by Tommy Kampa
July is a great month to be fishing on the waters of Long Island’s Western Sound! Striped Bass, Bluefish, Fluke, Black Sea Bass, and Porgy are all feeding in our local waters and can be a lot of fun to catch. Stripers will become harder to catch as the water temperature rises; you’ll need to fish very early or late evening and into the night or some deep spots during the day. Fluke or Porgy fishing makes for a great day on the water for the entire family.
If you’re planning a trip for beginners, young children, or want a painless day, jump on a local “party boat” that will fish the calm waters of the sound or the south shore bays. Let your family get their “sea legs” and become comfortable on a boat before venturing out into the ocean. There are plenty of days that the ocean is calm and flat for beginners; let them get confident in their abilities on calm waters where they can have some great fishing experiences. With young children I would also start on the half day boats; four hours will be plenty for everyone, you want this to be a great memory so they will look forward to their next fishing trip.
Any good boat will supply everything you need to fish; rod and reel, hooks, sinkers, bait and mates that work and fish every day, they will help you, they want you to catch fish, so listen to them, they will know what’s working for the big fish. It’s not only customary to tip these mates, its how they make their money. A tip to the mate when he collects your fare will let him know who you are, they do remember!
A cooler iced with your food and drinks will make for a pleasurable treat in the heat of the day; being on the water always seems to make you hungry. Fluids are necessary all day because of the sun and heat, sunstroke can occur if you’re not careful. Hats, sunglasses and sun screens are also mandatory for everyone. The sun is very strong this time of the year and can ruin your experience if you’re not prepared. A cooler with ice for your catch is also important, a fish left lying in a July sun will be cooked before you get home, ruining dinner.
In the Western Sound area the local party boats are the Never Enuff Fleet, sailing out of World’s Fair Marina in Flushing; Angler Fleet of Port Washington, Island Current Fleet of City Island. Check their websites for schedules, prices and what’s biting for each fleet. There are fishing boats leaving from many towns on Long Island such as Freeport, Point Lookout, Captree State Park, Shinnecock Inlet, Moriches Bay, Montauk, Orient Point, Greenport, Mattituck, Port Jefferson and Huntington. There are no excuses not to wet a line this July.
A lot of these boats will also be offering Fireworks Cruises on July 4th weekend. This is a pretty cool way to see a fireworks show and get a nice sunset boat ride. Check the websites of boats in your area to get schedules and fares, but don’t wait till the last second, these trips fill up quickly.
There are also many Charter boats in our area and all over Long Island. Most charter boats can take up to six passengers for a more individualized trip, the cost is a bit more per angler but the rewards of your own private charter is priceless. These captains are all experienced fisherman that know their local waters and will provide challenges for weekend warriors to hardcore fanatics.
Get your kids out fishing, they are the future of the sport and hopefully they will remember to get us out fishing in our senior years!
Have a great summer!
Catch ‘em up!!!!
Captain Tommy Kampa holds a USCG 100 TON MASTER’S LICENSE; he runs a 29’ Dyer custom bass boat, the MOONLIGHT LADY. We are booking Charters now for the season. Captain Tommy can be reached at capttommykampa@gmail.com or 347 203 5087 to book a charter or express a comment or suggestion. Check out our new website Moonlightladyfishing.com
Like us on FACEBOOK at Coastal Angler Magazine Long Island and Moonlight Lady Fishing; I’ll be posting trip reports and photos daily.
