Noreast.com, Western Sound 7/1

• Western sound anglers fought through some tough tides and weather this week, but we still saw some very nice fish as a result of their efforts. Captain Chris from the Island Current Fleet reported an exceptional night of fishing on Thursday evening. “The whole week was decent, but Thursday it busted wide open with almost 20 keepers and a 30-pound striper taking the pool,” Chris said. Steve Henry and his group from Poughkeepsie had a ball jigging up some quality bluefish at the mouth of Hempstead Harbor earlier in the week. Father Mike and his group also did well on the bluefish, then switched over to fluke and landed some very nice fish off Peacock Point. John Cekack also had his party out for bluefish and fluke with everyone bringing some fillets home for the table! The porgy bite started slow this week, but things really heated up going into the full moon. Center Island has been producing some very nice scup. Captain Chris still has some room for the Flukemania Smackdown coming up, so don’t forget to give him a call. You can also book the Island Current Fleet for your own private charter, just call Captain Chris for details.
• John from Glen Cove Sports reported a huge influx of school bass and bluefish that range from 1 to 10 pounds, which anglers are having a ball catching on light tackle right off the local beaches. It also seems like the fluke have invaded the local points, and they have been taking everything from bucktails to bunker chunks! The porgy bite has also picked up a little, but the fish seem to be scattered with all the bluefish around. Charlie (a shop regular) fished clams off Pryibil Beach and landed a “mess” of porgies to 16 inches. Fred D. also did well fishing Pryibil, landing 3 fluke to 21 inches on squid and spearing. Louis Dillard hit the trifecta with a bucktail, landing a 3.12-pound fluke, 8 bluefish and a 20-pound striper! Rick Rydzewsik and his son Joseph (age 12) fished squid and spearing off Oak Neck and landed a bunch of shorts, a 3.25-pound fluke and a 5.11-pound fluke! Mike Mandorno drifted chunks in mid Sound after marking some fish, and landed 4 bass to 20 pounds. James Frazier chunked up a beautiful 28.2-pound striper while fishing the north side of Morgan’s Beach. Joseph Niemczyk and his son Kamil chunked up Kamil’s first bass ever, it just happened to be a 43.2-pound fish! Most of the bigger fish have been showing up at dusk and dawn, especially going into the full moon. Don’t forget to stop in and see John for everything you need for the Flukemania Tournament that is right around the corner.
• Captain Tim from the Northstar II reported on some erratic porgy fishing this week. “With all the bass and bluefish around, the porgies seem to be holding up further to the east,” Tim said. Bayville and Oyster Bay are still holding some quality fish, but Tim has also been hitting Eaton’s Neck and Lloyd’s. The bass and bluefish have been cooperating with Captain Tim; it’s the weather that’s been giving him a bad time! If you’re looking for some great western sound action, just hop aboard the Northstar II and enjoy!
• John at Jack’s B&T weighed in the biggest fish of the week on Thursday, it was a beefy 42-pound striper landed by Bobby McMurray off Hempstead Harbor on a fresh bunker chunk. Joe Perelli also did very well this week when a 35-pound bass inhaled his chunk off Execution. There are plenty of bass and bluefish stacked up off Hart’s Island, Execution and Hempstead Harbor. “The bite started two weeks late this year and now we are starting to see things really bust open,” John said. The porgies still have a stronghold on Bayville and Oyster Bay, with a few fish starting to show up off Matinecock and 32A. The fluke bite is very good right now, but it’s been a little tough to catch your limit. “We are seeing plenty of last year’s keepers being thrown back with this new limit,” John said. John has all the bait and tackle you need to catch the monster fluke that will win the Flukemania Tournament, so stop in and see him so you don’t get shut out!
• Captain Joe from Moontide Charters enjoyed a great day of fluking on Friday off Matinecock. “We had six keepers to 22 inches with a bunch of short fish,” Joe said. This was his first fluke trip of the year and Joe was very encouraged by the flurry of activity they saw. The bass and bluefish are still holding outside of Hempstead Harbor and the bunker are finally starting to get nervous in the morning and evening. There was also a good bite off Hen’s and Chicken’s outside Larchmont, which was producing some very nice fish. Captain Joe is available the weekend of the Flukemania Tournament, so give him a call to fish the tourney on a great boat with a great captain!
• John Knight from Hudson Park B&T was happy to report that the bass bite continues in the western sound! “We had some great action going into the moon, with plenty of bass and some alligator blues starting to show up,” John said. The back of Manhasset has been producing some very nice fish on artificials, especially at dawn and dusk. The porgy bite slowed considerably, coincidentally as soon as the bigger bluefish started making an appearance. The fluke bite is hit or miss right now, with some anglers doing very well off the points, then returning the next day with nothing to show for their efforts. Stop in and see John to find out where that winning fluke for the Flukemania Tournament will be caught. If anyone knows it’s John!
• Captain Steve from the Molly Roze was happy to report that he had the best week of striper fishing this season! “The bite just got red hot on Tuesday, and stayed hot for the entire week,” Steve said. The best fishing was off Mamaroneck, Hempstead and Matinecock. There are also plenty of bluefish of all shapes and sizes in the mix, which can make for some interesting nights. The porgies have been holding off Oak Neck and Bayville, with fish to 16 inches not uncommon. The fluke fishing has been very good, especially off Peacock Point, Matinecock and Hempstead. “The fluke fishing would be unreal if we still had last year’s limits,” Steve said. Steve is available for the Flukemania Tournament, so give him a call to book the tournament winning Molly Roze!
• Captain John Marino from American Sportfishing Charters was out hammering away at the bass again this week. John was in the middle of a trip so he gave me a quick rundown for the week. There are plenty of quality fish holding under the bunker schools. If you don’t see any action in 15 minutes, pick up and move. Live-lining with the schools has been producing the bigger fish. If you are looking for more action, tie on a popper or swimming plug toss it toward any point, rip or piece of structure and hold on to your pants! (Craig Koproski)