July Fishing Update • Blue Claw Crabs • Offshore Report• "Take A Vet Fishing"....And So Much More
Posted by Joe Wolf on
Cole's Offshore Report: We went out to the "dip" fishing grounds and had lots of fish on the troll. Cole reported that the crew had 5 on at one time..... the fishing was amazing. Went with JJ, Nick, Dana, Kevin and Jesse. They were all yellowfin
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
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The offshore wrecks have been plentiful with Sea Bass . Some offshore wrecks that hold plenty of life are the San Diego and Oregon wrecks. Cole down here at the shop limited out on sea bass at the Oregon wreck using small Diamond jigs. Some porgies are coming off the wrecks as well.
Fishing closer wrecks like the D.E.C. wreck 12 miles out of Moriches inlet, Gates City Wreck, or Dredge Hole, 0r any Artificial Reefs will also produce some nice fish as well. Fluking off of these wrecks has also been very productive. Out in these waters big bucktails with Squid or high-lo rigs with clam will be your best bets. If you're looking to fish Gulp, Big 5 and 6 inch swimming grubs or swimming mullets work well too. Any of the traditional colors such as white, pink or chartreuse are safe baits to catch fish. Pink Shine and Nuclear Chicken are really good colors to fish.
Sea bass season is in full swing!!!, and many of the offshore wrecks and reefs are holding an abundance now of these tasty fish. Using piece's of clam on a Hi-Lo rig over some structure is all you need to catch a limit of fish. However I like using a small white squid tube attached to my hooks, topped with either fresh clam or a squid strip. Not only will the Squid tubes attract the Sea bass it also increases your shot of landing any Fluke that might be hanging around. Sea Bass are aggressive feeders, if you locate structure holding fish, you can also target them using jigs, this method will likely produce bigger fish.
Fluke fishing has improved in the Great South Bay and Shinecock bays too with many reports of good sized keepers being landed. as mentioned before gulp is a great option for bait. Spearing and squid are also great options for bait. A rig with a teaser or squid strip will work great.
Ron reported that the ocean fluke fishing is fantastic. He caught fish up to 7lbs. Ron reported fishing Shinnecock Reef. His bait of choice was spearing, squid strip and gulp combo.
Fluke fishing continues to get better with both the south and north shore showing a great pick of these flat fish. On the south shore places like moriches bay, smiths point bridge,Shinecock bay and ocean beach are all holding great fish and on the north shore stony brook,ceder beach and orient point are also showing plenty of keeper fish.
Tackle Tip: When fluke fishing on a boat the best way is to drift slowly in the water and bounce a high low rig with a bucktail or a teaser off of the bottom. Drifting for fluke is essential because these fish are ambush predators meaning they will stay still until prey comes to them.Another good method for fluke fishing is when drifting and using bucktail it’s always a good idea to dead stick a rod which is simply to bait a rod with squid and spearing and just leave it alone until you hook a fish.
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Another underrated fish found in long island waters is the Triggerfish. Triggerfish are a unique looking tropical fish that migrate to our waters during the summer season.These fish can grow up to 13 lbs and provide a fun and challenging fight. In New York these fish have no size or number limits.
Fun Fish: This weeks fun fish is the trigger fish. Trigger fish are a tropical visitor in our waters and have just begun to show up.Trigger fish can be caught all over the island with places on the south shore like the Shinecock canal holding a great pick of these fish. The best way to catch trigger fish would be a hi lo bait rig with squid or clam. Gulp is also a great option for these fish. Trigger fish are a delicious eating fish but are known for their tough leathery skin which can make them difficult to clean. Check out our video on “How to filet a Triggerfish”
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Weakfish still remains fair around the island with reports coming in from both Ocean Beach and various spots around the north shore. To target these fish squid and pink gulps work great on a simple high-low rig.
