Captains Table Charters...Running Report

Looking forward to stopping by and meeting you at Ward Melville!

Hay Capt Mike. I look forward to your reports and posts.

I too will see you at the show on March.

Hi Mitch, I know you did try to join me last fall but the days and/or weather just did not cooperate. See you in March and maybe we can nail something down then.

Hello George, It will be my great pleasure to shake your hand in person on March 2. Best of luck with the new venture!

**The Cover is Off- Time for the Captains Table Spring Special**

My back is tight and all of my muscles are aching but I am wearing a big smile because yesterday was spent on board starting to prep the Captain's Table for a new season!

Towards that end I would like to make a special offer to the members of NYA for the season opener. Here are the details:

- Book a half day trip (normally 4 hours) at the standard rate of $400 but get a 3/4 day trip (6 hours) for the same fare

- Covers any trip run from May 1 to June 2, 2019

- Target species either Giant Peconic Bay Scup or Early Season Local Doormat Fluke ( If you want to hit both species on one trip please add $25 for additional bait)

- Up to 5 anglers can participate

This is the perfect time of year to fish the Peconics since all drops are local, typically 15 minutes or less from my dock so maximum fishing time can be expected.

** Extra Special - During the same time frame if you want to extend your trip to a full day (8.5-9 hours) I will reduce my normal full day fare from $750 to $650.
In the past one of my groups took advantage of this offer in late May, had a great day, and landed 5 different species on the one trip! Also, if you want to make it a full day and add Striped Bass into the mix you should plan to book a date after May 15. Typically our Bass fishing does not turn on until the first big moon period in the middle of May.

Some weekends, like Memorial Day, are already taken but there are openings still available on both other weekends and weekdays.
It's time to shake off the cobwebs, get out there and have a great time!
I look forward to hearing from you and fishing together very soon.
Capt. Mike Bady
Captain's Table Charters
516-317-5423 cell
[email]plumgut@optonline.net[/email]
[www.captainstablecharters.com]("http://www.captainstablecharters.com")

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Finally, the season opener is so close I can taste it. The boat is shining from stem to stern, the mechanical systems are shipshape, and all that's left is for the yard to splash the hull, hopefully tomorrow.
Of course, this week's forecast is for bouts of rain and a fair amount of breeze but I will still make it a priority to at least test the waters ASAP and join the "fleet" that will surely form on opening day for Fluke this coming weekend. Watch for my first reports on the 2019 season coming soon.

BTW, an important note about a small change in my contact information. Just this past week my e-mail address was updated so if you are trying to reach me using that format please use** [email]plumgut@optimum.net[/email] **as the new point of contact.

I look forward to seeing many of you out there with smiles on your faces and some tasty fish in the box!

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Began the 2019 season this morning looking for some of the reported early Striped Bass roaming the Peconics. Although I did mark some very nice sized fish on the flood tide off Jessups Neck, the fish did not seem interested in the diamond jigs that are usually reliable here in the early spring. A friend fishing nearby gave me the old “you should have been here yesterday” routine. He claimed to have taken 6 fish up to 30” in the same vicinity on Tuesday. So after about an hour of enjoying the scenery and seeing almost no other fish taken it was time to start the Porgy prospecting.

I made 3 drops in various locations around the Peconics and found a very steady bite at each spot. As usual, chumming kept the action moving along consistently and the fish definitely had a preference for clams over squid today. The sizes were mainly mediums, with some smalls, and a nice smattering of jumbos mixed in. The second fish of the day was a solid 2+Lb. fish but my second drop in the early afternoon yield several larger specimens including one behemoth that stretched to tape to 19” on the board, a very fat and tall Scup clearly approaching the 4# mark!

Considering this was opening day it bodes well for the spring Sup run and as experience has taught me the number of jumbo specimens will only increase until the first to second week of June when the spawning run tapers off. I also threw back a couple of out of season Sea Bass and a couple of short Weakfish but I hear some much larger Weakies have already been caught. If you love big Porgies then you need to contact me soon as I am completely booked for the second half of May.

Next up will be Fluke this Saturday. If it kicks off anything like the Scup action did today then I can just about taste the first filets frying in my kitchen this weekend!
Capt. Mike Bady
[www.captainstablecharters.com]("http://www.captainstablecharters.com")
516-317-5423 cell
[email]plumgut@optimum.net[/email]

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Finally got my first crack at the Fluke for 2019 with a couple of friends to test the waters. Despite the beautiful conditions and a good drift we found the bite very slow today. Tons of birds, a handful of Porgies and only 5 short Fluke and a single 22" keeper were all we could muster up today. Tried all the usual spots from the Lawns to east of the jetty but so far it seems the bite has been pretty sporadic for most anglers.
Not to worry as we have not yet seen the annual influx of squid and once that happens the bite is sure to turn on big time. According to my own logbook we should see a nice uptick within the next week.
I will miss a few days with the pending weather and Mother's day weekend but will be back at it next week with, I am certain, far better results.
Capt. Mike

