We have been enjoying a good run of nice summer weather. Although it has been warm, it’s nothing like the desert heat in other parts of the country.
For boaters and beachgoers, it has been great, with bay and ocean temps in the high 70s. It really doesn’t get any better.
For fishermen plying the local bays — not so good.
This last week of July sees fishing locally to be interesting at best. There are still some fluke from the Greenlawns to Bug Light on the north side of Shelter Island. Fish the deeper water with S/S sandwiches or bucktails.
Striped bass fishing remains quiet with the warm temperatures. We will have to wait for the fall.
Bluefishing is slow, with rumors of some fish from the Robins Island area. Jessups has been quiet as of late. Porgies are throughout the bay. Average sizes are smaller, but there are still keepers in the mix. Clams and worms are the best choice.
Good news is the summer run of weakfish that love the warm water. Schools of mixed-sized weakfish are roaming the bay. There are lots of sublegal fish, but there still are some larger fish up to 5 pounds.
It seems the weakfish are preferring jigs as of late. If you are lucky, you will find a school that has a 50-50 mix of shorts and keepers. Without a big storm, they should continue to bite through Labor Day.
You will have to travel to distant waters to do your fishing. Porgies are good on the Sound and Montauk. Striped bass are at Plum Gut and the Race, with the best times at low light. At times, large bluefish are mixing in.
Sea bass have moved to deeper water in both the Sound and around Block Island. You may have to pick through the shorts, but there are a good number of keepers.
Montauk ocean fluke fishing has improved. Shorts are in the mix, but good numbers of 3-to-6-pound fish are being taken. All types of fluke rigs are working, but the chicken rigs are the best choice.