Great Fluke Fishing • The Local Docks Are In Full Summer Mode • Tip Of The Week:Take Care Of You And Your Catch • COD Fishing Update

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Porgy fishing has remained steady. Porgies on the north shore and in the Peconic Bay region have not disappointed anglers the entire season. Sandworms, fresh clam or squid on a #2 or #4 porgy rig using the lightest sinker possible are all you need to bring home dinner. On the north shore there’s still tons of porgy to catch at places like stony brook, ceader beach and rocky point.

The inlets are still holding slot bass and good sized bluefish. Most of these fish have been caught on both bunker chunks and diamond jigs.
Trolling, jigging, with a tin or simply looking for the “birds chasing bait” and casting an assortment of plugs will do the trick.

Recently large bluefish have moved back in to our local inlets including moriches and Shinecock. These blues have been caught up to 15lbs. The best way to catch these gators would be lures like poppers or darters if they are seen near the top of the water, if there is no activity on the surface of the water a buck-tail on the bottom will work great. When fishing a buck-tail it’s best to let it drift along the bottom. Adding a jig strip to your buck tail is a great way to get more fish.

Quality keeper Fluke can still be caught in the bays but you have to be patient getting through the shorts and sea robins. Fishing seems to have picked up outside the inlets in the Moriches and Shinnecock areas. Try mixing up the baits and different color combinations on your bucktails and Berkley gulp bait. In the Ocean use larger presentations like whole squid and smelts or Snappers. (snapper produce live or dead).  Breaking News • From Fire island inlet: Jack Slater weighed in a 5.5lb Fluke aboard the "High Moon"(cover photo) 

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In Moriches both the east and west cut are holding keeper sized fluke on the incoming and the flood tide. 

Updates: Fluke fishing has still been great all along the island with in particular moriches and Shinecock bays producing the most fish. In moriches the east and west cut on the incoming tide. If the rip current is present that’s another great place for fluke because the moving water is generally cooler and is a favorite of fluke. Good sized fluke have an also been caught drifting inside the inlet. In the Shinecock bay the best spots for fluke would be around the ponquage bridge as well as the inlet itself. The back side of the east side of Shinnecock inlet is another great spot for fluke.

In Shinecock Inlet , fluke fishing is doing well with fish over 5lbs being caught. Triggerfish and porgies have been all over the inlet with good size fish being reported. To target these fish a high-low rig with clam or sand worm will work great.

The Local Docks are in full summer mode with Snappers and Crabs keeping everybody busy. The Snappers are starting to get larger and have been readily taking small Shiners fished under a float as well as snapper poppers and small tins. Crab traps baited with bunker or mackerel are a proven method for catching blue claws. walking the dock with a net has produced a good amount of crabs too with the quality and quantity getting better in recent days.

At our local docks like mascot, beaver dam, pine neck, bluepoint and sayville there is a bounty of species to catch including snappers, blowfish and kingfish. Thes best way to catch these fish would be a small bait rig with long shank hooks and clam or squid. For snapper lures like poppers and spinners are great options because they are a more fun and active way to fish.

Sea Bass fishing has also remained productive. Sea Bass rigs with small rubber squid skirts tipped with either fresh clam, squid or spearing will get these aggressive fish to bite.

Our local wrecks and Artificial Reefs along the south shore have been holding plenty of keeper sized sea bass with plenty of porgy in the mix. The best way to catch fish off the wrecks would be bait rigs with clam or squid. Jigging is another great way to catch sea bass. 

Striped Bass fishing has slowed down with higher water temps but fish are still being caught at the local South Shore Inlets. Fresh Clam has been effective during the day while the bunker is the choice bait at night  The cooler cleaner water at the start of the incoming tide has produced fish in the teens with an occasional larger fish mixed in. Big Stripers are still being caught on the east end in Montauk although the action has slowed a little.

Joe and Cole reported schoolie sized bass in the moriches bay feeding on spearing. When bass are feeding on bait like this it can be hard to catch them because they are so preoccupied on the bait, but lures that mimic the bait they’re feeding on should work well. Baits like small bass assassins or soft plastics are great for this style of fishing.

