John from Hudson Park in New Rochelle confirmed the omnipresence of bluefish in his area. “Yeah, they’re here,” he said. “You know the size that’s just big enough to shake blood all over the boat?” Yeah, I know them well. But, after all the talk about bad weather and our “bluefish problems,” things are looking good for the western sound. The bait has moved in over the past week. John reports large schools of herring in the area and bunker that are “just starting to cooperate.” John thinks that by the time this weather turns, and I’m staring at a patch of blue sky above me in Noyack right now, that those bunker should be balled up and ready to go. John and the Hudson Park crew have been taking some nice bass in an increasing number of locations, “Hempstead, all the lighthouses and all the edges have been producing bass for us.” Fluking has also been hot for those willing to deal with the rain and persistent 10- to 20-knot east wind. John also wanted me to mention all the anglers from Hudson Park that will be fishing in the Manhattan Cup this weekend – good luck everyone.
I stopped into White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays last night after a little scouting trip to Shinnecock Inlet and the Ponquogue Bridge. I’ve been talking on the phone with Bryce almost every week for almost a year and finally got to introduce myself in person. Fishing has been good, says Bryce, “it’s the time of year where there’s so many options, it’s almost a little daunting.” There’s bluefish in the Inlet just about 24/7 at this point, and according to Bryce, there’s some nice bass mixed in with the hoards of blues. The Ponquogue Bridge is also holding some bass, I picked up a few on a small white RonZ casting around the drop-offs. The canal itself is also holding some nice bass. I had one follow to the edge of the canal which gave my stomach that “roller coaster” feeling. Some big bass have been coming from the Peconic Bay, trolling wire setups through the Ferry Slips and Greenlawns has produced the cows most consistently. The fluke bite has also been pretty steady in the Peconic, despite the grey and rainy conditions. Bryce mentioned that as soon as the sun returns, even for a few hours, the sand flats by Jessup’s Neck should fill up with quality flatfish warming in the sun. Hopefully I’ll run into a few in my Kayak this evening.
Heading all the way to the End, things have been heating up at the Viking Fleet in Montauk. The local fluke have been cooperating, but, unfortunately the weather has not. The fluke are there, though, and in typical Montauk doormat variety. The Viking crew even ran into some jumbo doormats to 12.5 pounds on their last 2-day tilefish trip. Very cool – canyon doormats. The trip was also full of “Viking Tiles” up to 42 pounds, and even one early-season bluefin tuna which weighed in at over 200 pounds. A good sign for things-to-come this summer. It looks like the weather will calm down enough this weekend for the half-day boat to sail, and I’m guessing the flatfish will be ready to chew. Scott from Star Island Marina agrees, “the fluking has been excellent,” and he also mentioned most fish they’re weighing in at Star Island are in “the 6- to 10-pound range.” The fish are coming from the south side in 60- to 80-feet of water. The bass fishing in Montauk has just taken off. Most fish are in the 15- to 22-pound class, but more and more and showing up everyday. The bluefish have also invaded the area and can be found north and south of the Lighthouse.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Well, there’s no shortage of options this week. Starting with bass, there’s quality fish to be had all the way from the Hudson River to Orient Point. Most of the south shore is holding its fair share of nice linesiders. If you’ll be slinging eels around the Ponquogue Bridge or Shinnecock Canal this weekend, there’s a good chance you’ll run into me – and a few . The Montauk surf-rats are picking away at some nice fish on just about every tide between Ditch Plains and south of the Lighthouse, and even the north shore is back in the game. Throwing a swimming plug around any of the rocky outcroppings along the north shore should now produce some keeper-size bass. If you’ve got your mind on some fluking this weekend, your best option is just to go, and maybe bring your foul weather gear – just in case.