It’s hard to say that summer is here with the fluctuating weather patterns of wind and rain. However, Captain Craig Cantelmo of Van Staal reels says for those brave enough to venture out this weekend the fishing was very good. The striped bass are getting larger and the bluefish are getting smaller. This means less competition for bait for the larger bass. The arrival of swarms of sea robins is an indication that it’s time to actively target large weakfish, and a few nice ones were caught in the South Race over the weekend. The best chance for weakfish will be with bucktails tipped with squid or Fin-S jigs slowly drifted off the bottom. The Shinnecock Locks have been closed due to repairs that have affected the number of fish moving in and out of the bay, so check with your local marina if you plan on using the locks.
John McMurray
Ken Morse of Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor says large bass are being caught by those trolling with wire line as well as anglers fishing artificials from the beach. Apparently, Eric Earnst, or “Eric the Tree Man,” caught a 42-pound bass fishing under the Montauk Point lighthouse.
Fluke fishing continued to be good over the weekend, but there are still a lot of “throw backs.” John Alacca Sr. managed to outdo his son’s 6.5 pounder with his own fluke weighing in at 9.5 pounds.
There were also reports of Porgies in the 2-4 pound range with rumor of a monster weighing in at 7 pounds.
In Jamaica Bay, Captain John McMurray of One More Cast Charters says with the exception of a few "off days" in between, the fishing has been sick! There are still grass shrimp around in good numbers and herring are popping up as well. Bunker are also still around in pretty good concentrations. Almost all the good fish this week were caught in the creeks with a handful under the bunker schools in open water. There have also been some fairly good blitzes on spearing in the bays. Better concentrations of sand eels should show up soon, and when that happens the sight-fishing game will be on.
Check back for a new report every Wednesday.
- Tee Clarkson
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