North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Things have gotten a little mixed up on the North Shore compared to the last few weeks reports, so it makes for a nice change. There are still some bass in the 15-20 lb class in deep water, however John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported that anglers fishing at first light and after sunset when the water is cooler have been beaching fish up to 15 lbs using poppers and surface swimmers.

The fluke bite is good with a lot of shorts being caught in shallow water, but the keepers can be found in 40-50 feet. Robert from Hi Hook Bait & Tackle reported big fish in deep water off Buoy 15 and Eatons Neck are being caught using squid and spearing. Phil over at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said that the fluke have gotten bigger recently with the influx of snappers around, and anglers livelining snappers have accounted for many decent fish.

Porgy can still be found in the usual rock piles and wrecks. Carmine from Camp-Site Sport Shop in Huntington Station suggests finding the edge of a mussel bed for some big scup. There are also reports from Phil at Cow Harbor that there are big fish from 2.5-3 lbs being taken from the beach, and Robert from LI Outdoorsman in Rockville Center said the jetties are holding a good amount of fish right now. Sea bass are mixing in with the porgy and fish up to 3 lbs have been weighed in, but there are still a lot of shorts to sort through.

Bluefish are still hard to come by, but Robert at Hi Hook said that the last two days they have been seeing decent fish off Eatons Neck. There have also been reports of bunker showing up in Huntington and Northport Harbors. John from Terminal Tackle said that if the bunker stay, we are likely going to start seeing more blues around as well. The snappers are still small but catchable, and they are just about everywhere.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The bass front hasn’t changed a whole lot on the South Shore, but Bryce over at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said that there is a night bite and anglers have been having some luck using live bait.

The fluke bite has picked up recently and Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reported that the Great South Bay is loaded and big fish are mixing in. Greg over at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh said that the area between the Wantagh and Meadowbrook Bridges has been especially productive, and the key is to fish on the top of the outgoing tide for big keepers. Further west, Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported that the Rockaway and AB Reefs have been really hot right now with fish over 7 lbs caught on spearing and squid.

Nothing is very new on the porgy front. Fish are being caught in all the usual places, however the sea bass bite is heating up over on the Rockaway and AB Reefs with fish well over 4 lbs being weighed in. Anglers using hi-lo rigs with spearing have been having a lot of luck.

There still aren’t a whole lot of bluefish reports out there, although John at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said that you can find some in the Great South Bay, and the best time to look for them is around sunrise. There are also, of course, tons of snappers around South Shore docks.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Bass are hard to find in the Metro area, but John from Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx said that you can find some decent fish around the Throgs Neck Bridge.

The fluke fishing is excellent and all shops have reported a lot of fish around, especially around the area bridges. Louie from Island Bait and Tackle in the Bronx reported that there are big fish around the Throgs Neck Bridge, and a friend of his brought in a 31 inch fish that weighed over 11 lbs. Dave from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said there are also a lot of fluke hanging out in Jamaica Bay.

Big porgy are also all over the place. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn reported there are scup stacked up at the Tin Can Grounds and anglers are catching them up using worms. Louie at Island Bait said that there is some really good light tackle action using sandworms in shallow water with fish close to 19 inches being caught. Unfortunately, no good reports of sea bass in the Metro area so far.

There are a few bluefish around, but it is pretty spotty. Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle reported that there are a few choppers around weighing 12-14 lbs, but you have to really look for them. Stretch at Stella Maris also said there are cocktails around the Tin Can Grounds with a few stripers mixed in. Look for the birds working and you will find the blues. Snapper fishing has also been reported as being nothing short of phenomenal.

East End Long Island Fishing Report

The East End seems to be the place to be for big stripers. Mike from Star Island Marina in Montauk said that boats coming in have reported catching bass up to 40 lbs using spot and live eels, and Captain Mike from Prime Time 3 North Fork Charter out of Orient reported that they have been hammering big fish from 40-45 lbs using live eels as well. Captain Mike also said that there are big blues from 2-10 lbs everywhere.

The fluke bite hasn’t been the greatest out east with Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck reporting that not much has changed since last week. There are some fluke around, but a lot of shorts on the North Shore. However, Mike from Star Island said there are reports of decent fluke fishing 12 miles west of the Point in 50-60 feet of water, and charters have been limiting out on fish no smaller than 5 lbs.

Captain Mike said that the porgy bite has been picking up and they limited out on their last trip with fish up to 2.5 lbs. There is still a good mixed bag in the Peconic with blowfish, kingfish, and weakfish mixed in with the scup.

Best Bets for the Weekend

If you have been looking around and can’t seem to find any big bass and blues, it is because they are all out east. Head to the East End and find some deep water to hook up with some beasts. If you don’t need a big striper and maybe just some small ones will do, a few are cruising the beaches on the North and South Shores.

The hot spot for fluke and sea bass has to be the Rockaway and AB Reefs. If you prefer the North Shore, try livelining some snapper to score a big summer flattie.

Like it has been the past few weeks, the porgy and snappers will keep the younger anglers really happy right now, especially since we are seeing porgy heading close to the beaches and docks.

A lot of people think that the dreaded Summer Doldrums are upon us, but by switching up your locations and tactics, you can definitely keep yourself entertained and maybe land a very respectable fish.