Publication: The East Hampton Press & The Southampton Press
Nov 24, 09 9:58 AM  
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Vito Orlando's 32-pound striper was one of the larger fish taken off the beach last week.
Vito Orlando's 32-pound striper was one of the larger fish taken off the beach last week.

The topsy-turvy surf scene continued this week.

For the sixth week in a row, stiff east winds had the fish biting in the suds—nothing unusual about that, certainly. But rather than heading for the bluffs or Jones Reef or the revetment under the Montauk lighthouse when the seas piled up, the parades of beach vehicles bristling with surf sticks were on the sand again, as they have been since the New York Football Giants started their miserable losing streak (hopefully the fish won’t reverse their parallel trend).

And instead of the thundering cavalry of vehicles roaring down the beach after moving schools of fish, with tight knots of anglers leap-frogging each other east and west, the picket lines were more or less stationary again this week and, in civilized manner, spread far and wide along miles of beach. Except for isolated tangles when the fish seemed to be focused on a spot, elbow room was abundant.

A sure sign of the apocalypse: Some of Montauk’s local patrol (not the legion of visitors that somehow qualify for the “Montauk Locals” surf fishing tournament these days, mind you), commonly loath to peek beyond the sands of Napeague, were even seen roaming the beaches of parts west.

This week’s fishing was definitely the most steady and widespread of the last 30-plus days since the sand eels moved into the surf zone in earnest. Almost every size class of fish has been represented on the hook this week, from the 10-inch micros to fish into the mid and high 30-pound range. Amagansett’s beaches have seen the most fish and most of the big ones, largely thanks to their propensity to remain fairly clean when the winds churn up the ocean, but Bridgehampton, Southampton, Ponquogue and WHD have all seen their share of the action this week. As long as the east winds continue, and the weather stays mild, the fish are probably going to be pretty reliable.

Beyond the surf line there’s life as well. The series of storms seems to have shut off the blackfish bite in Long Island Sound a bit prematurely, but the big ’togs are still chewing good in the deep waters between Montauk and Block Island.

The rips off Montauk are holding some bass still, as a few new fish have clearly moved into the area since the big storm last week, but monster bluefish have been a pest.

Some bluefin tuna were spotted and hooked just a mile off the beach in East Hampton over the weekend by light tackle tuna hunters. With all the sand eels about and the herring schools starting to arrive in the area and calm seas forecast, many big game boats will be on a sharp lookout for the horse mackerel this holiday weekend, no doubt.

Good luck with the ducks for the first weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. See you out there.