Scales and Tales

LONG ISLAND SOUND BLACKFISHING IS HOT FROM WEST TO EAST

It would be hard to imagine Long Island Sound blackfishing getting any better than it is right now. From west to east, anglers are reporting a ton of success with some really impressive fish. The open boat Island Current in City Island has bailed big blacks over the past week, as has Huntington's Noli Elieen and James Joseph, Port Jefferson's Osprey IV and Celtic Quest, and the Prime Time III and Orient Star at the far end of the North Fork. The Peconic Star, out of Greenport, has also done well.

Most of these boats saw top blackfish weigh in at 8 to 9 pounds, but the real monster this week was a 13.75-pound bulldog decked aboard the James Joseph by George Pesce of Lindenhurst. An 11-pounder was hauled aboard the Osprey IV last week.

On Tuesday, the Captain Bob in Mattituck ran across to the Conneticut side to work a virgin wreck, according to Captain Bob Ceglowski, and the fishing was fantastic.

"It was the best I've seen in 30 years," claimed Ceglowski. "We limited out all 28 anglers with blackfish by 11: 30 a.m., and creeled 30 keeper sea bass, too. People were tossing back 4-pound blacks in the hopes of keeping something bigger. Just about every fish we took home weighed 4.5 pounds or greater."

All told, seven blackfish over 9 pounds hit the deck, the largest being a 9.75-pound pool winner. Tomorrow's trip (Friday) is already sold out. No doubt, word travels fast when the bite is good.

Be aware that some open boats are now sailing a reduced schedule, so call ahead and check the sailing times before heading out. It's also a good idea to call just in case a boat is already booked full.

According to Captain Paul Risi from the Captree open boat, Tradewinds II (www.tradewindsfishing.com,) bottom fishing has picked up inside Great South Bay and south of Fire Island Inlet. Porgies have offered most of the action inside the bay while sea bass dominate the near shore ocean wrecks. Further offshore, in 100+ depths, ling are now plentiful and a few cod and pollack have been keeping anglers on their toes.

"The bottom fishing isn't on fire quite yet," said Rusi, "but it is pretty good and it's an interesting game because you never know what you'll hook next."

Several reports have filtered in over the past few days regarding some very solid porgy fishing out of Port Jefferson. When the weather allows, the bite has been very strong in 18 to 30 feet of water off Cranes Neck. Just as impressive, however, has been the action with scup to 16 inches inside Port Jefferson Harbor. Set up in 12 to 18 feet of water, and chum lightly to keep the fish excited. Sandworms, clams and strips of squid have all accounted for good catches. If you are feeling sporty, you can also tempt the harbor fish on spinning gear with a three-inch, white, curly-tailed grub tipped with a thin strip of squid.

Several private boaters I've spoken with in recent days have mentioned super action with false albacore at Montauk Point. A few have also noted solid catches of albies at Gardiners Island and Plum Island. The action has been on any moving water, but best between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

Some of the false albacore caught and released have been quite large, with many in the 7- to 8-pound class and at least a few topping 10 pounds. As you might expect, Deadly Dicks, small, white, soft-plastic grubs and bright white or silver streamer patterns have accounted for much of the action.

One tip: It can be difficult to chase the schools and get in an advantageous casting position without putting down surfacing fish. In the long run, it's often best to cut your engine, take a good look around, and identify the major lanes that pods of false albacore are using (often you can see these slicks on the surface). Get in one of the lanes and drift or idle, nudging the engine into gear just enough to stay in the lane. Give it a few minutes and you'll soon have the the fish swimming toward your boat without sounding.

Keep in mind, too, that a little courtesy between skippers can go a long way toward keeping everyone sane in the midst of all the surface mayhem. There's plenty of water on the East End, no need to crowd.

According to Chet Wilcox at B & B Bait and Tackle in Center Moriches, a few hefty stripers have shown in recent days at the mouth of Moriches Inlet. Several fish in the 40" - to 42" class have been caught - a few have also been released. Most have fallen to pencil poppers worked across the bar outside of the inlet. Be careful if you prospect in this area. The outer bar at Moriches can be nasty if the wind pushes against the tide.

If you like to haul you bass from the suds, take this as a hint to bucktail the inlet after dark, or work large surface poppers at dawn and dusk on the open beach to the east and west of the inlet.

