The topwater feeding binge continues on the freshwater front. Sweetwater fans tossing Hula Poppers, Jitterbugs and deer hair frogs have all reported success when fishing in the early morning, late evening or after dark. The bass in Patchogue Lake, Forge Pond in Riverhead, Swan Lake in Calverton and Kahlers Pond in East Moriches have been particularly receptive.
Austin Rutcofsky, fishing at the Wantagh Twin Ponds on Monday, took advantage of some lily pad edges to prompt some big surface strikes around 7:15 p.m. Austin was working a Spro topwater frog and said he had “a really good feeling about the area” when the lilies parted and a 19-inch, 4-pound bigmouth exploded on his lure. Twenty minutes later, a 22-inch, 5.2-pound lunker took the same lure in the same spot. The second fish was the teenaged angler’s biggest bass to date.
More to come later today, check back.