Newsday, NY side of LIS 7/29/05

1. Western Long Island Sound: Big bluefish to 12 pounds are taking bunker chunks and spread all over the area. Where there aren't any bluefish, you'll find porgies, according to Jack's B&T in City Island. Fluke are still biting well with some fish to 6 pounds and stripers are underneath the bluefish.
2. Huntington/Northport bays: The James Joseph in Huntington reports some terrific fluking with nice catches close to the dock. Many are finding limits and taking fish to 7 pounds with an occasional one close to 10 pounds. The open boats in Huntington are also switching their afternoon trips to bluefishing beginning today.
3. Smithtown Bay: Fluke and porgies are biting well as Rich Doyle had scup from 12 to 15 inches on clams in shallow waters off Cranes Neck, according to Swaine's B&T. Good fluke action with some keepers more than 20 inches. Rocco Ciurelo had his limit with fish to 24 inches using sand eels and bucktails. Lots of schoolie bass in Stony Brook Harbor and the Nissequogue with some keepers to 15 pounds. Bigger bass to 25 pounds started hitting surface plugs off the beach at Cranes Neck.
4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: This week, there were some tremendous blitzes of bluefish with areas the size of football fields boiling up, according to Rocky Point Fishing Stop. Porgy fishing had improved for the boaters, meaning the fish are moving away from the shore. Stripers are around, but getting through the blues will be a chore. Further east, the Capt. Bob fleet has been catching keeper fluke, stripers, bluefish and sea bass.
5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: Bluefish exploded in the Gut midweek with diamond jigs or light-colored bucktails. Before that, John Scourikis caught a 50.85-pound striper fishing with Bob Rocchetta's Rainbow Charter. It was weighed at Wego Fishing in Southold, which also registered Regina Trevathan's 24.10-pound bass taken by the lighthouse on bunker chunks. Good surf action on the Sound side with bluefish taking poppers or jigs in the mornings and bass taking bomber lures at night.
6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: Porgies are biting big and fast with fish to 2 pounds and limits are hit fairly easily. There's also still a solid fluke bite as Emil Tillona had fish from 5.1 to 7.85 pounds by Gardiners using squid and sand eels. The sand eels are doing very well for fluke. Bluefish are keeping the porgies on the move.
7. Montauk Point: Fluking have been ducking and moving constantly this season; now they're back pretty much where they started, in the rips. They're also getting buzzed by those inshore bluefins. Capt. Bill Ricca of Alyssa Ann reports much-improved sharking (about a month behind schedule), with nice threshers and makos. Striper action isn't hot, but the fish being caught are pretty big. George Bowen took a 50.8-pounder on an eel over the weekend.
8. Shinnecock Bay: Action in the bay remains steady for fluke with some nice fish to 5 pounds being caught in very shallow water. Shinnecock Bay Fishing Station reports good catches between buoys 9 and 12 and outside by the castle. Squid and spearing and white bucktails have been working lately. Stripers are biting in the mornings just before sunrise by the bridge taking clams.
9. Moriches Bay: Some anglers are catching limits with about one in four fluke a keeper, according to Silly Lily Fishing Station. Killies are working well, along with bucktails and spearing on incoming tides. Buoys 14 to 17 and Harts Cove see most of the action. Stripers are in the cuts.
10. Great South Bay/Fire Island Inlet: The bay is producing some great fluke action but hardly any keepers. Anglers need to go outside using killies and squid or squid and spearing for the bigger fish to about 9 pounds. Ocean Beach has been a hot spot, according to J&J Sports in Patchogue. Mahi-mahi are starting to show up offshore and sharking is doing well with blues hanging around and makos available. Stripers can be found in the inlet near Sore Thumb, mostly on eels.
11. Jones Inlet/Western Bays: After a pretty slow summer, sea bass and porgy action has brightened up with good action on the reefs, according to Woodcleft Fishing Station. Clam bait and clam chum work for the bottom fish. The bigger fish have moved to deeper waters, probably to avoid the heat. Stripers are available in the ocean under bunker schools.
12. East Rockaway Inlet: Nice action for boats heading west to Ambrose Channel during the week, according to Bay Park Fishing Station, as Joshua Felix took a 12.66-pound fluke on Peruvian spearing and squid fishing with Joe Leggio on One More Cast and Lloyd, Kevin, Larry and Mike limited out on stripers and fluke to 5.46 pounds on No Time Charters.
13. New York Bight: The Big M Express reported terrific fluke action with limits and fish to 5 pounds. Most anglers were throwing back keepers by the end. Sea bass are also mixing in with the fluke. Ambrose Channel has had a great bite. Bluefishing has been strong for those jigging and chunking, and an occasional surprise weakfish.