FLUKE fishing has been off the charts the past two weeks and anglers in some areas say it’s the best they’ve seen in years.
Probably the best location for fluking has been along the Southside of Montauk, from Gurneys to Amagansett. The fleet from Montauk has fished there all week with most anglers taking their quota and pool fish in the 8- to 10-pound range.
Also off Montauk has been the striper action for anglers using live eels at Great Eastern. Many of the bass have been from 35 to 50 pounds. Charter boats have also scored well on sharks in the mid range, and off near the canyons there are yellowfin and longfin tuna.
Striper action along the North Fork, especially off Orient Point, saw lots of 40- to 50-pound fish being put on local docks. Porgies are also a good bet along the North Fork.
Off Shinnecock, there were fluke taken on the ocean side, with stripers and bluefish being caught inside the inlet to the Ponquogue Bridge.
Excellent fluke reports coming from Moriches Bay with almost a 50/50 keeper ration being caught from buoys 15-23. The party boats from Captree and Great South Bay have been fishing outside the inlet for fluke to 9 pounds.
It’s been a banner year for blue claw crabs and all the South Shore bays are holding record numbers of these delectable morsels. Snapper blues are also at their height right now, offering action to the smallest anglers.
The Freeport fleet has also been into some nice fluke action. The boats have been working the 50-foot depths south of Jones Inlet. The bass and blues have been chasing the bunker along the beaches east and west of the inlet.
Sheepshead Bay anglers saw decent fluke fishing this past week, but the better action has been for blue and bass throughout the New York Bight. Jamaica Bay has weakfish, porgies and bluefish, but the blue claw crab tops them all and they’re being caught from the bulk heads, piers and along the Rockaway sea wall.
The western Sound has also been a hot spot for fluke fishing and they’re being caught from Big Tom to Harts Island. The scup are on the feed and being caught at Execution Light, as well as at Sands and Prospect Points.
Don’t forget to sign up for the Big Blue Challenge put on by Noreast.com and Cobia Boats. All entrants have a chance to win a Cobia boat and motor package.
The tourney will be held tomorrow and Sunday, and any anglers fishing from a private, party and charter boat or from shore or pier can enter. Anglers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island are eligible for the event. A complete list of locations and rules are available online at http://www.noreast.com or you can sign up by calling (631) 863-0170, ext. 55.
