Fishing is still improving after a pretty slow couple of months.
Striped bass fishing is pretty consistent with enough good size fish around to keep it interesting. Trolling with big tubes, umbrellas and the good old green parachute is the best way to go. Live porgies are also producing, but getting the porgies can be a pain and there are also enough bluefish around to chop up the precious porgies before the bass comes by.
The bottom fishing is pretty good at least out in the deeper water, with some nice size fluke being taken along with some seabass. And best of all no dogfish problems.
Offshore the shark fishing is still one or a couple of bites at best, and occasionally none. There are more bluesharks around, so you can't expect every bite to be a thresher or mako. There have even been some reports of white marlin occasionally showing up in the slicks. This Friday and Saturday is Star Islands Mako Mania tournament (REALLY).
Further offshore there is a fairly consistent bite with yellowfins, albacore and mahi around the 500 line. It's not a guarantee, but you are more likely to catch something than not. And you can luck out with a half dozen or more. It's called fishing.
The regs that are being considered right now for fluke, seabass and porgies for 2007 are downright scary. The following is a letter from Capt Paul Forsberg, commodore of the Viking Fleet, that was sent to the Montauk Boatmen's and Captain's Association.;
"I just wanted to inform you of what occurred at the Fishing Council meeting I attended on August 1st through August 3rd in Pennsylvania. The proposed regulations are crippling and will effectively close down recreational fishing. It was essential that something was done to relax the proposed regulations. After two days of haggling we were successful in our appeal to the fishing council to relax the proposed regulations. Within minutes of the final vote ( which went in our favor to some extent), Greenpeace had sent emails to Dr. Bill Hogarth and all throughout Washington D.C. alleging that the council had broken the law by voting in our favor. A lawsuit is imminent. We have little or no chance of getting the relaxed regulations passed through the commission. The only chance we have is for us to have an Act of Congress passed or for their to be a review of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996. Therefore Stret, I implore you to forward the attached letters to all of our members and strongly encourage them to write to their representatives to inform them of this pressing matter. Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
Sincerely
Paul G Forsberg"