Should be banner weekend for anglers

If you've been waiting for the local fishing scene to hit full stride, wait no more. A calm and seasonable weather forecast, coupled with steadily rising water temperatures over the past two weeks, has set the table for inshore action to ignite this holiday weekend and everything from stripers, blues and fluke to tuna, winter flounder and blowfish -- yes, blowfish! -- are on the menu.

"We've seen some really good catches weighed in already this week," said Mark Keller at Bay Park Fishing Station. "Stripers have been hitting clams east of the AB buoy, and Wednesday saw a 43.6-pound cow fall to Don Eichin in 40 feet of water south of Debs Inlet. There were even some cod caught offshore, plus a 105-pound bluefin that smashed a spreader bar at the Texas Towers."

Fluke will be a prime target this weekend. Catches have been fierce on bucktails and squid strips in Long Island Sound out of Huntington, Port Jefferson and Mattituck. On Wednesday, the Mattituck open boat Captain Bob II drilled 30 keepers with some anglers catching and releasing more than two dozen shorts apiece.

Fast fluking has also been the rule on the Point Lookout open boat Super Hawk, which has worked Reynolds Channel between the Atlantic Beach and Meadowbrook bridges. The Captree fleet, too, has enjoyed solid action with anglers culling some legal fish from among the shorts.

The last day of winter flounder season is Monday and flounder fans would do well to sample the action on Moriches Bay. Gary Grunseich at Silly Lily Fishing Station in East Moriches said rental skiff anglers are not only limiting out with the winter flatties -- they are catching plenty of blowfish as well. For fluke, try your luck at Buoy 12, then look for stripers and blues in the West Cut. There have also been some winter flounder, along with fluke to 6 pounds and an occasional bluefish or striper, picked from the Jones Beach Field 10 piers, according to Ed Walsh at the Jones Beach Fishing Station.

Blowfish are the wild card this weekend. In addition to Moriches Bay, they put in solid appearances at Shinnecock Canal, Great South Bay and Peconic Bay. It's been a long time since blowfish were a viable target. In case you've forgotten, the puffers love sea worms, clams and small pieces of squid.

Attention summer campers

Looking for a fun way for your teenager to spend a week this summer? The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) four summer environmental education camps are a great option. Both the Adirondack and Catskill locations have openings for kids ages 12 to 14. If exploring the outdoors, fishing hiking, swimming, canoeing and star gazing sound like fun, visit www.dec.ny.gov/education/29.html or call 518- 402-8014. Each camp costs $350 per week.

If you would love to send your child to an outdoors-themed summer camp but money is an issue, the Peconic Dunes 4-H ECO Camp in Southold may be an option. It offers boys and girls ages 12 to 15 outdoors activities including fishing, archery, kayaking and snorkeling. There are limited number of full scholarships for those who need financial assistance. Call 631-852-8629 or visit peconicdunes.com for more information.

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