Volume 50, 2006
Fluke: OK in Bay, Better in the Ocean
Fishing for the period from August 8 to 21 has been very good. There is a good mix of fish to catch and the weather has been excellent. Fluke fishing is still strong with a couple of slow days on occasion but still pretty solid fishing in the ocean. It was very good fishing southwest of the inlet in the beginning of the month but that seems to have been played out. Southeast of Fire Island Inlet now seems to be most productive. The offshore reef area is good and I have had some very good days fishing south of Ocean Beach.

The Amazing Sustained Run of Bass
Fishing for the period from July 11 to 17 has been very good. Things have not changed very much in the last week. Striped bass fishing is fantastic and keeper fluke are tough to find. Once again the sustained run of big striped bass is truly amazing. I am positive it has to do with the incredible amount of bunker (menhaden) that are present both in the bay and ocean around our area.

Good Striper Bites Throughout the Summer
Fishing for the period from July 4 to 10 has been very good. Striped bass fishing is unbelievably good but fluke fishing is still a little tough. Striped bass fishing has gone from very good to excellent. Schools of bunker in the ocean have attracted lots of big striped bass. Most fish caught around the bunker schools in the ocean have been from 25 to 40 pounds.

Sharks in the Deep End
Fishing for the period of June 28 to July 3 was good. A few days of windy weather and crazy boat traffic over the holiday weekend made things a little tough but good numbers of fish were to be had. Striped bass fishing is still excellent despite the warm water. Striped bass usually turn off when the water reaches 75 degrees but it is not the case this year.

With Patience, Ocean Fishing Is Good
Fishing for the week from June 20 to 27 has been excellent. With the exception of the nasty weather last weekend, the previous week was beautiful and the fish were biting. Striped bass fishing is still steady. There are still lots of fish at a time when the spring run is usually winding down.

Crabbing Gets an Early Start
Fishing for the period from June 6 to 19 has been very good. The water has warmed up but still remains clean with no serious weed or algae problems. As a result, fishing has remained very good for most species. Striped bass fishing has been most excellent both in the inlet and bay areas as well as in the ocean.

Fluke Slow, Bass Fantastic
Fishing from May 22 to June 5 was been excellent. Some species are tough to come by but others are available in good numbers. Striped bass fishing has been excellent and weakfish have made a showing. Flounder season closed on May 30 but was very good right until the end.

Welcome Back, Fish Beware
Welcome back for another season on Fire Island and the 50th anniversary of The Fire Island News. It is my pleasure to once again be writing the fishing report and keeping you all up to date on what is happening on the fishing scene. It was a strange spring, with April Showers arriving in May. The temperatures have been on the cool side and the water temperatures are also a little chilly for this time of year. It has not put a damper on the fishing, however, and it is now excellent.

Volume 49, 2005
Hot Waters, Sluggish Fish
Fishing for the period from August 7 to 21 has been good in the bay but best in the ocean. The weather has remained very warm and as a result, the waters are still very warm bordering on hot. The fish are sluggish and the bite is best only during incoming water. The bay is loaded with small fluke. It is fun fishing but with very few keepers. Using live snappers or peanut bunker for bait will increase the catch of keeper fluke.

Fishing Poor in Bay, Ocean Cooler
Fishing for the period from July 25 to August 6 has been very poor in the bay and very good in the ocean. The excessive heat of the last two weeks has warmed the waters to the point that the fish have become lethargic or have moved out into the cooler ocean. Temperatures in the bay are over 80 degrees. There is also a bloom of moss like algae that is making fishing in the bay and inlet almost impossible on any tide other than the last couple of hours of the incoming (flooding) tide.

Go Off Shore!
Fishing for the period from July 18 to 24 has been very good.  Off shore blue water fishing is red hot and so is the fluke fishing in the ocean. Fluke fishing in the ocean is now the best bet for inshore fishing fun. On July 18, I fished for a couple of hours with a crew from Babylon. We fished
southeast of the inlet in 60 feet of water and had nice fish from three to six pounds. I have heard of numerous fish up to 10 pounds and most fish are keepers. It is definitely the place to fish. Squid and spearing have been excellent for bait. Sand eels are also working very well.

Beautiful Gulf Stream Water is Here
Beautiful Gulf Stream water has moved into our area and there are plenty of tuna, sharks and fluke that are having a great time chasing the numerous schools of baitfish. On July 12 I ran a 28-foot Pursuit with twin Mercury 225 hp Verado engines to a weed line that is in about 125 feet of water between 20 and 25 miles from the inlet. We trolled two small bluefin tuna and set up for shark fishing. We had some bluefish in the slick so we used bluefish fillets for baits. The sharks came into the slick and we had a ball catching and releasing six big blue sharks. We then hooked up a 200-pound thresher shark and boated it in about 20 minutes. At the end of the day we hooked a mako that got its tail wrapped and broke off near the boat. It was a good day of fishing only 20 miles from the inlet.

With Waters Warmer, Bass Don’t Feed
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.

Fish Outside of 120 Feet of Water
Fishing for the period of June 28 to July 4 has been very good. Fluke fishing is at it’s best and striped bass fishing is still solid. The best action for the past week has been fluke fishing. A big body of keeper sized fluke has moved into the inlet and bay areas. West Channel has been the hot spot with many fish in the four to six pound range. There are also many undersized fluke and so the action is non-stop. Squid and spearing combos have been working best. The fishing for fluke in the ocean is also good but there are many dogfish in the deeper water where the doormats reside. If you stick it out and put up with the dogfish, you can score with a double-digit size fluke.
Fishing on FI Couldn't Be Better
The big news of the week is the much-improved fluke fishing both inside the inlet and offshore. There was a hot bite in West Channel on Wednesday. The Jib VI out of Captree had 85 keeper fluke on one four-hour trip. Lots of private boats also loaded up on good size fluke fishing from the Coast Guard station east to Ocean Beach and north up in West Channel. Boats fishing in the ocean also had improved catches with some fish to 10 pounds being taken in 40 to 70 foot depths. Hopefully this body of fish will be around for a while.
Fishing is Red Hot
Fishing for the period from June seven to 19 has once again been excellent. Striped bass fishing is red hot and most other species are in good supply. The striper fishing has been exceptional. There are a lot of baitfish in the ocean with schools of bass and bluefish chasing them all around.

Fish Plentiful, Striped Bass Best
The best fishing at this time is striped bass. Lots of bass from “schoolies” to “cows” are swimming in our waters from the inlet all the way into the Back Bay areas. Swimming plugs worked near the surface are taking fish on all the edges of the channels. Clam chumming the rips at the inlet area and the Moses Bridge is solid with action and a good number of keepers are being taken. Live bait fishing for the big fish is top notch with fish into the 40-pound range being caught this past week.

Welcome Back For Another Season Of Fishing
Welcome back to the Fire Island News for another season of fishing reports.It has been a cold spring if you can call it that. I think we will go directly from winter to summer overnight. The chilly, wet and windy weather has not put a damper on the fish. They don’t seem to care that we humans are suffering while trying to catch them.

Volume 48, 2004
Fishermen Delighted With Bass
The fishing for the period of July 27 to August 9 has been very good overall but if you are a striped bass aficionado it has been fantastic.
It is unusual for bass fishing to be this good in the middle of the summer. There are large schools of bunker (menhaden) outside the inlet and they are the favorite food for big striped bass.

A Pick-Up in Offshore Fishing
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.

Bass and Fluke are Abundant
Fishing for the week of July 6 to 12 was excellent. Striped bass fishing is top notch, fluke are plentiful, bottom fishing has gotten started and offshore fishing is solid.