August Fishing Forecast: From Snappers To Tuna • Inshore And Offshore Report • Fish Facts • Shark News

Fishing Is The New "Wholesome Harvest" For A Natural Organic Food Source And A Lot Of Fun Too!

Striped bass action has been slowing down due to the warmer water temperatures lately, Surfcasters and Boaters are finding these fish a little more picky than normal but still plenty of fish around! For lures that been working excellent are sp minnows, darters, and super strike swimmers are working well (also Diamond jigs during the day have been very productive). Try focusing your fishing the last 2 hours of incoming and first 2 hours of the outgoing tides for a more productive day.

On the boats clam chumming has been very productive (Circle hooks are required) or working the pods of bunker, the pods are seeing bigger fish but not all pods have been holding fish, WATCH OUT FOR THE SHARKS ON THE PODS ! be sure to bring extra gear just incase.

Offshore reports have been good with species like bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, Cobia, mahi and even wahoo all being caught in our waters.

Giant bluefins have been spotted as close as 50 ft from the shore. Further out yellow fin and bluefin have been caught around the combria wreck area. The waters have been very warm making yellowfin very abundant around the Texas towers and Hudson canyon. The best way to catch tuna would be methods like trolling with wide trackers and spreader bars. Jig and popping is another great way to catch tuna.

Off long beach.  Friend of the shop Dana brought in 58 lb Cobia caught off Long Beach today this fish was caught on a live bunker. Cobia can be found in our waters this time of year and provide a great fight and better eating. Another patchouge local reported today that he landed a 70 lb pound wahoo on the combria wreck.This wahoo was caught while trolling a plug. Wahoo aren’t common in our waters but during the summer they can be found off shore in our waters.  Mahi mahi have also been caught in recent weeks with fishing catching them on buoys and other floating debris

The local wrecks and reefs also contain, Ling, fluke, Cod and many other species of fish. This style of fishing you want to have a simple top & bottom rig tipped with clam bellies. If you don’t prefer bait try fishing Berkley Gulp. If the wrecks get too crowded but you don’t want to head in for the day, try scouting around for objects floating in the water such as Bouys, crab pot markers, or a wooden pallet. If you stop around those you could find yourself catching mahi-mahi. Now if you want to hit another style of fishing,  sale around and look for signs of life such as big pods a bait, whales, birds and sea turtles. If you find these try trolling offshore lures in those areas. If you’re lucky enough you could hook up with anyone of the tuna family. REMINDER:  When shark or tuna fishing, a federal permit is required. (permit is for the boat and NOT an individual angler)

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Bluefish were feasting on small sandeels. Anglers using Charlie Graves tins  were "hooking up" every cast. This large amount of Bluefish is nice to see. Hopefully they are still around for the fall!!

For larger bluefish our inlets like Moriches and Shinecock Inlet  have still been holding plenty of large blues . Crew member Pablo reported plenty of good sized bluefish up to 8lbs while snap jigging in the Shinecock inlet. Along the beaches bluefish have also been caught in places like smiths point and Robert Moses.

Crabbing is getting better and better by the day .Coming up on this next full moon  should be very good. The shop is stocked with nets, traps and baits used for crabbing. For any of these types of fishing try docks such as Patchogue's Mascot Dock , at the end of south ocean ave, Pine Neck Dock in East Patchogue or Sandspit Marina dock right across from Mascot dock.

Snappers have been reported at Local Docks and are growing more and more every day. You can see them chasing small spearing and peanut bunker along the bulkhead. They can actually be caught using a sabiki rig or very small casting lures. Also small snappers make a great fluke bait but remember that the limit this year is only 3 per person. Tackle Tip: Snapper Rod & Reel Combo ,Spearing works excellent for these little toothy fish this time of year on a small snapper hooks or even a Chester flounder hook with a bobber.

Lures for snappers include spinners and snapper poppers, snappers are attracted to fast moving shiny lures that cause a disturbance in the water. Which makes poppers and spinners perfect choices.

 Also at the docks, blowfish and kingfish using clam, squid or sandworms will do the trick. These fish are Fun to catch and great to eat.

Fluke fishing has been seeing a a slight up rise, boats are seeing result outside of the inlets in deeper water between 30-60ft or drifting around the wrecks. Most of the fish are on the smaller size but keepers are hovering around the 19-20" mark but some larger doormats have been in the mix. Bucktails and fluke rigs tipped with large local squid or spearing and various gulp baits. Moriches inlet and Shinecock Inlet  are also seeing some action. Try focusing efforts around the last 2 hours of the incoming and the first 2 of the outgoing.

Update: Fluke fishing in the moriches bay and inlet has been on fire in recent days with anglers catching plenty of keeper fish. Patchogue locals are reporting fish in the 9lb and 10lb range while drifting the bay near great gun. These fish were both caught on nuclear chicken pattern gulp. Closer to the inlet in the east and west cut plenty of fishermen are reporting full limits. The most common way people have been getting fluke has been buck-tails with either squid, spearing or gulp. When fishing bucktails in moriches bay a 3/4 to 1.5 oz buck tail is the perfect size due to the shallow water found in most of the bay. Most fishermen have had the best luck fishing the incoming tide, this is because the incoming tides brings in plenty of cooler water which fluke love. Shore bound fluke fishing has also been great in this area with many fishing along the inlet at Cupsogue and Smith Point County Park .

Triggerfish:  •Size Limit: None •Bag Limit: No Limit •Season: All Year. 

Triggerfish feed on sandworms, squid, and clam. They have sharp teeth and a tough skin. Excellent eating.  Triggerfish are found around rocks and inlets.

TACKLE TIP OF THE WEEK: Often seen as a "fun  fish" Sea robins are much more than that, one being a very delicious table fair ( the tail is full of white meat !) and excellent bait for fluke and sea bass !! Using their white under bellies as strip baits tipped on a bucktail or hi-low fluke/sea bass rig

Sea bass , continue to be very productive on the Artificial Reefs outside the inlets! Using piece's of clam on a Hi-Lo rig over some structure is all you need to catch a limit of fish. Clam chumming will also be a key factor in increasing you catch . Sea Bass jigging has become more popular in the community, plain single hook diamond jigs , hammered gold or hammered silver are very popular many tip these baits with squid strips or spearing increasing your chances at bigger fish and a shot at a nice fluke hanging around !!

Porgies , have been numerous in the long island sound and south shore. Sandworms, Clam , and Squid are equally working very well. The north shore between Port Jefferson and Wildwood State Park, Cedar Beach has been the spots to fish . Also the Shinnecock Canal/Inlet is another good place to target these fish with the chance at a nice triggerfish.  Triggerfish like to hug the structure, so try fishing along the wall of the canal or along the rocks at the inlets.

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Celebrate Shark Week with DEC! 

Did you know that sharks play an important role in keeping our ocean healthy by regulating and maintaining the balance of intricate marine ecosystems? Sharks remove sick and weak individuals from prey populations, they influence prey distribution and behavior, and prevent other species from monopolizing limited resources and degrading the marine environment. The presence of sharks is a positive sign of a healthy marine ecosystem.

Learn about the most common shark species that are found in NY's waters. 

Photo of a hammerhead shark

Be Shark Smart! 

DEC provides guidelines to help you stay safe while enjoying the ocean: 

• Avoid areas with schools of fish, splashing fish, diving seabirds, and seals;
• Avoid swimming at dusk, night, and dawn; 
• Avoid murky water;
• Swim, paddle, and surf in groups;
• Stay close to shore, where your feet can touch the bottom; and 
• Always follow the instructions of lifeguards and Parks' staff.
• More