09.23.14 "They'e over here, they're over there.....

...they're up, they're down, 2 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 1015.....1015???, I'm in, I'm out, I'm tight, I'm off......and then just, well sorry, FUCK!!!. Those are just a few of the things you'll hear on a boat from guides and anglers while albie fishing....especially tough days, and today we heard a lot of them.

                        

      Ran two half day shifts the first with Phil and Joe (Joe who remained fishless and pictureless due to some bad mojo) out for the morning. Super nice but slow morning with lots of trips back and forth in front of the Lighthouse. After lunch, well we got hungry and the fish did too, things picked up and we had some decent shots at albies up on bait. This was Phil's first time to Montauk and he went tight and landed his first albie. He can now cross that off of his bucket list. Joe, well, Joe worked like a dog and had some decent shots but couldn't get them to eat or get tight. He stayed true to the fly rod and after a shift change early in the afternoon he went out around the Lighthouse in his kayak, with no luck....
     

     For the afternoon shift it was Ian and Andrew back in to fish and Phil manning the video camera....both guys went tight and got bit off by bluefish early on. Then, it just got tough for us. A few follows, a few eats, one unbuttoned, one size 4 hook straightened out, and lots of albie fever frustration. We did see several boats hook up and bring the albies over the rail which only added to our frustration. We were back in at 630 and I have to say I was a little beat after 10 hours out there.

Tomorrow, and the next few days are looking like a blowout so I might be home on the sand sooner than later.

09.22.14 Got out for a quick boat ride in the afternoon.....

     With the morning a wash and guides and clients on standby, the weather Gods presented a window, just a slightly better one. I was waiting with some of the guides and they decided to head out after noon.  My crew was out at the lighthouse but Andrew was game to head out.
     We got out and found some boats and some fish, which appeared to be a mix of albies and bluefish. We had a few good shots but couldn't get tight. At one point I got a little to close another guide boat with our backcast nearly dusting their T-top. From then I just wanted to stay out of the mix and go and find our own fish.
     We were getting close to slack and driving round not finding anything for ourselves so I decided to start back towards in. We had a west wind, the incoming was about to start, and I didn't want to deal with the wind against tide ride. My thought was we could beat a wet ride in, we didn't, and do a sweep of the area out and around the inlet. We found some birds.....but no fish....and lots of bumpy water.

And, of course, just as we got in I heard it was going pretty good where we started.......

Back at he room I can't beat the Snug Harbor Motel hang on the balcony....

09.22.14 Monday morning standby....

     Went to bed last night with zero wind and flat water both inside and outside Lake Montauk. Woke up this morning to a tad bit different conditions. Saw a few boats making there way out, some standing by to see if conditions better as the tide ebbs. Hoping to make it out some time today even if its a short window.

09.21.14 Great day out with some new bodies in the boat...

     Had a great day out with Andrew, Joe and Ian. Started out in some sloppy water where the albies were eating good. Less boat traffic out here today where we were so it made closing in on the birds and fish a little easier. We stopped and ate as the tide went slack and then had a slow pick in the afternoon before the clouds and rain moved in. Andrew and Ian had several fish and Joe had two on but they

                            

came unbuttoned, so no pics of him just yet. On one fish Andrew who was fishing the back of the boat went tight and as the albie screamed into the backing he felt his line knotted up in a flash. I grabbed the line but the fish went under the boat and snapped off, at least we saved the rod. One thing about albie fishing, everything is quick. They are here and gone, up and down, and tight and into the backing before the blink of an eye. 

                          

     Below Ian holds a nice fish sporting the STORMR Fusion jacket which came out this fall. I have been wearing mine the whole week and its the jacket I need for early fall before switching over to the STRYKER jacket. You can see more on the Fusion HERE. 

Below are a few pics of Montauk guides in action from today....

09.20.14 Bit sloppy this morning but the afternoon was beautiful....

     Bumpy ride out and for most of the morning but the afternoon was real nice. Had a hard time getting into them but this will be the last picture of Charlie holding an albie you will see. Shift change tonight with a different crew coming in. Hopefully the weather will be good for the next four days they are here.
     One things for sure, I'd love to just be in chase boat all day photographing fly fishing at Montauk. In Jersey, there aren't a lot of fly rodders out at one time, here it seems like every small boat is throwing flies. Above is Captain Jason Dapra of Blitzbound Guide Service setting up his clients on some busting albies.