"You should see the porgies we're catching right now," said Mike Boccio, skipper of the Orient Point open boat, Prime Time III. "As we speak, I'm watching a 3-pounder come over the rail!"

In case you missed it, the daily limit of porgies for anglers fishing aboard open or charter boats increased from 10 to 45 per day back on September 1st. All other anglers can creel only 10 per day. The size limit on charter and open boats is 11 inches while 10.5 inches is the minimum size for other anglers.

Since the new regulations took effect, The Prime III in Orient, Peconic Star in Greenport, and other East End boats have been having plenty of success while carrying light crowds. The action has gotten better just about every day with most trips seeing some anglers limit out, but every day ends with plenty of fillets packed into angler's coolers. Mixed in with the scup are some very respectable-sized black sea bass.

"You'd be crazy not to come out now and give the porgies a try," added Boccio. The season will reach its peak over the next few weeks and this is the kind of action you don't want to miss. It's very good fishing, with true jumbos making up a lot of the catch."

Porgy season for open and charter boat anglers ends on October 15. For everyone else, it ends on September 26. Get your trips in now.

Porgy Regulations:

Anglers aboard licensed party/charter boats:
11" minimum size
45 possession limit
Season ends on Oct 15

All other anglers:
10.5" minimum size
10 possession limit
Seson ends on Sept 26

To check saltwater fishing regulations for other species, visit:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7894.html

Porgy action has been solid of late in the western Long Island Sound. Many of the fish being caught are in the jumbo league. Fish in 20 to 30 feet of water off any point, chum with clam, and use clam or squid for bait and you should put together a solid catch. Some nice catches have also been put together to the extreme east at Hortons Point.

Blues are still running big and thick east of Riverhead, and back west at the Middle Grounds. Anglers sailing out of Port Jefferson and Mount Sinai Harbor have been catching choppers until arm weary. Tubeless diamond jigs have done most of the damage. Most of the blues are in the 6- to 8-pound class, but a few monsters topping 12 pounds have been reported.

Monday, September 1, is the last day for fluke fishing under the current regulations. If you are planning on heading out in search of keepers, target the ocean waters from Montauk to Ambrose Channel along the South Shore. Many of the best scores have come around inshore wrecks, and the artificial reefs east of Shinnecock, and off Moriches, Fire Island, Jones and Debbs Inlets.

Action to the east, from Montauk to Moriches, has been best of late in 50- to 70-foot depths. Whole squid have accounted for an occassional doormat, but fish strips, squid and spearing combos, and small, live snappers have put plenty of 20- to 24-inch summer flatties in the fish box. In most areas, outgoing water has had an edge on incoming over the past few days.

I got out late last week on the Miss Montauk (www.missmontauk.com) and had a pretty good day. Although a lack of wind and, later, wind against tide conditions kept the action to a steady pick, I saw about 25 keepers come over the rail for roughly 30 anglers with a pool fish of 6 pounds. Captain Jaime Quaresimo kept the search active all day long - no skimping on the gas - and his crew was waiting with a net right alongside any angler with a decent fish at the end of the line.

By day's end, I had tossed back seven fluke ranging from 17 to 20 inches, and put a 4- and 5-pounder in the cooler. Not a bad day at all when you consider that's at least four meals for the Schlichter household. Several anglers also connected with nice sea bass. Spearing and squid was the hot ticket.

How do you measure a trip like this, when most anglers took home one fish, but many fat shorts had to go back over the rail? A rail mate put it well. With one keeper in his bucket at the end of the day, he turned to me and said with a smile: "I'll be back out on this boat for fluke season next year - that skipper and his crew worked their butts off."

I shook my head in agreement. I'll be on the Miss Montauk again next year, too. Hard-working crews are a big draw in my book.

In Friday's Outdoors column, I noted the fine action with porgies and blues aboard the City Island open boat, Island Current. While Captain Chris Cullen had fun putting his fares on the action last Tuesday, he also enjoyed watching his three-and-a-half year-old daughter, Marie Helena Cullen, jig her first bluefish before she put a dent in the porgy stocks. Grown-up anglers, noted Capt. Cullen, also took home plenty of fillets.

