For beachgoers, as well as those fishing inshore and offshore, this summer has witnessed a most spectacular sighting of whales on the feed. The behemoths of various varieties have been everywhere. It’s hard to ignore. The spectacle has made for epic viewing.
Most have been humpbacks, but minke and finbacks, along with short-beaked dolphins, have also shown their faces and satisfied their appetites in the warm waters along our coastline.
Some days, while I relaxed on the muted white sand at Sagg Main Beach in Sagaponack, the humpbacks gorged on the ebb and flow of the tide on massive schools of bunker barely 50 yards offshore. I could literally touch them if I dared to swim out that far, they were that close.
The whales, some longer than 40 feet, were feeding in less than 15 feet of water. Amazing. That said, many witnessed and enjoyed a feeding frenzy for all on the beach to view. It’s been a unique and special opportunity, courtesy of Mother Nature, that we may never witness again.
I’m not sure what SeaWorld charges for admission, but if these sightings are any indication, Shamu, the longtime star there, has some serious competition. We have experienced our own tremendous show right here — I’m sure for a much cheaper price.
“Seeing the whales like that so close to shore has been amazing,” said Brian Skulnick, a summer resident of Bridgehampton, whom I met two weeks ago at the ocean. “My two kids are totally enjoying this. It’s amazing. It truly is like watching a show at SeaWorld.”
Sitting on the beach, each time a humpback would hurl its massive body out of the water to gulp a mouthful of the oily bunker, audible gasps of appreciation and applause came from my fellow beachgoers. It was a top-notch aquatic show.
Most paused lunch, and for good reason. We all wanted to catch the action. That ham-and-Swiss sandwich could easily wait.
Not looking for the whales from the shore? No problem. The Viking Star out of Montauk, by popular request, will continue its whale-watching trips on Sundays through Oct. 13. The fare is $85 for adults and $55 for children under 12. See them while you can. Whale ho!
Turning to the local fishing scene, the action has been solid, especially off Montauk, where the whales have also been playing about in great numbers for anglers to view.
“It was a stellar week of fishing in Montauk, both inshore and offshore,” said Chris Albronda, who mans the front desk at the Montauk Anglers Club on East Lake Drive. “When the weather allowed, bottom fishing was top tier. We saw some double-digit fluke coming in,” including one that weighed 11.8 pounds.
For bottom fishing, Albronda recommended “gearing up with some Gulp. My favorite colors are Pink Shine, Blue Fuze, and Nuclear Chicken. As well, MagicTail Ball jigs are also great to have on hand,” in quantities of four to six ounces.
Albronda added that “there were some decent-sized sea bass caught locally, and an abundance of porgies with limits easily taken.”
He was also enthused that the striped bass have returned to local waters as temperatures began to cool off. “Anglers from the surf and the boat have had a good chance at landing one,” he said. “For bass, bluefish, or false albacore, you’ll want to gear up with Shimano Coltsniper jigs and Super Strike lures.”
Farther offshore, Albronda said bluefin tuna fishing “continues to make waves, with some extra-large ones hitting the scales.” Some green bonito and false albacore were also in the mix. “You’ll find the albies at the flood tide rip, but they have not made a showing on the north side as of yet.”
Also offshore, Albronda said that large yellowfin tuna are being caught on the chunk. He added that mahi-mahi have arrived in large numbers but said you’ll need to head “pretty far to land one.” A handful of small swordfish and tilefish were also reeled in last week, he added.
Over at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor and Southampton, Ken Morse was beaming about the excellent tuna bite, too. “The huge news was all of the tuna fishing going on anywhere from 14 to 18 miles offshore,” he said. “It’s mainly bluefins that are ranging anywhere between 40 to 200 pounds. They are taking bait or jigs — it does not matter.”
Elsewhere, Morse said that the action for striped bass is improving and will only get better as the waters continue to cool. “There are also plenty of small bluefish at Jessup’s Neck, but larger ones are at Plum Gut and the Race,” he added. “And the porgy bite remains strong throughout the Peconics, while weakfish can still be had in Noyac Bay.”
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