In autumn, anglers regularly hook up with blitzing striped bass in the shadow of iconic Montauk Point Light in eastern Long Island. Photo by Joseph Albanese)
I finally had the timing down, launching my bucktail seaward and turning sideways just in time to avoid the full wrath of the crashing wave. Though my position atop the surf-pounded rock was precarious, the risk was worth the reward: Every fifth cast was intercepted by a hungry striped bass weighing a dozen pounds or so.