The hot run of keeper fluke continues, with solid scores made outside all the south shore inlets, at Montauk and between Mt. Sinai and Mattituck. Best of the south side action remains fairly deep, 60 to 80 feet of water, while the Sound fish are concentrated in 20- to 30-foot depths. Some very nice scores were also made by anglers heading off to Block Island.

Two fluke trends of note: the ocean fish are hitting very well on whole squid while white has been the hot color bucktail on the North Shore.

If you are looking for a scup dinner, isolated humps and rock piles off Huntington, Port Jefferson and Greenport are producing very well with clams the top bait.

The western Sound, from Smithtown Bay to Hempstead Harbor, is loaded with school blues.

Shinnecock fluke fishing is still pretty-good in the areas just east and west of Ponquogue Bridge, according to Scott at East End Bait and Tackle in Hampton Bays. Sand eel and Peruvian spearing have been the hot baits of late, with bucktails accounting for most of the keepers. School stripers, and an occassional keeper, are also at the bridge, although these have shown a preference for clam bait.

Outside, in the ocean, short fluke litter the sea floor but keepers remain scarce. If you want something to take home for dinner, try for Peconic Bay porgies in the South Race, off Robins Island. Some bluefish are there, too. Snappers are starting up inside Shinnecock Canal but they are still running too small to keep. Give it another week or two on that front.

Offshore, seveal makos in the 100 to 120-lb range were caught and released during the past week. Most have come from within only 10 or 12 miles of teh beach. Tuna action has been only fair.

Striper fishing has been tough on the western South Shore of late, but some fresh school bass have now taken up around the Wantagh and Meadowbrook bridges. The stripers, most in the 18 to 24-inch class, are smashing soft plastic shads and Hopkins Shorty tins. There are also a few bass now to be clam-chummed in the deeper pockets along the edge of the Black Banks. If you have a little free time after dark this week, you might be able to pop a few of these fish by working surface lures.

A nice shot of North Shore fluke seems to have turned on in the waters east of Port Jefferson. Action has been solid at buoy 11, and on Mount Misery Shoal. Plenty of fish, enough keepers to squeeze out a dinner or two. Bucktails have been good, but spearing and squid combos have been even better. It's possible this is the same shot of fluke that was off Riverhead just a few days ago. Certainly worth investigating once the rain comes to an end.

To the west, the bite is also pretty good right now inside Smithtown Bay. Look in 12 to 14 feet of water, or move deeper and probe slopes in 25 to 35 feet of water. Plenty of small blues here, too, so bring along some poppers or small tins.

I had some time last week to poke around on the south shore between Patchogue and East Moriches and found some great crabbing taking place. If you are in the mood for a crab dinner, now is the time to head out. West Sayville Dock, Browns Creek, Bayport Dock, Bluepoint Dock, Carmans River and the Smiths Point Marina all had plenty of crabs available. The biggest ones were the furthest east. Chicken seemed to be the top bait for those working traps and drop lines. Some of the crabs I saw measured more than six inches across the shell.

It was pleasing to see that so many crabbers were tossing back the females.

Check back later today for more reports.

Fluking continued it's torrid pace along the south shore on Friday and Saturday. Inside Fire Island Inlet, plenty of action kept rods bent on the morning tide. Outside, there are fewer shorts, but the action is still fast-paced and the percentage of keepers is better. Capt. Paul Risi, of the Trade Winds II out of Captree (www.tradewindsfishing.com,) said he has been picking between 150 and 300 shorts on each full day ocean trip, along with 28 to 35 keepers. Most of the action has been south of Fire Island Inlet.

Out in the Moriches, there are still plenty of short fluke in the main east/west channel, especially around buoys 14 and 15. For a better shot at keepers, head one-half mile southeast of the inlet and drift in 35 to 50 feet of water.

With small snappers now roaming both Great South and Moriches Bay, this should be a good time to try using the baby blues for doormat fluke bait. Remember, however, there is a 15 fish limit on blues of all sizes.

Michael Potts, skipper of the Montauk charter boat, Blue Fin IV (www.bluefiniv.com,) has been trolling limits of striped bass on a daily basis, with most fish falling to parachute lures. According to Potts, "there are stripers in most of the rips at Great Eastern, on The Flats and at The Elbow.

