Dan's Papers - August 17, 2007 -Go Fish

Offshore weather has been unpredictable. Winds were forecast as light and boats went offshore last week, often to discover winds blowing up to 20 knots - but some boats braved the blow and swells, catching tuna, marlin and shark.

Last weekend, August 10 and 11, Montauk's Star Island Yacht Club held its 15th annual mako and thresher tournament. The boat Shark Tale caught the winning mako of 156 pounds, and the second-place mako weighed 134 pounds. The first-place thresher shark weighed 170 pounds, brought in by Reel Games. Total prize money, divided among all winners, was $184,000.

Star Island Marina also reports Robert Green, fishing on Ten of Hearts, caught yellowfin tuna up to 70 pounds last Saturday, and Dennis on Jaws caught a 400-pound blue shark and a 100-pound mako last Sunday. Anglers on the Reelaxation boated three albacore tuna and loads of mahi mahi (dolphin fish, not the Flipper-like marine mammals), and also hooked a 400- to 500-pound blue marlin, which took several hours to bring alongside the boat. Rob and Jay on the yacht Jackpot limited out on yellowfin tuna.

Paulie A. of Paulie's Tackle, Montauk, reports boats on the north side of the Point are doing a "bang-up job" catching striped bass and bluefish, but surf fishing on the beaches was quiet this past week. TJ at Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk says a 9.5-pound fluke was caught by boaters off the village's south beaches, and boats were landing striped bass and bluefish off the Point.

John at Jamesport Bait & Tackle weighed in an 8.3-pound fluke caught south of the Shinnecock inlet and one boat, fishing off Montauk, caught a 28-pound striped bass while chunking with bunker. He also says there is good fluke action near the radar tower off Montauk and big porgies up to 17 inches long are being caught in Plum Gut between Orient Point and Plum Island. The party boat Orient Star reported great porgy fishing near Plum Island last Sunday.

Steve at WeGo Fishing Station in Southold says eight-year-old Nicholas caught a 45-pound striped bass on live bait fishing in a boat at the Race, southwest of Fisher's Island in Block Island Sound, assisted by his father. Kathy and John celebrated their 40th anniversary by catching many fluke. WeGo also weighed in a 38.35-pound striped bass caught north of Plum Island at the Sluiceway on bunker chunks.

Steve of East End Bait & Tackle, Hampton Bays, reports the fluke bite is very good out and around the sea buoy just outside the Shinnecock inlet, and the ratio of "keepers" (19.5 inches and up) to "shorts" has improved. One customer, fishing in 70 feet of water, had 12 fluke keepers over five pounds each. The basket area in Shinnecock Bay still has good fluking and there are striped bass at the Ponquogue Bridge.

Steve also says some of the boats fishing outside the Shinnecock inlet saw a thresher shark attacking bait in and around the fluking area. One angler hooked the thresher using a live snapper (baby bluefish) with a fluke rig on a light spinning rod, and battled the fish for 80 minutes before the shark was subdued and caught.

Alert from New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Environment Protection: Be on the lookout for "mitten crabs" with white-tipped claws, an invasive species from China. If you catch any strange looking crabs, please report it to the appropriate New York and New Jersey wildlife agencies.