Montauk Trip Report

[Tim McDougald]

My wife and I went to Montauk from 7/31 - 8/3. The trip was fun, but a mixed bag. Due to circumstances beyond our control we did not get on the road until about 11:30. Stopped for lunch, etc. and got to the park around 2:30. Did a little fishing with my spinning rod and white roostertail across from the cemetery but didn't catch anything. I took a short break and then put my waders on, grabbed my fly rod and did some fishing behibd the lodge...and was skunked again.

Saturday, my wife and I got up and found spots by about 6:20 (it was kids fish free day so the was a minor miracle). I was fishing near the falls and she was fishing in the social hole. She got skunked. I had one follow but at the last minute a small fishe grabbed my roostertail...turned out to be a blue gill, which I found amusing. Later that afternoon I went up by the spring and caught one keeper.

Sunday I went back up near the spring and caught a small one, which I tossed back. Caught a second one this size (or maybe it was the same one) and tossed it back. At that point, some old dude with a fly rod asked me what color of fly I was using and started fishing about five feet a way from me. I thought that was a bit tacky. Moved on downstream through a riffle (fishing when I could) and found a nice spot about 40 feet from my nearest neighbor. Their were some nice fish in this pool, but they had no interest in the fly I had on my line so I decided to change it when finished I looked up to discover someone standing in the spot I had been casting to, such is life. Didn't catch anything else the rest of the day.

Monday my wife and father in law (who had come down Sunday and was staying until Wednesday) fished along the wall by the old low water bridge. She caught two and he caught one. I should have went with them. Instead I went up by the spring. On the way to the spring I tripped and fell and broke my fly rod. Went back to the lodge, got another fly rod and went back to the spring. Got one hook up that spit the hook as I was reeling it in. We left Montauk and headed back to St. Louis about 11:30.

As I say, it was a mixed bag with the delayed start, broken fly - which has been repaired, and a couple of tacky fishermen. On the other hand I am a relative novice when it comes to fly fishing and I learned quite a bit on this trip. It was also my first time wading. So even though I only had one keeper and my wife two, it, overall, was a positive outing.

[stlfisher]

Glad you had fun. It takes a little practice to get used to the fly rod and weekend days can be very tough with all the crowds.