The ever-changing world of the Great South Bay. Yes, things aren’t only nuts on land, but they have been quite interesting on the water as well.
We started May 2022 off with horrible weather. You couldn’t buy a nice clear day with idle wind. It either rained or you had to learn how to convert your outboards into a sail mass because the wind never seemed to be your friend.
With that unpredictable weather the season started off with bay Stripers. It was probably one of the better starts to Striper season that I’ve seen in years in these waters. It wasn’t like a bunch of 50lbers came lurking into our back waters, but it was quality and quantity of really nice 25’’-35’’ fish that showed up to feed. But as soon as they showed up, POOF in about 14 days they were gone and Big Gators moved in.
Last year I thought Bluefish had gone extinct, it wasn’t even a good Snapper season in 2021. But what great things can happen in 1 years’ time. Big Blues in 3’ of water arrived with their game faces’ on. Over the past 2 weeks as the Stripers seemed to wean off, the Gators took their place. These Blues ranged from 2lbs to 12lbs and they seemed to be everywhere. We got them in the way back, we got them in the channels and cuts, we found them at the bridges, we plucked them out along the beach. We found them at night, early morning and mid-day. What a blast…but as I type this report I can kinda feel they are beginning to move on a bit. Yes, there is still a bite but now you have to find them instead of them finding you!
And like the wave of a Magic Fishing Wand, Weakfish have taken over. These sometimes-timid fish aren’t taken the back seat to anyone. Not only are they in their usual places between Ocean Beach and Point of Woods, but they are showing us who’s the boss of the bay in the areas of Kismet, Snake Hill, West Channel and in the back between the Patchogue River and Heckscher State Park. You still need some skill to entice a bite and yes, the better fishermen will get a better share of this Trout, but the menu of options are wide ranging as they arrived hungry.
So, as we head into Memorial Day Weekend and the end of May 2022, the consistent bite seems to be the Weakfish game. But don’t let that fool ya, because just yesterday we actually limited out on Fluke! No doormats for me, but the bite has greatly approved since the season opener.
So, what are we missing? The Giant Tuna bite! It seemed that over the years, in early May and especially last year, the Tuna arrived along our shores and anyone with a dingy and a paddle was able to find them. In 2022 a different story is being written. Either the bite hasn’t arrived or Fishermen are keeping their mouth’s shut (I wouldn’t bet on the latter!) Personally with $6 gas, I have done less exploring and may have broken the inlet twice since April 15th.
Good Luck everyone..!!!