Saturday on Manhasset Bay was a be a bit of a bust. High winds will keep all but the heartiest of boaters and fisherman on the shore.
If you still want to try and get out for the last weekend of the summer, try snapper fishing from the docks and at high tide off the beaches in the bay. There is no size limit for snappers (bluefish), but there is a 10-fish limit for fish under 12 inches. Over 12 inches, you can keep 15 fish per person fishing. Spearing (minnows) on #5 bridgeport hooks are working best right now. Make sure to mark your calendar for the Annual Snapper Derby hosted by the Manhasset Bay Sportsman's Club on Town Dock on Saturday, September 11.
Big bluefish have been hard to find because of a lack of bunker. Same for big stripers. If you are striper fishing, sandworms are the way to go. Folks have been taking good size stripers off the beaches using sandworms.
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Crab fishing for blue claw crabs is excellent right now, so make sure to bring a bucket and crab net with you. There is a 50 crab limit with a minimum shell size of 4.5 inches.
Unfortunately, this weekend is the last weekend of fluke season. You can keep two fish a day with a minimum length of 21 inches. Fluke fishing has been good in the waters off Sands Point Preserve and in Little Neck Bay near the Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy. A high low rig with a spearing (minnow) and squid strips has been working the best.
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Porgies have also been plentiful on submerged rocks off Sands Point, around David's Island, and the rocks around Execution Light. Clam strips and sandworms have been the best bait.
John Thomson III is the the owner of Atlantic Outfitters at Inspiration Wharf near the Town Dock, and features an outdoor bait machine that operates 24/7.
