Newsday 6/30/06

Fishing Forecast
Source: Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Publication date: 2006-06-30


Jun. 30--1.Western Long Island Sound: Striped bass continue to mob the area with plenty of fish in the 20-30 pound range and R&G in Port Washington reporting a 38-pounder. The action is almost exclusively on fresh bunker chunks and live bait. Jack's B&T in City Island reported anglers are limiting on fluke to 5 pounds at the points using bucktails with squid and spearing. Porgy fishing is strong.

2. Huntington / Northport bays: Four Winds in Huntington Station reported super fluke action with loads of sand eels and anglers having no trouble reaching limits. The pool fish on the Huntington open boats is typically between 4 and 6 pounds with outstanding action. Bass are biting well though the weather limited anglers last week. Porgies are shallow which is good for beach fishing but tough for anglers drifting worms for bass.

3. Smithtown Bay: Tony DeVito and his buddy limited on fluke to 6 pounds and had porgies to 2 pounds while Mike Mastrogiacomo and Rich Cunes had fluke to 25 inches off West Meadow, according to Swaine's B&T in St. James. Dave Ciotti used live killies off Short Beach to take a limit of fluke to 20 inches, a few bluefish to 4 pounds and a 14-pound striper.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: An intense fluke bite with many anglers limiting out on fish to 6 pounds and plenty of juicy keepers in the 3-4 pound range for the open boats out of Port Jeff. The sand eels keep the fluke feeding through all conditions. Many say it's the best fluke action in at least 10 years. Fluke has been pretty disappointing in other parts of LI, but from Oyster Bay to Rocky Point it is tremendous.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: A nice bite along the Sound side from Goldsmith Inlet to Orient with anglers working the surf with poppers and wooden plugs for keeper bass and blues, according to Wego Fishing in Southold. A lot of big porgies on that side as well. The Gut and Race are producing strong bluefish with a few keeper bass during the day, and at night the bite turns to stripers.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Some decent fluke action by the Ruins in the last few days, with anglers using squid and spearing or live killies to flush out the keepers. Bluefishing in the bay is a sure thing with a diamond jig or small shad; just find the birds working. Most of the fish are cocktail size.

7. Montauk Point: The Marine Basin Shark Tournament brought 10 fish to the scales, but no threshers for the first time in a few years. Most of the action was far offshore. Fish On took first place with a 315-pound blue shark and Tuna Tangler had a 192 mako. Striped bass action is excellent as Amanda had a 38.4-pounder on the Venture and Freddie's B&T reported some keepers from the surf, mostly on night tides.

8. Shinnecock Bay: Every so often the fluke bite has a pulse, like when the ocean lit up for the Shinnecock Star on Saturday with fish to 6 pounds, but then it fades again. Wind and fog this week did little to boost angler participation, according to Molnar's Landing, but Tom, Wayne and Al had stripers in the inlet to 18 pounds.

9. Moriches Bay: Mastic B&T reported good striped bass action on clams and a solid bite of sea bass and ling on the outside reef and wrecks when conditions allow anglers to get there. Fluking in the bay is decent; Bob hit a limit of fluke between buoys 27 and 29, according to Silly Lily's in East Moriches.

10. Great South Bay / Fire Island Inlet: Billy Sorrese drilled a 40.71-pound striper on live bunker off South Beach and fishing buddy Dave Gagliano took a 27.8-pounder, according to Augie's B&T in Babylon. Peter Mack picked up a 15-pounder fly fishing in the inlet. Bluefish are spread about and the fluke bite from West Channel to the bridge picked up with some nice keepers. Fluke are biting outside southwest of the inlet but dogfish are a nuisance.

11. Jones Inlet / Western Bays: Paul on the Emily S had a 37-pound striper on live bunker in the inlet and anglers have been using bunker and clam chum from the Meadowbrook to the Wantagh bridge for nice keepers, according to Woodcleft Fishing Station. Sam Agro took a 223-pound mako while releasing another 150-pounder around the Schooner. Fluke has been slow but a few keepers have come off the Lido Golf Course in Reynolds Channel.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Pete and crew on the Fish On battled the dogfish at the Mudhole before moving to the Virginia for a 214-pound thresher, according to Bay Park Fishing Station. Bill, Randy, Les and Ronnie had 17 keeper-sized stripers to 41 inches off Rockaway using fresh clams in about 35 feet of water and Capt. Jack of Jesse James charters fished the back bays for a 28-pound bass and nice blues on clams.

13. New York Bight: Joe and Vin from Bernie's B&T in Sheepshead Bay had a first-hand report of strong fluke action on the open boat The Angler with fish to nearly 8 pounds. Mike Bordes and Bob Heney also had fish over 7 on the half-day trip in the bay.