Porgy season about to come to a close
By Tim Coleman Publication: The Day
Published 09/24/2010 12:00 AM
Updated 09/24/2010 05:37 AM
Porgy fishing is good to excellent right now but if you like to catch some of these great fighting, great tasting fish, now is the time, weather permitting. The season's last day is Sunday.
Captain Jack Balint was sorry to say that a 23-foot boat got caught up in a big wave while fishing at Montauk Point over the weekend. It overturned and washed up on shore in the second cove south of the light. Caution is advised if we get seas from another storm going by offshore.
On Wednesday Jack landed 12 albies around Race Point on Super Flukes but the next day the only thing in their place were small bluefish. Porgy fishing is excellent right now around Race Rock and some very large ones were caught off Wilderness and other spots on the south side.
Hillyers Tackle reported very good catches of porgies when the wind wasn't blowing at Bartlett's, Goshen Ledge and the Bloody Grounds. They weighed in a 50-pound bass this week caught by Dick Lesnits trolling a tube and worm at Bartlett's. During the day the average angler is catching more blues than bass out of The Race. Brandon Giller, age 6, landed a 3-pound triggerfish on a porgy trip on the Mijoy. Blackfish season will open on October 1.
Evan Douton at J&B reported their charter boat catching bass at night drifting eels at Valiant Shoal and some during the day drifting bucktails. Porgy fishing is going to close out the year on a very high note and there are false albacore zooming around between Race Point and the Sluiceway or maybe over to Montauk.
Al Golinski made a final fluke trip to Block Island on Tuesday with poor results. He and his wife hooked one lone fish and that was bitten in half by a bluefish before they could get it in the net. Sea bass catches on the rocks and wrecks off Misquamciut have been good to excellent. Al is using small bunker netted in the Pawcatuck River to catch the larger sea bass. He had one just up to the boat estimated to be around 6 pounds before he pulled the hook.
Don at King Cove said the sea bassing was good when the wind lays down long enough for small boats to run over to Rhode Island. Albies were around on Wednesday from the Fishers Island airport to Race Rock but missing from that spot Thursday. There were some blues around Watch Hill Passage and the Outer Reef during the aftermath of Igor.
Red at Bob's Rod and Tackle reported his customers catching a mix of school bass and blues of all sizes in the lower part of the Thames. People dunking worms for porgies in the river caught them along with lots of unwanted sea robins. The rockpiles out front of the river mouth are loaded with scup and The Race offers blues during the day, bass at the end of the tide or when they just feel like biting.
There are bunkers schools in the Thames River from Norwich to the Sub Base, said Joe at The Fish Connection. Find one of those, and you'll likely catch some blues out from under them on snagged baits. Rockpiles from Harkness over to Sarah's Ledge are loaded with porgies putting on a grand finale before the season closes.
Captain Brad Glas of the Hel-Cat reported another good week of fishing with mixed sizes of blues and some nicer striped bass. The sea bass trip was plagued by water riled up from the storm but they were able to find some cleaner water and put together a good catch by trip's end. The night trip for blues landed a mix of large and medium fish. Big fish of the week was an 18-pound bass caught by Henry from the Bronx.
River's End Tackle said Pat took some time off from the store to land bluefish and schoolie bass on bucktails at Watch Hill lighthouse. Mark from the shop fished from the beach at Hatchett's Point but the water was still so dirty from all the wind he gave up after an hour casting. Porgy fishing is good to excellent and in between windy days, some boats caught a few bass drifting at the Sand Shoal.
Surf fishermen along the Rhode Island beaches are catching blues on some days early and late in the day from Watch Hill Beach over to the Blue Shutters in Charlestown. Gill Bell landed a 10-plus pounder on a large swimming plug at the latter spot; he fishes there every morning at sunrise so when the fish are around.
Tim Coleman is The Day's saltwater fishing columnist. He can be reached at
thewreckhunter@aol.com
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