was from Guatemala, that was the most common stop, but Costa Rica and Panama figured in as well.

The eighties was tough time for charterboats in Montauk, at least for the inshore fishing. Striped bass were in decline along with the clients who wanted to fish for them. Luckily, tuna fishing was hot. For the most part, we’d fish up to about twenty-five miles off the Point, and for a number of years would anchor up closer to ten miles out and pound the yellowfins and bluefins, often heading home loaded after only a couple of hours of fishing, with the exhausted clients. However, throughout the 90’s, the tuna, started a slow move further offshore, and the striped bass while recovering were not there yet

[surfstix1963]

http://www.montauksportfishing.com/lazybonesimages/wpff559828.png






Picture a young http://www.montauksportfishing.com/lazybonesimages/wp1e316723.pngsurfer dude wandering around a dock lined with charter boats. A grizzled old captain yells out, "Hey, kid, you want a job?" That was exactly how Captain Mike Vegessi got his start in Montauk fishing in 1977. He had never been fishing before and was drawn to Montauk for the surfing, not the surf casting. The grizzled old captain was Doug McCabe of the "FRANCES ANNE", nearing the end of his career as one of Montauk's offshore pioneers, and Mike would be his mate for the next three years. In addition to learning the fishing business, Doug, who also owned a diesel parts business catering to the fishing boats in Montauk, taught Mike all he needed to know about the maintenance of diesel powered boats.

Doug retired in 1979, and the next year Mike went to work as a mate for another Montauk legend, Captain George McTurck, owner of the "SPORTFISHER". While with George, Mike passed his captains test, and eventually took over the operation of the boat on all offshore trips. George would continue to run the boat for the inshore trips, and it was from George that Mike would learn about Montauk's tides.

Other than well experienced fishermen, few people realize the complexities of the tidal system here in Montauk. You can be anchored on one spot with the outgoing tide, while a mile away others are anchored with the flood tide, and will be for another half hour or so. The single most important factor in inshore fishing is the tide, and Captain McTurck was and still is the acknowledged master. However, his protege, Mike Vegessi is an extremely close second.

During the winters Mike would work on one of the many commercial boats fishing out of the harbor, a tough racket. The weather is rough, but the winter is when most of the money is made in commercial fishing. Offshore there are plenty of fish, and the prices are high. One year he would fish a dragger, for porgies, whiting or fluke. The next he'd be on a longliner after tilefish or cod fish.

However, nobody wants to stay a mate forever, and when Captain Bill Butler put the "CAPTAIN WILLIE" up for sale in 1985, Mike jumped on it. The boat, 50' long and wooden was operated as a party or open boat and already had a client base. When Mike took over, he changed the rules. Half day only - flounders in the spring, followed by fluke in the summer and bass and blues in the fall. The targeted audience was families, fishing in calm protected waters. He renamed the boat "LAZYBONES", and did away with leaving the dock at daybreak.

In 1997, Mike retired the old LAZYBONES and purchased a new one, a 55' Bruno & Stillman, a fiberglass boat. and a big improvement over the aging original boat. Bigger, roomier, and most of all, not needing the amount of maintenance requird of a wooden boat, the new LAZYBONES has proved to be a welcome addition to Montauk's open boat fleet.

It is now one of the most popular boats in town, and is truly a family affair. Mike runs it, while his wife Kathy is in charge of the money. She sells the tickets and makes sure that the motels are stocked up on their brochures. It's a good system, one that keeps the boat sailing full while larger fancier boats are lucky to sail with twenty percent of their capacity.If your looking for a great family boat this is a great boat great capt. and crew I love diamond jigging on this boat I learned to master it(rather then the old boring vertical jigging) on this boat since my injury I've been going crazy not being able to get out there I would rather go out on the boat then hit the surf you can always hit the surf if the boat doesn't go out oh BTW leave the spinning rods home they are not to welcome on the boat any good conventional reel that is castable with 30 lb. test mono 60 or 80 lb. leader for the toothy critters and some diamond jigs in the 4,6 and 8 oz. range the hammerd finished jigs in gold and chrome sometimes turns the stripers head better so a good variety is good to have.

Reservations are a must for this boat and call ahead the day of to see if the boat will sail ya never know what the weather is doing out there I usually stay a week and can't move my arm by the 3rd day good thing my wife is a PT and gets me through the week.Now if I can just get this damn back good enough to fish I'd be very happy.

[mick2360]

The second pic looks like Hither Hills, that's a hell of a drop to the water.

Some of those ledges to the east of the town beaches look like that. Almost time to hit the M!

[nitestrikes]

Good read, fellas.

[rockhopper]

Almost time!!!!!!

[skinner]

kind of sad. It is about now so I don't know if it belongs here. Dark move it if you want. The thing that speaks to me is that Montauk is just about loaded to capacity with fishermen. No change in that until the fish go away.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Oz7mFut2tqU

[DarkSkies]

Who loved his family,
loved to fish.....
loved life
And loved to laugh.......


The motivation for this story is a tribute video Finchaser sent me...it was created by the Family of a Fisherman who died....
And it shows some of their memories, ending in a trip to Montauk....where they scattered his ashes....

Although not completely about fishing, it was about a man, who loved to fish...:fishing:

I could identify with that, and the feelings about scattering ashes....
My Dad died 3 years ago. Only this year we finally found a final resting place, for his ashes....so maybe that's why this video sent chills through my body....

hope ya's enjoy, and thanks to Fin for sending.....:thumbsup: :HappyWave:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8646-The-Story-of-a-Fisherman

[DarkSkies]

Travis Hastings' Tribute to his Dad.......:thumbsup:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1h2bJPyKDI&feature=youtu.be

[rockhopper]

:clapping::clapping: Here is an interesting viewpoint I found on another site---


MECCA

The term MECCA is the Holiest site in Islam.
Montauk is perhaps the greatest site in Surf Fishing.
When a Muslim Prays he always faces towards Mecca or the rising sun in the EAST which is in Saudi Arabia.

When a New Yorker or other mainlander looks to fish he heads EAST towards the rising sun.
A Muslim is supposed to make a pilgrimage at least once a year to Mecca.

A Fishermen is supposed to make a pilgrimage at least once a year to Montauk....
And if he doesn't he runs the risk of angering Neptune who may skunk him for a year. http://www.noreast.com/discussion/images/smile.gif


Montauk is HARDCORE! check out this video


http://vimeo.com/42129694#

[BassBuddah]

^^^Saw that video many times rockhopper and I never get tired of watching it.
One showing the old time pics and how it used to be.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZDmNv5FVRQ

[williehookem]

Montauk is HARDCORE! check out this video


http://vimeo.com/42129694#

thanks for this, got the juices flowing!

[williehookem]

This guy is a pro photog who took a lot of shots of Montauk. Hope its ok to post here as well they are awesome!



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[jigfreak]

thanks for this, got the juices flowing!

X2 needed something to get me thinking about fishing. thanks

[surfstix1963]

This is a pic of Montauk in the 1930's note the observation deck coming off the bluff and how far the light house sat.The 2nd. pic is the 1940's mother nature starting to take over.

[hookedonbass]

Wow what a difference. Never saw that much erosion in NJ the current there must be real strong.

[surfstix1963]

Yes and it is the end of the Island so it is subject to a beating.

[plugginpete]

Especially in noreasters. Nice pics guy. I could just think about what it was like to go fishing there back then. Must have been pure heaven.