Big Stripers on Bunker
Things are shaping up for a fishy long weekend in New York. Big striped bass have found the bunker off the South Shore, and bass up the 40 pounds are being caught on fresh bunker in the sound. Weakies, fluke, flounder, bluefish and porgies rounded out the week’s catches, and are all a good possibility for anglers wetting a line this weekend.
In the Bronx, Big John at Jack’s Bait and Tackle reported that the porgy fishing to the east has been great. Sand Point and Prospect Point have been two of the hotspots. Sandworms, bloodworms and clams are all effective baits, but chumming heavily to put the porgies in a feeding mood will help you fill the fish box quickly. The middle of Long Island Sound is brimming with big bass and blues according to John. Chumming and chunking with fresh bunker is getting the job done on bluefish to 10 pounds and bass to 40. Fluke have been hanging off the points, Sandy, Prospect and Matinecock. Shorts are dominating the catch, but keepers are mixed in, and as the water warms, more and larger fluke should be moving in.
Outside Fire Island Inlet, schools of bunker have attracted some larger stripers in the 30-pound range reported John at Trophy Tackle in Babylon. Beyond the big stripers, John noted that bluefin have arrived in Chicken Canyon, where there has been dense schools of sand eels. Though it’s too early to tell, John thinks things are looking promising for a repeat of the extremely productive 2010 bluefin tuna season off Long Island.
Striper action is hot and heavy according to the crew at J and H in Oakdale. Boaters and surfcasters are in on the action. Weakfishing is the best it’s been in some time. Anglers have been catching these fish consistently in Great South Bay on sandworms. The largest have been around 8 or 9 pounds. Remember, the weakfish limit is still one fish per day over 16 inches. Though the winter flounder season is winding down (closing on May 31) anglers can count on catching a few more to take home in the final week of the season, According to J and H, Sore Thumb is the place to be for the winter flatties. Fluke fishing is picking up as well.
The fishing on the North Shore is excellent. Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reported great striper fishing from both the beach and boat. Bass on the beach have been running into the 20-pound range while the boat-caught bass are approaching 40 pounds. An abundance of baitfish has kept the bass in the area. Some of the bait Mark has observed has been mantis shrimp, bunker, spearing and sand eels. Most of the blues around Northport are in the 3- to 5-pound range right now. Fluke are being found most consistently along the sandbars in the Sound, Mark reports.
Off Montauk, bluefish are around in big numbers, but the bass fishing is spotty right now. Fluke fishing is good off the Radar Tower, with doormats up to 12 pounds being weighed in according to Chase at Montauk Marine Basin.
Best Bets for the Weekend
For bass, blues and weakfish, go west. Look for the bait on both the North and South Shores, in particular bunker, in order to find the bigger bass. Weakfish have been falling for sandworms in the bays, but small soft plastics ought to work as well. The bluefish, as usual, have not been very picky. For fluke, the farther east you go, the bigger the fish and the better the fishing.