7 Photos
Peter and Emma Ambrose were out on the Hampton Lady for a daddy and daughters (Emma's sister Juliet was also aboard) fluke trip recently and went home with plenty of fluke for Pete's Endless Summer seasonings. COURTESY HAMPTON LADY FISHING
Jay Dell hefts of a nice bluefin tuna he caught off Montauk last week. KEITH ROBERTSON
Jack Fuld decked this 10-pound doormat fluke while fishing aboard the Someday Came charter boat out of Hampton Bays recently. CAPT. BRAD RIES
The Sagg Main drum circle turned into a fishing expedition for Stephen and Delfina Lobosco on Monday. JESSICA LOBOSCO
A group of Southampton Breakers college baseball players went on a fishing trip on the Hampton Lady on Monday for some team bonding. From left, Julian Nielsen, Andrew Houghton, Brett Walmsley, Brody Minder, Dylan Rorech, Drew Sliwkowski, Harrison Preslier and Andrew Steinhubel. COURTESY HAMPTON LADY
Andrew Steinhubel with his catch. BRODY MINDER
Andrew Houghton, left, and Andrew Steinhubel. BRODY MINDER
There’s plenty of good fishing to be had around the South Fork as we get into the meat of the Hamptons summer season.
Fluke fishing has been pretty good, tuna fishing has been red hot, and bottom fishermen are picking away at the also-ran species that fill out the coolers.
The tuna have been the biggest headline grabbers. There have been loads of small bluefin tuna feeding as close as 5 miles off Montauk and Moriches, making for easy access by fishermen even on small skiffs.
The bluefins thus far have mostly been of the schoolie variety, a size of bluefins that has actually been relatively scarce in our waters in the last few years — rather than the larger fish over 75 pounds or so.
The bigger fish have started to filter into the mix though, and with the amount of bait that is once again piled up in the nearshore waters, the potential for another gangbusters big game season is robust.
The canyons have been excellent too, with lots of bigeyes and yellowfin to be had. The Montauk Canyon Challenge is happening this week — there are more than 80 sportfishing crews competing in the first leg of the local tuna tournaments (followed by the Tri-State Canyon Shootout next week and the Hamptons Offshore Invitational in August).
Fluke fishing has been good enough to make it worth the effort and expense, at least. The fishing the last several years has been mediocre compared to what we had gotten used to around here, but this year has been something of an improvement. There are lots of keepers in the shallows of Shinnecock Bay, including some true doormats over 10 pounds.
In Montauk, the story is exactly the opposite. As has been the case the last few years, the fluke off Montauk are deep, deep, deep — in 90 to 110 feet in most cases. This past weekend south of the radar tower, the fluke fleets and the bluefin fleets were just a few miles apart, and in some cases tuna fishermen were trolling closer to the beach than the fluke fishermen were drifting.
There are still some stripers to be had in our waters. It is primarily a nighttime activity now though. The ocean beaches have a few still prowling the surfline, mostly small resident fish that are finicky. The rocky points in Montauk have some jumbos at night but the bluefish are a major pest. And if you prowl the quieter back bay shorelines you may not catch a ton of fish but the bumps will be quality.
The Mercury Montauk Grand Slam is coming up this weekend, and there are still slots left for crews that would like to get in on the fun. The fishing days are July 19 and 20. The tournament combines the total weight of the largest of four species of fish: fluke, porgy, black sea bass and bluefish. All four species must be weighed in to qualify the team. It’s always a fun tournament that tests the smarts, local knowledge and strategy of a fishing team.
Good luck to all the competing crews, inshore and off.
Catch ’em up. See you out there.
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