Tuna Are (Way) Out
One week ago, fishing way offshore, the Viking Starship with 23 people aboard landed over 60 yellowfin tuna. The largest of the yellowfins weighed 120 pounds. The tuna are out there for those who have the fuel to access the offshore canyons, although they might be rethinking those trips in light of the large swells being generated by Hurricane Erika.
Shark fishing remains good. Anglers aboard Capt. Mike Albronda's Montauk landed a 197-pound thresher on Sunday; also, three blue sharks and a small mako.
Inshore, the fly fishing shows signs of excellence, but it ain't quite there. Paul Dixon of Dixon's Sporting Life shop in Wainscott said he had not moved his flats-style charter boats to Montauk as he usually does this time of year because the false albacore (bonito) "have not set up" in the rips there.
Rain Bait
The reason, he said, was that the rain bait - the inch-long anchovies that the small tunas love to feed on - have not shown up.
"They're here, but they haven't set up, they're eating snappers and junk and they're up and down. It's a race and chase." Mr. Dixon said he hoped the hurricane swells would "push everything in."
In the meantime, his charters out of Three Mile Harbor have been taking anglers within range of gorilla bluefish in the 15-pound class, as well as one 39-inch striped bass with smaller ones mixed in.
Porgie Blitz
Harvey Bennett of the Tackle Shop in Springs reported "a ton of weakfish on the ocean beaches in Amagansett." The weaks were being lured by tins: Hopkins and Kastmasters. Mr. Bennett reported Charlie Price taking a 14-pound bluefish on light tackle on Napeague. That was Sunday. He said Napeague beaches had been "full of striped bass."
In the bay, porgies were biting in the rips near Gardiner's Island. Mr. Bennett described Richard Stone and his 8-year-old son, Mike, in the middle of a porgie blitz in Cherry Harbor (Gardiner's Island) suddenly being hammered by big mackerel.
"The kid had a blast. I like to marinate them and throw them on the grill," Mr. Bennett said.