Had the John party join me yesterday for a combination Porgy/Fluke charter. With a stiff 20kt SW wind to start the trip I chose to avoid the wide-open spaces of the Great Peconic Bay and the rest of the fleet. We ducked into one of my back up locations just west of Jessups and enjoyed a very steady bite of medium to jumbo Scup several of the fish running from 2-3#. Quite a few double herders along with a couple of out of season Sea Bass kept the rods bending for the first 90 minutes of the day. The group culled the largest 15 fish out of nearly three times that many for the table, before taking a much-needed lunch break!
With the wind prediction forecast to continue the balance of the day I had some concerns about the Fluke drifts being a bit too fast. Actually, just after we began the search for Fluke the wind dropped out and despite the full moon tides we were able to keep the boat moving at 2 kts or less the balance of the day. Unfortunately, the Fluke continued to be very elusive. The same old story of a never-ending stream of Sea Robbins, a few throwback Sea Bass, and only a couple of short Fluke greeted our consistent efforts for nearly 3 hours in all the popular locations from the Geenlawns out to Bug Light.
I have been marking a lot of bait on the bottom machine for at least the last week but the Fluke bite still seems pretty erratic. Considering the fact that we have still not seen a single Bluefish tells me the water temps may be a bit too cool for the main migration to occur. It looks like a warming trend is finally starting so I am optimistic that by the upcoming Holiday weekend we will see the local Fluke action rebound to normal levels.

Thanks for the info sharing!
I'm hoping to make a trip through the locks this weekend and head to the area between Robins and Jessups!

>
Had the John party join me yesterday for a combination Porgy/Fluke charter. With a stiff 20kt SW wind to start the trip I chose to avoid the wide-open spaces of the Great Peconic Bay and the rest of the fleet. We ducked into one of my back up locations just west of Jessups and enjoyed a very steady bite of medium to jumbo Scup several of the fish running from 2-3#. Quite a few double herders along with a couple of out of season Sea Bass kept the rods bending for the first 90 minutes of the day. The group culled the largest 15 fish out of nearly three times that many for the table, before taking a much-needed lunch break!
With the wind prediction forecast to continue the balance of the day I had some concerns about the Fluke drifts being a bit too fast. Actually, just after we began the search for Fluke the wind dropped out and despite the full moon tides we were able to keep the boat moving at 2 kts or less the balance of the day. Unfortunately, the Fluke continued to be very elusive. The same old story of a never-ending stream of Sea Robbins, a few throwback Sea Bass, and only a couple of short Fluke greeted our consistent efforts for nearly 3 hours in all the popular locations from the Geenlawns out to Bug Light.
I have been marking a lot of bait on the bottom machine for at least the last week but the Fluke bite still seems pretty erratic. Considering the fact that we have still not seen a single Bluefish tells me the water temps may be a bit too cool for the main migration to occur. It looks like a warming trend is finally starting so I am optimistic that by the upcoming Holiday weekend we will see the local Fluke action rebound to normal levels.

Nice report. Thanks for sharing!

So we finally got a Memorial Day weekend with beautiful weather and good fishing conditions. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the North Fork Fluke to join the party!
I was jam packed these past 2 days with back to back morning and afternoon charters for Saturday and Sunday. Both afternoon charters were young families with kids ranging from 5-12 years of age looking for some fast action. In that regard the spring Monster Peconic Porgies did not disappoint. As soon as the chum and baited hooks hit the bottom the Scup were most cooperative pleasing both the kids and parents alike. Each party took home a sizeable quantity of fish ranging from 1.5-3.5#. Just like clockwork, on each trip the kids were falling asleep with smiles on their faces on the trip back to port.
Sadly, the morning Fluke charters turned out to be the difficult grind that seems to be the norm for this season, so far. Despite near perfect drifting conditions on Saturday, the Fluke were few and far between for Nick’s group. Out of the 8 fish landed only 4 were keepers form 19-21”, top fish around 3.5#. Most of the fish were taken in Orient Harbor on bucktails and/or Gulp/Teaser combinations. Of course, Nick enjoyed the dual emotions of a great fight and a frustrating release of a nice 3.5# Sea Bass early in the trip.
Sunday morning saw a little more breeze in the morning but still excellent drifting conditions. Although the Rick party did manage a total of 11 Fluke , only 2 fish were of legal size with Kevin’s top fish going close to 5#. About half the fish today came from Orient Harbor and the balance were found near Shelter Island around the Greenport area. We did see a few Bluefish caught today so that fact plus actual temperature readings of around 59 degrees seems to destroy my theory of too cold a weather pattern this spring as being the culprit. I was on the water this entire past week and heard similar stories from other Captains. I sure hope the rest of our coveted summer Fluke fishery is not as tough. Then again, you have to be an eternal optimist to be a dedicated fisherman. Let’s see what next week brings!

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Thanks for the informative report and advice last week that helped me have a memorable day with my son!

My pleasure, Mitch. Bonding on the water with your son is a terrific experience and one I shall never forget back when my Dad was still with us.