Fishing Report: Porgy Season Extended; Fluke Season Ends

It’s such a shame that fluke season ends Friday. I have already heard of a few fishing buddies who will call in sick to get in on the last day of action — it comes as no surprise.

However, blackfish season opens again on Saturday and runs through Dec. 20. New York Department of Environmental Conservation marine regulations require a 14-inch minimum length and a four-fish per day bag.

For those requiring additional information about these tasty delicacies, Native Americans called them "tautog" (tog), referring to fish that prefer structures like piers, artificial reefs and rocky bottoms. If that sounds perfect for our local waters, it's because it is.

These intelligent fish are expert bait-stealers, so remember to attach your green or fiddler crabs in a secure way to ensure your expert reeling up the tog to add to your fish chowder or soup. The amount of bait in our locality has brought them here, attracting tons of striped bass, sea bass, porgies and fluke.

It's also noteworthy that experienced anglers have recently ignored much of what meteorologists have been saying about the weather conditions. In truth, fishing is superb now and all should take advantage while time still permits.

Out in what is currently known as the “Mecca” of East End fishing, better known as Montauk, the area has been ablaze with activity. On board the Blue Fin IV last weekend, all had limits of striped bass to 34-pounds caught
on live eels. Sea bass and scup were everywhere, so getting them was easy.

On the My Joyce charter, a Saturday bachelor party for Mike D. and friends produced stripers to 35 lbs. on live eels. Later-day bottom fishing yielded sea bass to 4 pounds and jumbo porgies. One guest had a huge false albacore on the slack tide and the boat totaled eight striped bass for the celebration.

On the November Rain, Bob B. and friends used live eels at the start of
the flood tide to catch striped bass in the 30- to 35-pound range. While there were tons of big blues in the mix, it did not hamper the fishing results. On the Capt. Ron, Doug Baum and his 12-year-old son, Ben, plus grandpa Len worked to assist the youngest member of their family his first-ever striped bass. Ben insisted upon doing it on his own and hooked, fought and landed a 35-pound striper. On top of this memory, add to it that all three Baums had their limits, a true family first.

Out of Shinnecock, those on the Hampton Lady last Sunday caught cod, a
big surprise for the anglers, as well as sea bass and false albacore that put up a good fight. There were many sea bass double headers with ling, some short fluke and huge porgies in the mix. Good weather conditions, clear water and great luck helped it all to happen. The Shinnecock Star caught triggerfish, jumbo sea bass and large porgies.

There are presently tons of big hungry striped bass off Orient Point, nothing unusual for this time of year. In spite of rolling swells and heavy chop on some days, both Montauk Point and Orient Point are thick with bait and those screaming birds overhead. This is some of the best fishing of the year and it will continue to improve in the coming weeks.

Great news for those who fish for the widely popular fish known as porgy (or scup). The DEC announced that the recreational scup fishery, originally scheduled to close on Sept. 27 (Oct. 12 for party/charter vessels), has been extended for 90 days by emergency regulation.

According to the DEC, for anglers fishing from shore or on private vessels, the minimum size (10 ½") and bag limit (10 fish) remain unchanged during the extended season. For paying passengers fishing from a party or charter vessel (P/C), the current 40-fish bag limit remains in place only through Oct. 11; thereafter, the bag limit returns to 10 fish. The 11-inch minimum size for P/C fishermen remains unchanged through the rest of the year. This means plenty of more meals for the dinner table, as well as the freezer for those cold winter months when fishing isn't an option.

According to the DEC, the season is being extended "based on data that shows that the scup stock is rebuilt to very high abundance, and that commercial and recreational harvest on the coast is projected to fall nearly 10 million pounds short of this year’s allowable harvest of these popular food and sport fish. Also, increased access to the robust stocks of scup could redirect fishing effort and reduce the ecological risks faced by the local tautog population which has been declared overfished."

For local anglers, it means three extra months of catching a fish that is both tasty and quite easy to find. Everyone wins on this one.