Offshore, Potts has been having good luck wtih sharks, a bit south of Block Island. "We've had makos, plus some blue sharks, on each of our past four trips," revealed Potts. "The biggest mako weighed in at 208 pounds. The blue sharks have ranged between 100 and 180 pounds."

I received a phone call from Captain Neil Delanoy this afternoon. The skipper of the Captree open boat, Laura Lee (www.captree.com,) was excited about what he called "the best fluke fishing he has ever seen!" This from a captain with a lot of years on the water.

"We had 812 fluke on the morning trip today, fishing right under the Robert Moses Bridge," said Delanoy. "We kept 15, up to 4.44 lbs. and many people caught and released between 20 and 30 fish. Eight-year old Natasha Daeger caught 32 by herself!'

According to Delanoy, the best action has been on the last of the flood and the first of the ebb. That means the fishing should be best in the morning for this weekend, and in the afternoon next week. If you have been waiting for the perfect time to take the family fishing, this may be it.

Just got a call from my buddy, Paul Demchuk. Despite the wind this morning, he and fishing partner, Gary Zuhoski, decided to make the run to Hortons Point in search of stripers. The trip paid off big-time as Paul decked his biggest bass ever, a 35-pound cow. Gary also had a keeper. Several more nice bass, plus some hefty blues to 10 pounds, rounded out the morning.

Fishing on another boat, but within shouting distance of his Dad all morning, Demchuk's 15-year old son, Jordan, drilled a 21-pounder with his pal, Rob Pisano.

"All the fish were caught on live eels during outgoing tide," noted the elder Demchuk. "It was a bit rough on the Sound today," he added, "but we stayed out there and gladly took the pounding."

Plenty of action taking place in the Nor'east Fluke Smack Down. Some nice Long Island entries, but a lot of competition from across the Sound and down along the NJ shore. Leaders as of 2:15 p.m. on Sunday are as follows:

Place; Name; Weigh Station; Weight in lbs.:
1. John Schopey, Jack's Shoreline Bait & Tackle, 11.28
2. Walter Morgis, Westlake Fishing Marina, 9.85
3. Joe Fischler, Crabby's B&T, 9.5
4. Jack Castella, Westlake Fishing Marina, 9.35
5. Karen Sorrentino, Captain Morgan's Bait & Tackle, 9.21
6. Patrick Mcendrick, Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle, 8.69
7. Diane Moore, Causeway Bait & Tackle, 8.58
8. John Morelli, Snug Harbor Marina, 8.0
9. Scott Andalome, Captain's Tackle, 7.8
10. Marc Deptula, King Cove Marina, 7.56

A few nice stripers were caught at Horton's Point this morning. Check back later for details.

Slipping through the cracks last week was news of a 15.6-pound fluke caught in the ocean west of Moriches Inlet on Sunday, July 5th. John Yander of Middle Island was the angler. Some might call him lucky, but John's previous best summer flattie weighed a bit over 10 pounds so I figue a bit of skill has to be in play here. The huge doormat took a live killie and squid strip combination in 50 feet of water.

"For a big fish, there were no complications once I lifted it off the bottom," said Yander. "It fought okay, but I've had eight- and 10-pound fish fight harder. John Willis gets the assist for a perfect job with the net."

Yander was back out yesterday, this time working outside Moriches Inlet "toward Westhampton." He reported fast action but tallied only one keeper among 40 shorts.

Day one of the Nor'east Fluke Smack Down complete. Current standings, from www.noreast.com, are as follows:

Place; Name; Weigh Station; Weight in lbs.

1 John Schopey, Jack's Shoreline Bait & Tackle: 11.28
2 Joe Fischler, Crabby's B&T: 9.5
3 Jack Castella, Westlake Fishing Marina: 9.35
4 Patrick Mcendrick, Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle: 8.69
5 diane moore Causeway, Bait & Tackle: 8.58
6 John Morelli, Snug Harbor Marina: 8
7 Eric Hannon, Westlake Fishing Marina: 6.9
8 Bob Reese, East End Bait & Tackle: 6.48
9 Allan Beaudion, Jack's Shoreline Bait & Tackle: 5.8
10 Brian Knight, Causeway Bait & Tackle: 5.62

Had a chance today to catch up with John Montione at J & J Bait and Tackle in Patchogue. He said that blue claw crabs were starting to show pretty well at the docks between West Sayville and Bellport. You'll need to pick through a few to gather a meal, but enough keepers are in the mix. Even better, dock fishermen using two- to three-inch segments of sandworm have been catching tasty kingfish. Most of the kings are just big enough to provide a decent fillet.

