Tuesday’s blow saw many anglers gathered at local bait shops, planning a week of late summer fishing ahead. Steven at WeGo Fishing in Southold mentioned a couple of bass taken from pre-dawn beaches by persistent plug fishers. You could “walk on ‘em” when it came to bluefish in the Fisher’s Island Race, but the night bassing scene has been relatively quiet. Scup can be found most anywhere in Sound or Bay or in the Sluiceway between Plum Island and the Gulls. For the table, Steven likes the blowfish action in the Peconics in places like Cedar Beach.
Charlie Caraftis at the Mattituck Fishing Station on Mattituck Creek was still seeing bass 20 pounds or larger from the Horton’s Point zone and guessed that lots of those fish were feeding on scup. The blues at Horton’s run typically seven to nine pounds. Large porgies may be found anywhere along the Sound, often in close. Smaller scup tend to be out deeper. Anglers drifting for fluke last week had some sea bass along with a couple of weakfish in the six-seven pound class.
Further west on the Sound Stan Hentschel at the Rocky Point Fishing Stop saw fishing picking up a bit, week by week, but hasn’t seen any bonito or false albacore yet. The best striper of the week was a 38-incher while the biggest bluefish are short of 10 pounds, smaller than the “bruisers” in the Far East. If you cull through short fluke, there are still some five-pounders in 70 feet of water, but scup fishing is the featured show. Snappers now are a good foot in length.
Brendan at the New Suffolk Fishing Station (formerly Captain Marty’s) was impressed by scup to 16 inches in many places. For northern whiting (kingfish) anglers go to either the North or South Race. Blowfish tend to be around Robins Island.
East End Bait and Tackle in Hampton Bays saw a decent bite of ocean fluke with fish to eight pounds in 20 feet of water west of Shinnecock Inlet and west of Tiana beach. Gulp baits, Peruvian spearing and smelt are producing. Large blues may be found just outside the inlet with occasional school bass. Ocean beaches have fluke as well on evening and morning tides. Keepers also come from the jetties east and west. The Ponquogue Bridge has fluke, triggerfish and snappers.
