Newsday, NY side of LIS 7/22/05

1. Western Long Island Sound: With all the attention on blues, bass and porgies, don't forget about the fluke! Derrick Gordon and Virginia Hoffstead drilled a 9-pounder on Wednesday, according to Jack's B&T in City Island. Bluefish are everywhere, big and small, and in the evenings you can get bait underneath them for stripers. Chunks work well. Porgy fishing is hot at the points.
2. Huntington / Northport bays: Big bluefish are here with rig-busters to 12 pounds and lots from 8-10 filling up on the bunker schools that are still around. It makes it hard to get low enough to catch stripers, but there are keepers under. Porgies are in very shallow water, no deeper than 15 feet, and fluking has been hottest in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.
3. Smithtown Bay: Gerry Focone caught a 7.4-pound fluke off Cranes Neck along with other fish from 3-6 pounds last weekend, according to Swaine's B&T. Fluke are biting well in the mouth of the Nissequogue with fish to 21 inches taking live killies. Dave Ciotti caught a keeper bass there on a live killie. Stony Brook Harbor may be one of the few north shore places without bluefish bothering bass anglers.
4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: The fluke fishing isn't as hot as it was last week, but there are still keepers to be picked up. Heather Hopp caught an 18-pounder for her first striped bass aboard the Celtic Quest on Wednesday as the boat hit a blitz of bluefish, then calmed things down with fluke action. Capt. Bruce Cash of the Port Jeff Ace and Prowler said the porgy bite should explode soon.
5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: The Gut and the Race are producing just as they should be this time of year with plenty of striped bass and bluefish. Jigging light-colored bucktails during the day for bluefish works well and dark colors or eels for bass is a good bet. Wego Fishing in Southold said they've heard good reports on the two-toned pork rinds they carry. Chunking for bass during the day has worked well, too.
6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Gardiners is on fire with fluke, and although there are very few super-big fish there are lots of 4-6 pounders and anglers are limiting out on keepers fairly regularly. Bluefish are being caught from most beaches. Porgy fishing has been very solid with big ones that make for good eating.
7. Montauk Point: Parrish Dave busted a 54.78-pound bass on the south side on Monday, one of many big fish more than 40 pounds weighed this week at Freddie's. The big stripers have been drawn in by the porgies who showed up along the sand beaches last week. Fluking has been good as far west as Hither Hills in 50 feet of water. Fluke anglers in Block Island Sound have been surprised to see bluefin tuna splashing around their boats and have started taking diamond jigs for the 20-30 pound fish. Just remember those permits!
8. Shinnecock Bay: The fluke were back to bitin' as the Shinnecock Star reported a great bite in both the ocean and bay with fish to 6 pounds. It's simmered down a bit, probably because of the heat. Stripers and bluefish are even hard to come by. Offshore, those bluefins that were so close to shore moved to the west toward the Yankee wreck.
9. Moriches Bay: Fluking in the bay has been great with some nice keepers on Wednesday night's incoming at the west side of the inlet, according to B&B in Center Moriches. Pink is the hot color for teasers and rigs. A nice blitz of schoolie bass and bluefish hit the west side of the inlet yesterday morning and B&B got a report from Chris Dayton and his sons plugging bass to 38 inches just outside the inlet. Bluefin tuna are in water anywhere from 30 to 180 feet deep.
10. Great South Bay / Fire Island Inlet: Offshore fluking has been very good as Augie's in Babylon reports Leo S. and Billy D. had keepers to 7 pounds in 50 feet of water off Ocean Beach. Bass fishing has been decent, but the key is finding bunker schools and live-lining bait. No bunker, no bass. Ralph Perone had 22 bluefin to 50 pounds about 18 miles offshore.
11. Jones Inlet / Western Bays: Scotty's in Point Lookout reports its half-day skiffs found nice 3- to 4-pound fluke by the golf course at Lido on squid and spearing. Further off, boats have been fluking with success from Reynolds Channel to the Roundhouse in about 40 feet of water. Bass are biting at the bridges on clam bellies.
12. East Rockaway Inlet: Jerry, Mike and Brian fished off Riis Park for 16 striped bass to 37.5 inches using fresh whole clams on Tuesday, according to Bay Park Fishing Station. If you can find bunker schools, you'll get into blues and bass. Bay Park also reports a nice flow of sharks coming in as No Time Charters had a 147-pound mako on Monday and Lloyd Malsin, Ariel Berman and Larry Ludwig had a 148-pound mako on Sunday.
13. New York Bight: Lots of bait in the water and the fish are beneath. Anglers are finding a nice mix of blues and bass with an occasional weakfish. The Big M Express limited out all its customers on its fluke trip this week with fish to 4.8 pounds.