July 19, 2019
Dear Fishermen and Friends,
It’s the time of year where we really settle into summer. Our fishing in June is consistently amazing, but the weather is consistently crazy. The only predictable pieces of the 4th of July week are crazy crowds and plenty of fog. This past week has felt like a giant breath of fresh air as our weather feels like summer, our water temps have risen and the crowds have subsided to the point where you might have a little more free time to go fishing!
The best news of the week is that Bluefish have enjoyed this consistency as well and they have pushed into our local waters. In order to manage expectations, the numbers are still not like five years ago, but any population of fish at this point is really welcome! Our best action seems to be off of Dionis, both from the boat and the beach. These fish are 3-4 pounds and are pretty hungry. For the most part, they are feeding off of the Sand Eels coming off of the flats, having said that, there is no need to “match the hatch.” Bluefish are aggressive by nature and will attack most lures with good action. On lazy days, swim a metal just under the surface. On other days, fish top water and wait for the explosion. Remember to always use a leader since these fish have teeth. A lot of people are still using wire leaders, a nod back to the old days, but I always recommend using an 60 – 80 lb mono leader as this still gives you the opportunity to catch a bass and when you are landing the Bluefish, it is much easier on your hands.
We are also seeing decent numbers of Bluefish in all of the usual spots around the Island. Great Point Rip has just starting filling in and we have fish up and down the East Side. We are seeing some of our bigger fish on the East Side, but they are still patchy. From the beach Quidnet has been the best producer, but a few fish have also been caught at point of breakers and those willing to walk out to the tip of smith point have had a good deal of success.
From the boat, we continue to see more and more people catch a ton of fluke. Fluke fishing and sea bass fishing has become a key piece of this fishery. They are plentiful, provide dinner fare, and are fun to catch. Much of the great fluke and sea bass fishing is taking place on the east side of the island, although the west side has huge moving schools of sea bass that are sitting under birds south of Muskeget.
It seems like in every article we write, we share the “cool things” we saw on the water this week. Well, This week a few whales have shown up on the South Shore again! It is so fun to watch these magical creatures in their natural environment. Over the last couple of years, we’ve been spoiled to see whales somewhat consistently in shore. Also cool, we saw a Pelican earlier this week in Miacomet Rip. It’s been a few years since we had those Pelicans living at Great Point. So fun!
We are also still seeing plenty of stripers as well. Both boat and beach fishermen continue catch in strong numbers. Many of the fish are still small closer to the shore, but they are plentiful and available. Those looking for bigger fish and are on the beach should focus their efforts at night time, while if on a boat, you should try and get on a charter and run east or north of the island where there are a good number of large fish. Monomoy shoals has been perhaps the most consistent producer this season.
Get out on the water and enjoy our amazing fishery!