Striped bass action has been steady with anglers seeing bigger fish moving in. Surfcasters are finding luck during the day using clams (Circle hooks are required) on the.  Many of these fish range from 25"-31" fish . For lures that been working excellent are sp minnows, darters, super strike swimmers are working well .NOTE: Daimond jigs during the day have been very productive). Try focusing your fishing the last 2 hours of the incoming tide and first 2 hours of the outgoing for a more productive day.

There has been a solid pick of bass in both the Orient, Moriches and Shinecock inlets in the past couple weeks with fish up to 20lbs being reported. Both shore-bound and boat anglers have all reported large fish with a variety of method’s including both lures and bait. Lures like poppers and mag darters have all had great success. In particular yellow darters and poppers have worked very well. If you prefer to hit the bottom flutter spoons are still a great option for these fish. Bait such as clam, sand worm and bunker are all great choices.

Bunker can fished in a couple of different ways including chunking and live lining. When live lining bunker all you need is small snag hook  to catch a bunker because they are filter feeders and will not hit lures or bait. Once you snagged a bunker simply add it to a circle hook and drop it down. The bunker will appear wounded and will be more appealing to bass.

Blues have been around in the south shore inlets ranging from 5lb-8lbs.   Fire island, Moriches, Smith Point County Park  and Shinecock Inlet  have been the "go to spots" for anglers for these yellow eyed devils. For my local anglers The docks (Patchogue's Mascot Dock , Bluepoints Corey Beach and  Sayville Dock) are still seeing some blues coming up on bunker or mackerel chunks. Fish ranging only between 3lb-6lbs

July Update: Bluefish can still be found all over the island with both the north and south shore all holding a great pick of fish.  The local docks such as bluepoint, sayville and mascot are all still showing a great pick of blues. At the docks most fishermen have been using bait like bunker or mackerel chunks. Lures like diamond jigs and top water poppers have also shown great results. When targeting bluefish it’s always good to use a wire leader because these fish have extremely sharp teeth and will often cut off your rig. The inlets like moriches and Shinecock are also still showing plenty of large bluefish with anglers consistently limiting out at all times of day.

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Fluke fishing continues to be improve . Boats have been hitting the fluke grounds hard and seeing some results . Most keepers are hovering around the 19-20" mark but some larger doormats have been mixed. Bucktails and fluke rigs are seeing equal action. Most popular baits are spearing, squid, and various gulp baits. Moriches Narrow Bay and Shinnecock bays AND BUOY 35 OFF OF PATCHOGUE, are also seeing some action. Try focusing efforts around the last 2 hours of the incoming and the first 2 of the outgoing.

July Update: In recent weeks fluke fishing has picked up greatly all over the island but especially in our local waters including the great South Bay, moriches bay and Shinecock bay. The Patchogue local waters has also had a great pick of these flat fish with plenty of keepers being pulled up. The best way to catch fluke would be a hi-lo rig set up with a buck-tail and gulp. For our local waters a buck-tail no larger then 2 oz will do the trick.both Gulp or fish bites are great artificial bait options for fluke due to there scents as well as there variety in color,size and shape. If you still prefer real bait squid and spearing are great options as well as fluke belly. For those who fish for fish in the ocean for fluke larger spearing or smelt are an excellent option when hunting those doormat fluke.

Fluke tackle tip / setting the hook : If you find your self dropping a lot of fluke on your hook sets here is a simple tip many anglers still miss ! Fluke like to grab the bait and hold it in their mouth for a few seconds before swallowing it down. You have to let them eat your lure / Bait before setting the hook. Usually a 1,2,3 count works well then set the hook !!!

Seabass Opens, and fishing is good!! The first reports are of anglers catching their limit.  Weather (winds) permitting, Inlets and wrecks will not disappoint.

Sea bass fishing is great in our waters right now with fish being caught all over the island including the north and south shore. The wrecks and Artificial Reefs along the south shore are holding more of legal sized fish but there are a bunch of shorts around too. A pleasent surprise is that the wrecks are holding plenty of Ling.     See more info NYSDEC Artificial Reef Guide (PDF)

Ling or Red Hake may not be the most attractive fish in the sea but - as a member of the cod family - it can be made to be absolutely delicious! Caught off local wrecks. 1/0 Hook and clam bait will "do the trick"

The rock piles in the Long Island sound.The best way to catch sea bass is very similar to porgy because all you need is a hi lo rig with clam or squid. Another great way to catch sea bass is jigging. When jigging for sea bass all you need is a tubeless diamond jig and you can add bait if you prefer generally a piece of clam works the best.

The Porgy  bite continues in the long island sound and South Shore Inlets . Sandworms, Clam , and Squid are equally working well. Using clam chum can help keep the fish in your area during a bite. The tide has not had much of an effect on the fishing but it would be wise to fish during the moving portions of the tide. A simple hi-lo set up is the "go to rig" for Porgy fishing.

