Strange surf catches

Yup, it happens. Sharks are taken, usually in the summer months. The "other" magazine on and off over the years has run articles about shore fishing for sharks. It wasn't a big fishery anyway and with the general decline in the shark population I woul bet it's even rarer now.

Some other odd catches include a few truly monster eels. Last season I saw an eel that looked like Nessie! A true creature of the deep. It took a chunk of bunker!

Fish Tales

About 25 years ago I snagged a huge ocean sun fish (mola mola)with a treble hook hopkins lure while fishing the back side of West End II. At first I thought is was a shark when I saw the huge fin. But when I snagged it, it rolled on it's side I could see it's ugly head, and then my line snaped. This fish had to weigh several hundred pounds. They are harmless and they occasionly venture into our inlets.

I also had the pleasure of seeing a 15' pilot whale in about 24' of water when I was fishing in my boat right off the beach near Long Beach about 4 yrs. ago.

Tag & Release
Tiderunner

An ocean sunfish, thats cool, I didnt know they came in that close. I heard of someone once catching a stingray off of moses, and a small Mako in FI Inlet.

mola mola

tiderunner,

if it is still possible, and you are interested - do a search under mola mola in the ny posted reports.

in sept. 2001 i posted a detailed report of a "close encounter" with a gentle giant.

set,
opinari

I can confirm the stingrays..

I caught a very BIG one off of the Pointlook out pier around November. I thought I was snagged until my line just started to get tighter and thighter, I started to reel in and surprise... A monster on a tiny piece of clam..

cool fish

I have been pretty lucky. Last year I saw a stingray with about a five foot wing span in four feet of water right by the 2nd Wantaugh bridge. I saw a Sunfish in about 35 feet of water south of Jones Inlet. And there was a Pilot whale that hung out south of the inlet for about a week last summer.

Blue Shark

About 5 or 6 years ago I was fishing on Ocean Beach on Fire Island when I hooked into what I thought was the biggest striper of my life, it turned out to be a 5 1/2 foot blue shark with all of its fins cut off it took a bunker chunk and surprised the **** out of me.

Some more weird reports

I heard a report from some locals about an Ocean sunfish all the way back in Manhassett Bay about 3 or 4 years ago. He was supposed to have been pretty beat up.
My favorite story was one I read about the same time period of the guy who pulled a fifty pounder in off the rocks of Montauk. A fifty lb. TARPON that is! They said that netters seem to pick up one or two every year as the gulf stream swings towards shore, but that was the first time anyone took one from the suds.

Beluga

Somewhere around 85 or 86 there was a 2 week period in late September. When a Beluga Whale hung out off the Point Lookout jetty. It was fun to see but he hurt the fishing.

Mola Mola

Last Fall I saw a huge fin right outside Port Jeff between east jetty and the pink house. When I ran up to it it was a Mola Mola. That is the only time I have seen one in the Sound, but have seen many along the South Shore beaches.

Small tuna and large black drum caught off East Hampton beaches last year.

Here's my odd list. Spadefish while snapper fishing off the West Lake Dr. Jetty Montauk Harbor. Gray Seal in Montauk Harbor mid June(late!!!). My buddy caught a 10lb. Cobia off Cedar Beach. There was a 20lb.+ Cubera Snapper caught around the Robert Moses bridge a few years back. The topper however is a 40' Fin Back whale working just in front of the inlet in Huntington Harbor back in 96? Photo's and story made the cover of the Long Islander Newspaper out of Huntington. Fair Weather!!!

Does a body count,or better yet does the Newtown creek count as water?

I read a story in the Port Jeff Record this past fall about a Mola mola sighting in Setauket Harbor. Maybe the same one Striper77 saw?

how about a tarpon off cranes neck a few years back according to a local fly rod captian.

Strange Fish

Sure was glad to hear that someone else saw a Tarpon in the Sound. Four or five years ago my son and I were east of can 11 about 2 miles and a huge silver fish shot into the air like a rocket. Fish had to weigh close to 100 pounds, was definitely not a bass, was completely silver. We thought it looked like a tarpon, but never were sure. Glad to see that someone else thought they saw a tarpon in the Sound.

strange surk catches

i also remember the tarpon that was caught at montauk under the light. i think it was caught on bait. a buddy of mine used to work for the DEC and they would net a about a dozen each year. they are here but just not enough to catch. i have no doubt there are some in the sound. good luck to all.....

montauk

Thats the reason Ill never extreme surfcast. I KNOW whats out there.

Talked to a few marine biology students from stony brook who came face to face with a 3ft great white on a diving expedition a few years back of cranes neck.Now if only some jetskiers could be as lucky.