S&A Education Series: Montauk, a real primer for the new guys....

[DarkSkies]

I got a call from a NJ kid going to Montauk this weekend with his Dad.

After I gave him some advice, I realized there was a thread I posted up somewhere else specifically dealing with Montauk fishin....

So here ya go, hope it helps some of ya's.









Montauk, the Myths VS Reality....
Stock up on bucktails, 1/2 to 1 1/2 oz, and porkrind. some 2 oz but not too many unless there is a big swell forecast. If you are fishing right you wlll lose a few.

If you want big bass you are better off with rigged eels at night. As it seems you have never been there, you might be advised to stick with the daytime and fish with bucktails and poppers. Bring small tins for the rainbait as well.

Montauk is a place that really needs to be experienced over time. My best advice for a first timer is to bring 2 pairs of korkers, extra sets of dry clothes, and lots of duct tape to tape the korkers on. The rocks are rounded and slippery there, prob nothing like you have ever seen. It's not a question of IF you will fall off and go "swimming", it's a question of WHEN.

Be respectful of the locals, don't cast over anyone's line, and pay attention to what the guys who are catching are doing.

Some are friendly up there, some aren't, get used to it.
Spend a lot of time at low tide looking at the water, how it starts to flow, and studying the rock formations if you want to catch fish other than in a blitz.

Realize that there are better times of tide to be on the N side, and other times to be on the S side. Put this all together and you might get a quality fish. I saw some 30's and 40's come in last year when gale force winds were blowing 40mph and not many were fishing.

As to monster fish, no offense but I cringe when I read posts describing monster fish at Montauk from the surf. It's just not representative of the reality that most will see up there. The average size has been shrinking each year as there are less of them. I monitor the official reports every day, and have a few hard core friends fishing there regularly. A 30lb bass is the new 50, as that is the size of the bigger bass most of the charters are getting.

"Most" of the fish off the beach are around 10#, that's the reality unless there is a huge blitz or you fish at night and know what you're doing.

Pay attention, take it all in, and be careful on the rocks.
Good luck, stop in Paulies when it's not busy (hard to do during prime season, buy some stuff, and maybe you'll learn some things).

[DarkSkies]

Over the years I've made it my business to challenge myself with other waters. The once fruitful waters of NJ that yielded double digit bass catches for me on a nightly basis have declined in terms of bigger bass, save for a few great weeks in Spring and Fall.

Frequently I talk about Want to fish vs Need to fish. I'm the kind of guy who needs it, it is what it is.

Some of the advice I wrote may have been a little harsh, but that's how it is in Montauk...you have many guys who will not give you the time of day because they don't know you and the only thing you represent to them is a person who might somehow cross lines and prevent them from landing the quality fish that they have worked for.





A little backstory here,..
for anyone who has been to Montauk and experienced the unfriendly attitude at times, I invite you to take a trip back in time, to the 70's and 80's, when Montauk was a lot less popular with "nomad fishermen" than it is now....most of the guys who fished the night tides were regulars, who either lived on LI or very close to Montauk. These guys lived to fish as well. Before the moratorium shut down fishing in the early 80's, Montauk (along with some beaches in MA) was one of the few places you could go to get really big fish from the surf. They were starting to thin out in many places for surf guys (similar to what is happening iin some areas now)

So, naturally, guys who lived in our area heard about the great fishing, and wanted to try their luck. The guys who had the most luck mingling with the "locals" up there were NJ club guys who naturally fished more than most fishermen and were as addicted to big fish as their fishing brothers up in LI.

However, if you went there and looked like you didn't know what you were doing, you were given the cold shoulder, ignored. In many cases any communication coming towards you was hostile.

I'm fortunate to have met a lot of old-timers, and like to repeat the stories some have related to me, when I can.

So if you were up there at night, trying to fish those rocks, and didn't look like you knew what you were doing.....

and, God forbid, you innocently jumped on a rock that "belonged" to a local, you got your Azz kicked. for real.

There was no whining about it or going to the police, signing complaints, or whining about it on the internet. It was, the way it was, and everyone who fished there either accepted it, or didn't fish there again.

So I would say that the culture of fishing Montauk has come a long way.
Some good threads or videos on Montauk memories
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ntauk-memories
Old time fishing pics with LI, Montauk and NJ mixed in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKUns_nMkx4


The locals (all right, about 70% of them ) realize that the dollars flowing into the local economy are a good thing, and many of the old-time surf guys have gone on to become charter captains, serving newbie and experienced angler alike. It's good business.

