MOUNT MISERY SHOAL, NY
A navigation chart will show the area sits north of Mt. Misery Point, just east of the entrance to Port Jefferson Harbor. Its outer edge is marked by buoy C 11 where the water will drop off to over 100 feet deep. During early May, anglers from all over the Island converge on the shoal for a shot at some of the exceptional fluke fishing that has been occurring consistently for well over a decade. Jumbo porgies are another draw by mid–May. “Porgies come up on the flats to spawn in early May while fluke come to feast on the enormous herds of sand eels that make Mt. Misery Shoal their feeding and spawning grounds” states Captain Desmond O’Sullivan of the Port Jeff based Celtic Quest fleet. “When conditions are good and the fluke and sand eels are thick, most anglers have no problem limiting out on both fluke and jumbo porgies on the same trip” Desmond adds.
While fluke and porgies can be taken here throughout the summer, the run of quality fish on the shoal is short-lived and by mid-June, both the Jumbo scup and the sand eels have spawned out and retreated to the deeper, cooler depths of the Sound. Captain Desi tells us that the current runs soft across the shoal, which bodes well for anglers jigging bucktails for fluke. One-ounce Spro Prime Bucktails in white, pink and green always seem to draw the attention of summer flatties. Tip the bucktails off with a 4-inch Berkley Gulp Alive Swimming Mullet in either white or chartreuse and you can leave the spearing and squid home as the fluke simply can’t refuse the Gulp baits.
Fishing for fluke is best on the northwest side of the shoal. Capt. Des suggests drifting bucktails and fluke rigs right along the edge of the shoal in 7 to 15 feet of water. As for porgies, Capt. Des says drifting or anchoring and chumming up close to the beach in 15 feet of water should keep the cooler lid swinging with standard porgy rigs baited with sandworm, clams and squid. Bluefish are always gallivanting somewhere among the shoal during May and are often a by-catch unless of course you want them. In that case, just look for the birds. Striped bass have made a remarkable showing just off the shoal especially near buoy C 11. In fact, last May and June did see exceptional catches at the turn of the tide with bass to 30-pounds taking slowly retrieved AVA-27 and AVA-37 diamond jigs right along the edge of the shoal in 90 to 100 feet of water.
May is the month to get into the action. Hit the ramps in Port Jeff Village where Brookhaven residents need a trailer permit and out of Towner’s can pay a nonresident fee to park and use the ramp. If you don’t own a boat, head on over and hop on either the Celtic Quest or the Osprey V and enjoy a day of fishing on Long Island Sound.
