The Unpredictable Weather

We are having more of that strange weather.

The first couple of weeks in November, we had record-high air temps, with some days over 70 degrees. What do they say? Just wait a week and see what kind of weather we will have. This week, the temps were below freezing and the winds were relentless.

The Farmer’s Almanac predicts the winter temperatures to be below normal, with precipitation above normal. We will have to wait and see how we fare. With the high price of fuel oil, let’s hope it’s not too cold.

The scallop season in New York State waters was a bust. The East Hampton Town waters fared somewhat better. Last Monday was opening day, and the baymen found a few scallops in town waters. Some boats had two or three bushels. The scarcity of scallops is reflected in the price, which is now between $60 and $70 a pound.

The good weather we had the first two weeks in November made for blackfishing in short sleeves. Even though the blackfish season has had a lot of shorts, there are plenty of keepers to be caught. The large fish have not shown up yet. The dropping water temps will put these bigger fish on the move.

There has also been a lot of nice-sized sea bass to be had both in the sound and ocean. A handful of porgies are also mixing in. The Montauk boats have been enjoying true mixed-bag fishing. There are lots of sea bass to be caught, with shorts mixed with large-sized fish.

There is a showing of some Christmas codfish. There’s nothing like fresh codfish for the holidays.

Most of the striped bass at the Point are on the small size. Schools are moving under birds at Shagwong. Locally, squid are under the lights at the local docks.

The cold spell will send the water temps plummeting, but we may get a few more fish-able days. Some of the biggest blackfish should be caught in December.