Summer solstice was last week, and we have July 4th festivities upon us this weekend. This marks the beginning of the ‘cheese and cracker boating’ season for many. It sure doesn’t really feel like it, as the temperatures have yo-yo’d quite a bit this spring. There was a time when the water temps seemed destined to break past the 70 degree mark in the end of May, only to drop right back down for most of June. Now finally it seems the water will break past that mark ‘for real.’
Anyway, onto the real substance of my observations. I used to believe that year-over-year fishing trends didn’t really materially change. In other words, I believed the same spots and tactics would work every season, the only variable was timing (based on weather variances YoY). I have since learned that’s not exactly true. Certain spots that were once lock and load at times of the year have stopped producing. And, each season has a unique flavor.
This years flavor is about supply and demand, or ‘supply and command’ if you’re a fan of Trailer Park Boys. In the western sound fishing world, the supply I’m talking about is bunker. Bunker define where and when the stripers and bluefish move, and feed. One cannot understate the importance of this oily food supply to the fishery (and general ecosystem I might add.). In past years there has been a large supply of this baitfish over a large swath of water. This year, the supply seems to be decreased, and spread over isolated areas. In turn, the bite (demand) is isolated to these same areas. Bass follow the bunker, period. All of this is to say, if you can find the bunker, there’s a very good chance there are predators nearby. In other seasons, you might pass a dozen schools of bunker before you find the right one. When you combine this isolated bait supply with social media sharing and word of mouth, this leads to some busy fishing grounds.
We are seeing more and more bunker in our rivers, and even some sizeable bass catches close to home port as well. There’s also some smaller bunker in the mix, 8” or so. Baby bluefish fry have been seen hatching in the mid sound. They will grow rapidly in coming weeks and turn into what’s known as ‘snapper’ bluefish. There are also some ‘harbor’ sized bluefish around 12-24 inches, which is a bit odd timing in my opinion. If you think bass won’t eat bluefish, or bluefish won’t cannibalize their own kind, you’re dead wrong.
The bite is likely going to change as water really heats up and presumably the supply moves around. I think most of the big fish that are migrating north have already made their way to our waters already, as I’m seeing more and more cows caught off Montauk, and less and less in NJ and points west of us. As water heats up it’s more and more important to treat bass with care, limit fight Time and picture time, be patient reviving fish too. That’s it for my David Attenborough / Milton Friedman impressions today on fish-nomics and uneducated nature stuff. Feel free to reach out to send me your reports, chat fishing, or book a charter if you want to get in on the action: norwalkislandsfishing@gmail.com
Norwalk Islands Fishing 