Western Sound, Nor'east Saltwater Magazine

• We are just coming off one of the best WICC bluefish tournaments we have seen in years! The weather cooperated, the bait was plentiful and there were plenty of bluefish challenging western Sound anglers. The last report I received was of a 17.17-pound fish leading the pack, with a 16.92-pound fish caught by Edward Phillips and weighed in at Jack’s B&T in second. Congratulations to all the winners and all the time and effort they put into catching that winning chopper! John weighed in quite a few money fish, which were all taken locally in the western Sound. “The bunker schools are all boiling with big bluefish hanging right underneath them,” John said. Some sharpies took advantage of everyone chasing bluefish this week and got in on some awesome porgy and fluke fishing. “The points are still loaded with monster scup and fluke pushing 28 inches,” John said. There are also a few bass still hunting in our area, so don’t put the fluorocarbon leaders away just yet.
• Captain Chris from the Island Current Fleet enjoyed some very solid bluefishing all week long! “We hit fish to the mid-teens on jigs and chunks, with the night bite really busting open,” Chris said. The blues are crashing bunker schools inside Manhasset Bay at both dusk and dawn. The porgy bite was also very good going into the weekend. Bill Stroebel was gladly out fished by his grandson Peter Heynes who limited out on monster scup aboard the Island Current II. The fluke bite was a little spotty early in the week, but started to pick up just in time for the bluefish tournament. The bite should really get going as we get closer to the moon. Captain Chris will be running the Island Current I for bass and blues beginning 9/1. Also keep an eye out for his East End trips which will be departing every Wednesday, at 4:00 am for awesome sea bass and monster porgies!
• John Knight from Hudson Park B&T was happy to report that this was one of the best bluefish tournaments he can remember. “We finally had bait and bluefish for a change,” John joked. There were plenty of anxious anglers this year and thank God there were plenty of bluefish to accommodate! John also reported that the porgy and fluke bite were both very strong going into the tournament, so things should pick right back up on Monday. The recent hot spots have been off the Blousers, King’s Point and Hart’s Island. There were also a few pods of bonito spotted in the western Sound hammering peanut bunker and snappers, so keep those Deadly Dick’s handy. Another nice surprise was the showing of sea bass mixing with the porgies. Clams were doing the job on the sea bass, while the porgies still prefer sandworms.
• Captain Steve Jagoda from the Molly Roze has been doing very well with the blues in the western Sound. “The bluefish are spread all over the sound, so just find the bait and you will find the fish,” Steve said. Manhasset Bay has been holding a tremendous amount of both predators and prey. There has also been some very good action off Captain’s Island as the bunker make their way out of Greenwich Harbor. The fluke bite continues to be very good off the local points, with squid and spearing doing the trick, along with bunker strips.
• Diane over at Duffy’s B&T was happy to report that the bluefish are all over the Glen Cove area and they are feeding on everything! Lawrence Cramer was leading for the Duffy’s port prize with a beefy 13.23-pound chopper. Ian Schmidt chunked up a nice 12-pound fish earlier in the week while scouting for the tournament. Not everyone was fishing for bluefish this week, Roy the “fluke man” drifted up a nice 5-pound fish off Matinecock. Marco Giorgi fished the same area and landed a 6.5-pound fluke. Sheppy O’Rourke landed a pair of keepers to 5 pounds. The porgy bite is also in full swing, with scup over 3 pounds becoming common.
• Captain Joe from Moontide Charters also reported on plenty of bluefish activity inside Manhasset Bay. “The blues had the bunker pushed right up against the town dock earlier in the week,” Joe said. As the water warmed up throughout the day the bigger fished moved to deeper water at the mouth of Hempstead Harbor. Captain Joe also got out for some porgy action and he was happy to report that there are some monster scup holding in the western Sound. “I actually ended up running out of bait, so I started cutting small pieces of bunker and they were attacking those like bluefish,” Joe said. There was also a good body of scup holding on the Middle Grounds, along with some sea bass in the mix.
• John from Glen Cove Sports wanted to congratulate all the youngsters that participated in the Glen Cove snapper derby. In the 6 to 10-year-olds, 1st place went to Josh Cohen, with his brother Tyler taking 2nd and Abby Brickner landing herself the 3rd spot. As for the 11 to 16 year olds, it was Mark Young in 1st with Alfonso Oropallo in 2nd and Mike Martignetti taking 3rd. Sal Groe took the best angler prize for the most amount of fish caught, congrats to all the anglers who participated in the event. The adults also had some luck this week while fishing the western Sound. Jose Murillo drifted a sandworm off Morgan’s Beach and nailed a 38-inch striper. John Caruso fished a bucktail from Pryibil Pier and landed 7 fluke to 26 inches. Tony Franco and Joe Delio fished squid and spearing off Sand’s Point and landed their limit of fish to 27.5 inches. Al Schiulaz fished a popper along the edge of a bunker school and landed his limit of bluefish to 12 pounds. Frank Barberi fished a Tsunami cigar minnow around the edge of a working school and hammered over 10 blues to 12.25 pounds.
• Captain Tim from the Northstar II reported on some absolutely awesome bluefishing during the night bite. “The blues are all over anything that hits the water, whether we are jigging or chunking,” Tim said. The porgy bite was also solid going into the weekend. The fish are probably scattered after all the boat traffic and bluefishing, but they should be back on their usual haunts by early in the week. Clams and worms are doing the trick on monster scup, and there are a few sea bass showing up in the mix.
• Captain Pat from the Shamrock IV has also been enjoying the awesome bluefish bite taking place in the western Sound. “It’s nice when you leave the dock and within five minutes you are on feeding fish,” Pat said. Captain Pat is also running his sunset fishing trips, which have been yielding some monster fluke along with teen-sized bluefish. Give Captain Pat a call to book your spot at the rail aboard the Shamrock IV. (Craig Koproski)