I can confirm the at the kings are biting, having seen a few taken on Thursday at Cranbury Dock in Mastic. Snappers are also flooding the eastern portions of Great South Bay, but the tiny bluefish measure only four or five inches long at this point.

Top fluke in Nor'east Smack Down Fluke Mania contest later tonight. Check back.

Poking around the North Fork today, from Mattituck Inlet east to Town Beach in Southold, I noticed plenty of small baitfish holding just outside the surf line. The bait was thick this morning, and is still fairly consistent as of 3:45 p.m. Cocktail blues to about four pounds are making occassional charges into the schools of tiny spearing. Anglers tossing 007's are connecting with the choppers with pleasant frequency. I had a few myself this afternoon, although I was tossing a Yo-Zuri popper with a mackerel finish. The bait and bluefish combination is set up well for solid action this evening. Give it a try if you have the time.

Check back later for a Nor'east Smack Down Fluke Contest report.

A few notes on West End action as the weekend gets under way:

Fluke fishing has been decent in Ambrose Channel with the better scores being made on the on the first quarter of the ebb. Not too much action, but a fair number of keepers with some pushing six pounds. Jamaica Bay has also produced a few keepers, mostly in 25 to 40 feet of water, and in the shadows of the bridges. Local spearing have bee out-producing Pruvian baitfish in most areas. A green teaser, tied a foot above a white-bucktailed fluke bullet, has been the hot ticket on big fluke in most areas.

On the striper front, the Tin Can Grounds are producing a pick of fish, although skippers with solid GPS numbers can put together a good catch. More important than tide has been getting out at dawn or dusk. The morning bite has been over by 8:00 a.m. while the evening bite starts around 7:00 p.m. Bunker chunks have been the top bait, although some sharpies are now clam chumming at the bridges.

Bluefish are still inside Jamacia Bay, taking bunker chunks on the bottom at the North Channel and Atlantic Beach bridges. Cocktails show ealry and late, most days, at Jones and Debs inlets, but also sometimes put in an appearance at at the top of the ebb. Cast a Hopkins Shorty or a blue/white Atom popper for the cocktails. Breezy Point has offered a occassional bluefish blitz at the start of ebb tide.

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.

Some big stripers have fallen on the east end over the past few days. Several fish in the 40-pound class have been pulled from The Race, east of Orient Point. At least one fish topping 40 pounds was taken over the weekend from around Ponquogue Bridge in Shinnecock Bay. Over at Montauk, Mike Didyk of Westbury drilled a 51-pound, 50-inch striper at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night. According to Jack Yee, Didyk used a darter at Ditch Plains to dupe the huge bass while casting from a rock in front of the Montauk Shores trailers.

Saturday witnessed a big fluke caught inside Manhasset Bay aboard Captain Steven Laura Fallon’s charter boat, Swedish Princess (www.fishswedishprincess.com.) Fallon had set up to dunk bunker on the drop-off at Plum Point when Phillip Aurfielo sank the hook into the 29-1/2”, 10-pound doormat. The big summer flattie inhaled a bunker chunk and is one of the largest to come from inside the bay in recent memory. Fallon’s fares also accounted for a dozen stripers to 20 pounds during the outing.

Speaking of the bass, Fallon noted that big bluefish had driven the stripers and bunker out of the bay a few weeks ago, but both the baitfish and linesiders have returned. “The bass bite is solid right now,” he noted, “my fares have decked approximately 100 stripers over the past week.”

Fishing in the Shinnecock area full hit stride over the past few days. According to Scott Jeffrey at East End Bait and Tackle, Hampton Bays, a new body of striped bass moved into Shinnecock Inlet and around Ponquogue Bridge. Incoming water has seen the best catches made with surface plugs, clam and live bait. Most fish are in the 22" to 25" range, but a few keepers are mixed in as well. There are also plenty of cocktail blues both at the inlet and inside the bay. Look for diving terns to give away the choppers. Toss small, slender tins to score.