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Tip of the week: Take care of you and your catch.
With the hot humid weather of summer upon us its important to take care of yourself as well as your catch. Be sure to bring plenty of water with you to stay hydrated, use sun screen, and to wear proper clothing: hat and sunglasses. If you intend on harvesting your catch bring a cooler with plenty of ice to keep your fish out of the sun and cold. Its also a good idea to bleed your fish, this will also help preserve your catch and make for a better eating experience. Crabs while hardy, should be kept in a bucket without water out of the sun and covered with a wet (saltwater) rag. While fishing or crabbing bait should also be kept out of the sun and either covered with a wet rag or in a cooler with ice.

Surf Report
This week saw decent action on the surf fishing front. All of it was schoolies but this is nothing to complain about. The back bays hosted the majority of the fish with smaller sized swimming plugs being the lures of choice. The addition of a teaser can increase your chances of "hooking up." The last two hours of the incoming and first few of the outgoing are the most productive tides.

Sharks In The Surf 

South shore beach and boat fishermen are continuing to catch Sharks! Check out the regulations. Some of these animals need to be released quickly and unharmed.

 

An alternative to surf fishing for Striped Bass and bluefish is to target porgies and triggerfish. A simple high-low bottom fishing rig with the proper sized sinker (2-6oz) is perfect. For bait you can use clam, sandworms or squid. The jetties at both Shinnecock Inlet or Moriches inlets host a nice population of these fish this time of the year. Be sure to bring extra rigs though; Rocky structure makes snags more common.

Fun fish: This weeks fun fish is the Atlantic Mackerel. Mackerel are very common in our waters this time of year and can be caught at our local off shore wrecks. Mackerel are in the tuna family, while they don’t share the same eating quality as there relatives they can provide both a fun fight and a great source bait for species like striped bass, black sea bass , blue fish and fluke. Mackerel can be caught on most common baits and lures but sibiki rigs work great when targeting them specifically.  Possession Limit : 20 fish per person.

NOAA Fisheries Makes Changes to Cod and Haddock Recreational Regulations for Fishing Year 2023 Effective August 14, 2023

The regulations in Federal waters (Federal waters are defined as 3-200 miles from shore) for Atlantic cod, effective August 14, are: 23” minimum size, 5 fish possession limit and an open season September 1 through May 31. The recreational season in federal waters is closed June 1 through August 31.

It will be some time before NYS regulations are consistent with this rule but anyone fishing in federal waters should be aware. READ MORE

More information on the new 2023 recreational measures can be found in the final rule or in our bulletin. Measures in the rule are effective August 14, 2023.

Freshwater
With all the heat we have had over the last week, a more pleasurable time to fish would be after sunset. the local lakes seem to come alive after dark, with topwater plugs like jitterbugs,frogs, buzz-baits and swim jigs. anything that vibrates or pops will improve your chances of catching in the august heat. color choices; a simple rule is “dark colors on dark nights light colors on light nights.”

The mid day fishing is somewhat slower but can also be productive. Daytime fishing on hot summer days try targeting species like pickerel, bluegills, pumpkinseeds, and yellow perch. Baits like live shiners and nightcrawler’s will prove productive. A “simple lure”  is also a fun way to target lake panfish. Tip: The summer perch will be found in the deeper parts of the lakes and ponds so if targeting them use a longer leader so it sits just above the weed beds.

This weeks featured lake is Swan Lake Info. Swan lake is located in east patchouge along montauk highway and has great fusing for bass, trout, and panfish like yellow perch and sunfish. This lake is also stocked twice a year with both brown and rainbow trout in both the spring and fall. Access at this lake is good with many fishermen choosing to use waders because many spots are overgrown and waders greatly increase your chances of catching fish.

Send your reports, photos or your favorite fish recipe to: REPORTS@JJSPORTSFISHING.COM 
Don't forget to include, names, location and details 
(when possible: lures or bait used, tides, etc….)
comments or questions are welcome. 631-654-2311