Gone fishing: Best bet is east of Orient Point

It’s safe to say that we have entered the dog days of summer. With them comes the annual shift in our local fisheries. While the fishing in the bay has slowed considerably over the past few weeks, anglers willing to venture east of Orient Point are finding excellent fishing. 

Locally, the bay has become very slow. Rising water temperatures and heavy boat traffic have pushed the more desirable species away from our local waters. While there are still fish around, the consistent action that defined June has largely disappeared. This is something we see every summer, and this year has been no exception.

The Gut continues to produce striped bass, but the bite is nothing like it was a month ago. Here on the East End, June is traditionally the peak of striped bass fishing and this year certainly lived up to that reputation. As we move into July, the fish continue their migration north, making the run to find them longer and longer.

The Race usually holds fish the longest. It offers the cooler water and is a much larger area, allowing fishing pressure to be more spread out. In the early hours of the morning many anglers are finding bass feeding on the surface. Watching striped bass crash bait on the surface at first light is something every angler should experience. Topwater plugs, bucktails, soft plastics, and epoxy jigs have all been producing fish, especially before the boat traffic begins to build.

Bluefish remain surprisingly scarce. Small cocktail blues have been caught around Jessups Neck and the Ruins, but the fishery is still far from where it should be this time of year. Waters further down the coast are seeing great numbers of them, so hopefully as the summer progresses larger schools will begin filtering into our waters.

Moving farther east, an exciting inshore bluefin tuna bite has started to develop south of Montauk. For anglers with smaller center consoles, this fishery provides an incredible opportunity to target one of the ocean’s most powerful game fish without making the long run to the canyons.

The challenge is most often finding them. Bluefin are some of the most migratory fish we see here on the east coast, so locating them can be tricky. When looking for bluefin, any sign of life is a good sign. Whales, dolphins and birds are what to look for. These animals are feeding on the same forage as the tuna, so seeing any of the animals is a good sign you’re in the right area. 

At the moment, these bluefin are feeding heavily on sand eels and squid, making it extremely important to imitate their natural forage. Anglers trolling are finding the most success with spreader bars and pre-rigged ballyhoo. Those jigging are catching fish on RonZ soft baits, metal jigs, and even live squid. Most of the fish being caught are in the 45- to 55-inch range with a handful of giants also being in the mix. 

For those making the run to the canyons fishing continues to be outstanding. Larger bigeye tuna are becoming increasingly common, while yellowfin continue to bite aggressively throughout much of the canyon system. Boats following the edges of the warmer water are being rewarded. 

We are also seeing the first mahi-mahi of the season. Water temperatures at East Atlantis were as warm as 76 degrees last week, which brought the first real push of these colorful fish. `

As the warm water continues to build across the offshore grounds, the mahi-mahi fishing should only continue to improve over the coming weeks.

Back inshore around Montauk Point, bottom fishing has really come alive. Anglers fishing squid strips and fresh clams are finding excellent numbers of jumbo porgies and keeper seabass. The grounds south of Montauk are also producing quality fishing, with good numbers of keeper fluke and plenty of large sea bass keeping anglers busy. Bucktails tipped with squid or Gulp continue to account for many of the better fluke catches.

While things have slowed inside the bays, the fishing outside has never been better. Whether it’s striped bass feeding on the surface in The Race, bluefin crushing sand eels south of Montauk, coolers full of porgies and sea bass around the Point, or tuna and mahi roaming the offshore canyons, there are outstanding opp