BACK TO THE FUTURE July 2, 2009 - Despite some pretty remarkable early season success anglers are experiencing throughout the entire Cape, the fly in the ointment has been the decline of the Monomoy/South Beach fishery. For years the area was as hallowed as Junction Pool on the Beaverkill and considered a Mecca for shallow water sight-fishermen, myself included. I was originally encourage to investigate this amazing piece of real estate by pioneer's Bob and Rich Benson back in the early 90's. It was a time when classic New England sight-fishing was in it's infancy and a crudely tied #1/0 Deceiver was all that an angler needed to achieve success within this world class fishery. The striped bass were as selective as bluegills in a farm pond and fishing pressure on the inside was virtually non-existent. Viewing a recent satellite scan and time-lapse collage of the area indicates the absence of clearly defined channels (at least to the extent of the early 90's) and the presence of sand, lots and lots of sand. The primary factor affecting the deterioration of the fishing was the closure of the Southway, suffocating an already fragile fishery. Without a clean flush of cold ocean water, accompanied by a substantial water displacement, the water is allowed to stagnate and warm, often to an alarming degree. That brings us to today. We actually conversed with a number of sight-fishing zealots that are enjoying some success on the north flat of North Monomoy. While we can't suggest that this is the reincarnation of the early 90's some anglers are actually experiencing double-digit days while employing classic sight-fishing tactics. No stranger to the area, Ron Pasternak of Paxton recently campaigned this area and got intimately acquainted with 11 striped bass during his session. Keep in mind that these fish are very discriminate in their feeding habits so long leaders and sparsely proportioned flies are the norm. Water temperature in the immediate area was an "eyebrow raising" 62-degrees, providing conducive habitat to support fish. These reports have been somewhat encouraging but we still feel the environment needs to be more consistent. We look forward to hearing from other anglers that have been canvassing either South Beach or North Monomoy. Perhaps with another major break it will return to it's former glory days. Good fishing and safe
wading, |
