Brisk winds that churned up waters from Sandy Hook to Montauk Point put a hurt on the fishing front over the past few days.

Just before the weather's mean streak, blackfishing was hot in 40- to 50-foot depths on Long Island Sound, in 50 to 60 feet of water off Orient, and in 60 to 80 feet of water outside of Shinnecock, Moriches, Fire Island and Jones Inlets. The South Shore and West End beaches also offered some sporadic stripers and blues. Expect catches to remain worth the effort for another two or three weeks, but the wind is likely to be an increasing problem as we slide past Thanksgiving.

With the holidays just around the corner, the quest for the perfect outdoors gift looms ahead. No doubt this year's effort will entail a little cost cutting for most of us. Not to worry, however, for there are plenty of gifts available at reasonable prices in most local tackle shops, or even online.

Consider, for example, Zeno Hromin's new book, "The Hunt For Big Stripers." It's one of the best reads of the striper season and is sure to help your surf fisherman connect with more and bigger bass. Hromin reveals his own strategies and techniques and then offers chapters by other local surf fishing experts including John Skinner, "Crazy" Alberto Knie, William "Doc" Muller and Bill Wetzel. It's a bargain at $19.95. Visit www.zenohromin.com for more information.

The Mullet Run

Fall Fishing is Great When the Mullet Start Moving

By Ron Brooks,

Up and down the east coast of the Untied States, a fall phenomenon is taking place – the annual baitfish migration that many of us call the “mullet run”. Huge schools of mullet and other baitfish are moving south, and the fish are right in their wake. Actually, the fish are under around and among all of them.

Marty Bazata let out a loud groan even as he smiled. At the end of his fishing rod an 8-pound bluefish powered to the right in an unsuccessful attempt to tangle every line dangling over the bow of the Mattituck open boat Captain Bob V.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," chuckled the Southold resident. "These fish are big, strong and relentless!"

A few yards to Bazata's right, Susan Schiff of Manhattan, fishing next to her husband Paul, leaned back against the starboard bench and wiped her brow with the only clean rag within reach. "I think I'm done," she said after decking her second chopper. "This is fun, but it's a lot of exercise."

The bluefish blitz is in full swing on Long Island Sound right now, and it's only going to improve over the next few weeks. Most of the action is concentrated in 40- to 60-foot depths just about anywhere between Hempstead Harbor and Orient Point, with City Island, The Middle Grounds, Northport, Port Jefferson, Mount Sinai and Mattituck the flash points. As temperatures continue to cool over the next few weeks, the big choppers should move toward the beaches, joining the cocktail blues that hug the shore most evenings.

"Look at all these huge fish coming over the rail," shouted Captain Bob Ceglowski, as he stepped out of the wheelhouse to encourage his customers. "I see a ton of blues on my scope, so drop your jigs to the bottom, crank up ten turns, and then do it again!"

For the past few weeks, Ceglowski has been running trips that see a mix of bluefish, stripers, porgies and black sea bass. On this trip, however, the blues were so thick that he passed on the bottom species.

"No point," he explained, "You'd never get a porgy to the surface today without it getting bitten in half."

By midday, Bill Addesso from Rocky Point had already limited-out with 10 bluefish and was reeling his jig more slowly, hoping to tempt a striper. Before the final whistle he would put two keeper linesiders in the cooler. On the port side, Ken Slovak of Medford bailed blues despite undergoing hip transplant surgery only a few months ago. "It's great therapy," he stated.

Now standing amidships, Bazata watched as mates James Wolf, Tim O'Donnell and Dave Meyers raced from angler to angler expertly netting, gaffing and unhooking bluefish.

"I feel for the mates today," Bazata said. "Those guys work their tails off. After all this, they still have to fillet the fish and clean the boat. What a mess. Bluefish season can't be easy on the crew."

Back in the stern, Eileen Higgins and Chris Palermo of Mineola were celebrating their fourth year of dating by going fishing. Higgins, who last fished in a Jones Beach snapper derby nearly 20 years ago, proved she still has the knack by decking a 13-pound pool winner.

"I won that snapper derby, too," she said proudly. "But it was nothing like this. I'm worn out, but I'm going to do it again real soon."

Susan Schiff agreed with Higgins. Back on the bench, she smiled after wrestling aboard her eighth bluefish.

"This time," she said with satisfaction, "I'm really finished."

