Here is a trip report from Jim Craig. I made a solo trip on October 5th. As I approached Montauk Park, the woods along Highway VV had a touch of fall colors. A sure sign changes are coming. I was early enough to catch some deer and around another bend some turkeys crossing the road. Despite the overcast sky, it was going to be a beautiful day. I started at Baptist Camp. It was a Thursday, so I thought I would have the place to myself. Not so. I was the sixth car in the lot. Immediately I got hits on my olive soft hackle. I thought this beautiful day was also going to be an awesome day. But then, nothing for hours. There was a massive hatch going on as clouds of spinners were everywhere. But, no fish were rising. I tried everything. With no fish in the net, the beauty of the day was quickly slipping from my mind. I finally caught one fish here and one fish there on a variety of flies including a crackle back, a zebra midge, an olive mole hair leech, a trico spinner, and a parachute Adams. There was no consistency. I could see nice fish in the stream. Some were feeding, but they had little interest in my offerings. About 2 PM, I started seeing some very subtle rises just sipping at or under the surface. It was time to try a Griffith’s gnat. That was the ticket. For the rest of the day, the action was steady both at Baptist Camp and when I moved to fish below the cable. And, the wildlife continued to reveal itself. I watched a weasel or mink snatch a water snake at the edge of the river. On the walk back to my van there was a fallen tree across the river that was full of huge black birds. See the picture. Half of them flew away before I could take the picture. I don’t know what they were, maybe turkey vultures? These beautiful days, with wild life everywhere, are a perfect time to be on the water. And the fish, well they are just waiting for you to figure them out. And when you do, that’s when it becomes an awesome day.
