Well, it’s Cinco De Mayo and many New York anglers are celebrating with catches of quality striped bass and “gorilla” bluefish. Many fisheries are alive and with a good run of mild weather in the forecast, things look primed to break wide-open.
Fluke season opened on the slow side throughout most of the Island, except some of the typical early-season hotspots, which, as usual, did not disappoint and produced some nice fish into the low double-digits. Winter flounder fishing remains good for those who haven’t abandoned the pursuit of the blackback in search of the linesider.
I’m up in western Massachusetts for my college graduation this week, and I’ve been stalking the flooded banks of the Connecticut River at night, hunting through the initial waves of American shad for the first stripers moving up the river. The recovery of the striped bass stocks through the 2000s changed many things within the fishery, one of which was a return of an annual feeding migration of striped bass up the Connecticut River, chasing the American shad all the way to the Holyoke Dam in Western Massachusetts. This renewed fishery has made my spring semester much easier over the last four years. Last night, explosions in the middle of the river confirmed their presence in the area, and I’ll be heading out this evening throwing large pencil-poppers to these newly arrived fish. The spring run is on, there’s no doubt about it, and they’re catching bass from metro New York all the way out to Montauk – here’s the latest.
I talked to John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in City Island, and things have picked up significantly from last week. The bunker have arrived in the western sound; John put a few in the live-well then headed over to the New Rochelle area where he live-lined two nice bass to 22 pounds in 25 feet of water. John also reports the bluefish have yet to show up in the area, and the bass, which are actively feeding on the baitfish in the area, are likely winter holdovers. Other members of the Hudson Park team have been landing bass in the areas around eddies and tidal rips. Bucktails have also been taking some keeper-sized bass around outflows, riprap and rocky outcroppings. Fluking has yet to pick up in most of the western Sound due to the colder-than-usual water temperature, but the winter flounder bite continues to be productive.
The bluefish have invaded Jamaica Bay with force and some of these choppers are breaking hooks and pushing into the double-digits. The blues are tearing up large pods of bunker and have suddenly become the dominant catch of many anglers. The bass are likely still in the area, probably holding below the schools of feeding bluefish, happily feeding on the leftovers. Fishing small chunks on egg-sinker rigs is a good way to target these fish hanging below the feeding bluefish. Quickly drop the chunk to the bottom in an area you’re marking a ball of bunker or see birds working. This is also a time when diamond-jigging on the bottom can produce some quality bass.
Bass and blues are also sliding along the south shore, and the bass have made it all the way to the End. I just talked to Paulie from Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk who said that not only have the bass showed up, but the last few tides have “been pretty good.” Most fish are weighing-in in the low teens and have been taken at Ditch Plains and the south side of the Lighthouse. I asked Paulie, somewhat foolishly by now, if bucktails were the offering of choice. “Yeah” he said, “that’s always gonna be a good choice.” You really can’t go wrong with the proper-size white bucktail matched with a white curl-tail grub for bass, regardless of the location or time of year. The fluke fishing opened-up slow in Montauk, Paulie said, but due to reports he’s heard from the draggers, the slow bite is due to the low water temperatures, 47 degrees, and not a lack of quality fish in the area. I looked at a satellite image this morning of the sea-surface temperatures, and it shouldn’t be long until temps bump-up significantly into the low 50s, and the big fluke come out of the mud and begin to chew.
Bryce from White Water Outfitters says, “the bluefish are exploding out here,” and that the “bass and fluke are filling in the gaps and coming on strong.” I asked Bryce what size the blues were averaging, to which he reported both, “2- to 3-pounders” and “6- to 8-pounders” in the area likely representing “two different year-classes.” Also, a few of Bryce’s customers got out to the local wrecks and landed some really nice cod, up to 20 pounds. As of now, most of the keeper fluke are coming out of the Peconic, but increasing water temperatures should quick lure some impressive doormats throughout the area.
Best Bets
There are a lot of options on the table once again after a long winter, and if your Cinco De Mayo plans entail more than just a few Coronas, there’s quality fish to be caught throughout the State. There are striped bass along the entire south shore; my conversation with Paulie in Montauk this morning confirmed that. So, for me, that pretty much seals-the-deal for fishing plans. Head to ‘Tauk, or any of the south-shore inlets and give it a go. Bucktails will work, so will clams and cut bunker chunks. Find a piece of good water and fish it, the bass will come through – especially if you put in the time. If there’s nothing going in that area, move twenty miles. There’s a lot of life scattered along the south shore, with a little time and effort, you can find it – tight lines everyone.