Stripers and blues are on the prowl

'Up and down the boat, everywhere you looked, stripers were coming over the rails!" said Walter Czekaj, skipper of the open boat Fishfinder II (captreefishfinder.com) about the astounding action that erupted in 40- to 60 feet of water just a short ride from Captree over the past few days. "On Wednesday, it was lock-and-load fishing with everyone on board limiting out during the first hour and then playing catch and release for the rest of the trip."

A huge set of sand eels has descended on the waters immediately south and east of Fire Island Inlet, and the bass and blues have been taking full advantage. Welcoming the opportunity to battle the fall-crazed predators, private boat anglers and those aboard the Captree fleet have been pounding the fish on AVA-37 and -47 style diamond jigs, both with and without tube tails.

"It's been a wild few days," said Czekaj, whose fares decked bass to 38 pounds this week and routinely tossed back 20-pounders.

Is this action just a flash in the pan? Czekaj doesn't think so. When the bass and blues converge on other small fish in ocean waters off the South Shore, he explained, the baitfish schools quickly move out of the area. Sand eels, on the other hand, tend to hold stubbornly tight, often diving to the bottom and burying themselves in the sand.

Still, I wouldn't delay getting in on the fun. The fish are ready and willing right now and with steady temperatures and fair weather predicted for this holiday weekend, the stars all seem to be in proper alignment.

While the stripers and blues have been delighting anglers out of Fire Island Inlet, surf-casters have been finding the action spotty in most areas. Early this week the building breezes drove blues up along the North Fork beaches for a day or two, but the overpowering winds Thursday seemed to usher them back to deeper water.

According to Johnny Kronuch, of Johnny's Bait and Tackle in Montauk, stripers made a solid showing under the lighthouse, but that action, too, suffered from excessive winds later in the week. Hopefully, the next few days will see a significant rebound.

On the bottom scene, blackfish are starting to make their presence known in Long Island Sound, with fair catches coming from 30-foot depths when winds allow the fleet to get out of the harbors. There have also been decent scores made at the Wantagh and Meadowbrook bridges on green and fiddler crabs.

Outdoor notes

It bears noting that the DEC's recent closure of more than 2,000 acres of Long Island shellfishing water does not apply to blue crabs, which can still be legally harvested from these areas and continue to be in good supply.

The South Shore Water Fowlers Association will present its 30th Annual Duck Boat Show and Waterfowl Festival on October 24, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., at Cedar Beach Marina in Babylon. The popular event features plenty of vendors and exhibitors, plus duck boat, decoy, sporting clay and dog dock-jumping contests.

Admission is just $2. Bring along a canned good or non-perishable item to donate to the group's annual food drive. Call 631-661-0379 for details.

The season for black sea bass is scheduled for a midseason closure from Oct. 12 through Oct. 31.

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