Fathers' Day Fishing Forecast • "Sea Bass Opens June 23rd" • Grilled Striped Bass Recipe • Crabs and blowfish make a showing

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The Great South Bay is seeing some good action with bass, blues, and weakfish.  Many of these fish are being taken on bunker chunks from Local Docks when fishing from a boat, head over to the Oakdale, Sayville, areas. Finding schools of peanut bunker or adult bunker and fish along side them will increase your chances of "hooking up" with a  bass or bluefish.

Surf Fishing Update: Jetty fishing alone any of our south shore jetty's seems to be producing bigger striped bass on bucktails. 

Fluke fishing has picked up significantly with many keepers being caught all around the island. Patchogue Locals lfishing Fire island inlet landed fish in the  5-7lb range. Along with a great North Shore bite.

The best way to target fluke is gulp or bait on a hi-lo rig with a bucktail. Gulp is a great alternative to conventional baits like squid or spearing. A popular gulp is white or pink shine. Or use a mixture of chartreuse and red or pink shine is pink and white. A great way to fish gulp would be to use a bucktail and place a 4.10 inch grub on the bucktail and a 3.8 inch swimming mullet on the teaser hook.

If you prefer traditional bait (and most do) like squid or spearing the best way to fish it would be a simple hi-lo with a bank sinker. This method also works well with a squid skirt or feather as a teaser. Fluke belly and sea robin strips are great bait for fluke as well. Both of these baits are extremely durable and will stay on the hook. Fluke have been caught in both Moriches and Shinecock bay. The Smith Point County Park  bridge has also been showing a great pick of good fish.  

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This weeks wreck of the week is the fire island reef. This reef is located just 2 miles south of the fire island inlet making it a favorite for local anglers and the captree fleet.in the fall this reef is excellent with porgy and ling .  sea bass season starts on June 23rd and extends bto will go on until the end of December. When fishing this reef bait like clam and squid are great choices because these is also plenty of fluke to be caught. Gulp is another great choice for this spot. See more info NYSDEC Artificial Reef Guide (PDF)

Bluefish continue to be caught all over the island. While some smaller fish have moved in.  However a few reports of fish over 10lbs are still coming in. Patchogue locals  reported  good sized bluefish caught at the Shinnecock Inlet last night. Most of these fish were caught at dusk, on diamond jigs and plugs. Both sides of the inlet have been producing plenty of large blues. During the day most of these fish have been caught on diamond jigs and plugs, while at night a bucktail with a jig strip have worked great. Red and green jig strips have been producing the most fish.

Moriches inlet has plenty of blues too, with fish being caught both during the day and at night. Bluefish can still be caught at our Local Docks with mascot, West Sayville Dock and bluepoint all having success.  At the docks, bait has been very successful with bait such as, bunker, mackerel and clam all working well. A circle hook or rig and a 2 or 3 oz bank sinker is a great method for the docks.

Crabbing- continues to improve.  Traps and nets are both producing but traps and doing a little better during the day and netting these critters is better at night.  Bunker is a great bait and so is mackerel.

Porgy fishing has been good on the North Shore as well as the Peconics. Once again this week sandworms and clam both performed well. Using chum helped keep the fish around longer. Some of the Porgies have been quite large too, pushing the 3lb mark.

The south shore has its share of porgies too.  Best to concentrate, around the inlets or Artificial Reefs and local wrecks.

Weakfish are still being caught around our island with many fish being caught on both the north and south shore. places like the peconic bay are loaded with these "vampire like fish" with many fish being caught amongst the porgy schools.

To catch weakfish you can use some of the same methods that you would use for porgy and fluke such as a simple bait rig with clam or squid and even a bucktail rig with gulp or squid strips. White and pink gulp has shown the best results for weaks. The pink shine pattern of gulp is a great choice.

Tip: During this week Patchogue Locals fishing local Patchogue docks with bunker chunks, have been catching bigger bluefish around sunset.

 

With fathers day on June 16th don't forget about your dad. shop online, or in store, we have all the fishing supplies your dad will need.  Or get dad  a gift card-Always the perfect gift

Lake fishing locally have been active. Most customers have been using nightcawlers or live shiners. Species being caught are Largemouth bass,(opens Statewide On June 15th) Yellow Perch, Bluegill and crappie. A few trout are still being caught at west lake as well as upper lake.

Freshwater fishing at our local lakes has been terrific with plenty of bass, pickerel and panfish being caught in Great Patchogue Lake,  swan lake  and West Lake . The best way to target all of these fish would be bait such as nightcrawlers or live shiners. The best way to fish both of these baits would a small hook and a weighted foam float.

If bait is not your thing lures such as spinners and top water baits like frogs and jitter bugs are a great choice for early in the morning and late evening.

Trout can still being caught at west and swan lake with the same methods like spinners and nightcrawlers.

The senko worm is another great option for bass and pickerel. This lure works best when on a worm hook either  Texas Rigged Worm or wacky rigged. Be sure to remember at this time largemouth bass are closed till June 15 due to the spawning season of these fish. They can still be caught but must be released.

Grilled Striped Bass Recipe for Father's Day- Use a whole Striped Bass Fillet removing the skin and all red (dark) meat. Lightly sprikle olive oil on the fillet coating both sides then place on a large piece of aluminum foil (big enough to wrap the fillet) Spread a handful of aspargus stalks with the hard end removed over the fish. Add a little more olive oil along with crushed garlic over the fish and asparagus. Season with coarse black pepper and a little bit of table salt. Slice a few lemon wedges and place on top before wrapping the fillet. Grill on the BBQ at a medium to high heat with the cover closed turning the foil packet over after a few minutes. Cook time will depend on the thickness of the fillet, 3-4 minutes on either side should be enough, when the fish is white and flaky it is done. If you like it more on the done side open the foil and close the lid at a high heat for another minute or two. Serve with some potato salad and your favorite cold beverage.

Fun Fish- Long Island is full of "other" types of fish that are not only fun to catch but fine to eat too. Did you ever try Triggerfish? A tough critter with even a tougher skin.  However, once cleaned <Fillet A Triggerfish Video>  they are a fine meal. 

Blowfish are around too. <Fillet A Blowfish Video> Called "chicken of the sea" because they are a tasty treat. Easy to catch and (if big enough) a great meal.

Don't underestimate the tenacity and taste of Sea Robbins. <Fillet A Sea Robbin Video> These scrappy critters are plentiful and tasty too.  Catch them on bait or lures with a light tackle combo for an exciting time. 

More Fun Fish Facts on the attached PDF sheets:

Attached is a list of some "Fun Fish Facts Around Long Island." Most are edible and plentiful too. So enjoy the summer and tight lines. (PDF)

Attached is an additional list of more "Fun Fish Facts-2 Around Long Island." Most are edible and plentiful too. So enjoy the summer and tight lines. (PDF) Updated