Bill Czech at Jamesport Bait and Tackle in Mattituck described the local beach scene as a “pick here and there”. The Peconic Bays are loaded with scup from Buoys 20 to 30 with Jessups hosting cocktail bluefish on the flood tide (but not the ebb). Look for Sound scup at Hortons and off the Firing Range with big blues also working off Hortons Point. Striped bass are showing for daytime anglers in Plum Gut and Fishers Island Race, especially early and late. The night tide ought to be good by mid-week, too. Blue claws are plentiful now.
At WeGo Fishing in Southold Steven liked the porgy scene in the eastern Peconic bays with weakfish showing up on occasion. The night bass bite out East produced fish to 36 inches, and lots of surf anglers are now headed for the beaches as winds drop, hoping for scup, blues and stripers. Anglers fishing from local boats on the Sound are producing sea bass.
When anglers get onto the Sound on calm days, the porgy action is “incredible”, says Stan Hentschel at the Rocky Point Fishing Stop. With butterfish and squid showing up locally, the beaches have their innings when local bass move in. A report that one angler caught an “alligator” bluefish recently, a giant around 20 pounds, could not be confirmed first hand.
Along the South Shore on Moriches Bay came a detailed report from Silly Lily’s. The Bay itself provided a mixed bag, including blowfish and northern whiting (kingfish). Scup are east of Buoy 30 in the deep hole while stripers can be caught in the east and west cuts on clam baits. Keeper-to-short ratios on summer flounder are about 1:15 and there are still blue claw crabs around.
Captain Scott Jeffery at East End Bait and Tackle in Hampton Bays liked the sea bass bite on the Shinnecock reef with ocean fluke in the area as well. The problem is the movement of these big flounder, some days in 30 feet of water, other days in 90. Large strips, smelt, Peruvian anchovies and squid are baits of choice. Eastern Shinnecock Bay has lots of short fluke with snappers now in cocktail sizes. School bass can be taken on clam chum at the Ponquogue Bridge, with big blues chasing bait in the ocean. Bigger bass at the bridge are taken on occasion at night on live baits. Schoolies averaging 20 inches patrol the beaches for dawn and dusk fishers, along with occasional weakfish to 28 inches.