Paul Albarano, 2lb 4oz, Hamptons

Kingfish and Blowfish are also catching anglers attention at the local docks.  They are fun to catch and fine to eat. See the full list of "fun fish" and "fun fish part 2" around Long Island.  The best way to target these tasty fish are clams on a simple high low bait rig.Both species have no size or number limits  and both are great to eat.

Summer Weakfish remain a constant as the season progress. From surfcasters and boat fishermen doing equal numbers ,fish ranging from 2lb-6lbs.   Many of this fish have been taken on small swim shads, tins, as well as bucktails tipped with gulp. or bait.  For my bait fisherman clam ,squid or sandworms have been the ticket.

This week has produced some good reports of crabbing. 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.

New York State has thousands of miles of shoreline that provide abundant crabbing opportunities (including the Hudson River). Catching crabs can be accomplished by using baited crab pots that are set and checked frequently. Be sure to review the Crab Pot Regulations (link leaves DEC's website) before setting your crab pots. Another method of crabbing is to simply use a baited hand line to lure crabs to you and a dip net to capture the crabs. Please clear your lines and dispose of them properly at the end of your trip to prevent unnecessary pollution in our waterways.

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Freshwater-West Lake  and Great Patchogue Lake continue to have plenty of bass and panfish. Trout still around.  live shiners or night crawlers are the bait of choice.

Freshwater fishing in the local patchouge lakes remains productive with Great Patchogue Lake  all showing a great pick of bass and pickerel. Great lake in patchouge has had plenty of good sized bass and pickerel . The best way to target these species would be top water lures like jitter bugs and poppers. These lures typically work the best in the early morning and late evening because this is when the fish are feeding and are more active. Senko worms are another great option for these fish. To fish these all you need is an offset worm hook . When using a hook like this it’s best to use a Texas rig or a wacky rig. Fishing the Wacky Rig (PDF) 

If you are interested in catching pan fish like sunfish, perch or crappie the most effective method would be using small bait holder hooks and a piece of worm.lures such as spinners or trout magnets are also a great way to catch pan fish.

Trout can still be caught in our local lakes such as West Lake and  swan lakes in patchouge and upper and lower lakes in Upper lake Yaphank. The best way to target trout would be small gold or silver spinners as well as live bait like night crawlers. 

Patchogue locals have reported great carp fishing at Lake Ronkonkoma with fish up to 20lbs. The best way to catch Carp would bait such as power bait nuggets, worms or corn will work well

RON'S SEAFOOD RECIPE: Pesto Sea bass
1-Lightly coat 6-8 trimmed small Asparagus stalks with olive oil and place on a piece of aluminum foil. T
2-Then season lightly with salt and pepper.
3-Place a a skinned boneless Sea Bass filet on top of the Asparagus
4-Spread Pesto over the top of the Sea Bass
5-Add a tablespoon of diced tomato on top of the pesto, cover SeaBass.
6-Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and Red Pepper flakes (optional) on top.
7-Fold the aluminum foil over everything making a sealed foil packet.
8-Place on a hot grill and cook for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the filets) covered. Flip the packet once halfway through. The filets will be white and flaky when done.

More RON'S SEAFOOD RECIPES

Fish Facts 

Stargazer (fish)

If you catch one of these critters... Be careful: The stargazers are a fish that have eyes on top of their heads.  They also have a large, upward-facing mouth on a large head. Stargazers are venomous; they have two large venomous spines situated behind their opercles and above their pectoral fins. This species may also cause electric shocks. They have been called "The meanest things in creation". 

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Reports that Bluefin tuna are at the Coinbra wreck and Yellowfin tuna at the Texas Tower.  Trolling lure are most productive but spinning reels and popping lures are the most fun.

For those offshore guys it's  Shark and Tuna time. Don't forget a permit is required for Tuna and Shark fishing. https://hmspermits.noaa.gov/permitList

Click here for: Atlantic Bigeye, Albacore, Yellowfin and Skipjack Tuna Recreational Minimum Sizes

Read more "Stories and Reports" from J&J Sports Blog Posts: Click Here

Just a reminder. All anglers 16yrs and older are required to register for saltwater fishing or purchase a license for freshwater fishing in New York State.

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. Call (631) 654-2311

Saltwater Fishing and Boating

In this issue:

• New York's Marine Recreational Angler Records Program
• New State Record Blue Crab!
• Jonah Crab Commercial Fishery Updates
• New Cobia Regulations Adopted
• Update to Fisheries Reporting Requirements
• Reminder to New York Shark Anglers
• Keep Your Distance to Protect Yourself, Your Boat, and Marine Animals!
• Fish Online iOS eVTR Reporting App Sunsetting
• Ocean-Themed Professional Development Opportunities
• Plastic Free July: Be Part of the Solution
• Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol