IT is the last big weekend of the summer, but it is also the start of the best saltwater fishing for New York’s marine waters.
The species are as numerous as at any time during the year, with striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, tuna, bonito, sea bass, porgies, fluke, sharks and marlin offering some form of excitement, not to mention a few tasty meals.
Fluke have made a comeback over the past week, with some real doormats coming over the rails. Capt. Dave Paris, who runs the open boat Capt. Dave out of Sheepshead Bay, said that he’s seen a good run of summer flounder in Jamaica Bay and along the deep channels of lower New York Harbor. The skipper also added that striped bass fishing on his early evening trips has improved with an average of 20 keepers coming over the rails the early part of this week.
An 11.2-pound fluke caught off Floyd Bennett Field was weighed in at Bernie’s Bait and Tackle Shop this week. Weakfish made a return to Jamaica Bay and were caught near buoy 2. Sheepshead Bay party boats continue to do a job on the bluefish at 17 Fathoms. Local reefs are giving up plenty of porgies and sea bass.
Porgies are still a hot item around City Island and are being caught off Sands and Prospect Point. Bluefish are blitzing all around the western end of the Sound and can be found between the bridges in Hempstead Harbor.
Freeport open boats working the bottom are loading up on sea bass and porgies. Fluke boats are starting to see a resurgence inside the inlet, but the best fishing continues to be in 40-50 feet of water.
Offshore fishing was hampered early this week by some tough conditions, but those who made it to The Edge found the usual array of yellowfin, dolphin and longfin albacore as well as a few white and blue marlin. Shark fishing is still on the slow side, but expect to see it heat up as water temperatures cool down.
For boats working in and around Great South Bay, you’ll find the fluke action on the upswing, especially in the bay. Striper activity is definitely improving around Fire Island Inlet. Porgies and sea bass remain the sure-fire bets on local wrecks and reefs. Fluke fishing is holding up nicely in Moriches Bay around buoys 15 and 29. Weakfish mixed with kingfish and porgies are being found at buoys 8 and 31.
The striper action is on the upswing for East End anglers. Fluke fishing has been good outside Shinnecock Inlet with fish to 12 pounds being taken this week. Porgies and weakfish can be found in the Peconics as well as in the Sag Harbor area. Large fluke were taken on live snappers off Gardiner’s, while the Race and Plum Gut are giving up keeper bass.
East winds early this week kept fishing trips down, but there are still tons of porgies and sea bass being caught on the party boats. Striped bass fishing started to pick up near the Lighthouse this week, while fluking in the Rips started to turn for the better when the east winds turned to the south.
The offshore fishing for yellowfin and longfin albacore starts about 50 miles off, but there are fish to be had and it is worth the trip if the weather holds up.
