Saturday found the Matt party aboard and we began the morning spending the last 3 hours of the ebb tide along with a light west wind on the Fluke drifts in the Greenport area. Action was fast and furious except for the fact that 95% were of the dreaded Sea Robin variety. The guys worked extra hard and did manage to cull one 21” keeper Fluke among 2 other shorts. Also, for the first time this season the Bluefish made an appearance and we boxed 4 nice fish between 4-7# for the grill/smoker.
So, the next logical move was to the west side of Jessup’s Neck to cash in on the very reliable Porgy bite. Once again, the big spawning Pork chops were present in large numbers and the crew had a great time filling the box with medium to some close to jumbo Scup up to 3# on fresh clams. We also played C&R with a few nice Sea Bass and added a couple of additional Blues that enjoyed the clam baits just as much as the Scup. Nice freezer filler trip for a great bunch of guys.
Sunday, we followed the same pattern with the Chris party and although the birds were still overwhelming at times, we did see more Fluke in the mix. Managed 2 keepers at 19” and 20” along with 7 more shorts. Interestingly while we did catch 4 fish during the better drifting conditions, we actually had a brief flurry with 6 fish taken in about 20 minutes right at the bottom of the tide…strange! Nailed a couple of Blues during the early part of the morning as well.
Back to “Porgy Central” for the flood tide and the Scup were waiting to jump on the hooks even before the chum pot hit the bottom. A solid 2 hours of practically non-stop action filled the box with dozens of fat Porgies, similar size to Saturday’s haul plus more of those beautiful “Heartbreak” Sea Bass that had to be returned. A couple more Blues also joined the party to round out the catch. One more oddity on both Saturday and Sunday while on the Porgy grounds the anglers caught 2 Butterfish on each trip. Have not seen that in many years!
So far, the results this spring look very similar to last year. A very solid to, at times, insane Porgy bite and a ton of birds making it difficult to get the baits in front of what Fluke seem to be hanging around the Peconic Bay system. Hopefully as the water temps begin to pass the 60 degree mark the Fluke will become more aggressive and beat those “angry birds” to our baits. Only way to find out is to get out and give it your best shot.
Memorial Day weekend is fully booked but surprisingly I am still open for this coming Sat, Sun 5/22,23. Last chance to cash in on the spring special of a 6-hour trip for the price of a half day ($425). Give me a call if you want to take advantage.
Capt. Mike
516-317-5423 cell
racerock166@aol.com
