Local anglers are benefitting from a combination of decreasing winds and increasing catches this summer fishing season.
Since the arrival of the summer solstice, anglers have been celebrating with the bonus of fish that are both quality and quantity. Babylon waters and the surrounding areas are providing non-stop angling action, especially if the tide is caught right.
Pete, of Suffolk Bait & Tackle in Babylon village, reported that Don Lasala and his son Don Jr. fished the Fire Island Reef earlier in the week and the duo came off the boat with several nice sized fluke to six-pounds, while also limiting out on sea bass.
Pete also reported that Pete Donovan and his friend Jules fished the west bar last Saturday, using clam bellies and fresh skimmers and the results were two nice keeper bass.
Billy and John, fishing on the vessel “Get Em,” used live bunker to hook two keeper stripers in the inlet as John reeled in his first-ever keeper bass. The reef was a popular spot last weekend as another shop regular fished the area on Sunday morning to net his limit on both sea bass and porgies.
Pete also noted that fluke are making an appearance outside the inlet and for those in search of them, the key bait has been the fresh local squid coupled with large Peruvian spearing.
“Fluke in the bay are still not cooperating in size, but there are still keepers being caught,” he said.
The shop’s freshwater report noted a great catch by 12-year old Danny Sawan of North Babylon, who fished with his mom, Marianne, at Southards’s Pond last weekend. Danny reeled in eight sunnies, using night crawlers and being a sportsmen he is he safely released all of them.
On the private boat fishing scene, a boater out of Fire Island inlet worked the offshore reef over the weekend to find bluefish to five-pounds inside the inlet as well as a half dozen sea bass to four-pounds at the ocean reef. There were tons of porgies and blowfish in the mix, while all of the fluke in the water were eager to chase the clam baits.
The Babylon Tuna Club Invitational Tournament will be taking place from July 29 to July 31. Tuna, shark, mako, bluefish, striped bass and fluke will all be part of the tournament catches and for more information, anglers can click here.
