Captain Rich Jensen, aboard the Nancy Ann out of Orient by the Sea on Tuesday afternoon, described the recent catches succinctly: “lots and lots of porgies and blues.” Scup are mostly in the 1-1/2 pound class with a few pushing three, while blues generally run four to eight pounds with some larger. There are so many sea bass just under legal size that hopes are high for a terrific season next year. The Nancy Ann will be fishing tautog beginning Saturday when the season opens. Incidentally, no false albacore are in the area just yet.
Steven at WeGo Fishing in Southold added that Bays and Sound as well are “porgy city.” To really see some stripers out east the new moon is worth waiting for, though there are plenty of blues right now. Chunking produces school bass along the beaches, and scup are still in tight as well.
Charlie Caraftis at the Mattituck Fishing Station on Mattituck Creek said the fishing is good on days when the weather is also good. The best spots for big scup are Rocky Point, East Marion, and west on the Northville Pipe. These porgies are schooling up in shallow water. Warm Sound waters still produce triggerfish and blowfish. Hortons and Duck Pont Point have been excellent at times for stripers.
Brendan at the New Suffolk Fishing Station reported good porgy fishing in the area. Striped bass to 30 inches are now in rips near Nassau Point and Jessups Neck with more fish on incoming water. Snappers are now the size of small cocktail blues, with kingfish (northern whiting) and small weakfish mixed in.
Back west, Stan Hentschel at the Rocky Point Fishing Stop noted the big porgies in the area and explained that party boats had slammer blues to 15 pounds. Blues on the beaches run seven to 12 pounds.
South Shore beach anglers are waiting for action to begin. From Captain Scott Jeffry at East End Bait and Tackle in Hampton Bays came word that the Shinnecock Inlet has rain bait attracting false albacore with sand eels and mullet targeted by stripers and blues. Triggerfish are on the buoy chains, and the sea bass bite has been good on reefs and local wrecks. Fluking finished strong on the ocean with doormats to 10 pounds in 40-50 feet of water. Ocean beaches east and west have a steady bite of cocktails and large blues with a few keeper bass at dawn or dusk. Bigger bass come to darters in the dark.
