Armada Finds Fine Fishing

Large striped bass and one very large thresher shark stood out during a week of pre-fall fishing that would have been hard to beat anywhere in the world. An armada of fishing boats of all sizes dotted the waters between Montauk and Block Island over the weekend, and by all accounts the fishing was fine all the way across and in the bays to the west as well.

There is a virtual pestilence of false albacore. The "falsies," also called little tunny, are so abundant that their schools stretch from the waters around Montauk Point, where they are usually found this time of year, to way back west in Gardiner's Bay.

They have been here for so long this summer that fly fishermen have honed in on the proper fly. Let's just hope that the material some are using with great success - a mesh tubing used in angioplasty procedures - was not borrowed from a supply room somewhere.

Angioplasty Tubing

Harvey Bennett of the Tackle Shop in Amagansett has been using the stuff to tie, with George Farrell, a series of flies for a number of species.

The white angioplasty tubing is cut into different lengths depending on the target species. Down the center of the tubing is threaded a braided fabric, a "glitter body" in fly-tying speak.

The glitter body glitters through the angioplasty tubing to give it the appearance of a silverside bait fish. It is allowed to extend fore and aft to make the head and tail of the fly.

Eyes are added, fly varnish, and a number 1, 2, or 1.0 hook, depending on the fish the fly will be cast to.

The Same Mission

Mr. Bennett said he slept well at night, that there was no ethical dilemma as far as he was concerned because even if the material used in the flies did come from a medical stockpile, using it to catch false albacore brought about the same end result.

False albacore were oily, he reasoned, and as fish oil is said to reduce the amount of dangerous cholesterol in the bloodstream, the angioplasty tubing was fulfilling its primary mission even as a fly.

They can also be used as teasers on spinning gear, although you can't attach them by swivels. Rather, they have to be tied onto the terminal gear. Mr. Bennett recommended a surgical knot.

On Saturday afternoon Mr. Bennett and a friend caught nine false albacore from schools that were so thick that two of the fish were foul-hooked. He said there were acres of them from Eastern Plains Point to Rocky Point, in 40 to 60 feet of water.

Pepper-Seared

Ken Rafferty, who runs light-tackle and fly fishing charters out of Three Mile Harbor, added that all through the week the falsies were found right outside Three Mile Harbor between the harbor jetty and Lion Head Rock.

Captain Rafferty warned anglers not to confuse the false albacore with the more edible green bonitos. "I'm afraid people are taking them home, putting them on the grill, and then throwing them out."

A better way to cook the albacore is to pepper-sear them; that is, dip strips in ground pepper and sear them in a pan.

Big Bass

The three-foot-long striped bass that has evaded Captain Rafferty's flies in its favorite weeds just inside the harbor all summer, finally fell to one last Thursday. The fish was released and took off.

An even larger striper has assumed the flown striper's roost. "They're territorial, you know," Captain Rafferty said.

Meanwhile, Montauk charter boats and the many private boats plying the waters around Montauk Point have reported large striped bass in the area.

"We haven't caught an undersized bass [shorter than 28 inches] since Wednesday the 16th," Capt. Michael Potts reported from the Blue Fin IV on Tuesday via cell phone.

The Oh Brother charter boat also reported its anglers tying into big bass.

Rocketing Hook

One of Captain Potts's customers continued fishing despite getting bit by his own hook.

Richard Stone of East Hampton and New York City took a break from fly casting for false albacore the other day by tossing a popping plug into a school of striped bass inside Caswell's Cove just offshore of the Montauk moorlands. The lure was taken, the angler pulled, the hook came out of the fish and rocketed 50 feet and lodged deep in Mr. Stone's finger.

The Blue Fin IV returned to the dock, where Montauk's Dr. Gavino Mapula (fish-hook extracting specialist) was waiting. The hook was taken out, the wound bandaged, and the charter boat returned to the grounds.

Montauk Locals

The big bass being taken by boaters have gotten the field in the annual Montauk Locals surfcasting tournament excited.

The competition began on Monday and will be hard-fought through Dec. 1. The entry fee is $200, and the competition is open to other than Montaukers. Any resident of East Hampton may enter, even surfcasters from away, although they must get the approval of the tournament committee.

This year, the youth division will include any surfcaster under the age of 18, and they need not pay an entry fee. Bait fishing will be allowed, but no "dead-sticking" - that is, planting an unattended rod in the rocks or sand to fish for itself. A bait rod must be held.

And, no swimming is allowed in this tournament. Casters must walk rather than swim to offshore rocks.

Bluefin Tuna

There were a few bluefin tuna taken from the waters around Block Island over the weekend, mostly small, although one weighing 60 pounds was said to have been brought to dock. Ed Miller of the West Lake Fishing Lodge reported on Tuesday that several boats from his marina hooked into bluefin.

The ever-changing bluefin regulations currently allow anglers to catch three bluefin measuring from 27 to 73 inches, only one of which can measure from 27 to 47 inches. Mr. Miller said 90 percent of those caught over the weekend were from this "small school" size.

West Lake also reports the landing of a 556-pound thresher shark, taken aboard Capt. Bill Ricca's Alyssa Ann charter boat. The action took place about 24 miles southeast of Montauk on Sunday. The big shark broke West Lake's 10-year old thresher record by 150 pounds.

Toby Barnett, Jim Libler, Paul Scorzelli, and Frank Pozzuto shared the angling.

RUSSELL DRUMM