I love the fact our fishing community is so engaged these days. I also love the fact the we have Bluefish again this year. I regularly hear reports of people catching multiple bluefish from the beach on any given night.
Bluefish will always hold a spot in my heart, because it was the first fish that I could remember catching. I can still smell the day 35 years later. It was a stormy summer day with west wind and I was sitting on the beach of Great Point. I was five years old and casting into the wind. Low and behold after a few casts, my line went tight and everyone around me went crazy. I felt like a hero for the day.
Bluefish for me are so fun because they are so visual. Generally, I target these fish with a top water plug. Personally, I love fishing a Hopkins because you can cast it a mile. Once it lands, reel it as fast as you can and watch the plug skipping across the water. My favorite feeling is watching the Bluefish’s initial chase. The dolphin up behind the plug and inevitably miss the plug a time or two before line goes tight. This is why I love to fish.
Anglers have been catching Bluefish from every corner of our little Island. Perhaps the most productive fishery has been from Surfside Beach in the evenings. I’ve heard of multiple fish caught in Madaket, Miacomet and Tom Nevers. So go where you have access! Eel Point also continues to be very good from the beach.
We heard of a crazy story from Eel Point this week, and I guess this should not come as a surprise since it has been a different kind of year. Terrence Boylan was fishing from the beach with a Roberts Bounder. He was fishing topwater when there was an explosion at the end of the line. My guess is he could only think it was a Bluefish until a four foot thin, silvery fish explodes out of the water. My understanding is that it danced on the surface several times. This fish measured in around four feet and was initially labeled as a Needle Fish, but has since been identified as a Houndfish. Houndfish are relatively rare in shore, but if you push offshore a bit, you’ll find some. Especially with the warm water we have and the south wind that keeps pushing more and more warm water on us. My guess is we’ll hear more of these stories in the coming weeks. You never know what you are going to catch!
Striped Bass are still around, but if you are targeting them from the beach , my advice is to go in the low light hours. The south shore is still the easiest fishery, but the fish continue to be on the smaller side. If you want to fish well into the night, the harbor has been your best bet. We’ve also had some good reports in the last couple of days on the east side of the Island, where we usually have some cooler water.
From a boat, Great Point is back to it’s old ways. It’s holding a lot of fish! There are even some bass in the mix, but for the most part it is Bluefish. To target Striped Bass, our suggestion is to fish moving water to the east or to the west of the Island. The rips have a ton of bait moving through them and the water is cooler. These fish sit just below and pounce on the bait. Bigger swimming plugs have been the most productive.
While it seemed as if the Island went a little Bonito crazy in June, we expect this fishery to become productive in the next week or two. The bait is setting up well and so are the water temps. Be prepared with a metal in your bag or small swimming plug.
Expect the unexpected in the next few weeks. It should be fun! Go wet a line!