With Waters Warmer, Bass Don’t Feed
Volume 49, Issue 6
Captain Al Lorenzetti

Fishing for the period from July 4 to 10 has been good. Striped bass fishing has slowed but fluke remain solid.

As is usually the case in July, the water has gotten warmer with temperatures reaching 75 degrees. Striped bass don’t really like water that warm and they head out into the cooler ocean or become sluggish and don’t feed very well. As a result the fishing for stripers has slowed quite a bit. There are still some fish being caught and one day to the next could be quite different. Also, the schools of bunker in the ocean have scattered so it is tough to find good bait to use and the bass have nothing to concentrate their numbers in any given spot. If the bait reappears in the ocean, the fishing for big stripers should become red hot again.

On July 5 I fished with John Dall and we had two stripers up to 23 pounds but we had to work hard for those fish. On July10 I fished with Chris, Lisa and Benjamin Cartwright of Robbin’s Rest and we had one striper. We also caught some blues, porgies and fluke to round out a real mixed bag on a half-day trip.

Fluke fishing is still excellent. There is a good supply of keeper fish in the inlet and bay with lots of shorts still present. In the ocean the fishing is excellent for larger fish. Many four- to six-pound fish are being caught with fish up to 11 pounds also being taken. The most active area is just east of Fire Island Inlet and down to Ocean Beach in 40 to 60 feet of water. The dogfish problem has subsided from last week. Squid and spearing combos has been working best as bait.

Bluefish are all over the bay, inlet and ocean. It is almost a sure thing to see a school of blues chasing bait just about every morning.

Bottom fishing is also very good. Lots of porgies have invaded the bay and there are some keepers to be had. I have caught porgies up to 1.5 pounds but the keepers are pretty hard to come by.

The ocean waters are just amazingly clear and beautiful right up to the surf line. A body of Gulf Stream water has moved into our area. As a result, the blue water species are now close by. Bluefin tuna have been seen only a mile or two off the beach and sharks are numerous at the NA buoy, which is just 13 miles from shore. If this good water stays for a while, the blue water fishing should be excellent.

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK

A marker buoy is most important when trying to anchor on a small piece of structure for productive bottom fishing. Dropping a buoy on a fishing spot it makes it much easier to figure the wind and tide relative to your boat so that you can set the anchor and land on the productive bottom structure. It allows you to have a visual reference point while you maneuver the boat to set the hook.

FISHING FACTS OF THE WEEK

Percent of U.S. population over 16 years old that fishes = 16 percent (34 million anglers)

Percent that fish in salt water = about 25% percent

Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Captain Al Lorenzetti

Skimmer Fishing Charters

631-661-2112

www.skimmeroutdoors.com