Dan's Papers - June 22, 2007

The fishing slowed down a little last weekend because of unfavorable tides but there still are striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, sea bass, fluke and porgies being caught in East End waters. Here are the latest reports at press time. Ken Morse of Tight Lines Tackle, Sag Harbor, says a 32-pound striped bass was caught on clam bait off North Haven at the South Ferry slip. Boats fishing off Ram's Head at Shelter Island ran into a big school of bluefish. Fluke fishing in Sag Harbor waters was spotty but tides should favor better fluking this week.

Paulie of Paulie's Tackle in Montauk reports fishing boats are getting a lot of action catching small striped bass and undersize fluke and then releasing them. There are also bluefish in Montauk waters and some striped bass being caught on eels.

There are reports of sea bass outside Moriches inlet biting on clams and squid in about 90 feet of water, and some fluking in Shinnecock Bay on the outgoing and incoming tides.

On the North Fork, porgies (scup) and striped bass are in and around Orient Point. Fluke are being caught at Bug Light and stripers at the Race. Bluefish and stripers are hitting on bucktails at Plum Gut. There are reports of good porgy fishing at the Ruins in Gardiner's Bay.

Last weekend's shark fishing tournament at Star Island Yacht Club in Montauk was a big success in spite of the 25 or so picketers organized by the Humane Society of the United States. A plane trailing a banner reading "End the Cruel Shark Tournament Now!" flew overhead while more than 1,000 people at dockside watched the winning 359-pound thresher shark hung and weighed.

The next shark tournament is June 29 and 30 at Montauk Marine Basin, and there is a Fluke Mania Smackdown July 14-15 sponsored by www.noreast.com. For the Smackdown, all fishermen in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are eligible to compete for the heaviest fluke 20 inches or longer. The entry fee is only $25, with a portion going to the Future Fisherman Foundation. More than $20,000 in prizes will be awarded. Register at the website or call 1-866-610-2246. Local weigh-in stations are Tight Lines Tackle (Sag Harbor), Gone Fishing Marina (Montauk), Westlake Fishing Marina (Montauk), and Wego Fishing, Bait and Tackle (Southold).