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Winter at Montauk

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Winter at Montauk: Come Join the Party
Jan 29, 2007
by Tony Salerno

Article courtesy of Noreast.com

Nor´east Saltwater Magazine NY, NJ, CT, RI Edition Volume 18 · Number 02 January 29, 2007

Eye Water Boat Smile Naval architecture

Here is a happy angler with a nice codfish taken on a winter Montauk trip.

While most anglers spend the next few months visiting outdoor expositions, overhauling tackle or just plain hibernating, there is a different breed out there doing their own thing on the winter cod and ling fishery east of Block Island. The fact is fishing in the Coxes Ledge area the past several years has lit-up and savvy anglers have been taking advantage of a solid mix of the two. Best of all it doesnt take a rocket scientist to sock away at a pile of tasty filets, nor does it mean trailing the boat to the ramps. Nope, its as simple as boarding one of several open boats from Montauk Harbor where the captain and crew will put you on the meat and potatoes.

WELCOME BACK

Racking up a good score of cod and ling isnt unusual these days, particularly during the period of February through April along the waters east of Montauk where the areas such as Coxes Ledge is loaded with plenty of small to medium cod with a few pot bellies in the mix. Ever since the mid-70s, codfish stocks along New York waters were on a decline due to foreign and American commercial exploitation. Then in the early 80s, the cod fishing was once again showing signs of a come back when suddenly in the mid 80s catches once again collapsed. Fortunately, over the past decade, fisheries management and conservation measures have led to a slow, but steady improvement in codfish and ling stocks. In fact, the combination of stringent state regulations and the abundance of small cod southeast of Block Island the last few years point to a positive future. Areas of open and strewn bottoms, which at one time teamed with an abundance of ground fish, are once again coming alive. This comes as good news since there is a good range of area to fish versus fishing the hard hit wrecks, which are usually picked clean and seldom given a chance to reload.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Cod and ling belong to the same family of about 60 species of cod and hake, which are all common fishes of cold temperature and arctic waters. The Atlantic cod can be distinguished by its three dorsal fins and three anal fins, in combination with a pale lateral line and a single large barbell at the tip of the chin. The color is variable. There are two color phases - the red and the gray. The red phase varies from reddish-brown to orange to brick red, while the gray from black to brownish-gray to greenish. The sides are covered with numerous dark spots. This species is taken in the North Atlantic from west Greenland to the Hudson Strait south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina where they occur in deep water. Spawning occurs from December to late March in about 20 fathoms of water primarily in the Gulf of Maine area. The cod lays great quantities of eggs with the larger females estimated to contain millions of eggs. Its eggs are floating, being at the mercy of nature. Like most other species, very few survive, succumbing to numerous predators. The very young cod feed upon copepods and other small crustaceans while they are found on the surface layers, after which they drop to the bottom and feed on shrimp, barnacles and small worms. As adults, they become predatory feeders mainly feeding upon clams, snails, mussels, crabs, lobster, squid and various small fish.

BE PREPARED

First and foremost, dress warm. Make sure to dress in thin layers as you can always remove or add on as needed. Make sure to have foul weather gear, insulated boots, gloves and hats. Anglers that dont come properly dressed usually end up inside the cabin trying to stay warm, while the well dressed gang has a blast.

As for tackle, a six to seven-foot graphite rod equipped with a conventional reel in the 3/0 to 4/0 class, filled with thirty to forty-pound test line are in order. These outfits are well suited to handle the strewn bottom and the required sinkers to hold bottom. With the exception of a full or new moon, current is often not a problem. Normally 10 to 12-ounce sinkers will hold bottom with possibly up to 16 ounces during the lunar phases. While braided line has the advantage when it comes to sensitivity; experience over the years has proved to me that pink Ande monofilament has significant edge over most other lines. I wish I knew the reason for this. However one thing is certain, high hook usually goes to someone using the pink mono. Unless you are planning to use a shock leader, cod are extremely line shy so it may be in your best interest to use mono, or if you are set on braid, make sure to use an 8-foot leader of 30 to 40-pound fluorocarbon or mono leader. Keep in mind that if you dont own your own tackle required for cod fishing, all your tackle needs are either provided or can be rented on any of the boats.

