captmike28
Well-Known Angler
It’s no secret that Fluke fishing this spring has been very challenging. However, the North Fork Striped Bass run has just taken off and we have also been blessed with a really steady Weakfish bite starting up shortly after the reliable spawning Porgy began early this month. So, things looked promising as the holiday weekend approached. That is until we had to endure 2 straight days of near Gale Force winds and heavy rain.
So, with the Chris party aboard we headed west into the Peconic’s hoping to cash in on the Weakfish action. Naturally we were greeted with a steady North wind, overcast skies, very chilly air temperatures in the high 40’s, and extremely dirty water after the big blow. Although I was marking sizeable schools of Weakfish upon our arrival, the first few drifts yielded nothing but a few mean, nasty, and pretty large dogfish. Then we began to to pick away on the Weakfish as the ebb tide started to wane. Slowly but surely, we managed to hit our boat limit until the tide started to flood when the bite actually improved with fish being caught more regularly. So, from a very slow start we ultimately boated 10 Weakfish up to 4.5# plus a couple of medium Scup and a short Fluke.
Headed out to the Gut to hit the Bass drifts that had been very consistent last week for 3 straight trips. Action was a little slower here as well today with only 5 fish taken for a 2.5-hour effort but at least one fish just fit into the 28” slot range. So, overall, considering the really nasty weather the island had to deal with over the Memorial Day Holiday we did manage to make some lemonade today after all!
Still a few weekend dates open on June which is our best month for Stripers if that’s your passion. And who knows how long the current Weakfish run will continue but it sure rates a lot more attention in the coming week or two. With a little bit of luck there may even be a resurgence to the Fluke bite with a return to warmer weather. Only way to find out is to get on the water and wet line!
So, with the Chris party aboard we headed west into the Peconic’s hoping to cash in on the Weakfish action. Naturally we were greeted with a steady North wind, overcast skies, very chilly air temperatures in the high 40’s, and extremely dirty water after the big blow. Although I was marking sizeable schools of Weakfish upon our arrival, the first few drifts yielded nothing but a few mean, nasty, and pretty large dogfish. Then we began to to pick away on the Weakfish as the ebb tide started to wane. Slowly but surely, we managed to hit our boat limit until the tide started to flood when the bite actually improved with fish being caught more regularly. So, from a very slow start we ultimately boated 10 Weakfish up to 4.5# plus a couple of medium Scup and a short Fluke.
Headed out to the Gut to hit the Bass drifts that had been very consistent last week for 3 straight trips. Action was a little slower here as well today with only 5 fish taken for a 2.5-hour effort but at least one fish just fit into the 28” slot range. So, overall, considering the really nasty weather the island had to deal with over the Memorial Day Holiday we did manage to make some lemonade today after all!
Still a few weekend dates open on June which is our best month for Stripers if that’s your passion. And who knows how long the current Weakfish run will continue but it sure rates a lot more attention in the coming week or two. With a little bit of luck there may even be a resurgence to the Fluke bite with a return to warmer weather. Only way to find out is to get on the water and wet line!
