Fluke And Tuna Come Alive, Trophy Bass Still Here

Fishing has been great lately.

Whether you have your own boat, are a party boat regular, or just like fishing from shore, there is plenty to keep you occupied and put some fillets in the frying pan this week.

Fluke fishing has finally taken off across the region, striped bass big and small are abundant, bluefish are an easy afternoon of entertainment, porgies are now spread throughout the local bays, there’s weakfish to be had if you are looking for some variety, and if you are in search of some sushi, there are lots of tunas to be had.

If it’s purely dinner supplies you are after, fluke have become a reliable enough target to count on putting some fish on the table. Shinnecock Bay, the ocean off Montauk and Shelter Island Sound have all finally come alive with flatfish, including some real trophies.

If you don’t have your own boat, the local party boat fleet is a great and affordable way to get on the best fluke grounds with everyone else. The Hampton Lady decked a 13-pounder and a 14-pounder on their trips up the Peconics last week, and big fish up to 8 pounds came over the rails of the Shinnecock Star, which has been staying closer to home in the shallows and channels of Shinnecock Bay. Off Montauk, the Miss Montauk, Lazy Bones,Viking Fleet and all the other party boats have been hanging fish up to 11 pounds, and the sharpies are getting reliable limits.

Porgies are an easy bet now, also. With a small boat you can hit just about any rocky area of Peconic Bay or Gardiners Bay and find plenty of them to keep you in fish tacos for days. From shore, the jetties of any of our bay-side inlets will be holding them as well. Ask at your local tackleshop for some specific hot spots.

Striped bass fishing has also continued to improve. The big stripers found their way to the waters off the South Fork earlier this year, more than they have in at least six or seven years, and they have lingered, giving fishermen throughout the area a nice chance to catch — and release — trophy fish. There are not a ton of “keeper” slot fish, but the good charter captains are finding their allotment for the fillet table on most days and sending customers home with lots of pictures of trophy fish that were released because they were over the 35-inch maximum.

Unfortunately, but perhaps not surprisingly, many anglers and captains are making little effort to ensure that the large striped bass they catch are healthy and able to swim off strongly when they are released. Most anglers and captains that I know, are being conscientious, and there is no question that some large striped bass are going to die after being caught almost regardless of the diligence put into trying to revive them before release. But the callous manner in which some seem to be taking a certain pleasure in spotlighting one of the very few unfortunate realities of the new rules by making zero effort to improve a released fish’s chances at survival and then crowing about how its the rule’s fault if the fish dies, is just foolish and really kind of pathetic.

If you are getting on a charter or party boat, please insist that your fish be released carefully and conscientiously. A good captain and mate should take a certain pride in using their skills and expertise to find ways to revive fish despite the challenges of the size of their boat. If they don’t, take your business elsewhere.

If it’s tuna you are after, there are opportunities both near and far to put fish in the box. Some very big schools of bluefins have been putting on a spectacular show at some of the wrecks not far from shore. The Butterfish Hole off Montauk and the Coimbra wreck off Shinnecock are loaded with bluefins in the 20- to 40-pound class and there are some bigger fish up to 200 pounds mixed in here and there as well. A reminder, the current regulations allow a recreational boat to keep two fish between 27 and 47 inches and/or one fish between 47 and 73 inches.

For those with access to the bigger guns and the ability to reach the canyons, bigeye tuna between 75 and 250 pounds seem to be inhabiting all of the local canyons now. There have been some very nice catches made of late, like the fish the Barbaric decked last week that taped out at 258 pounds.

So whatever your flavor preference, get out there and fish.

Catch ’em up. See you out there.