August 1st Fishing Report

Dear Fishermen and Friends,
It’s August.  What does that mean… It means that the population on the Island will double and it’s an even better reason to escape to your favorite fishing ground, where you can enjoy the natural beauty that the Island offers.  Fishing continues to be excellent and most of our fisheries are in full force.
August always means Bonito and these fish are filling in by the day. Most anglers who targeted these speedsters this week have had a level of success.  The densest population is on the Bonito Bar in Madaket, but other western edges are holding fish as well.  Focus on the incoming tide and use a smaller profile swimming plug for your best success.   We have not heard of any fish from the beach yet, but any day now.
I went to meet an old friend to walk my dogs this week and brought some rods with me to Miacomet Beach.  It was 8 am, and no surf to speak of and 10 mins in, sure enough my good buddy landed a 26″ inch bass.  Did I mention it’s August? And then another friend was on a paddleboard at Surfside later in the day and saw hundreds of bass swimming in the waves. We then heard the same report from a client who was at Cisco beach.  Boys and girls, it’s August, but we have lots of bass still in our inshore waters.
Bluefish, the staple of August, are here in full force in all of their usual haunts.  The south shore is Loaded. The East side is Loaded and Great Point is Loaded!  Anglers from the beach are catching blues in Madaket, Tom Nevers and along the entire east side of the Island. Use Hopkins or top water plugs, make sure you have a leader and hold on!
Our offshore fishery continues to be really fun. There are a lot of Bluefin Tuna down by the dump. Plenty of White Marlin and the shark fishing continues to be great.  We encourage anglers who enjoy that fishery, and any fishery to only kill what you and your family will eat. People often get excited about killing sharks and tuna, but these fish are a vital part of our ecosystem and often 6-8 years old. So just be thoughtful.
Here’s our fun story for the week, or should I say weak… I good customer of the shop caught a weak fish IN Hummock Pond. He took a photo as he wasn’t sure and Jeremy clearly identified it as a weak fish, which we rarely ever find in these parts and have never even heard of up in the ponds.  Well, it’s August and it’s the time of year that crazy stuff happens.  So go out, enjoy yourself and wet a line while the crowds are nuts this week.