If bay fluke are your desire, Jeffery recommends hitting the flats and channel edges around Rampasture Point, or in the East Cut. For ocean fluke, try in 40' to 50' of water off The Cheese House. Bucktails and fluke bullets are both working well with the summer flatties.

Montauk fluke are hot now, too, with some real bruisers decked over the past few days. The Viking Fleet (www.vikingfleet.com,) Lazy Bones (www.montauksportfishing.com/lazybones,) Miss Montauk (www.missmontauk.com,) and Marlin 6 Princess (www.marlin6princess.com,) have all hung doormats weighing in excess of 8 pounds, with several over six pounds on some days. Of course, the stripers are always hot at Montauk, and both the charter and private boat fleets are scoring well with linesiders to 40 pounds.

On the West End, a nice set of fish has just moved into the New York Bight. The Howard Beach open boat, The Angler (www.theangler.com,) had excellent fishing with a good number of keepers on Thursday.

You might remember Sigmund “Ziggy” Nogiewich from a column last June. He was 91 at the time and still fishing hard aboard the Captree open boat, Laura Lee (www.captree.com). I’m happy to report that Ziggy is still fishing and still catching. Now 92, he drilled a 41-pound striper aboard the Laura Lee while fishing for sea bass last Friday. The big striper inhaled a tiny size 2/0 gold, beak-style porgy hook. No doubt Ziggy used all his experience to make that point stick until the bruiser was lifted over the rail.

I spoke with Captain James Schneider of the Huntington open boat, Captain James Joseph (www.jamesjosephfishing.com,) while he was on the water Wednesday afternoon. To prove his point that the fluke were biting fast and running large, he put nine-year old Thomas Gritthart on the phone. The excited youngster had just taken the lead in the daily pool with a 28”, 9-1/2- pound doormat caught at Target Rock. “I love party boat fishing,” Gritthart told me, “my dad and I go out at least once every week.”

Gritthart’s fish topped the 8.9-pounder that Bill Mazer drilled just seven minutes into the trip. Schnieder’s fared pulled 60 keepers on Monday, 50 on Tuesday, and 27 on Wednesday with just 10 anglers aboard. Over 20 keepers were already in the box by 1 p.m. on Thursday.

The big fluke, explained Schneider, have been around the Northport/Huntington area for more than a week - but they are steadily sliding into deeper water. “We first found them in 12- to 15-foot depths, tight to the beach,” he revealed. “Today, the best action and biggest fish came from 17 to 33 feet of water.”

The skinny: Get on these fluke now before they slip away.

More to come. Check back later today.

If you thought the fishing action seemed a bit slow this week past, you weren’t alone. It’s not unusual for catches to slip slightly toward the end of June as various fish species transition from their spring to summer patterns. Stripers, weakfish and fluke seem particularly prone to feeding shifts, the first two moving to deeper water as temperatures increase while the latter may perk up over shallow flats.

That would seem to be the case in Shinnecock Bay where stripers, which were on the eastern flats, have worked their way back into deeper waters around the inlet and off Ponquogue Bridge. At the same time, fluke have come alive in the shallows, smacking bucktails along channel edges at mid-bay.

In the Moriches area, the fluke bite has been slightly better inside the bay than in the ocean. The keeper ratio is better inside, too, especially around buoy 14, where several fish in the four to six-pound class have fallen to bluefish and sea robin strip baits. If you are looking for stripers, get out early and work the west bar, just outside Moriches Inlet, with clam baits.

Up inside Great South Bay, fluke have been responsive from Fire Island Inlet east to the Fire Island Lighthouse. A few weakfish have fallen to sandworm baits off Ocean Beach. According to John Mantione, at J & J Bait and Tackle in Patchogue, blue claw crabs are in good supply in the eastern bay at Blue Point, Mascot, West Sayville and Patchogue docks. There are also plenty of crabs being caught on rising tides at Babylon Town Dock.

On the West End, some keeper fluke have been caught in the shadow lines around the Atlantic Beach and Marine Parkway bridges. Fluke are best in 50-foot depths southwest of Jones Inlet. The large stripers that had been patrolling the south shore in search of bunker between the Jones Beach Needle and Cedar Beach have become difficult to find, as have the bunker. Some decent bass have, however, fallen to clam chum and bunker chunks at the Wantagh and Meadowbrook Bridges. Night tides have been the key.

