It’s mid-August already, but fortunately the fishing in New York State has kept pace through the persistent heat and frequent thunderstorms. Although it’s definitely the time of year where some species like stripers are getting finicky, in most places, many species are just showing up. School bluefin tuna, kingfish, false albacore and even a few stray exotic species have all taken up seasonal residence in inshore and nearshore waters. Also, some of the longer-term residents are still chewing on just about every tide. Fluke, porgy, and sea bass fishing has been good to phenomenal all around Long Island this week. It’s hard to believe, but September is just over two weeks away – get out there any enjoy a little late-summer angling before it’s gone. Here’s the breakdown.
East End
Montauk continues to prove itself as a true world-class fishery, as the great fishing continues during one of the toughest stretches of the angling season, and the bite has continued on just about all fronts — even some new ones. The albies have been popping up in ‘Tauk this week, so keep that in mind if you’re planning a trip to the end. There are still plenty of stripers coming off the Lighthouse Rips each day, and some bigger fish being picked up at night. Sea bass fishing has been red hot at the Frisbees, with plenty of keepers and some big knotheads filling up the coolers, as well as plenty of jumbo porgies in the mix.
In the Shinnecock area, Scott from East End Bait and Tackle reports that the bay fluking continues to be productive around high tide despite the near 80-degree water. There’s just too much bait in the area for the big flatfish to ignore. The bay’s loaded with just about every kind of bait imaginable right now: finger mullet, peanut bunker and spearing are all looking for refuge in the back bays. Outside the inlet, the water’s cooler, but not much. Water temperatures are still hovering around the 74-degree mark, keeping many linesiders at bay for the time being. There are a few bass being caught though, even from the beaches. Heading out under the cover of darkness is definitely your best bet if you’ve got bass on the brain. Scott also mentioned there’s a ton of squid outside the inlet, hopefully setting the stage for a classic fall run.
South Shore
There’s a lot of interesting things happening off Long Island’s south shore right now. Fluke fishing continues to be strong just about everywhere, even inshore despite near 80-degree water, and there’s been a few football bluefin tuna being caught in the inshore-offshore locations. Sharking has also been decent in the 30-mile vicinity, and there’s actually a good amount of 100-pound-class makos being caught. Some false albacore have been seen smashing bait this week outside of the western inlets, so make sure you’re light spinning setup is loaded all the way up with 20- to 30-pound braid. Also make sure you’ve got plenty of ounce and ounce-and-a-half deadly dicks on board before leaving the dock. I usually make sure I’ve got them in both white and green as sometimes it seems to be the difference between getting a strike or just a follow from a curious albie.
North Shore
Water temperatures in the Long Island Sound are still bath-water warm, but it’s starting to look like the hottest water of the season may be finally behind us. I talked to Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle who told me his regular sharpies are still finding keeper stripers in the deepwater — really deep water. Believe it or not, the best striper fishing in the western sound is being found in over 100 feet of water. Fresh bunker chunks are the best way to target these bass that have taken up residence in the deeper and slightly cooler water of the sound. Porgy fishing also remains strong, and you won’t have to get into triple digits on the fish finder to target them. If you’re looking to fish with seaworms, however, that may be a problem. There’s a serious shortage of worms on the Island right now (due to a tidal situation in Maine), so if you are able to find a few dozen you might want to keep that under your hat.
Metro New York
With the water temperature hanging in the high 70s, it’s an interesting but challenging time to be fishing within the limits of the Five Boroughs, especially from shore. Soaking some sandworms (if you can find them) on a high-low rig is likely your best bet from shore. Hoping on a local party boat like the Marilyn Jean IV out of Sheepshead Bay is definitely a better option if someone’s depending on you to put some fish on the table. Fishing on the Marilyn Jean remains steady. Sea bass fishing has even picked up a little, and some angler’s managed to scratch out a limit on the most recent trip. When the sea bass aren’t cooperating, fortunately the ling have been.
Upstate
Frequent thunderstorms this week helped raise water levels in the rivers of the Catskills region, and helped cool down some stretches of trout water that have been too hot for catch-and-release fishing in recent weeks. However, some rivers like the Willowemoc and Beaverkill are still flirting with that 70-degree cutoff mark. Evan at Beaverkill Angler in Roscoe reports that water temperatures are right on the cusp on both rivers at the moment, so make sure you’ve got your thermometer in your pack before heading out. Nighttime temps falling into the 40s this week though the region should help solidify a little more fishable water. Right now, the West Branch of the Delaware is your best bet for good catch-and-release water, especially after the early morning session. The East Branch also remains fishable with water temperatures currently hanging in the upper 50s, though the fishing’s been significantly more technical. If you are going to give the east branch a shot, make sure you’re tossing the longest leader you can handle — at least 12 feet or so. Some anglers are doing well with nymphs, through there still are ongoing hatches of tricos, blue-wing olives, caddis and the even the occasional cahill hatch.
Best Bets
There’s a lot of quality angling options to be found out there for the upcoming weekend, especially if you’re willing to think outside the box. There’s kingfish and even a few weakfish hanging in the warm water of the New York Bight, and even a few kings as far east as Shinnecock, providing a good option for shore-bound anglers. Seaworms have been the go-to option for both species, and fishing along the beach at night with 1/0 hooks on a high-low rig should provide plenty of action – especially at night. Montauk and Orient remain the best locations for stripers, though even these bites have become picky at times. The fluke fishing in the bay continues to produce some nice flatfish and even the occasional doormat. If you’re going to give it a shot, just make sure to focus your efforts around high tide when most of the bigger fish are coming in to feed. Tight lines.
I fish out of City Island and my boat club has many , many experienced fishermen who go out every day and there is nothing happening except sea robins , nada , no stripers , no blues , no fluke , no porgies , a few snappers and mucho jumbo birds { sea robins }