Blackfish highlight an active Long Island fishing scene
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks on the Long Island fishing front. Light winds most days have helped both blackfish and striped bass fans get out and prospect more often than not, but a few spurts of nasty weather have also conspired to keep the entire fleet in port for two or three days at a time.
Overall, catches been fairly productive, and with water temperatures still hovering around the 60-degree mark, a decent bite is likely to continue for a while.
Blackfishing in particular continues to impress, both in terms of quantity and quality catches. Departing from Orient Point aboard the Prime Time 3 Fleet, Capt. Paul Ripperger has seen his fares take home full limits of tautog on a regular basis.
Most fish have been in the 2- to 4-pound class with daily pool winners weighing up to 9 pounds. Also in the mix have been some big sea bass with at least one weighing over 6.5 pounds. The beginning and end of either tide, along with slack water, has produced the best scores.
On Wednesday’s trip, a bit south of Plum Island, Ripperger also spotted a great white shark. The 10-footer cut right across the bow, the captain said. “I know great whites are occasionally reported in the area, but this is pretty late in the season to find one here,” he said. “I suspect it was drawn in by harbor seals, which are growing more numerous by the day around Plum Island.”
Blackfish have also been hitting well on the ocean reefs and wrecks along the South Shore. Capt. Anthony Gillespie of the Capt. Lou fleet had one of his best days of the season on Tuesday with fast action, full limits and a 6-pound pool fish coming over the rail.
Also scoring big with blackfish was 16-year old David Weakley. The former Bellmore resident, currently living in Indiana, was home visiting family where he still keeps his 20-foot 1985 Mako “Aphotic.” Fishing in 65 feet of water three miles SSE of Jones Inlet on Friday, he used half a green crab impaled on a 1.5-ounce Bottom Sweeper blackfish jig to deck a 14.2-lb. ‘tog on 15-lb. test braided line.
“That fish really put up some fight,” Weakley said. “Its first run was so powerful, I thought I going to lose it, but the fish stayed on through two more hard runs and we managed to get it into the boat.”
Good thing, because that heifer will likely replace the current International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Junior-Class record for blackfish, which stands at 13.0 pounds. The paperwork, says Weakley, will soon be submitted.
As for the stripers, there are still plenty available at the South Shore inlets and in ocean waters outside Fire Island and Jones inlets, although the sizes are more mixed than they were a week ago.
Bass action is more sporadic along the North Shore, but an occasional false, albacore, green bonito or bluefish might liven things up.
Striper contest Saturday
With stripers still very much in play along Long Island’s South Shore, linesider fans might want to enter the Dylan Steigerwald Memorial Striped Bass Tournament on Saturday. The entry fee is $125 per boat with cash prizes up to $1,500. Contact Captree Bait and Tackle at 631-587-3430 to register.
Email: Outdoortom@optonline.net
