Submitted by Ken Welter

After a string of hot weather, the forecast was looking promising, with cooler temperatures and
only a slight chance of rain. On Monday, I posted a trip for Wednesday, July 22, 2026, to fish
Montauk. I expected a strong response and wondered how many members had been waiting for
the perfect July day to get back on the water.

To my surprise, only four members signed up. Bob Hassett, Don Varner, Larry Mangels, and Bob
Born were all enthusiastic “yes” responses. We met at the Eureka parking lot at 6:15 a.m. and hit
the road. After arriving, we picked up our tags and headed to the naturalist cabin to suit up. With
the cooler temperatures, some of us put on our waders while a couple of us chose to wet wade. It
was about 70 degrees at 9:00 a.m. and reached a pleasant high of 80 degrees under partly sunny
skies.

The morning fishing was a bit slow, but everyone managed to catch fish. Perdigons, midges, and
Cracklebacks all produced fish. After lunch, the fishing improved, and everyone enjoyed some
success. Bob Born led the way with a double-digit catch while fishing a Flash Midge and a Big
Hurt.

We fished until about 5:00 p.m. before leaving the park. On the drive home, we stopped at
American Taco for a fellowship dinner, wrapping up a great day on the water with good food and
even better company.