On the North Shore, the waters outside of Hempstead Harbor and Oyster Bay are still producing plenty of bluefish, plus some stripers, on bunker chunks. Look for the best action to be early and late in the day. Fluke are around, but picky anywhere west of Port Jefferson. Porgies are now setting up off most prominent points with Eaton’s Neck and Oldfield producing well for those anchoring in 20 feet of water.

Heading east, Jordan Demcheck and his dad, Paul, have been culling keeper fluke from among a reasonable supply of shorts, in 20-foot depths about a mile west of Mattituck Inlet. Bluefish continue to visit the beaches between Wading River and Southold just about every evening, although they do take a night off now and then. Poppers and tins have both tempted the blues. Out at Orient, stripers remain hot and heavy in The Race while blues dominate the action at Plum Gut. Fluking is decent off The Ruins and around Gardiners Island. Porgies are now the mainstay inside Peconic Bay. Try for the scup off the southwest corner of Robins Island, or in South Race.

Over at Montauk, the charter fleet is hauling limits of stripers on a daily basis. Most of the linesiders are falling to trolled tubes, umbrellas or parachute lures, but some have fallen to chunk bunker. Fluke fishing has been inconsistent in the North Rips and along the south side, but a pleasing number of fish weighing more than six pounds are coming over the rails. The open boat Marlin 6 Princess (www.marlin6princess.com) ran offshore on Thursday where more than 60 cod to 37 pounds, plus 20 big pollack and dozens of ling, hit the deck.

Speaking of offshore action, Rob Michalowski and his father, Joe, took their 24-foot Hydro-Sport center console out to the Glory Hole on Wednesday. At 10:00 a.m. they enticed a 480-pound thresher shark to inhale a bluefish fillet in clear, 60-degree water. The big whiptail took four hours for the father and son team to bring to the gaff – and then it took six hours to tow in to Bay Park Fishing Station where Mark Keller served as the official weigh-master.

In my last blog entry I wrote about using black Jitterbugs to imitate cicadas when targeting largemouth bass. My son, Ryan, and I proved the theory again last night, catching six solid bigmouths. Ryan drilled the top fish for the evening, a very healthy six-pounder, which he gently released. Like stripers and weakfish, largemouth bass are fond of feeding after dark during the summer months. They are also suckers for big night crawlers, which is what Chris Moffett used at West Lake in Patchogue to fool a 6-pound 10-ounce bigmouth on Wednesday.

Correction:
In today’s Outdoors Column, “State sues feds over unfair fluke limits,” the minimum size limit for New Jersey fluke was incorrect. The correct minimum size is 18 inches.

The Fire Island Inlet bluefish and striper action around Robert Moses Bridge has been hot most of the spring and shows little sign of letting up at this point. If you’ve been thinking of heading out to give it a shot, Neil Delanoy, captain of the Captree open boat Laura Lee, thinks this weekend has the potential for some real solid evening catches.

“The late night action has been very good of late,” said Delanoy, “with anglers catching plenty of blues and some stripers on Bass Assassins. This weekend’s tides look especially inviting with a 6:00 p.m. departure time just about right.”

Several boats at Captree have evening trips for bass, blues and weakfish scheduled for this weekend. In addition to the Laura Lee (www.captree.com,) consider the Jib VI (www.jibvi,) Island and Bay Princess (www.islandprincessfishing.com,) or the Fish Finder (www.captreefishfinder.com).

PHOTO CAPTION: Tom Wares dragged a 50.5-pound brute out of the surf off Napeague. (Photo courtesy of JackYee.com).

Many anglers think of the fall season as prime time for connecting with big stripers. The month of June, however, also gives up plenty of cow bass - and if catches over Memorial Day weekend are any indication, the big bass invasion is underway.

Sunday saw Rob Cipriano drill a 48-pound cow while fishing aboard the City Island open boat, Island Current II. On Monday, Tom Wares dragged a 50.5-pound brute out of the surf off Napeague.

“Late May and early June always see some monster bass in the western Long Island Sound,” said Chris Cullen, captain of the Island Current. “That’s because warming water pushes the bunker out of the shallows. They begin schooling at mid-Sound and the stripers quickly follow.”

