IT’S THE Fourth of July weekend, it’s hot, and the kids are out of school. What are you going to do? Take them fishing.
The party boats in the New York/New Jersey area will have lots to offer. There is an excellent supply of bluefish right now, and there are plenty of striped bass working their way up and down the beaches.
Fluke fishing has been a little up and down, but that has more to do with too many dogfish or too much wind. Porgies have also moved on to inshore wrecks, reefs and rocky bottom to keep the sea bass company.
Sharks are the primary target for offshore anglers, with blues, makos and threshers roaming the Atlantic south of Long Island. Bluefin tuna are also off our shores, with a large school in the 80-100 pound class south of Shinnecock.
In the New York Bight, striped bass and bluefish offer the most fun right now, but there are plenty of porgies around as evidence of the catches being made aboard the “Jet,” a Sheepshead Bay party boat.
Charlie Sammut, who works at Bernie’s Bait and Tackle Shop in Sheepshead Bay, reports bluefish are plentiful both inshore and off. The Flamingo has been jigging of the inshore fish, while boats like the “Brooklyn VI” has been heading to 17 Fathoms and loading up day and night on choppers to 14 pounds. The striped bass, says Charlie, are being caught at the Breezy Jetty and into Jamaica Bay.
“They’re hitting almost anything you throw at them,” Sammut said.
Fluke fishing fell off this past week, but that’s because anglers can’t get through all the dogfish that are eating their bait.
Bass and weakfish are hitting worms or bucktails in the channel on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Bridge, according to Pat Scaglione at Scags Bait and Tackle Shop on Staten Island. He said the night-time anglers are taking bass to 40 inches from the ferry terminal into the Arthur Kill at the top of the tide. There are also a lot of short fluke being caught off South Beach.
Bass and blues are also the ticket for anglers working the waters around City Island. John DeCuffa, who runs Jack’s Bait and Tackle Shop on the island, says his boat rentals took advantage of a bluefish blitz off Orchard Beach Wednesday morning. Eastchester Bay is loaded with bunker and the blues and bass are gorging themselves on the baitfish. For fluke, try Steppingstone Light – Joe Batista took eight keepers there Wednesday.
The City Island party boat “North Star” has been heading east into Long Island Sound, and our reports have it that anglers on board have been averaging 25 porgies per trip.
Party boats from Freeport have been working the deeper holes in the back bays for decent catches of fluke. Bluefish boats have been heading over to 17 Fathoms for excellent results. There are striped bass and weakfish being taken near the Meadowbrook and Wantagh Bridges.
Captree boats are seeing a lot of action with fluke, says Pete Nercier from the Captree Bait and Tackle Shop, but the ratio is almost 10 shorts to every keeper in Great South Bay. There are bigger fluke to be had at the offshore reef, says Pete. You find good bass action on the backside of Democrat Point, and most of the weakfish have moved outside, but there are some to be found at the mouths of the freshwater creeks.
In Moriches Bay, Joe from the Silly Lilly Fishing Station says the bay is filled with bass. The boat rentals from the station are targeting fluke, and they are also in abundance; best spots are at Buoys 29, 30, 17 and 18. For the bass, try the inlet, West Cut, and out in front of the Coast Guard Station.
Boats heading to Block Canyon from Shinnecock have found some decent yellowfin action, while the bluefins are at 650 line just south of the beaches. There are threshers and makos in 160 feet of water, with bass and blues at the inlet. Weakfish can be found in the Peconics, and there is a showing of blues and porgies at the north end of the canal.
Blues and bass in good supply off Montauk and Orient Points. The charter boat “Adios” from Montauk has had stripers to 40 pounds almost every day. The fluke fishing has been OK, but not as good as it was for the Montauk party boats. There’s been a good showing of porgies at Gardiners for the private boats, and there are fluke, blues and bass being taken along the North Fork from Orient Point to Mattituck.
