Every fall, I've trekked out to a friend's camp on Fire Island to do some Long Island striper fishing, and it's usually been good to us. One trip we managed two 25-plus pound bass in one outing. This year, my former college roommate Curt was on the West Coast working on his Masters at the University of San Diego, so when he made it back for a spring visit, I suggested we try the island in June.
Weather shut us out on our first attempt, but I finally made it out yesterday, and despite going striper-less, it might be one of the best trips we've ever had.
My girlfriend Kim was itching to get in the surf, she's never done it. So we hopped the ferry from Bay Shore, grabbed a six-pack, and spooled up three surf rods. When we hit the beach, I noticed a bunker swim almost onto the sand. Figuring bunker prefer the water, all things being equal, I thought this was a good sign.
From the minute the first plug hit the water the blitz was on, bluefish after bluefish. Torn bunker were washing up on the beach, we were catching fish two at a time.
Kim managed to miss the first few shots at fish she had, and we were losing light. At the last moment, just as the moon was coming up and the action was fading, I heard her drag humming.
I turned it up a few clicks but it kept buzzing. She held her own, and fought the fish admirably, and 10 minutes later she was holding this 13-pound gator blue, not bad for a first surf fish.
We had the beach all to ourselves, which is part of the reason I love fishing Fire Island. The night ended as oddly as it began. I threw on a black hogy on a 2-ounce jighead to see if we could tempt any stripers in the dark.
I thought I'd hooked into a schoolie, but when I pulled it from the surf it was a keeper fluke that somehow wrapped its mouth around the big jig.
We had to hightail it back to Jersey in the morning, still covered in bluefish blood and pretty exhausted, but it was worth the traveling. Certainly a memorable day in the surf.
I tried to tell her i every day isn't non-stop action capped by a keeper fluke for the dinner table. Don't think she was listening though.
