Captain Sloan Gurney of Black Rock Fishing chartering out of Orient by the Sea Marina told us Tuesday that he was fishing all depths for catches of sea bass, scup and tautog. Although there are no bulldogs yet, pool fish run around seven pounds. Action on bass in the 20s has been up and down as schools pass through, but there are blues to slammer sizes (about 15 pounds) in the Gut, too.
From Steven at WeGo Fishing in Southold comes word that the best action on bass off local beaches seems to be at night in the warm waters of the Sound. Tautog and scup are off the beaches in 20 feet or less, but look for this to change when the mid-week cold front comes through. There is daytime action, of course, in Plum Gut and the Fishers Island Race. A pick of sea bass and porgies can be found in the Bay; anglers were fishing the Greenlawns and the Brickyard on Tuesday for tautog as well. One trophy bass of 40 pounds was reported on a live eel, fished off Hortons Point on daytime tides. To summarize, fishing is quite good “as long as it stops blowing.”
Stan Hentschel at the Rocky Point Fishing Stop was surprised by scup still tight to the beach. A jumbo of 18 inches was reported at the shop! Over the weekend, a couple of bass in the high 20s came from the local gravel as well. Bluefish are where you find them with a lot of small fish. Herring have been pushed into Wading River Creek.
Along the South Shore Gary at Silly Lily in East Moriches has closed the rentals but is selling plenty of bait on nice days. This gives him a shot at fishing. There are schoolie bass in the east and west cuts, with some northern whiting in the west cut, too. Occasionally bass in the 40s are in the mix. Lots of fish are outside the inlet working bunker schools and the beaches are coming alive with bunker, sandeels and bass in the 20s. Stan Hentschel (above) said that nights have been very good on the South Shore beaches.
Captain Scott Jeffrey at East End Bait and Tackle in Hampton Bays had great reports of bass taking jigs in 70 feet of water off Shinnecock Inlet. On the reef tautog are “cooperating” with plenty of big porgies to go with the ‘tog. Shore anglers find best bass action west of the inlet with the occasional weakfish. Live bait and plugs take a few bass around the Ponquogue Bridge.
