North Fork anglers are always restless in the winter. Tautog and sea bass are memories, winter flounder are virtually extinct and fluke are at least four months away. If you are lucky like one of our Southold friends who heads far enough south, you can contemplate sunny skies and good snook fishing, but what about Long Island cod fishing? READ
Tag: fishing
Riverhead Town hosted its 20th annual snapper tournament along the Peconic Riverfront Saturday on a gorgeous, sunny afternoon. READ
In May 2015, Juanita Devlin closed Fisherman’s Deli, a West Main Street staple since 1981. But in just a few weeks, the store will reopen under new ownership with a renewed focus on serving the East End’s fishermen and hunters. READ
Black sea bass fishing in New York was suspended for a month beginning June 1, prompting a backlash from fishermen who say the regulations are unnecessary right now and are only hurting the fishing industry. READ
In our brave new world of electronic awareness, no one hides. Thanks to iPhones, GPS devices and roving earth satellites, the old adage “Wherever you go, there you are!” has never been more true. READ
A striped bass caught in Peconic Bay. (Credit: Melanie Drozd, file)
New striped bass regulations are expected to take effect in New York this spring, splitting those who make a living off charter trips and those who fish for sport. (more…)
Whenever we fish Long Island beaches in the fall and look at anglers fishing the suds, we always see one or more individuals slinging surface lures. In most cases, especially when there’s no “blitz” of diving birds and splashing bait, these folks would be better served casting tipped bucktails or tins. Yet they persist. Why? (more…)
A surf fisherman at Iron Pier Beach on the Sound. (Credit: Barbarallen Koch file photo)
Summer fishing in the area keeps living up to high expectations, according to recent reports. Capt. Dave Brennan of the Peconic Star out of Greenport was enthusiastic about the large numbers of sea bass, often running five or six pounds. Scup numbers are also good. Dave feels you have to find fish in new areas because many of the old mussel beds that concentrated fish in the traditional places have disappeared.
At WeGo Fishing in Southold, Alex mentioned plenty of keeper scup in the Peconics, especially in the Noyac area, where sea bass, “kingfish” (northern whiting) and weakfish can be found as well. Anglers fishing diamond jigs catch cocktail blues around Jessups Neck, and there are plenty of snappers in the bay.
Charlie Caraftis at Mattituck Fishing Station and Marina on Mattituck Creek explained that bass have been hard to find off Hortons Point but gorilla bluefish remain and are especially active as the sun rises. Chunking is often the method of choice. Sea bass outnumber scup inshore, with many nice fish in the four- to five-pound class. Not many anglers are bothering with fluke right now, but there was one six-pound weakfish noted, taken by an angler jigging for blues in deep water.
Bill Czech at Jamesport Bait and Tackle in Mattituck reported only spotty beach action, with blues and small bass off Cupsogue Beach and a few bass taken off Hortons on eels. Long Island Sound beaches have cocktail blues in some places early and late. Scup specialists often head east to Fishers Island or Block Island, but there was a shot of large porgies up to 17 inches around Buoy 17 last week.
Roses Grove and Nassau Point waters produce some weakfish in the 14- to 16-inch range and small pan-size kingfish abound along bay beaches as well. With bunker schools so tight to South Shore beaches, humpback whales and sharks have been seen close inshore. One fluke angler wound up with a thresher estimated at 150 pounds on the end of a rig, and makos have been taken regularly only 10 to 14 miles out.