2026 Season Recap — Twenty Seasons In and Still Learning

Summer's basically in the rearview. As I write this we're still catching stripers on the sunset bite and I'm looking ahead to fall blackfish, but the "summer season" — May through August — is a wrap. Time for a look back at what worked, what surprised us, and thanks to everyone who spent a morning or an afternoon on the Christina M II with me in 2026.

The season, in one word: fish

It's easy to say every season is a good season when you love your job. This one actually was. May kicked off with the earliest sustained water-temperature bump we've had in years, and by mid-month the spring striper run was in full swing (I wrote about that back on May 18). June rolled the fluke and porgies in on schedule. July was hot — literally and figuratively, we had days where fish were literally boiling on the surface at first light. And August surprised me: the bite stayed steady deeper into the month than it usually does, thanks to a mid-summer bunker push that kept the bigger stripers hanging around the central Sound.

What worked well this year

• Adding the afternoon sunset departures. When we added a second daily window for the sunset bite, it opened up a whole new set of trips — families who couldn't make a 5:00 AM launch, sunset couples' trips, and honestly some of the best striper fishing of the year on the incoming evening tide.
• The tag-and-release science partnership. Guests who wanted to tag their over-slot fish through Gray Fish Tag made this the busiest tagging season we've had. Real citizen science, real data, real "I named a fish" bragging rights.
• Family and kids trips. More first-time young anglers this year than last. There's something about a kid landing their first striper that puts every part of this job in perspective.

What I learned

Two things stood out. First, water temperature matters more than the calendar every year. If you go by "we should be catching X by June 1st" you'll be behind the fish. If you go by "the water's at 54° and rising, let's go find them," you'll be on them. Second, the boat is worth every dollar of maintenance. The Christina M II had 100% uptime this season. Zero cancellations for mechanical issues. That's a boring win, but it's the win that matters when someone drove two hours to fish.

Twenty seasons in and the water still teaches me something every trip. That's why I do this.

What's next

Fall is the big finish. September stripers are on (see the fall run report), and Fall Blackfish opens October 11. If you fished with us this year, thanks — it's the reason I get to keep doing this. If you didn't, there's still time. We're running trips through November 30. October fall stripers and fall blackfish are both first-class fishing.

Thanks — and see you on the water

To every family who chose us for a first-time trip, every bachelor party that kept the mood loud, every couple who did a sunset trip, and every regular who came back for another season — thank you. It's your business that keeps the boat running and the tackle stocked. See you on the water. Book fall dates · Call/text Skippy.