Dan's Papers - August 8, 2008

Last Sunday's front page of The New York Times carried a story about the worldwide explosion of jellyfish in coastal waters. From Spain to New York, Australia, Japan and Hawaii, different varieties of jellyfish are proliferating and some species' stings can be fatal (not our local variety). Net fishermen off Barcelona are bringing up large quantites of jellyfish that clog their nets and cause great discomfort and pain to the fishermen.

Most marine scientists believe this invasion is sounding an alarm and signaling the declining health of the world's oceans. They also believe overfishing of certain natural predators, such as tuna, shark and swordfish, have upset the oceans' ecological balance. Two other factors may also be helping the jellyfish: polluted waters have less oxygen, which fish need but jellyfish do not, and the slight increase in ocean temperatures due to global warming may also aid the jellyfish "bloom."

Locally, both inshore and offshore fishing have been exceptionally good this past week. Ken Morse of Tight Lines Tackle, Sag Harbor, reports plenty of fluke in the ocean outside Shinnecock Inlet in 55- to 60-foot depths. Ken also says "snappers" (small bluefish) are in the bays and inlets, and, if kept alive, make excellent fluke bait. There are weakfish in the Peconic bays at buoys 16 to 18. One of Ken's clients, fishing offshore beyond Block Island at the canyon, caught bluefin tuna in the 80-to-120-pound range.

Scott at East End Bait and Tackle in Hampton Bays tells us there are many keeper-size fluke in the ocean (20.5 inches and up) weighing in the four-to-seven pound range, and there are fluke in Shinnecock west of the Ponquogue Bridge. Scott says offshore, tuna fishing is heating up. Clients on the Shinnecock Star party boat are catching fluke in the ocean using spearing-combination hooks. Shinnecock guide Don Kaye says Shinnecock Bay is full of cocktail-size blues (slightly larger than snappers) and large bluefish are busting bait in the ocean.

John at Jamesport Bait and Tackle weighed in fluke of 6.3 to 8.5 pounds, and reports there are large striped bass biting on eels and clams in Plum Gut and the Race north of the Gut. Steve at Wego Fishing Station, Southold, tells us there is good striper fishing at night - one client caught a 59-pound striper - and there are reports of white marlin being caught and released out by the ocean canyons.

Harvey Bennett of The Tackle Shop in Amagansett says there was a striped bass blitz at the ocean beaches, including Indian Wells beach, and the fish are hitting on "tins" (metal lures). Paulie of Paulie's Tackle Shop in Montauk weighed in a 42-pound striper caught with bait at Ditch Plains. Montauk party boats have been getting their clients keeper catches of large fluke. The Reel Affair out of West Lake Marina, Montauk, weighed in two big-eye tuna (93 to 100 pounds) and six yellowfin tuna. The big Star Island Yacht Club's mako/thresher shark tournament is this weekend.