Cipriano drilled his fish while suspending a fresh fillet of bunker five cranks above the bottom in 55 feet of water, mid-way between Hempstead Harbor and Rye. Pete DiNome was at the helm when the big bass struck. The huge fish was weighed in at Jack’s Bait and Tackle, City Island.

“We get fresh bunker delivered to the boat each day,” said Cullen, “and I really believe having fresh bait helps entice the biggest bass.”

Cullen noted that the bass seem to bite best in this area on the first two hours of the ebbing tide, and during the first hour or so of the flood.

“The blues hit hardest when the tide pushes fast while the stripers prefer the slower stages,” he summarized. “Right now, nighttime bass action is hitting stride – and the blues are plentiful as well.”

The big east end striper beached by Wares fell for a clam bait at high noon in the choppy surf off Napeague Beach. It hit at the start of the flood and took the avid surf fisherman 20 minutes to land.

“I’ve been fishing Montauk since I’m eight years old,” said Wares, “and I’ve been waiting to weigh in a cow like this since the day I started.”

After working the exhausted striper into the wash, Wares grabbed the sinker on his bottom rig and started to pull the behemoth ashore – but the leader snapped! Luckily, the surf rolled the big bass into shallow water where the 50-year old tackled the fish before dragging it up onto the beach. The big bass was officially weighed at Johnny’s Bait and Tackle, Montauk.

CAPTION FOR SECOND PHOTO: Rob Cipriano drilled a 48-pound cow while fishing aboard the City Island open boat, Island Current II. (Photo courtesy of Island Current Fleet).

Fluke fishing came alive at Montauk on Saturday with a solid shot of keepers, plus fast action with shorts, bringing out smiles. Mixed with the fluke were plenty of bluefish to 7 pounds, plus some big sea robins.

“Our morning trip saw very good action along the south side in 50 to 60 feet of water,” said Mike Vegessi, captain of the Montauk open boat, Lazy Bones (www.montauksportfishing.com/lazybones.html). There seems to be a nice body of fish stretching from the lighthouse west to Montauk Village. Most of the fleet was in on the fun today.”

Considering the heavy shot of wind and rain that cut across the East End on Friday night, the Montauk scores are very encouraging. Often, it takes fluke a day or two to settle back into their feeding pattern following nasty weather. Vegessi's morning fares tallied a dozen keepers to 7 pounds while his afternoon trip produced saeveral more. Fluke bullets tipped with squid and spearing were clearly the best offering.

Anglers setting out from North Fork ports found a pick of keepers to 7 pounds off Greenport and at the Greenlawns. Some fluke fans managed three or even four keepers while others missed out completely, save for shorts. Squid strips were the top bait in this area. A bit east, action continued strong around Gardiners Island with most anglers taking home a keeper or two in the 4- to 5-pound class. White fluke bullets tipped with spearing scored well, as did six-inch strips of bluefish fillet.

On the North Shore, Friday’s half-day trip aboard Port Jefferson’s Celtic Quest (celticquestfishing.com) witnessed a baker’s dozen of keeper fluke to 7 pounds for four fares. Plenty of shorts added to the fun in 20 to 25 feet of water between buoys 9 and 11. Bucktails tipped with white spearing were the most productive offering on the half-day trip.

On the western Long Island Sound, Captain Chris Cullen of the Island Current Fleet (www.islandcurrent.com,) was thinking about targeting fluke today. The City Island skipper never got to the flatfish because the bluefish were so ferocious. “The choppers have just been evil the past few days,” explained Cullen. "It has been wild fishing for blues - and we've had stripers to 25 pounds also slamming our bunker chunks. The best action has been in 40 to 50 feet of water at mid-Sound, between Rye and Hempstead Harbor."

Private boaters working in 20- to 25-foot depths have been scoring with short fluke, plus a few keepers, from Hempstead Harbor east to Smithtown Bay. Green bucktail teasers tipped with spearing have worked well when positioned about six inches above a chartreuse or rainbow Spro bucktail. The entire western Sound, from Oyster Bay to Flax Pond, is packed with small sand eels and many anglers have noted that fluke are stuffed to the gills with the small baitfish. A few more warm days and this area should ignite.