North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

With the heat wave this week and no bunker to be found, the bass have moved to even deeper water, but there still is some hope to hook up. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport reported that bass are being caught on bunker chunks during the change of the tide in 60 to 90 feet of water. Robert from Hi Hook Bait & Tackle in Huntington also said that bass can be found in 70 to 100 feet of water off Eatons Neck.

There haven’t been any reports of large blues anywhere on the North Shore, however the snappers are getting bigger and can now be caught. Robert from LI Outdoorsman of Rockville Center said the snappers are thick everywhere and the same goes for the report from Robert from Hi Hook Bait & Tackle.

Fluke have moved deep as well, but both shorts and keepers are definitely biting. John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported that there are only shorts to be found in the Nissequogue River now, and anglers are finding larger fluke in 40 feet or deeper of water using peanut bunker. Mark from Cow Harbor said that the fluke bite is steady, but you have to work hard to pull a keeper. Big fluke can also be found in deep water off of Eatons Neck.

Porgy action has also been good this week with big fish being caught in shallow and deep water. John from Terminal Tackle said that anglers have been doing really well close to the beaches at first light and after the sun goes down, but the scup move to 40 to 75 feet during the day. Mark from Cow Harbor said there are a lot of porgy at area wrecks, with some very big fish mixing in.

Opening week of the sea bass season started off rocky, but this week it looks like it is picking up. You can find sea bass mixing in with porgy on the wrecks off Northport and Robert from LI Outdoorsman said the fishing is solid on the Atlantic Reef. Terminal Tackle reported that there are more quality fish than normal for this time of year, with the shop weighing in fish from 2 to 4 pounds.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The South Shore is having another tough week but depending on what you want to catch, there should be something for you. The bass aren’t very abundant, but we did get a report from Joe at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh that there is a night bite if you find the right location.

It seems to be the same story with bluefish. Henry from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said some blues can be found in Fire Island Inlet, but other than that, you’ll only find snapper action at the docks on the South Shore.

The fluke bite has definitely improved this week. Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reported that there are big fluke up to 26 inches right in the bay from the Coast Guard Station to the Lighthouse on the incoming tides. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside also reported big fluke in their area. Anglers have been limiting on fluke while fishing Cholera Banks using spearing and squid, and the shop weighed in a 10.5-pound doormat caught on the Atlantic Beach Reef.

Bottom fishing is the way to go as it seems to have picked up a bit this past week. Joe from Causeway said small sea bass, porgy, and triggerfish can be caught on rock piles in the bay. Bay Park reported that sea bass up to 2.5-pounds have been caught at Cholera Banks.

If shark fishing is more your speed but you want to stay close to shore, the South Shore may have what you are looking for. Reports of decent sized sand tigers, threshers, porbeagles, and rays are being caught off the area beaches on bunker chunks.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

The fishing is pretty decent on the west end of the Island. John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle reported that there still are bass in the area, but are down deep in the water from Captains Island to the Throgs Neck Bridge, but anglers need to work hard for a quality fish.

Ralph from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said there are huge blues around the Breezy Point Jetty. There are also snappers everywhere according to Louie from Island Bait and Tackle in the Bronx.

John from Hudson Park said that the fluke are getting bigger with fish from 6 to 8 pounds being caught and he landed a doormat of 10.9 pounds. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait and Tackle of Brooklyn also reported that there are a good number of keeper fluke on the Rockaway Reef, and Louie at Island Bait and Tackle reported fish of 4 to 5 pounds with a lot of shorts being caught in the channel by the shop and by the area bridges.

Bottom fishing is excellent on the west end as well. John from Jack’s Bait and Tackle reported that there are a ton of porgy off Huckleberry Island and Ralph from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle said spot, croackers, and scup can all be found by the shore off Beach Channel Drive. The shop also weighed in a huge porgy of over 4 pounds caught off the Breezy Point Jetty. Stretch from Stella Maris said that there are some sea bass, but you have to pick through a lot of shorts to find a sizable fish.

East End Long Island Fishing Report

The East End seems to be the place to catch sizable bass and blues. Captain Mike from Prime Time 3 North Fork Charter out of Orient Point said the bass bite is good during the days and nights with anglers catching fish over 30 pounds, and Mike from Star Island Marina of Montauk said they have been weighing in fish over 40 pounds. Captain Mike also said that the blues are everywhere and they have been landing fish from 6 to 12 pounds.

If you want to do some East End bottom fishing, you can get a nice mixed bag in the Peconic. Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck reported porgy, kingfish, and weakfish all being caught in the bay and you can find some in the Sound as well. The fluke bite has been slowing down, but some fish can be caught off Montauk Point and in the Sound.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Bottom fishing seems to be the way to go this weekend. Porgy can be found just about everywhere, and they are feeding on anything you send down. The fluke bite seems to have picked up quite a bit these past few days on the North Shore and Metro area, especially where the bigger fish are concerned. Sea bass action is up a bit from last week, most notably on the North Shore.

For big bass and blues, the East End is the place to go. If you just want to keep busy from shore, the snappers are heavy around the docks and beaches.

And if none of that gets you excited, you can head to the South Shore for some shark action from the beach.