Biting On Napeague

The big chew that started just about two weeks ago on Napeague continued during the week. Every day, surfcasters have lined the ocean beach at various points from Hither Hills to the Amagansett highlands pulling striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish from the surf.

In Montauk, meanwhile, the action has slowed considerably in the striped bass department, for surfcasters as well as boaters.

Most surprising and welcome on Napeague were the weakfish. Joe Gaviola of Montauk, who partook in the best of the weakfish action, said most weighed between five and eight-and-a-half pounds, with bigger ones mixed in.

They Were Safe

Dennis Gaviola, Joe's brother, caught a 12-pound weak. Joe said there was a happy but slightly panicked moment when, after landing a number of big weaks, he and his fellow Montauk casters realized they knew neither the minimum size nor the daily bag limit set by state regulations.

"We fish all the time, but it's been so long since we've had them, nobody knew," Mr. Gaviola said.

It turned out they were safe. The limit is six weakfish per day measuring at least 16 inches long.

Herons With Rods

Saturday afternoon was October silver with the wind blowing northwest across Napeague. Dozens of casters stood like herons along the shoreline.

As two climbed out of their Jeep, Francis Lester of Amagansett drove by in his truck. He was leaving the beach after watching his son, Jens, and his crew haul in an ocean seine, as part of the State Department of Environmental Conservation's annual striped bass survey.

The elder bayman waved to the casters and shouted, "Go get 'em, boys!"

One man with a lighter-weight rod proceeded to do just that. He seemed to be hooking bluefish about every other cast, at several times the rate of the others.

The reason became clear when two weakfish washed ashore barely alive, each missing its tail.

The Same Yellow

Weakfish are arguably among the most beautiful fish in the sea. They are also called sea trout, because of their metallic rainbow colors on silver sides, with black spots adding mystery, like mascara on bright eyes.

Their fins are a vivid yellow. Weakfish are good to eat, humans and bluefish agree, and it was the yellow fins and tails the blues were obviously targeting on Saturday.

It so happened the caster with the better-than-average success was casting a surface plug almost exactly the same color yellow.

Smoke In The Sky

As the fishing continued, clouds of white smoke could be seen to the west being pushed offshore by the wind. They were the only clouds in the sky. The smoke turned out to be Francis Lester's house, built by the fishermen of Poseyville, Amagansett, more than 70 years ago.

The house was gutted by the fire and the 89-year-old bayman, who an hour earlier had yelled encouragement to the casters, was badly injured trying to retrieve his valuables.

Charter captains blamed weak tides for the downturn in what has otherwise been a striped bass season to remember. Water temperatures remain in the high 50s, another reason being put forth for the larger bass not yet having appeared from where they are assumed to be, to the east.

Big Bass

Some charter boats were actually skunked this week when it came to keeper bass, those at least 28 inches long. Bluefish, big ones of the gorilla size of 15 pounds or better, have moved in and have been entertaining charter customers off Montauk.

There were some big bass around. Jim Filardi caught a 36-pound bass last Wednesday trolling a Striper Viper at the Point.

The Montauk Locals Surfcasting Tournament leader board changed over the weekend because of Fred Kalkstein's catch of a 41-and-a-half-pound striper that moved him from third to second place.

Charlie Flynn still leads, with a fish weighing exactly one pound more. Eric Ernst is in third place with a 29-and-three-quarter-pound bass.

Fishes At Night

Mr. Kalkstein fishes at night, with live eels, deep in Montauk's Moorland coves. "I only fish during the day once in a while, and when I do, I always say, 'I'll never do that again,' " he said Tuesday, striking a Transylvanian note to match the season.

Big bluefish flooded Gardiner's Bay during the week. Harvey Bennett of the Tackle Shop reported big schools from the mouth of Accabonac Harbor all the way to Promised Land and beyond, many of them within casting distance of the beach.

There was news of flounder being caught in Accabonac Harbor and Lake Montauk. Diamond Cove Marina in Montauk reported sea bass and porgies around Montauk Point.

RUSSELLDRUMM