A break in the heat is just what the doctor ordered, as nighttime temperatures in the 60s, instead of the mid-80s, and an increasing amount of cloud cover will do much to stifle spiking inshore water temperatures. Some quality bass continue hanging around the south shore, but places out east like Orient and Montauk have emerged as the best locations for consistently finding quality bass. Bluefish remain unconcerned with the bathwater-like conditions in the western sound, and the newest generation have already stated tearing up bait along Long Island’s shores and harbors. The snapper blues should quickly spread east, so dig out the ultralight and small metals to entertain the kids, or pick up your limit of 10-per-angler under 12 inches for the livewell and hit the fluking grounds. The snappers are also showing up along the South Shore, along with scattered reports of weakfish. The snappers are still very small, so keep this in mind when targeting them. Mahi-mahi are creeping closer inshore, making just about every piece of flotsam more than a dozen miles offshore worth checking out. Despite being just a few days from August, there’s still plenty to catch for those willing to put in the work.
East End
The Viking Fleet just began a new series of trips targeting striped bass called the “Flood Chaser” special, with flexible departure times designed to maximize ideal fishing conditions. The fleet reports a “very promising” first trip, with many anglers reaching their two-fish limit, and the pool fish coming in at a respectable 29.7 pounds. This is just another example of the innovation happening down at the Viking, who are always go the extra mile to make sure anglers leave the dock happy and with heavy coolers. It’s going to be a good weekend to get out to Montauk. We’re coming up on the new moon tides, by far my favorite time to fish for bass, and there’s no doubt some nice cows will be hitting the deck of the Viking Starship during the upcoming weekend. The departure dates and times for the “Flood Chaser” trips can be found on the Viking website.
In Hampton Bays, Steve from East End Bait & Tackle reports there’s been a nice ocean fluke bite to the west of Shinnecock Inlet in 80 feet of water. He also mentioned that the snappers have shown up in the Canal, so picking up a few for the livewell before heading outside will dramatically increase your chance for taking down a doormat. The “fluke-bomb” rig I describe in the July issue of On The Water magazine is perfectly suited for this type of fishing, especially for the upcoming new moon tides. Porgy fishing continues to be strong in the canal, as well as the triggerfish bite in the inlet.
South Shore
Most of the bunker have been pushed a little further west and are now scattered around the Jones area. There are still bass keeping the bait corralled, but 70-degree water temperatures are finally taking a significant toll on their aggressiveness. As it has been for a few weeks now, finding and getting setup on the bait before daybreak is paramount. The grey “magic hour” before sunrise is the ticket to cashing-in on one of these mid-summer cows. Bottom fishing continues to hold out as good as could be expected just a few days from August. A decent mix of “knuckle head” sea bass and the occasional triggerfish are still coming up with the near constant stream of porgies on the artificial reefs. Also, believe it or not, keeper-cod continue being caught along with good numbers of big red hake on some of the deeper water wrecks.
North Shore
The latest sea surface temperature images from Rutgers University shows parts of the western Sound holding at 78 degrees – this is not where I’d fish for bass this weekend. Out toward Orient, however, the same image shows the water holding at a relatively cool 68 degrees, much more attractive water for feeding bass. No surprise, the reports suggest the same pattern. Bass to 35 pounds are coming out of the eastern sound, as places like the Race continue producing quality fish on a daily basis. Different variations of the 3-way rig, using bucktails and swim shads during the day and eels at night, are the go-to option for drifting these swift-current edges.
Best Bets
We’re getting to that time of year when “heading east” is a pretty good general rule-of-thumb for just about every species. Even the bass bite that was hot along the western south shore up until last week has slacked off considerably. Good fish are still being caught to the west, but they’re coming up with much more consistency in places like Montauk and Orient. If you are planning on doing some fluke fishing this weekend, you don’t have to head as far for a shot at some nice fish. Although the flatfish bite is good at in Montauk, it’s also been just as good to the west of Shinnecock Inlet. However, anyone looking for a bass/fluke combo trip should make the extra ride to ‘Tauk. The new moon falls on July 30, combined with cooler nighttime temperatures in the forecast, the next five days should produce some of the best bass fishing conditions we’ll see for a while – tight lines.