North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The Triangle in 40-50 feet of water seems to still be the best place for decent striper action on the North Shore. Anglers chunking can hope to land a fish up to 25 lbs, although stripers that size are hard to come by. Phil from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said that with the temperatures becoming cooler, the stripers should be heading closer to shore soon enough.

Bluefish of 10 lbs have been mixing in with the stripers at The Triangle. Smaller fish in the 2-3 lb range have been a lot more common and are popping up all over. John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said that these fish are in fast moving schools chasing the sand eels, even heading up in to the Nissequogue at least once a day. The frantically feeding cocktails will hit on just about anything, but popping plugs and diamond jigs are working the best.

Not much has changed on the fluke front. A lot of shorts have moved in, but fish over 5 lbs and even in the double digits are still around if you head to 40-50 feet of water over rough and rocky structure. Robert at Hi Hook Bait & Tackle in Huntington reported that anglers fishing around Buoys 28C and 32A have been landing some decent sized fish, especially when using live snappers.

Porgy are just littering the North Shore and there’s no reason to go home with an empty bucket. John from Terminal Tackle reported that besides any structure you would think to find porgy, they can also be caught off any rough bottom beaches, such as Sunken Meadow and Callahan’s. They are also stacked in Northport and Huntington Harbors and kids who are snapper fishing are also hooking up with scup at the docks. Phil at Cow Harbor said that the fish are a minimum of 2 lbs and using worms and clam chunks have been working very well. Sea bass are mixing in with the porgy, but there are still a lot of shorts in the area.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Bert at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said that the striper bite has been more consistent lately. The fish are pretty active in the very early morning and just before dark, although there are some stripers lurking around during the daytime. Diamond jigs, small bucktails, and jigheads tipped with Gulp have all been producing, especially on the top of high tide.

The blues have made their way into the area as well. According to Mike from Causeway Bait & Tackle in Wantagh, fish in the 5 lb range have been found in the Bay around the 3rd Wantagh Bridge and the Meadowbrook Bridge using spearing, clams, and diamond jigs.

Mike also said that there are a lot of short fluke from the Meadowbrook Bridge to the Inlet, but the larger fish are in the ocean in deeper water. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported that Cholera Banks in 70-80 feet of water have been producing keepers using bucktails, Gulp, and squid/spearing combos. The AB Reef and Hempstead Reef are also doing well.

The porgy and sea bass fishing is slow on the South Shore, except for the west end. They are being caught on the AB Reef and in Reynold’s Channel mainly on clams. You can also find some sea bass around the Ponquogue Bridge.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

The striper bite is very slow in the Metro area, however anglers have gotten lucky with a few keepers when anchoring by Breezy Point using clams and clam chum.

Look for birds working and you will be able to hit some cocktail blues. Louie from Island Bait and Tackle in the Bronx also said that fish up to 8 lbs are feeding on bunker chunks at night around the Stepping Stone Rocks and Kings Point. The snapper fishing is also “the best it has been in years”, according to John from Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx.

Louie at Island Bait said that there are a ton of fluke in the area with fish in the 5-7 lb range being caught in deep water, but you will have to pick through the shorts and sea robins to get to them. He suggests using Gulp instead of bait since it will stay on the hook better and you won’t lose it to fish you don’t want. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn said a few good places to try include the Ambrose Channel, off Floyd Bennett Field, and Breezy Point. Anglers using a spearing/squid combo have been doing well.

The porgy are all over the Metro area in pretty shallow water of about 6-20 feet. New Rochelle is a very good location right now, according to John from Jack’s Bait. Louie at Island also said that Huckleberry and Harts Island are holding a lot of scup, as well as the Tin Can Grounds. Only baby sea bass are around as of now, but there are a ton of spot in Jamaica Bay and weakfish off Floyd Bennett Field. Stretch at Stella Maris said sandworms and live spot have been working very well for the weaks. Vinnie at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn also heard reports of some false albies around the Breezy Point Jetty.

East End Long Island Fishing Report

Big stripers are still holding in the usual places like The Elbow, Midway, and Block Island, and chunking and trolling are getting the job done. Glen from Paulie’s Bait and Tackle in Montauk said there is a night bite of bass in the mid 20 lb range on the south side, and Bill over at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck said there are bass in 30-70 feet of water off Horton’s Point for anglers using live bait, eels, and bucktails.

While striper fishing, there is a good chance that much of your catch will consist of huge blues. Glen from Paulie’s said they are on the north side of the Point and you can throw just about anything at them, but poppers are working very well right now. Schools have also been showing up in Mattituck Inlet and throughout the Peconic.

The fluke bite is very good and Frisbees and the New Grounds are a good place to use a squid/spearing combo in about 50-70 feet of water. Glen said that while the bite is good now, the fish will start to head west soon as the waters are cooling.

The scup are littering the shallows on the East End. Glen said they are hanging out in about 20 feet of water off Ditch Plains and the trailer park, and the usual baits are working just fine. The Peconic is doing great for anyone wanting a mixed bag. Huge porgy, kingfish, weakfish, and blowfish are all mixing in for a busy day, and the crabbing is excellent in the creeks.

Best Bets for the Weekend

For all the striper fisherman, be patient because the water is beginning to cool and we are starting to head into the fall fishing season. The bass are holding in deep water and their numbers are still on the East End, but they are starting to cruise the South Shore beaches more consistently and will be coming closer very soon. The blues have become more active around the Island lately as well, and they are blitzing all over if you are lucky enough to be around some birds when they do.

While many anglers are starting to shy away from fluking, there are still fish to be caught if you put in the time. Live baits are they key to big fluke right now.

Porgy are still the most abundant fish around the Island and it’s not very hard to limit out on fish. Head out to the Peconic, which has a lot to offer right now. Between the mixed bag of bottom fishing and the excellent crabbing, you won’t leave disappointed.

With the unofficial end of summer upon us, the beaches and waters will be a lot less crowded so get out and explore where you may not have wanted to go because of all the traffic. And even though the kids are heading back to school, don’t forget they learn just as many important things fishing with you as they do in the classroom.