Go Off Shore!
Volume 49, Issue 8
Captain Al Lorenzetti

Fishing for the period from July 18 to 24 has been very good.  Off shore blue water fishing is red hot and so is the fluke fishing in the ocean. Fluke fishing in the ocean is now the best bet for inshore fishing fun. On July 18, I fished for a couple of hours with a crew from Babylon. We fished
southeast of the inlet in 60 feet of water and had nice fish from three to six pounds. I have heard of numerous fish up to 10 pounds and most fish are keepers.
It is definitely the place to fish. Squid and spearing have been excellent for bait. Sand eels are also working very well.
Fluke fishing in the bay is hot with action but very few keepers.  That is the norm for mid-summer.
Bluefish are solid all over the place. From the back bay to the ocean, bluefish schools are busting up the bait schools. Most action is taking place in the
morning and evening hours. Striped bass fishing is kind of slow. The fish are there and some are being
caught but they are very lazy because the water is now very warm. While trying to catch a bass, live baits are being torn up by bluefish. It is almost
impossible to keep anything live near the bottom for any length of time. The stripers donít have a chance to catch the bait before the bluefish tear it to shreds.
 Clam chumming is catching some stripers on the West Bar and by the Moses Bridge. Bottom fishing is very good with porgies, some keeper seabass and lots of triggerfish. Offshore action is excellent. There are still small bluefin tuna from 30 feet of water on out.  Anglers are connecting with there fish using spinning gear and throwing small tins to the feeding schools.  Trolling action on small tuna is excellent from the NA buoy to the Linda wreck and on out to the Virginia
wreck. There was a red-hot bite of white warlin, wlue warlin and yellowfin at the Dip. The first Mahi have appeared and are being found as usual along the
weed lines and by floating debris. Shark fishing is still solid with a good bunch of makos available.  Remember, five feet long is the minimum size for
retaining a shark and only one shark per boat per day.

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK

Make sure you have a couple of spinning outfits on the boat if you are heading out to troll for tuna or to shark fish.  If you see a piece of floating
structure or heavy weed line, approach it slowly with spinning tackle and small metal jig at the ready. If you see mahi hanging near the debris, cast the jig
well past the fish and then retrieve the jig bringing it past the waiting fish. If you hook up a mahi and there are others in the area they will stay with the
fish that is hooked until it is brought aboard. If you want to catch more mahi, keep one fish fighting in the water while someone else tosses another jig
and hooks up with another fish.

FISHING FACTS OF THE WEEK

Recovery location of purse lost overboard on whale watching vessel off Cape Cod = trawl net 600 ft. deep (4 months later with $500 still intact).
Percent of U.S. commercially managed fish species for which the status is unknown.
www.skimmeroutdoors.com
Good Luck and Good Fishing!
Captain Al Lorenzetti
Skimmer Fishing Charters
631-661-2112