Years, and years ago, Party boats such as the VIKING STAR and PECONIC QUEEN would spend the summer months on long distance bottom fishing trips to Coxes Ledge, loading up on cod. As I said, that was a long time ago, but now Captain Ed Beneducci on the MARLIN VI is revising the practice, at least on Fridays. The last two weeks he sailed with small groups, but the codfishing was pretty good, mainly because there is so little pressure on it these days. This Friday he’s going even further, to the shallows in the vicinity of NOMANS, in search of porgies, sea bass and fluke. Because of the running time necessary, these trips are scheduled to leave around 2:00 am, but for those of you who like that sort of thing, getting up early is well worth it.

As long as we’re on the subject of the party boats, there’s a new one operating out of the Viking Landing, The VIKING STARIPER. The boat is the old JIGGER, which Captain Howie Carroll once used as a ferry boat between Montauk and Block Island. All of the other head boats are sailing two half day trips, leaving at 8:00 am or 1:00 pm. The STARIPER sails a three-quarter day trip from 6:00 am until 12:30 and then in the afternoon a late half day trip, from 2:00 until 6:00.

It’s hard for me to give an accurate report on fluke fishing because I’ve been doing so poorly, generally zigging when I should be zagging, but I’ll try. Late in the week it was red hot at new Grounds, just off the Hither Hills Campsite, with a lot of fish and good sized ones. Capt Barry Kohlus on the VENTURE came back with a full load of 64, which is all he’s allowed, and as he said, "Each one was better than the last." Other boats fishing the area were doing almost as well. Most of the fish taken were in the 3-4 pound range. Fishing out in the North Rips or Midway seems to produce an awful lot of shorts, fish that might have been ok last year, but not this one.