The summer heat has mixed all target species inshore, and all stations report a variety of fish in local catches.
At the Mattituck Fishing Station and Marina on Mattituck Creek, Charlie Caraftis told us that quite a few weakfish to five pounds were caught, by-catch for porgy fishers. Bass action at Hortons on live eels has been consistently good, with small blues also abundant in the area. The best Sound bass so far is a 45-pounder. One catch of note: one lucky angler took a 29-inch fluke on an eel. Scup were close, in 20 feet of water, during July moon tides but have moved a little deeper now. Some porgies in the 14- to 17-inch class are still available.
Linda Czech at Jamesport Bait and Tackle in Mattituck explained that Sound beaches slowed a bit in the heat, while scup fishing was still good and weaks were worth a shot in Peconic Bay. Bunker chunks produced a few stripers from the beach. Anglers looking for lots of bluefish will find three- and four-pound choppers off Jessups Neck, along with smaller cocktails. Steven at Wego Fishing in Southold told us that the great bass bite on night tides out east had dropped off a bit, and that you should do your homework to find scup in large numbers. Sag Harbor was a possible spot. Fluking continues to please off Gardiners, with plenty of four- and five-pounders in the mix.
Further west at the Rocky Point Fishing Stop, Stan Hentschel reported an outstanding bass bite on the Middle Grounds. There were quite a few fish in the 20s, and the best was a whopping 45 pounds. Blues in the area range from cocktails to an occasional slammer in the 10- to 15-pound range.
Down on the South Shore, Big Dave at Silly Lily on Moriches Bay related fluke stories over recent days. He had a legal limit in 40 minutes himself on bucktails draped with squid and spearing, and fluking is excellent. If you look for birds, you’ll find schools of blues, and there are now stripers in the bay as well. Triggerfish are already on the rocks and buoy chains, while blue claw crabbing is now “top notch.”