09.20.14 A few from Camp Hero.....

     Woke up to the sound of anglers and boaters getting ready to head out outside of my room. Decided to take a ride back to the Point and check out Camp Hero at first light. As always, love to find that lone angler through the lens and make an image. There were other anglers out but I liked the way it was framed with the points from the cliff and the sun breaking the horizon.
     I decided to soup a similar image in black and white, and although you lose the beauty of the colors of the sun the cliffs pop since I opened up the image a few stops.

09.19.14 Got out in some afternoon slop...

 The wind sat down a bit and we headed out after 3. It was a little sloppy but the albies were up and after chasing them around they settled in nicely. It lasted for a while and it seemed that every boat out was throwing a fly rod and at some point each was hooked up, some with doubles. This really is a special place with so much to learn and experience. I hope that the bass show up, on top, soon.

09.19.14 Beautiful morning out here.....

     Pretty stiff winds had the ocean angry this morning so I took a ride down to the lighthouse. Hoping to get out later this afternoon if conditions allow. Found surfcasters in their glory with big surf and plenty of white water. I can see why this place is so addicting to to those not fishing from a boat.



     At one point a husband and wife team made their way out to share a rock. I thought how nice that must be to have a partner that shares a similar passion, not that its necessary, but it must be special.

09.18.14 "Charlie I forgot the plug".......but then things got much better

     Some people tell me that I should just keep things to myself. Better left unsaid. I can't do that. I have to tell the good and the bad, always the bad when it pertains to me.

     So I wanted to get out in front of the Montauk Lighthouse by first light. Jersey albies seem to go off in the morning so I figured lets see how these fish work here. Besides, I always love first light and I thought I could make some nice images even if the fish weren't up yet.

 We had the boat wet before 530 and were on in front of the Point shortly thereafter. Since nothing was up on top we started to fish using heavy sinking lines, and yes, a drail, swimming big flies hopefully down to the bass on the bottom, which didn't last very long. 

At one point I looked over and saw I hadn't put the bildge pump on so I did. Then I heard the water, then I saw the water in the boat, then I said to Charlie... "I forgot the plug......", then my heart sank. 

I have to say, recently I read a story in the bible. It's from Matthew 14:22. In the story the apostles are in a boat and they are all jammed up and are terrified they are going to drown. It's the story of Jesus walking on water......now I didn't think I was a goner, but thinking how that passage came after recently reading it made me laugh, even in a time of slight panic.  

Here's the story....

Jesus Walks on the Water

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Luckily the boat started and we motored back to the ramp and put the boat on the trailer and let it drain, and drain, and drain. There must have been 2,000 gallons of water in the hull. In my hast before we launched I forgot to check that the plug was in, hopefully that won't happen again. And boy did I thank God when that boat was back on the trailer. That wasn't the first disaster I avoided. After checking in at Snug I checked to make sure the boat would fit under the overhang at the check-in office.

It fit no problem. Then I put 3 fly rods in the boat standing up.....and for some reason I looked my boat over before traveling underneath, I thats when I saw the rods. If I return another rod to Orvis they are going to kick me out of the ELOG program for good for sure. If I had proceeded forward two Orvis H2's and a Sage One.......valued somewhere around $2,500 would have snapped.....ouch.

      We were back out by 8 and found albies scattered all over the place with one and done risers. It didn't pay to motor around so we just set up and drifted and waited for the fish to show in our neighborhood. We landed a few before noon and had lunch waiting to the tide to flip. And when it did..

 

..... it really got good. It picked up where we had been all morning and then, well, like they say, 'It went off", really good. It was albie action all afternoon into the evening. I don't care about numbers, but we lost count, and are pretty beat up from the day. 

     

Below is a video of a part of todays fishing.....

Tomorrow is looking a little sketchy weatherwise as Hurrican Edourado is making his way up the East Coast....we shall see in the morning how that goes and if I get out.

Some images from the South Side....