[DarkSkies]

Montauk today.....
But people don't have to be nice to you when you're up there, and some, just aren't. That's the way it still is.

If you go often enough and hang in the lower lot at night, you will see a lot of the NJ and LI clubs represented there, partying and having BBQs when they ain't fishing. If you know any of those guys, even remotely, try to make a polite intro asking about their club and possible membership info. That might get you an invite for a burger and beer, the rest is up to you....

And if by rare chance you run into Willy Young, Jack Yee, Bill Wetzel, or some of the other Montauk legends, try to have read up on them. and ask them some short questions if you get a moment (obviously not in the middle of a hot bite, the same etiquette in NJ surf applies up there)

If you can make it there more than once a season, you will see there is a regular cast of characters, and they are characters!

Willie Young, Jack Yee, Paul Melnyk (who rubs some people the wrong way, but knows more about skishing than almost anyone else you will find floating in Montauk waters at night) and a host of other characters, could all be in a fishing comedy, because of the entertainment value sometimes.

Although these guys may be funny, they are deadly serious about their fishing, and most of them are very good at getting large if they are there. Some of them even live for it, and have failed marriages and relationships to prove their dedication.


What are they dedicated to? Big fish, the fish of legend.
I tried to be honest about that as well, because the amount of large caught from the Montauk surf has been declining for several years now.

And I also tried to tailor some of this advice to Morningwood, who I assumed by his comments would be having his first experience there. (for example, some guys might use bucktails bigger than 1 1/2 oz, but a new guy who doesn't use them at the right time and with the right degree of sweep will end up losing them on the bottom.)

Conversely, using bucktails too light will end up crossing your line with someone else.



The important thing for a new guy to do, is to pay close attention to exactly what successful guys are doing, and then, without seeming obvious, try to mimic that behavior or pattern of fishing.

Also, I cannot stress strongly enough the safety aspect there. if you're not careful those rocks will eat you for breakfast.

It's a tough environment, and not for everyone....but everyone who is crazy about surf fishing should experience Montauk at least once.

If you go there and are scared.....
there's nothing pansy-like about that, that's your self-preservation instinct talking to you. Listen to those voices in your head that tell you to be safe. We lose too many guys to rough water every year.

I would feel badly if my words here resulted in someone going up there and taking too many chances. I hope you guys have enjoyed some of the small stories I shared, and also will heed my words of caution and safety.
For anyone who needs visual stimulation to get the picture (as if my long-winded posts aren't pushing you to leave for Montauk right after Irene,),,
Some video I shot during the first fall Noreaster of 2009 at Montauk
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...easter+montauk
check out this video on youtube posted up by someone I know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftEUm18v5Jk&feature=player_embedded

I think it gives a decent flavor of what Montauk fall fishing is really about.
Hope this was helpful.

Tight lines, be safe.

[fishinmission78]

Good read, thanks.

[nitestrikes]

for anyone who has been to Montauk and experienced the unfriendly attitude at times, I invite you to take a trip back in time, to the 70's and 80's, when Montauk was a lot less popular with "nomad fishermen" than it is now....most of the guys who fished the night tides were regulars, who either lived on LI or very close to Montauk. These guys lived to fish as well.

However, if you went there and looked like you didn't know what you were doing, you were given the cold shoulder, ignored. In many cases any communication coming towards you was hostile.

I'm fortunate to have met a lot of old-timers, and like to repeat the stories some have related to me, when I can.

So if you were up there at night, trying to fish those rocks, and didn't look like you knew what you were doing.....

and, God forbid, you innocently jumped on a rock that "belonged" to a local, you got your Azz kicked. for real.

There was no whining about it or going to the police, signing complaints, or whining about it on the internet. It was, the way it was, and everyone who fished there either accepted it, or didn't fish there again. [So I would say that the culture

That's exactly the way it used to be, and there was no whining, period, Not just on the internet.

[dogfish]

Rich Siberry finally finished his video, now avail on DVD. Montauk Rocks. Hope its ok to post dark I think it's $19.99. At the 1 minute mark you see lots of falls. New guys should realize thats one of the rites of passage at Montauk. the falling in part. Everyone must fall in. It's inevitable.

[williehookem]

Great video montauk rocks really gives you a flavor of being there.
Another tip if you are going for a few days make sure you bring enough ice and water with you.Stick plastic bottles in the freezer to use as ice and drink afterwards. You can't bring enough water. Fishing on the rocks all day gets you dehydrated and you need to put that water back in your system