Weakfish are active in our local waters. Patchogue Bay to Ocean beach are productive areas. They are caught usually while Fluke or Porgy fishing. Truly a nice surprise! Same baits apply. Sandworms, clam or squid will all do well. Tip: Try a nightcrawler on a small tin. It's an old times trick that works great for "summer weaks"
Striped bass and bluefish remains excellent around the islands and especially our inlets with bluefish over 10lbs and bass over 30lbs still being caught. The best bait to use for these fish would be bunker as well as mackerel and clam. Bucktails, poppers and swimming plugs are other great artificial options
Bass continue to flood our inlets with plenty of large fish being caught from both boats and the shore. Many bass have also been seen outside of the inlets on bunker pods. The best way to catch bass from shore and on a boat would be lures like swim shads. Swim shads are a soft plastic paddle tail bait that have a weighted hook within and typically come in a variety of patterns including bunker and white. The best way to fish a swim had would be to simply cast it out and reel it in at a steady pace. These are great for all types of fishing including inlets and if you are fishing bunker pods. Bait like bunker, mackerel and clam will also work great for these fish. Always remember when bait fishing for bass a circle hook is required under NYS law. As most know by now the new striped bass regulations are in effect. These changes have left some unhappy fisherman
Bluefish are still plentiful in our waters with fish being found all across the bays, inlets and ocean. Large blues up to 15lbs can still be found but most are concentrated in the inlets or the ocean around moriches and Shinnecock. To catch these gator blues there is a variety of effective methods but my personal favorite is a diamond jig lure. These are very easy to use and can be fished in a couple of different ways. The most common way to fish a diamond jig is to retrieve it at a steady speed but another lesser known technique to fish a diamond jig is to let it sink to the bottom and let it bounce off the bottom while retrieving. If you prefer real bait bunker or mackerel chunks is a great choice. Bluefish are being caught at our local docks like mascot, bluepoint and sayville with bunker being the main choice for bait.
Porgies are still strong around the North Shore with cedar beach and Wildwood State Park still getting fish up to 2 lbs. At Shinnecock Inlet and the south shore Artificial Reefs, porgies are also in with good numbers and plenty of fish being reported.
The Northern Puffer is known to most as the blowfish :
• Size Limit: No Restrictions • Bag Limit: No Restrictions,
• Season: All Year. Excellent eating!!
Blowfish feed on sandworms, squid, and clam.
"puffs up" into a ball in self-defense by inhaling air or water
Porgy and sea bass are loaded on our local wrecks and reefs with plenty of fishermen collecting limits of both fish.
Sea Robins are mixed with the porgies and anglers should remember that these "fun fish" make a great table fair.
Around our Local Docks blowfish and kingfish are plentiful. Triggerfish are also at the Shinnecock inlet and The best way to target all three of these fish would be a simple high-low bait rig with a small piece of clam, sandworm or squid.
Blue Claw Crabs are plentiful at Patchogue's Mascot Dock . You can also try Corey Beach or Pine Neck Dock. Fun to catch and great to eat!! Traps and nets work well. Bunker and mackerel make a fine bait.
A hand trap baited with Bunker or a hand-line with either mackerel or bunker should provide you with plenty of action. Check out the recipe section on how to make steamed Blue Claw Crabs.
Locally: Try Patchogue's Mascot Dock and use a hand trap baited with bunker, this is a pretty good way to capture these tasty critters.
Reminder: hard shell Blue Claw Crabs must be 4 1/2 inches across the shell to keep and all females with a dark sponge on their bellies (eggs) must be returned to the water immediately.
Surf Report: Bass fishing has been good from the surf this past week with some nice fish being caught on both bait and lures in the areas around Moriches and Shinecock Inlet . There have also been reports of action out east slowly starting to pick up around Montauk.
Most fishermen have done the best on bone sp minnow and darters. Sand eel patterns have also done well due to sand eels being in our waters.
The open beaches along smiths point, Robert Moses State Park and Jones Beach have also been showing plenty of bass and bluefish. Most fishermen have done well with bait like bunker and mackerel chunks. When fishing bait chunks on the open beach pyramid sinkers are best because they will bury in the sand and won’t get pushed back on the beach. Lures such as diamond jigs, poppers and darters are all great choices when wading the surf.
Largemouth bass fishing on long island is a peak. All of our ponds and lakes are filled with these iconic American fish. The best way to target them would be live night crawlers and freshwater shiners.Some great artificial bait options for these fish would be senko worms, spinners and top water frogs. For the best results while using top water baits the early morning and late evening is the ideal time
This weeks report highlights the lake of the week: West Lake . West lake is located right on west Main Street in patchouge and is known for excellent fishing for trout, bass perch and bass other panfish. Trout is stocked in west lake two times a year in both March and April with both brown and rainbow trout, this is when the trout fishing is at its best but hold over fish can still be caught all year long. The best way to catch trout would be bait like night crawlers or red worm. If bait isn’t your thing lures like spinners and trout magnets are an excellent option.
West lake is also known for its excellent bass fishing with largemouths up to 5 lbs being caught. Bass fishing is great a night with top water lures like jitter bugs and frogs working the best. During the day bait like swim Shad’s and senko worms are great options. Panfishing a west lake is another east and fun way to get plenty of fish. When panfishing all you need is a small hook a bobber and a worm. You will also have a shot at catching catfish when fishing with worms