Montauk Monster Stripers
Persistent daytime temperatures in the mid 80s this week will likely maintain current fishing patterns over the coming week. Bass fishing in the Montauk rips remains consistent, with plenty of big fish being caught each day. Fluking remains decent to great across the board around Long Island, and bottom fishing continues to hold out through most of the region. It’s mid-August and the water’s just about as hot as it will get all year, if you can find the fish now, it will definitely be an exciting fall. Here’s the breakdown.
East End
If you’re looking for stripers this weekend, it’s hard to beat Montauk. Big fish are coming off the rips right now using a variety of techniques. Live eels are still producing nice fish during daylight hours in the rips off the Elbow, and working even better at night. Other live bait options like spot are also working well during the daytime. The charter fleet also continues to produce quality fish by trolling stainless wire and parachute jigs through the rips. Fluke fishing is also good out in Montauk right now, with plenty of keepers and the occasional doormat coming off the south side. Bottom fishing for sea bass has also held up in the deeper water a little further off the point. The fleet has been bottom fishing in about 70 feet of water and the sea bass fishing in particular has been great with good numbers and some real knotheads mixing in.
Moving west, fluke fishing has been phenomenal in the bay according to Bryce at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays. Small Spro Bucktails and Berkley Gulp have been the hot ticket, and the interesting the is that the fish have been in extremely shallow water — as shallow as 3 or 4 feet. It’s definitely one of my favorite ways to target fluke, when you can watch them rise off the bottom to chase down your jig. There’s also been some fish out the ocean, but Bryce commented that there’s been just as many keepers coming from the shallow estuary waters. There’s also still some stripers around the Shinnecock area, although the bite’s been a little hit or miss. “Perfect bait, perfect tide” was the way he explained it. In the canal, there’s been a decent amount of keeper porgies, nice triggerfish and even a few keeper sea bass to entertain the local crew.
South Shore
Although the bass bite on the bunker pods outside of Debs and Jones died off a few weeks ago, there’s still plenty to catch around the south side of the island. There’s kingfish running around the beaches to the west, making an attractive option for surfcasters. A high-low rig baited with sea worms is just about all you need to draw some attention from this good-eating fish. There’s also been a large amount of cocktail-size bluefish pushing close into the beaches and gorging on the huge schools of peanut bunker in the area. Small tins and poppers will do the trick on these fish, although they’ll hit just about anything when feeding aggressively. Fluke fishing remains steady and there’s still some nice keeper-size flatfish inside the bays and estuaries braving the high water temperatures. It’s also the time of year when some “exotic” species pay us a visit from the south. Cobia, redfish and other southern species have already been caught in the region this year.
North Shore
There’s still plenty of fish to target up on the Long Island Sound despite water temperatures in the mid 70s. Fishing’s been alright overall for the Island Current Fleet fishing off Long Island’s north shore, and porgy fishing remains great. There’s been plenty of humpbacks to fill the coolers, as well as a good fluke bycatch. Although the numbers aren’t what they were over past weeks, the Fleet is still seeing some weakfish mixing in as well. Another development worth mentioning is that the bluefish bite has picked up significantly, and hopefully a few linesiders won’t be far behind. Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle reports that some of his customers have been finding a few bass as well as blues fishing bait in extremely deep water, up to the 100-foot mark. Fluking also remains decent in the Long Island Sound, with the best action also being found in deeper water up to 70 feet. Mark, like Captain Chris also specifically mentioned the great porgy fishing and the ample amount of large fish being caught. On the bait front, Mark mentioned there’s lots of peanut bunker and butterfish in the deeper water of the mid sound and the predatory fish in the region seems pretty keyed in on. If you’re able to find some nice balls of bait in the neighborhood of 70 to 100 feet of water, try dropping some smaller jigs that will match the profile of the smaller bait in the area.
Metro New York
Party boat fishing is still going strong for the boats sailing out of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and on yesterday’s trip things got a interesting for the crew and customers aboard the Marilyn Jean IV. While fishing in the deepwater for sea bass and ling, they hooked a 100-pound-class thresher shark and managed to get it the boat for a quick picture before it was released. The report from Bernies in Brooklyn is that there’s been a ton of kingfish around and even some weakfish hitting sandworms from the beach. Surfcasters are also landing bluefish at night and even the occasional bass. Those out fishing offshore have also seen bass and blues and even a few false albacore have been seen smashing small bait.
Upstate
Fishing is a little slow overall upstate right now mostly due to the heat, though Lake Ontario remains a notable exception. Those trolling spoons and flies with downriggers are still doing well with salmon and large brown trout. Pond fishing remains tough, though fishing live bait or plastic worms will still produce fish in the evening, morning and overnight hours.
Best Bets
It’s the time of year when Montauk begins flexing its muscles as a truly world-class fishery. The rips are loaded up with 30-pound-class fish that are willing to strike at a variety of offerings. It’s also one of the few places in the world where a 50-pounder is always a possibility. Fluke and sea bass are also going strong at the End, making ‘Tauk a pretty appealing location for weekend fishing plans. If you’ll be on the Long Island Sound this weekend, consider a day of porgy fishing. The fish are large enough to easily filet, making a good opportunity for a backyard fish fry. Around the city, I’d definitely consider grabbing a few dozen worms and heading out for an evening of targeting kingfish, they’ve arrived in big numbers around the city and there’s a decent chance you’ll also pick up a few weakfish. Tight lines.