Nothing but the positive was heard from anglers around out area. Whether you fish the East End, the New York Bight or Long Island Sound, there were hungry fish to be found.
Now that we also have sea bass and porgies in the mix, many fishermen are taking combinations like stripers and blues or bass and fluke, or all three. to get the slam and a stop at a local piece for sea bass and porgies.
If you’re near a tackle shop this weekend, pick up “The Fisherman” magazine and read the piece on catch and release — if you all do that, there will be a lot more fish that will survive the ordeal of being caught.
As we saw last week, the best fluking continues to be off the East End at both Montauk and along the North Fork with fish to 10 pounds being taken. Fluke fishing is picking up along the South Shore however, with keepers being caught on the Captree and Freeport party boats. You’ll also find decent fluke fishing in Shinnecock and Moriches Bay.
Striped bass to 30 pounds have been taken along the beaches and inlets from the Rockaways to Fire Island Inlet. Charter boats trolling in deeper water off the South Shore are also taking stripers to 30 pounds.
Bluefish are in all the South Shore bays and off the beaches. They are in the Sound feeding on bunker and in the Peconics to Sag Harbor and into the Gardiners Bay. Sometimes, the problem is getting away from the bluefish to get to the fluke or striped bass.
Anglers are taking bass inside Jones Inlet and anglers looking for fluke are finding keepers in the channels and at the bridges.
Inshore wrecks from Breezy Point to Jones Beach are giving up healthy numbers of sea bass.
Inside Jamaica Bay, charter boats have taken bass and blues at the bridges. Along Staten Island’s south side boats are finding good bass and bluefishing.
There is great striper action in the lower Hudson to the George Washington Bridge and again to the Tappan Zee.
You will find fluke in the western Sound off all the local points, such as Sands and Matinecock. The striper fishing remains good from the bridges to City Island.
On a final note, for those that think the Gulf oil spill won’t affect our fishing, a number of species of tuna spawn in the Gulf.