Water Vertebrate Boat Sky Fisherman

This angler is holding a nice ling and a market size codfish. Both will bring wonderful meals to the table.

Rigs are usually hi-lows consisting of 3/0 octopus or bait holder hooks tied a few inches above the sinker to sting the ling while a 5/0 hook similar hook pattern is placed between 3 and four feet above the sinker in hopes of a soaker cod. Little gizmos such as a plastic twister tail or plastic skirts are applied to the hook along with the bait as an added attraction. While the colors and styles vary, depending on preference, bring along some 2 to 4-inch orange twister tail plastics, which have been a red-hot attractant the last couple of years. My preference is to keep it to a simple rig which consists of a 5/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook four feet and one about eighteen inches above the sinker. This allows the bait to lay in a natural manner with minimal twisting of the line. When more than 12 ounces of lead is required, I will tie a three-way swivel 12 inches above the sinker and another three-way swivel about two feet above the lower one onto the main line. Then I will attach a 12-inch pre-snelled 5/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook to the center swivels. It may seem a bit cumbersome; however, it will assist greatly in avoiding the baited hook to spin wildly in a strong current, which can cause the cod to become hesitant in taking the bait. A small tip I can pass along is when using this style rig keep the bait on the smaller side, which will greatly assist in detecting even the lightest taps.

LEAVE THE DOG FOOD HOME

Although herring and mackerel make up much of the cods diet through the winter months, I strongly urge you to leave baits such as these baits at home. Indeed it may be what the cod are feeding on during most of the winter, but when these baits are placed on the hook, their natural oils become a chum slick and attract dogfish by the droves into the area. It takes only one or two anglers using this bait to draw enough doggies into an area to force the bite of cod or ling to shut down. This, in turn, means precious fishing time wasted seeking out another productive piece of bottom. Plain and simple shucked skimmer clams, which are provided on all the boats either whole or halved, impaled on the hook suits perfectly.

THE STRATEGY

For the most part, the boats will anchor up over rock piles and high pieces. However, there may be times when conditions permit that drifting may be employed. Drifting usually occurs when there is very little wind and tide and the fish are sitting on small, tight pieces of structure. These types of days are few; therefore, expect to be on the hook.

Quite often pollock can be found roaming the same grounds as the cod, which would be a good time to replace the rig with an 8-ounce diamond jig and cranking it off the bottom to about 15 feet up the water column. I suggest bringing a few of the jigs between 6 and 10 ounces for such an occasion. If you dont have your own, fret not as they are available on the boats.

SHARING A COMMON BOND

What do the four or five head boats that leave Montauk Harbor have in common? Each boats captain and crew are courteous, fine fishermen and will give you their best to make sure your day is as enjoyable as possible.

Most of the boats depart Montauk Harbor by 5 A.M.; however, I suggest calling the boat you plan to fish aboard a day or two in advance for the exact sailing times as it may be as early as 3 A.M. Also check with the boats schedule as some boats may only sail on the weekends, while others will sail daily. All the boats provide all the necessary tackle and instructions. Hot and cold beverages as well as snacks are available on most of the boats, which can be a real lifesaver on those brutally cold days.

In closing, keep in mind that patience is the key when seeking out cod as often the fish are lurking around in their never ending search for food and it may be a while before they find the boat. Often when they do, the action consists of multiple hook ups.

So in between the shows and tying rigs why not break out the thermals and come join the party? The weather may be cold but the action should be hot.


MONTAUK WINTER FISHING FLEET

OPEN BOATS

Sea Otter Fishing Fleet .......631 668-2669

Viking Fleet...................631 668-5700

Marlin VI Princess ............631 668-4700

Ebbtide (formerly Marlin V)....631 668-5852


Water Cloud Sky Fisherman Outdoor recreation

Pollock will surprise the cod angler every so often but for those targeting these strong fighters, diamond jigging about 15 feet off the bottom will do the trick.
 
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