Stripers and fluke are running large
The super striper fishing that has been underway at Montauk for much of the summer continues to be the headliner for Long Island anglers. Heading into the full moon last Saturday (August 26), anticipation was running high for more action with the big cows. The stripers didn’t disappoint.
“It’s just been incredible fishing over there,” said Capt. Mike Boccio of the Prime Time 3/Jenglo Fleet in Orient Point. He ran the Prime Time 3 across Gardiners Bay to join the fun Saturday night and put his fares on a mess of monsters including five bass weighing over 45 pounds. The same night saw Len Britton of Bronx, NY drill a 52-pounder aboard the Jenglo. On Sunday (August 27), a pair of anglers actually tied for the pool with twin 50-pounders aboard the Prime Time 3!
“Imagine that,” laughed Boccio, “50 pounds is the magic weight every striper fan wants to hit. These guys did it on the same trip and had to split the pool money.”
As if all that wasn’t enough, Tuesday saw Kenny Donowski from Queens, on a Freeport Tuna Club charter aboard the Jenglo, best a 52-pound beast on only the second drift.
Ocean fluke fishing has also been sloid of late. Doormat summer flatties have been caught along both the north and south sides of Montauk in 60- to 90-foot depths with 6-inch Berkley Gulp! grubs and long strips of sea robin the best baits. Over the past two weeks, the trophy fluke encounters have spread west, too, with a surprising number of big summer flatties hauled from around the artificial reefs outside of Shinnecock, Moriches, Fire Island and Jones inlets. Again, Gulp! and sea robin strips have been the top offerings with the artificial bait in white or salmon color seeming to have an edge.
Anglers fishing ocean waters out of all the South Shore inlets have been finding a mix of species on most fluke trips including black sea bass, jumbo porgies and a few triggerfish. Out of Jones Inlet, Capt. Steve Kearney of the Point Lookout open boat Super Hawk has focused mostly on mixed-bag catches at anchor but has still seen quality flatfish coming over the rail. On Wednesday (8/29), Eli Rodriguez of Long Beach flipped his bait out and hooked an 11.38-pounder - the biggest doormat to grace the boat’s deck this year.
“If you want fluke,” said Kearney, “use a spinning setup with 20- to 30-pound test braided line and toss a Gulp! grub away from the boat so you can cover a lot ground while working it back. For a mixed haul of sea bass, porgies and other bottom species, use a high-low rig, 5-ounce sinker and clam for bait. Go with the clam if you have a novice or young fisherman aboard and you’ll have fast action all day long,” advised the skipper. “Young anglers usually find that to be the most fun.”
Snapper blues are another great target for youngsters and novices. They are feeding furiously right now at most South Shore docks, North Shore harbors, and inside Shinnecock Canal when the locks are closed. If you’d rather fill your cooler with black sea bass, circle Saturday (September 1) on your calendar. That’s when the daily creel limit expands from three fish per angler to seven. The minimum size remains at 15 inches.
