Sports

FISHING REPORT

Bob Haase at Orient by the Sea Marina said private boats had lots of keeper striped bass and some smaller bluefish during the day Sunday. Even a morning thunderstorm failed to put down the fishing for slammer-sized porgies. Bob’s family was out on the Fishy Business and had a spectacular day of scup fishing in the Peconics last week, an early trip that took advantage of the skipper’s federal allotment.

Steven at WeGo Fishing in Southold explained there were scup everywhere in Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay in two- to three-pound sizes. According to the Caraftis family, Charlie at the Mattituck Marina on Mattituck Creek saw giant porgies even larger.

There are already bass in the usual spots in the far east from the Gut through the Race for anglers using bucktails and eels. Ken Holmes on the Brooklyn Girl told WeGo Fishing he had a couple of cows to 50 pounds on night trips. There are fluke off the Oyster Factory and the Lawns in trophy sizes, with the largest weigh-ins to 14 pounds, and Long Island Sound has plenty of fluke as well. Naturally, most are shorts of 20 inches or less, but the pros who fish the deep dropoffs on a daily basis usually cull a couple of “keepers” on a regular basis.

Bill Czech at Jamesport Bait and Tackle in Mattituck has seen more striped bass than ever this year in the bay, although Long Island Sound beaches have started slowly. Some bluefish in slammer sizes have been reported back west on Long Island Sound toward Northville, but bay blues tend to be small fish. Bill is heartened by the appearance of a few pods of weakfish in the three- to five-pound class working on the cinder worm hatches in local bay creeks. Early morning is the best time to see these fish, a class that holds promise for future years. Scup are the real headliners, with plenty of 15-inch fish in the early run, and one giant 22-incher displayed at the shop, too.

Martin Garrell