Big brother Frank came in from Los Angel-eeze. Punk rock surfcasting attorney Justin Hoy arrived from Chelsea, NY. So who is the real Mr. November?
NOVEMBER 4-5, 2009
In the past, big brother Frank’s last trip of the surfcasting season from the Left Coast to Mecca has typically been a harbinger of great fishing. By this late in the season, the big bait is running—herring or bunker or both—and the big fish are on the feedbag, fattening up for their winter migration. But I don’t have to repeat how odd this season has been thus far. So I was filled with equal amounts of hope and anxiety when I picked up Frank on November 3 at JFK. Could he once again prove to be Mr. November?
Big Brother Frank in his "Aquaman" suit, casting at the Indian Head in Montauk
The good news is that we didn’t exactly get skunked on Wednesday morning. Fishing along side a small handful of Montauk sharpies near the Indian Head bluff in Montauk, I scored a tiny 16 inch striper around 830am just before the flood tide. There was a slow pick of small fish there and on the Montauk village beaches, but that was our only taste of the day. After lunch, with the turn of the tide, we did the walk from Ditch Plains east to the Cottages and Amsterdam beach, chasing a flock of birds working over bait that never came within reach. At dark, our cooler unsullied, we retired to a dinner of linguine with red sauce, eggplant parmigiana and watched the Yankees seal the deal for World Series victory number 27.
Fuck the Yankees–or am I repeating myself here?
Bluefish Blitz The Beach
Thursday, with punk rock attorney Justin Hoy on hand, we first checked west, but found no hint of action in East Hampton. Back east, however, from the Surfside Inn overlook, we spied working birds in close to shore.
Gulls squawked, baitfish crashed the shoreline and cocktail bluefish blitzed the beach all afternoon from the Surfside Inn overlook to Ditch Plains
All through the last of the incoming tide, we hopscotched the beach on the trail of a tight flocks of birds working low and intensely over bait in the wash. Frank broke the ice by landing the what may be the smallest bluefish to have ever swum the Atlantic. As the tide peaked, the fish came within reach at the IGA and we followed them east, all the way to the Indian Head. All small bluefish—the good eating kind—and plenty of fun-filled blitz action.
Punk rock attorney Justin Hoy scored his first ever striper--a chunky 24-incher--on the beach at Ditch Plains
We ran out of beach at the far eastern end of Montauk village, so we hopped off and then back on at Ditch Plains, where we awaited the school we left behind. And come they did. This time, however, Justin raised the ante: his first fish of the day was a chunky 24-inch bass nailed on a diamond jig. More blues for me and Frank. And then, while Frank took a break to humor his West Coast real estate customers, Justin and I did the walk east to the Cottages, hoping the bass would come into the rocky shore. They never did.
Stupid Good Fishing; Bay Anchovies In the Wash
Back to the truck and back to the Indian Head Bluff. And there was where the fishing got stupid good. With the descending tide, we were able to drive to Dead Man’s cove and then walk with a school of fish tracking back towards Montauk village, casting and catching as we went. We could see bait being run right onto shore by maurading cocktail blues slashing and thrashing just a high kick from the shoreline.
This baby bass took a sand eel teaser but the blitzing bluefish were feeding on bay anchovies that moved onto the beach for the first time this season
Squawking gulls, knitted together in a thick black cloud, beat their wings on the water in a frenzy. I was catching fish two at a time on my green teaser and anything else I had attached; diamond jig with tube, shortly Hopkins with a bucktail or lead head bucktail. Try as we did to get under these blues, we couldn’t raise a bass. At 1pm, we left the fish biting. We took home 9 fish to clean and distribute having thrown back at least twice as many.
Justin promised to be back for Veteran’s Day and the king of all diamond jigs, Doug Levian was to be Frank’s fishing partner for the weekend. Gannets are diving, the water is cooling and the clock is ticking down on the season. It is high time some big bass make their appearance.
Also, time for the REAL Mr. November to stand up. First keeper gets the title.
Who will it be?
aloha from hawaii, where a near record marlin was caught off Kona this week!
Ha — nice going Justin — although that fish looks like he caught you!!!