North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The water temperatures are still warm so the bass are continuing to hang deep. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said that there is a morning and night bite in about 70 feet of water for anglers using bunker chunks or strips and livelined bait. John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park also said that you have a shot at a striper off the beach early in the morning, but once it warms up the bass will move offshore.

The blues have been making a decent appearance on the North Shore as we have finally started getting consistent reports. Robert over at Hi Hook Bait & Tackle in Huntington reported that you can find blues around Buoy 11B and the Obstruction Buoy anywhere from 2-14 lbs. The smaller fish are being landed using diamond jigs and the larger ones on bunker chunks.

The keeper fluke bite has been dying off a bit this week. The consensus from all the shops has been that there are a lot of shorts in the area and the keepers are far and few between. Carmine at Campsite Sport Shop in Huntington Station said that the keepers are deep and the best chances of landing one are by using live snappers or a squid/spearing combination.

For the most consistent fishing on the North Shore, porgy are the way to go. Robert at Hi Hook said that Eatons Neck is loaded and Carmine at Campsite reported that fish from 3-4 lbs are being found in all rocky areas and for the best fishing, try looking for a mussel bed to drift over.

The sea bass bite has been improving as of late. Mark from Cow Harbor said that they can be found mixed in with the porgy in 35-40 feet of water and are being caught on clams, squid, and sandworms. There are a lot of shorts to sort through, but there are a good number of keepers around.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The shop reports for the South Shore are pretty sparse this week. The bass aren’t very abundant although you have a shot at pulling a teen sized fish off the beach in the early morning hours. The same goes for the bluefish. No consistent reports, but anglers are hitting a few blues off the beach in the morning from cocktails up to 12-15 lbs on bait and top water.

At least the fluke fishing has been giving the shops something to report on. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported that the keeper fluke catches have slowed on the AB Reef, but some can still be found using a spearing/squid combination. Anglers have also been having some luck out of Rockaway Inlet toward the tankers in 60-70 feet of water. John from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon also said that you can use live peanut bunker or snapper in the Bays for a shot at a keeper.

The porgy are hanging out all over on the reefs. Anglers have been doing pretty well on the AB Reef using clams, according to Bay Park. They also reported that a decent amount of keeper sized sea bass are being landed using bait and gulp out at Cholera Banks.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

The bass fishing has been decent in the Metro area, although there haven’t been many huge fish weighed in. Mike from Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx said that 28-35 inch fish are the usual and many are being caught around the area bridges on plugs and sandworms. Frank from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn also reported that boats trolling in deep water through the Ambrose Channel have been doing well.

The bluefish are making a nice appearance in western Long Island. Louie from Island Bait and Tackle in the Bronx said that the daytime bite seems more productive than the night bite and they are biting on jigs and tins. Mike from Jack’s said that the blues are blitzing in the harbors and bays hitting on bunker and top water lures.

Fluke fishing has been called excellent by some of the shops. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn said that there are plenty of fish off Brighton Beach and Floyd Bennett Field, but you’ll have to sort through shorts for a keeper. Louie at Island said that many keepers can be found in the Channel and around the City Island Bridge.

Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle said that the porgy bite is on fire right now, and the key to limiting out is to use a lot of chum. Louie reported that scup over 4 lbs are being caught around New Rochelle, the City Island Bridge, and Hart Island on sandworms, squid, and clam. Not many sea bass reports but Hudson Park reported that some can be found around Buoy 32A.

East End Long Island Fishing Report

The bass bite is still holding solid on the East End with fish in many different areas. Mike from Star Island Marina in Montauk reported that fish up to 40 lbs can be found at the Elbow and around Block Island. Bill over at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck said you can find them off Horton’s Point on live eels.

The bluefish are also all over the East End. Glen from Paulie’s Tackle in Montauk reported that they are all over False Bar, and Bill from Jamesport said you can find them in the Peconic Bay.

The fluke have been consistently producing nice catches out east. Mike at Star Island said that fish in the 6-7 lb range have been found on the south side of the fork in 40-60 feet of water off Gurney’s and in 25-30 feet off Amagansett. Paulie’s also reported keepers at Hither Hills, the New Grounds, and the Outer Frisbee area. The usual baits have been working, but Bill said that a red/white combo has been pretty effective.

Porgy fishing in the Bay has been very good, and you can get a nice mixed bag action as well catching kingfish, blowfish, and triggers. Anglers have also been doing well for scup off the Motel to the Firing Range.

Best Bets For the Weekend

Bass fishing is tough with the water temperatures still high, but there are still plenty of big fish out East. If you put in the time, you can also hope to be rewarded with teen sized, or even larger fish around the rest of the Island.

Bluefish are finally making an appearance in other areas other than the East End, so get out and look for a blitz to have some fast paced action.

Fluke seems to have slowed down a bit, especially on the North and South Shores, however the fishing is still excellent on the East and West Ends. However, the sea bass bite seems to be the best on the north and south sides.

Porgy will be your best bet for the most consistent fishing. They are just about everywhere on the Island and you shouldn’t have any problem catching your limits. Snappers are continuing to get larger each week so they are good way to go as well for guaranteed fun.