Fall Comes in Like a Lion

Finally, the sun came out!

It was wind and rain and more wind and rain. I think we had these east winds for eight days. The first spell of weather came from slow-moving Tropical Storm Ophelia, or at least the remnants of it. It hung around for days. Winds blew 40 mph-plus, and rain at times was torrential!

Next came another low-pressure system with a lot of rain and some wind. As bad as it was, we were spared the worst, as Nassau County and the city got 8 inches of rain. There was a lot of beach erosion, and it has taken a while for the ocean to calm down.

Now that it’s officially fall, let’s hope we can have some Indian Summer weather.

As you can imagine, no one was fishing for several days prior to the storm, and fishing was so-so. The ocean fluking was really good. Some anglers were catching a dozen-plus keepers a day. Sea bass and porgies were plentiful. I suspect the blow will shake things up for the fall run.

There were some striped bass available for the surfcasters on the north side of Montauk. There should be schools of albacore and bluefish coming around Montauk Point.

I was out after the blow, and the bay fishing was quiet. It seems the weakfish may have left, but we should see those bluefish show up at Jessups.

Prior to the blow, bottom fishermen were catching plenty of porgies in the bay, with many on the small side, along with small sea bass. Several blowfish were caught as well. Keepers were mixed in, with some of the fishermen catching enough for dinner. Beach fishermen were catching blowfish in Three Mile Harbor.

If you have noticed, those ospreys are long gone. There are seals and scoters in the bays. We are all waiting for the blackfish season to open on October 11 for the Sound, and October 15 for the New York bight.

It’s going to get tougher to purchase fishing tackle and bait in the Sag Harbor area, as Tight Lines Tackle is closing up shop after 23 years. Sometime in October, Ken Morse will be moving to his new location in Southampton. I would like to wish Ken the best of luck!