Fisherman's World 8/10

• Bluefish: It’s that time of year again. The WICC bluefish tournament will be here in a few weeks. It’s a good time to practice. There was a large school of bunker on Thursday the 9th in our harbor, it started at Round beach and ended at Peach Island; with all size bluefish and some stripped bass mixed in. When you encounter this situation you can cast bunker chunks into the school, or throw live bunker back into the school, but the most enjoyable is when you use a large swimming plug and cast on the side of the school. It is a good time to troll swimming plugs while leaving the harbor or returning to your boat slip. Some days the blues are as far as the 95 bridge and you wouldn’t know they were there unless you trolled. There have also been some big blues on the mudflats outside of the Norwalk Harbor, west side of Manresa Power Plant.
  
• When the big blues aren’t in the harbor, you can chunk on the reefs outside the Norwalk Islands: Green’s Ledge, Budd’s Reef, 28c, 11B, and in 30-40ft of water south of Sheffield Island. Trolling wire line on the above reef’s mentioned with swimming plugs, bunker spoons, and parachutes, is also an excellent method for catching large blues. There are usually some stripers mixed in.
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• Stripers: Still some bass being caught on the reef’s, especially at night. The larger fish seem to be in the lower 20lb range. Casting along the shore of the Norwalk Islands with small popping plugs, ¾ oz, 1 oz, and rattletraps, any variation, has been producing bass up to 30 inches. Fish the same places at night with swimming plugs; reel slowly. As usual tube and worming usually catches bass, usually smaller bass, but an occasional nice size bass. Keep your eyes open for the birds working.
  
• There has been many blues in the middle passage area, Copp’s Island, Shay’s Island, and south of that area in 20-30ft of water. Small poppers, rattle traps, or spoons (Kastmasters, Hopkins, Deadly Dick’s) are being used. There have also been some Bonita mixed in. Further to the west off of the Port Jeff area, there has been some Spanish mackerel caught. (They should be here by this posting)
• Fluke:It is that time of year when the fluke start to school up and get ready to leave. They are not gone; they will be here until September. So it is hit or miss, usually if you find them you can have some of the best fishing of the season. But it is important to move around and find the fish, and maybe even more important to fish when the conditions are correct. Places to try: 25-40ft of water South of buoy 26, south of Copp’s island, Middle Passage, and Sheffield. Middle Passage has been the spot this week. Buoy 11B, Westside, from 30-80ft of water, the OB buoy, the same depths. 32A between Stamford and Long Island, you should be able to find a bite at one of these locations.
• As always Note to remember: fluke do not bite well, if at all, wind against tide. It is not good to fluke fish with an outgoing tide, and an east wind or vice versa. It is best to fish on nice days not windy days. Drifting too fast for fluke is also not productive, over 1.5 knots it gets difficult.
• Porgy's: The best spot for Porgy’s is south of Copp’s Island, 40ft of water at low tide, and 48ft at high tide. It has been better at 50-55ft of water west off of that rock. There are Porgy’s at Budd’s Reef, buoy 26, can 1 - Cockenoe, Buoy 28 Great reef, and a lot of small ones, with a few nice ones mixed in at Peck’s Ledge lighthouse.
• The Snappers are everywhere; it is a fantastic way to start children interested in our sport. Fishing is usually very active and keeps the youngsters interested. Fishing with frozen spearing (aka shiners, white bait, and silver sides.) The limit is 10 per day each person.
• Offshore Report: Tuna:So many of our customers have been fishing Montauk, the canyons, catching Wahoo, Tuna, Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Yellow fin, Albacore, Durado (aka Mahi-Mahi), and Big eye. Fishing the fish tails to west Atlantis and 10 miles north of these locations. High speed trolling with deep green machines, jet heads, tuna clones, slow trolling, with spreader bars and also mixing Ballyhoo in the spread. The night bite has been, for some boats that are drifting or tide up in the right areas, great. Chumming with spearing and butterfish, or fishing with butterfish, live or dead fish, also butterfly jigging has been phenomenal as it was last year.