Heat Shouldn’t Wilt Bass Fishing
With heat indexes pushing into the triple digits in many parts of the state over the past two days, summer has kicked-off with quite a punch. Fortunately, this sudden heat spell shouldn’t last more than a few days, and more importantly shouldn’t adversely affect the overall fishing around the state. Bass fishing continues to go strong off the south shore of Long Island, and the action has continued its slow progression to the east. The north shore has also continued to see some quality bass and blue fishing, which should have no problem withstanding this temporary, albeit intense, warm-up. By the weekend, temperatures should retreat to a more normal range making daytime angling a more attractive of an option.
Long Island’s East End Fishing Report
Although the heat advisory isn’t in effect for the eastern part of Long Island today, temperatures are still set to push well into the 90s. Word from Nick at Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk is that this has been their first significant heat of the season. However, the fishing is good on just about all fronts and should continue right through the daytime heat. Bass fishing has started picking up from shore along the south side of the Lighthouse, including more bass reaching into the 20-pound class being landed. White bucktails with a red and white Uncle Josh pork rind, as usual, are providing much of the action, but needlefish plugs and darters have also been drawing strikes in the overnight sessions. There’s also been a good amount of large “chopper” blues to keep things interesting on the north side around the Shagwong area. Throwing some tins is a good idea if you’re planning on taking a few blues for the smoker. The tins will give you the maximum casting distance and going with a single hook also lessens the chance of any “incidents” while unhooking some of these large blues.
Fluking has also remained productive in the Montauk area, with plenty of flatfish around to make a half-day trip on one of the local headboats worthwhile. Black sea bass fishing is also off to a hot start, and most anglers aren’t even making the ride over to Block Island to find some quality angling. According to Nick, anglers have been putting together quality braces of 3- to 4-pound sea bass right off the Radar Tower on the south side.
Long Island’s South Shore Fishing Report
There’s a lot going on off Long Island’s south shore, and despite temperatures flirting with triple-digits over the past two days, the overall angling situation shouldn’t be too adversely effected over the long term. Bunker schools are still hanging around just outside most central and western south shore inlets, though they’ve been easiest to locate and snag during low-light conditions. Inside the inlets, there’s still a good amount of “cocktail” blues and small keeper-size fluke. There’s even been a good amount of kingfish being caught around the Robert Moses Pier already, a good sign for the “late season exotics” that tend to show up along the western south shore each summer. Even the occasional keeper-size bass is still being caught off the piers on bunker chunks. If you’re planning on setting up and doing a little chunking this weekend, I’d consider focusing your efforts from dusk into the overnight hours. It’s also a good idea to setup as far to the east as possible, because as water temperatures to the west push into the low 70s, the migration of striped bass to the east will begin to accelerate. It’s also a good idea to put some chum in the water. Consider picking up a few extra bunker at the bait shop and cutting them up into small half-inch slices. Every 10 or 15 minutes, toss three or four pieces into the water near your bait rig. It’s also a good idea to make sure you change bait at least every half hour between bites, especially when fish are getting further and fewer between.
Long Island’s North Shore Fishing Report
It’s a good time be an angler up on Long Island’s north shore, and things seem to be shaping up pretty well for the upcoming weekend. Temperatures should retreat back to “fishable” daytime conditions in the low to mid 80s. It will also be a good weekend for nighttime fishing, from either the boat or from shore. By boat, bunker chunking at night over some structure in the 40- to 60-foot depth is likely to draw some attention from resident stripers and bluefish. From shore, it’s definitely the time of year to fish at night with darters worked on the slowest retrieve possible.
Metro New York Fishing Report
Although I wouldn’t recommend heading out in the daylight hours for the time being, for self-preservation if nothing else, fishing around the city at night still isn’t a bad idea. Water temperatures are still fairly reasonable around the city, and definitely within the range of predatory fish especially under the cover of darkness. However, these past two days have definitely spiked the water temperatures in the New York Bight which have now crossed the 70-degree mark in the entire area. Probably the best option for angling within the city limits right now is hopping aboard a headboat like the Marilyn Jean IV out of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. Sea bass fishing has been downright phenomenal in recent days, with both good numbers and some really larges knotheads in the mix. Many anglers have even been ending the days with a full limit of jumbo sea bass as well as plenty of jumbo porgies.
Upstate New York Fishing Report
Although most of the Upstate region isn’t dealing with quite the same level of heat as those Downstate, it’s still been pretty warm, to say the least. Fortunately, this warm-up, though significant, should be rather short lived and shouldn’t shut down any upstate fisheries. Trout fishing continues going strong in the Catskill region, and the fleet trolling in Lake Ontario has been producing a nice mixed-bag in the deep water with brightly-colored spoons in 100- to 200-foot depths trolling anywhere from 40- to 80-feet down. Those fishing off the piers have also been having some success with the brown trout. Bass, northern pike and panfish have also been cooperating in the smaller sweetwater lakes and ponds in the Ontario region.
Best Bets For The Weekend
Although it’s still going to be quite warm on Friday, the general trend heading toward the weekend is for a significant cool down, especially compared to the past two days. The bite has been slowly moving to the east with the warming water temperatures and the heat this week should accelerate that process slightly. However, if you’re able to find the bunker in your area, there’s more than likely going to be some leftover predators feeding on them. It’s also going to be a great weekend for bottom fishing just about across the board. The porgy bite has been great all around Long Island, and now that sea bass season is open, it’s a really great opportunity to put some fresh fish on the table. Sea bass fishing has been fantastic from the city all the way out to Montauk and beyond. Although it’s still going to be warm this weekend with plenty of sun and temperatures in the 80s, it will definitely feel a lot more tolerable than the 90-degree heat of recent days. Good luck and tight lines.