Western Sound, Noreast Magazine

• Well western Sound anglers it’s time to put away the fluorocarbon and break out the wire leaders! The bluefish are making their presence known in every inch of the western Sound. The bunker schools are really balled up, with bluefish blitzing them almost all hours of the day. A few anglers are still scoring bass in the early morning and at dusk, especially in tight to the rocks. The fluke are still holding strong off the points; however, you need to filter through quite a few “shorts” before culling a keeper. The porgies are scattered all over the western Sound thanks to the bluefish. For those anglers targeting scup I suggest heading east and fishing away from the bunker schools.
• John Knight at Hudson Park B&T reported an all out bluefish bonanza in and around Hempstead Harbor. The bluefish are keyed in on the massive bunker schools that we have been waiting to re-appear in the western Sound for years! There are still a few sharpies hitting the rocks early with artificials and coming back to the dock with the occasional keeper bass. The fluke bite picked up this week, with most anglers scoring larger fish by using bunker strips tipped with large spearing. The snappers are also starting to thicken up, so get the kids down to the local dock with some spearing and watch them have a ball!
• Captain Steve from the Molly Roze reported plenty of bluefish in his neck of the woods. “The blues have been pounding the bunker schools, with a few short bass taking the bait every now and then,” Steve said. There were some bigger fish taken while fishing very tight to structure from Rye to Greenwich. There was also a very good fluke bite off Prospect Point, Matinecock and Foxes. Squid and spearing combos are yielding plenty of fish with a lot of shorts in the mix. Steve also commented on the porgy bite which is taking place further to the east where they have more room to hide from the blues.
• Victor at Fisherman Depot reported quite a few bass still holding in LNB. “There are still plenty of bass, unfortunately most of them are shorts,” Victor said. There are also plenty of bluefish working the bunker schools from LNB to Manhasset. “We have snappers all the way up to 15-pound choppers feeding like crazy in the western Sound,” Victor said. Victor also reported on anglers scoring some keeper fluke from shore down by the Throgs Neck Bridge.
• Captain John Marino from American Sportfishing Charters had a ball with his two instructional trips this week. “It was great snagging a bunker then watching it get attacked boat side by a half a dozen monster bluefish,” John said. Dr. Mark Childs not only learned a ton about fishing the working bunker schools, but he also landed over 70 fish in one day! Captain John has also been out scouting for his light tackle fluke trips, which he is looking very forward to starting. Unfortunately the bite isn’t where Captain John would like it to be, but he and I are both confident that more fluke will filter into the Sound with the upcoming full moon. Captain John is currently booking dates for these trips, and if you have never done light tackle fluking this is a great way to fish these aggressive predators. Give Captain John a call at 516-457-8715 for an eye popping experience on fluke fishing!
• John at Jack’s B&T was happy to report that there are still a few bass feeding around City Island. Louis loaded up with fresh bunker at Jack’s B&T and returned a short while later to weigh in his biggest of two keepers taken from shore near the Throgs Neck which tipped the scales at 25 pounds. There are also hoards of bluefish working over just about every bunker school in the western Sound. The bigger blues have been feeding the early morning and evenings, with smaller fish available at just about every hour of the day. The fluke fishing has been very good off the local points, with plenty of shorts in the mix. Most sharpies looking for bigger fluke have been using snappers and bunker strips. The porgy bite has been very spotty to the west due to all the bluefish. There is a decent porgy bite further to the east off Rye and Greenwich for those willing to burn the gas. John was also happy to report that the kids are having an absolute blast catching snappers off the local docks.
• Captain Chris from the Island Current Fleet had another solid week of fishing in the western Sound. Monday, Joe Bovey and his group enjoyed a great outing while working the bunker schools inside Manhasset Bay for some monster bluefish and a few short bass aboard the Island Current II. That same day Tom Bellantoni and his party were in the little boat fishing the same area and doing a number on the blues. Tuesday, Joe Nannierello and his group worked their baits from No Nations to Execution for some awesome blue fishing and finished the day fluking aboard the Island Current II. Wednesday, Barbara Lefkovitch and her party didn’t have to go far to find the bluefish, which were working the bunker schools right outside City Island. Mike Scacklerberger and his party also did very well on the bluefish during the night bite. Thursday, “Big” Jay came down from upstate NY for a very picky fluke bite, and then ended the day jigging up the bluefish right behind Captain’s Island. Friday, Captain Chris ran the open boat for an am porgy trip which ended with quite a few keepers in the fish boxes. After the porgy bite tailed off out came the jigs and it wasn’t long before the blues started coming over the rails. Captain Chris has some great mid-week specials for booking either boat and this is a great time of year to get in on some non-stop action in the western Sound. Captain Tim from the Northstar II has been enjoying the good porgy bite further to the east. “We have been covering a lot of ground, but it’s been worth traveling east,” Tim said. The porgies are really huddled around every piece of structure everywhere from Rye up to Norwalk.
• Captain Tim is in the process of getting his generator fixed, after a freak lightning strike earlier in the week, so he can resume the night trips for bluefish, so stay tuned.Captain Pat from the Shamrock IV has been doing very well on his sunset fluke trips. “The local points are holding some very nice fish,” Pat said. The fishing should only get better after the upcoming full moon. Pat has also been running some night trips for bluefish and bass. The bluefish bite is about as good as it gets with a few short bass also showing in the mix. “My clients are having a ball working the bunker schools spread all over the western sound,” Pat said. Give Captain Pat a call to book your spot at the rail or the whole boat for your party. (Craig Koproski)