Fluke Fishing Improves • September is Albie time • Snapper Action Has Been Great

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September is Albie time. Coming to a local inlet or beach near you "reel" soon!!

There are plenty of Striped Bass around the south shore inlets, Try fishing the cooler cleaner water of the incoming tides with fresh clam (Circle hooks are required) during the day. 

Bluefish have made a comeback in the last 2 weeks and can be found in the deeper bodies of water in quantity. Action increases the further east that you go. They can be a frustrating for the Bass guys losing half of an eel while drifting but if you want to target them they can provide some great action.

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Fluke fishing has gotten better and will continue to improve as the fall season approaches. There are plenty of fish being caught in Shinecock Inlet  and Moriches bays (Narrow Bay) but the keeper ratio has also improved. Reminder: Fluke ends September 30th

The quality of fish has picked up further east with some big fish being reported in the Montauk area.  As we get into September larger baits seem to be the way to go with even smaller fish being caught on, Spearing and Squid Combo's or even whole Snappers.

Sea Bass action has remained steady on the Artificial Reefs and the East End Montauk and Orient.  As of September 1st the limit has increased to 7 per day and that will continue for the rest of the season. The size limit has remained the same at 15 inches. Sea Bass are a very aggressive fish and will hit on a variety of Baits; Squid, Spearing, Clam and even pieces on mackerel will all work. If you don’t want to use live bait, gulp and even small jigs will also work.

Don't be surprised at the variety you get when targeting Sea Bass, a recent report from outside Shinnecock inlet, had anglers landing Triggerfish, Porgies, Ling, Whiting and Fluke.

The Weakfish bite has picked up in the Great South Bay and Peconic Bays with mostly "Summer Weaks" in the 16-22 inch range being caught. There have been a few larger fish in the 5-6 lb range being landed as well. Drifting a traditional Hi-Lo rig baited with Squid Strips is very effective. If you want to dress this up a little you can add either a small white or pink rubber shad to your hook and then top it off with a Squid Strip. The key is the drift, too little and you'll be constantly harassed by Porgies, too fast and you won't be able to get your bait down to the bottom.

Porgies have been caught consistently on the North Shore and in the Peconic Bays all year. This past week is no different. While the size of the fish seem to be generally smaller the action has stayed hot. Fresh Clam and Sandworms are the baits of choice but small pieces of Squid will also work. If you get a lull in the action be patient they'll be back, or just try a different spot chances are you'll find fish.

Snapper action has been great on the Local Docks. The fish have gotten larger and have been very aggressive in all the local creeks feeding on baitfish. Small Spearing fished under a float  or a small Snapper lures is all you need to catch fish. Local Docks are also producing Fluke-Blowfish and Kingfish!!!

Crabbing on the Local Docks has produced both quantity and quality.  Nice catches of large male Blue Claws were reported with most crabbers throwing back the smaller keepers and only keeping the bigger crabs to eat. Traps baited with Bunker, lines with either Mackerel or Bunker or waking the dock with a net will all work.

Freshwater
The freshwater scene is still good with many of the local lakes being very active. Large Mouth Bass (Black Bass-PDF) and Pickerel are a sure bet and will crash any artificial that you throw at them. Frogs, 10 inch worms and swim-baits will all get noticed and pull very nice fish.  However... bait is also excellent this time of year too. Shiners and nightcrawlers are sure to do the trick.  

If you want to just sit back and relax then panfish is a great option. Nighcrawler’s will do very well if you want to catch all kinds of panfish. However, if you want to try artificial lures then a  small  kastmaster or Phoebe lure will catch big perch and "slam" crappies.

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