Much has been written about fishing in Namibia, and a lot of it based on various visitor’s experiences, poor or otherwise. We hope to try and put a more pragmatic perspective on the whole issue, especially from the point of view of a potential visitor thinking about planning a first trip to Africa. As well as answer some of the debate issues about fishing here.

Generally, most of the ‘comics’ have been featuring articles on the very active shark fishing that can be had from the shore, and true enough the Bronzies or Copper Sharks are probably one of the toughest fights from the shore that you are likely to encounter – but the fact that the writers have usually been offered a free trip to promote the article, can lead to some more than generous fishing reports. The truth might be closer to the fact that we have a prolific and abundant marine resource, that has cycles and fluctuations like anywhere else in the world, and the biggest driver is water temperature.

Namibia, like anywhere in the world has periods when fishing is less than splendid, and the fact that the coastline is a very dynamic system where powerful oceanic currents shape the beach features, which can change from day to day, let alone from month to month. Add to that boiling pot a strong seasonal weather influence from the cold south, and then from the much warmer north – the meeting place is a called the ‘West Coast Recreational Area’ – or the accessible section of the Namibian coast that the majority of anglers visit. Further influences on the coast are the oceanic swells that are pushed up the western coast of southern Africa having started life down in the polar region – these can be one of the biggest influences on fishing the shore, and at times can last between 3-7 days; with good fishing conditions only returning after they have died down. The key word throughout this is ‘oceanic’, this is not a sheltered coastline, but one shaped by large systems, as it has been for millennia.

As much as the fishing in European waters changes with the seasons, so does the coast of Namibia, but our seasons are the opposite to Europe, just for being the other side of the Equator; it is however the coldest place in the tropics, with our summers rarely getting temperatures on the coast above 30 degrees C; with the sea occasionally reaching 18 degrees C. However, it is that very cold nature that brings us our superb fishing in the form of rich plankton to feed the fodder species of our predatory fishes.

This wild coast only has 4 towns, and only two of those are harbours that sustain any form of fishing fleet – the net result is that the species available from the beach are only really impacted on by the rod and line angler. That impact is controlled to a certain extent by Marine Resources regulations that are enforce by ministry inspectors that travel the beach daily. As most tour operators and guides will offer advice not to visit during the December period – mainly due to the huge influx of anglers and families from RSA and inland Namibia – it is a fairly fraught time on the coast with all the extra visitors, with most locals not bothering to venture into their 4x4s. There is however one highlight during that period; on Boxing Day, when there is a huge roving match for edible species – with over 300 miles of coastline open for a 10 hour match for the biggest edible fish of 4 species. For the competition minded angler a great spectacle of competitive fishing – but no sharks feature in the results – just big fish!.

For the rest of the ‘summer’, post Xmas, the water really can warm up, and fishing can get difficult for some species, but others do well, and it is all a matter of timing and location. The ‘winter’ usually arrives with its down turn in fishing about the end of May, and with it some of the heavier seas that we get – but there are still a lot of fish species about, just that the colder waters have made sharks less active in their feeding activities. The end of August sees the realistic start of the fishing season for the likes of visitors, and it only gets better from then on up to the beginning of December, when the roads start to fill with families migrating from the heat of the inland to the cool of the coast. Running a tackle shop and rod building business, we usually only get out at weekends, and even during the ‘winter’ months, rarely return home empty handed. During the hotter months of the summer, when the water temperature is at a maximum, we may have to travel a bit further, to either the southern or northern edges of the ‘West Coast Recreational Area’, to seek out cool or warm water species. During hot summers we can get a strong influx of Garrick (Leerfish) from the north, a strong fighting surf species that loves chasing poppers and spinners in the clean surf.

As commented on earlier, the main attraction purveyed through the ‘comics’, is for the Bronzies, but there are a good number of other species available for those that wish. In the sharks there are Spotted Gully Sharks, look like a Bull Huss and have speed capabilities exceeding Tope, there are Common Smooth Hounds exceeding 40lbs readily available, and there are other lesser species. All of which are usually encountered on ‘shark’ tackle, and rarely given the opportunity to give any account of themselves. Additionally, there are some of the ‘edible’ species like Kob (like big European Bass, or Cavassa for those unfortunate enough to have been to Gambia) and Stenbras (like a really big Black Bream with attitude), both species capable of weighing over 40lbs, but again mostly targeted on heavy tackle.

All this fishing has historically been fished with guides, and they usually have tackle dedicated to just sharks, and rarely sporting tackle sets for the other species. This trend is very slowly changing, and some are now offering to gear down their tackle to get more sport for their customers – but it is not always going to be quick to introduce an expensive change. Having mentioned tackle, a common complaint is that folks are often told not to bring their UK rods and reels as they are not up to the task – well that is more a case of it not being up to the task of landing big sharks, but anything that handles 5-7oz of lead, plus bait, and 20lb main line will certainly catch a lot of fish and other sharks on this coast.

Having mentioned tackle, there are comments and difficulties concerning the layout of southern African beach gear, mostly being 14’ long rods, with the reel in a low position controlled by the left hand – most awkward for those used to standard right handed UK tackle. The reason behind the local tackle is that for bigger fish the low reel position allows for the use of a rod belt or butt pad, and that allows for some serious pressure to be brought to bear on larger fish – rather than putting a long butt section of a UK rod between your legs!!! Think about how you would consistently handle fish over 20lbs with your long butt rods? – It might see the development of rods similar to those used down here.

The next biggest bone of contention that comes from Namibian trips, especially those returning from a poor trip, is the quality of the guides. Well, it is a little like the boats in the UK, there are some that are consistently good, but still have ‘off days’, there are some that work hard, and there are some that are just great fun to be with and the fishing is a side issue. There is no boat skipper in the world that will guarantee you will definitely get a given species on any one day, equally there isn’t a guide in Namibia that can guarantee you will get the fish you are looking for. Though some do rather exaggerate the prospects and the size of the fish you are likely to catch – especially when it comes to weights of Bronzies.

For those looking to book a guide, a safe feature might be to check that they are registered with the Namibian Tourist Board – as at least then you will know that they are insured and have all the requisite safety training and equipment. Reputations and recommendations are fine, and a lot of guides quote that they were former members of the Namibian International Rock & Surf team – all well and good, but not a total requisite – as anybody with a reasonable fishing background can learn to read the waters and find fishing areas, there are hundreds of folks doing it successfully most weekends – so why having National colours makes them more able is a mystery. After that it really is ‘pot luck’, but the only initial element that will give you some peace of mind is the NTB registration, so that you know that you are covered – and that the guide is sufficiently professional in their outlook to do the job properly. There have been a number of incidents and accidents, usually with the non-registered freelancers – ‘chancers’?

Another point that occasionally comes up in conversation is, ‘why Namibia?’ Well, why not, we have good clean beaches, you will almost never get any hassle in Namibia, inland or on the coast, we have good healthy fish stocks that even the South Africans travel all this way to catch, and apart from perhaps having your Tetanus updated, there is no need for any preventative medicines for a coastal visit. It is also the launch point for perhaps the last big fishing adventure in Africa, to drive up to southern Angola and to fish the extension of the Namib Desert up there- where the fishing can be so awesome that you might run the risk of getting ‘fished out’! It is not a trip for the faint hearted, nor for those that cannot stand the idea of ‘wild camping’, where you will be totally self dependant on what you carry on your vehicle, camping at all times in the bush and desert, travelling over miles of open desert and perhaps not seeing another sole outside your own group for days.

Angola is really another article, but it is worth mentioning here, as we are often asked what else is available. The other thing is the fresh water fishing, usually best during our winter period, up on the Zambezi, Okavango and Chobe for Tigerfish and other species. The Tigerfish really need no further discussion, but what is also a growing sport is targeting the predatory Tilapia species like Nembwe – basically an African Peacock Bass. A seriously strong fighter, especially on lighter tackle, that uses every bit of current and obstruction to defeat the angler; and truly awesome on fly gear.

So, in conclusion, we hope that we have put to rest some of the misconceptions about Namibia. Yes, the Bronzie fishing can be exceptional, and they are big fish at the best of time – and there are still a lot here, as we type this reports are coming in of a 182kg Bronzie caught yesterday (end of August), but we won’t be going fishing for the next 4 days, as the swell is getting up to over 3.5 metres, but as soon as it comes down (forecast for 3 days time), we will be off to the marks where there were some serious Stenbras caught just last weekend – one angler had 4, the biggest was 8.27kg, and it won him £700 in the August holiday weekend fishing competition. At least it gives us time to clear some of the rod building backlog in the workshop, before taking a day off.