June 23rd - Striped Bass are Finicky Fish

Stripers and Blues

The early summer fishing continues out there and it’s been very good so far, with plenty of good stripers around who are more than willing to hit if presented with the right opportunity at the right time.

As is the case all year, but especially during the beginning of the summer, the striped bass are pretty particular about when they want to eat. There is an abundance of bunker out there for them to pick from, meaning they really don’t have too much competition for their food and that they don’t have to spend that much energy to find their next meal. Because of this, your fishfinder might be loaded with great marks but you might not be getting a single bite. The best way to solve this is to fish with what they’re eating: live bunker. Cast nets are available at BHO Westbrook, and if you don’t know how to throw one you should check out our Cast Net Camp! Keep an eye out for upcoming dates. If you can’t throw a cast net, a bunker snag works well too. Look for bunker splashes, cast the hook past the splash so you don’t spook them, then take big sweeps with your rod to snag a bunker. Have your live bunker rig ready (10/0 circle hooks work well), hook up that bunker and get it back in the water. You’ll need to find more bunker each time you get a fish and if your bunker dies, but they really do work!

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Bluefish are still around as well, in many coves and river mouths. They are often found on shallow flats and are still quite willing to obliterate your plug and test the strength of your knots and leader material. Enjoy the acrobatics and try to tail grab them when they come in. It seems to be one of the most effective ways to control a fish that is truly made for chaos.

Seabass and Porgies

As warmer days and nights continue to stack up, we will see the porgy move in shallower than they are now. Though it is summer to us, the waters are still getting up there, so you may not find as many porgy at your local jetty or dock as you would expect. Some cold nights in May kept temperatures down, but those porgy always come in, and will begin to show with more regularity.

New this year, there is a closure of seabass fishing from June 24th to July 7th. You cannot target or keep seabass during this time. Remind your friends and fellow anglers, as rules like these can sometimes catch folks by surprise, especially when the norm has been a summer of fully open seabass fishing.

Fluke

Fluke fishing has been good in the Long Island Sound and waters nearby reachable by boat. We’ve had some keeper size fish coming in from shallow water, down to 25’ deep. This could be due to the large amount of peanut bunker and silverside that have been observed inshore. To mimic these fish that the fluke are eating, try silver, green, and bunker-colored offerings. Spearing is a good choice to tip your bucktail with as well. With seabass fishing closing on the 24th, these next two weeks are prime time to chase some fluke on nice long drifts through your favorite gullies and gulches.