Gone Fishing With Captain Al
Volume 48, Issue 8
By Captain Al

Fishing for the week of July 20 to 26 has been very good. Offshore blue water fishing has really taken off and striped bass fishing has picked up after a slow week.
The big news this week is the excellent offshore fishing. There are still lots of sharks around and you don’t have to run far to get them. Lots of tuna are busting water from 20 miles out to the Canyons. These tuna are a mix of yellowfin and bluefin. Konrad of Babylon was shark fishing on a wreck about 40 miles southeast of Fire Island Inlet and hooked up with a nice blue marlin. It sounds like you could try just about any type of offshore fishing and have a shot at catching a good fish.
The bunker schools showed up again outside the inlet and the striped bass were on them pretty good. Mike Tennis of Captree Island landed on the fish and had stripers pushing 40 pounds. This was a big turn around from the previous week when the bait schools seemed to disappear. As long as the bait is here the bass will also be available. Clam chumming has also been pretty good around the inlet area with a good number of keeper fish.
A few weakfish have been reported. There have been a number of small weakfish taken around the local docks. In addition, a few big fish have been caught on live bait fished around the inlet area. These fish are starting to fatten up for the fall run. A live snapper is excellent as a big weakfish bait.
Fluke fishing is pretty consistent. There is a fair amount of keeper fluke still in the bay. The best fishing for the larger fish is still out in the ocean with 30 to 40 feet of water producing best this week. There is still a problem with the dogfish but it doesn’t seem to be as bad as last week.
Bottom fishing is pretty solid right now with some big porgies and an abundance of triggerfish. An occasional blowfish will show up in the catch. Seabass are in good supply on the offshore reef but still scarce in the bay.
The snappers are making a good showing at all the local docks on the mainland and Fire Island communities. Blue claw crabs are also in good supply around the local docks.

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK
A live snapper is an excellent bait for big weakfish and fluke. I like to fish them on a smaller version of a live bait rig that is used for striped bass. Tie a drail (torpedo sinker) that is heavy enough to get the bait to the bottom to the end of your line. Attach a four-foot leader of 40-pound test mono to the drail and tie on a 2/0 treble hook. Insert one hook of the treble into the nose of the bait and fish it near the bottom. This rig will catch the biggest weakfish and fluke.

FISHING FACTS OF THE WEEK
Amount paid at auction for an antique Haskell Minnow Lure = $101,200.
Number of U.S. boating fatalities from 1995 to 2000 = 380.
Region where most fatalities occurred = Gulf of Mexico.
Good Luck and Good Fishing!
Captain Al Lorenzetti
Skimmer Fishing Charters