Fishing: Manhasset Bay and Western Long Island Sound

First, a correction and apology from my last report.  The Manhasset Bay Sportsman's Club Snapper Derby is this weekend, September 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Town Dock.  I was given the wrong information by someone at the club. This weekend should be excellent with a great weather forecast.  There are a number of prizes for the kids and there is also talk of a cook out. Check out the photos from last year.  Photos from this year will be posted on Sunday.

The fishing is still slow because of the lack of bunker. Big bluefish are hard to find but there are cocktail bluefish cruising the beaches.  Water temperatures have started to fall so the striper action should start to improve.  There are reports of bonito around Hart Island and the porgie fishing is great around the rocks near the mouth of Hempstead Harbor and on the north side of the Sound.

Crab fishing for blue claw crabs is great right now.  Look for big ones on the pilings and that are swimming in the light of spotlights on the water at night.  Make sure to release females that are full of eggs back into the water.  The eggs are a mud-like looking mass on the underside or back of the crab.  Minimum size limit is 4.5 inches and you can keep 50 crabs.

Porgie fishing is great with clams and sand worms.  As mentioned previously, find them around the rocks in the entrance to Hempstead Harbor and the island on the north side of the sound.  The season ends on the 26^th so get out there now!  Minimum size is 10.5 inches and you can keep 10 fish.

Snapper fishing still rules right now with the fish getting more aggressive as the water starts to cool off.  Spearing is still the best bet for catching good numbers of fish, even when using a lure or snapper popper.  Bag limit is 15 fish, with no more than 10 under 12 inches.

Have a great time out there – we are getting to some of the best fishing action of the season as the water temps start to cool down.

Hot bait to use: Sandworms (stripers and porgies), Spearing (snappers), clams (porgies)

Hot lures: Deadly dick, 1/8 oz kastmaster, pencil poppers, black sluggos (night time stripers)

Hot flies: epoxy minnow patterns, olive and white deceivers, olive and white clousers

John Thomson III is the the owner of Atlantic Outfitters, at Inspiration Wharf near the Town Dock, which features an outdoor bait machine that operates 24/7.