June 9, 2011

I love all things topwater, especially pencil poppers, and spring is a good time to taunt aggressive-minded stripers to the surface with these highly effective lures. The current heat, which will hopefully be subsiding with the approaching cold front, did much to bring water temperatures into the ideal range for striped bass around Long Island. Pockets of boiling striped bass are popping up everywhere, and I’ve found bass to 25 pounds willing to inhale pencils worked through the boiling fish. Activity on Long Island Sound is “off the charts” at night and in the hours surrounding dawn and dusk. Fluke fishing continues producing near-constant action for anglers throughout the Island, and finding pockets of “keeper size” fish remains the only obstacle. Bluefin and makos are beginning to come in from the Canyons, and local head boats along the south shore are still finding good numbers of “keeper cod.” We’re off to another great season, and if you haven’t already, it’s definitely time to get yourself on the water.

Out in Montauk, The Viking Fleet just got back from their 3-day “Hungry Man” Canyon trip, and no big surprise, it was another banner trip for the Fleet. Fighting through “snotty” weather on day one, they were still able to find plenty of “gaffable” cod while fishing four different wrecks. They moved off into deeper water on day two, finding tilefish to 39.9 pounds! Day two also produced a 150-pound bluefin as bycatch. Heading up to the Nantucket fluking grounds on day three, they managed 40 keepers to over 9-pounds. Their trip was caped-off by a “once in a lifetime” type event, as those aboard saw, “hundreds of basking sharks as far as the eye could see, miles and miles of them. There were 20-, 30-, and 40-foot sharks right next to the boat, according to Captain Steven.

The Viking’s night bass trips are also producing some really great fishing. Captain Anthony reports that the trip last Friday was “as good as it gets,” and the boat was back at the dock by 10 p.m. with its limit of fish. Captain Anthony has also been doing some diamond-jigging during the day, producing good numbers of keeper-size bass during both the AM and PM half-day trips.

Steve from East End Bait & Tackle had the latest from the Shinnecock area. Fluking out in the ocean in 60 to 80 feet of water has picked up significantly in the last week, as well as around the Ponquogue Bridge. Steve also reported that there are porgies within range of the shore-bound angler along the Shinnecock Canal. Bass fishing remains good in the area, but Steve relayed the info that bass fishing’s been best in the Inlet and around the Ponquogue, and clams have producing the bulk of the fish.

I checked in with Jonathan from The Fisherman’s Depot to get the latest from western Long Island. Striped bass fishing remains great in 40 or 50 feet of water, according to John, and bunker chunking at night is doing the bulk of the damage. John also reports that it is still “mostly bass” to the west, as the blues continue to be a relatively small portion of the catch for the average outing. Fluke fishing continues to provide good action around structure according to John, and no surprise, locating keeper fish remains the toughest obstacle. John reports there’s plenty of porgies in the area, but few anglers pursuing them due to the hot bass action. Well, I can say with near certainty, they’ll be there when you’re ready.

Best Bets

There’s no shortage of options this week, or for the foreseeable future. Striped bass fishing continues to provide heart-pounding action for anglers on Long Island from tip-to-tip. The biggest fish are being taken from those working on the bunker pods in the western sound and along the south shore. Getting off the dock in the pre-dawn hours is your best bet for landing a 30-pound-plus cow bass. The action dies down significantly as the sun rises and the fleet emerges. The pods are easy to spot in the predawn gray, as the bass use the ocean surface as a ceiling to pin the fleeing baitfish. I’ll be fishing throughout Long Island over the four days, giving a “fishing tour” to a photographer from the West Coast, and with the wind forecasted to blow east Friday and Saturday, I’m tempted to make the run to Montauk right-off-the-bat. It’s a bit of a tough call, because although there’s plenty of fish under Montauk Light, some real trophies have been coming from the western sound.

If your plans include some fluke fishing this weekend, consider heading out to Shinnecock because the ocean bite’s picked up significantly, and the keeper-to-short ratio is the best you’ll find just about anywhere right now.