North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Phil at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reported that there are a few schoolies moving through the area. Anglers have had some luck catching them during the early morning on diamond jigs and top water plugs at the Brush Pile. Robert at Hi Hook Bait & Tackle in Huntington also said jigging and chunking is still working at Eatons Neck and Buoy 15 in 50 to 60 feet of water. John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported that the striper fishing isn’t red hot right now and the anglers who really know what they are doing have had the most success.

There are some blues mixed in with the bass in deep water at Eatons Neck on jigs, but other than that, a good portion of the schools have moved out of the area.

John at Terminal Tackle said that the blackfishing is generally very good when the weather permits boats to get out. The tog are still moderately shallow in 30 to 50 feet of water and the shops have consistently weighed in fish over 5 pounds. Phil at Cow Harbor said since the blackfish have moved into water a little bit deeper than last week, Buoy 11B has been heating up. The porgy fishing is starting to slow up, but you can find scup and sea bass mixed in with the tog, according to Robert from Hi Hook. Carmine from Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station said that half an Asian or green crab on a jig does the trick for the blackfish and clams are still working for porgy.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

It’s another great week for South Shore stripers. Mike at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said both the beach and the boats are doing great hitting plenty of fish on diamond jigs, even though the wind has made it a little tough to get out. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported excellent fishing just south of Debs Inlet in 35 to 50 feet of water. Bass of over 33 pounds have been caught, and trolling green and white or silver bunker spoons and jigging have accounted for the majority of the catches, according to Joe from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh. Bay Park also said Buoy 4, The Roundhouse, and The Church have had solid action, and fish over 40 inches are thick right outside the inlet.

John at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said there are a few blues around cruising the beaches hitting diamond jigs. Some days there will also be nonstop action while trolling south of Debs Inlet in about 40 feet of water.

Bay Park reported that you can get all the blackfish you could ever want on green crabs at Buoy 4. Many boats are able to limit out at that location. Mike at White Water said that the tog are starting to move out a bit to deeper water at the local wrecks, but the fishing remains good. He also said anglers are beginning to hit the deep wrecks for some cod, ling, and Pollock action using clam and big diamond jigs.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

There are a lot of reports of stripers in the Metro area. John at Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle said A17s and A27s have been working for some bass around the Stepping Stone Lighthouse, and jigging behind Execution Lighthouse in 30 to 50 feet of water is also working, according to John at Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx. Frank from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said there is a school of stripers travelling between Rockaway Reef and Debs Inlet with anglers picking off fish over 30 pounds. Another school with more, but smaller fish were hanging out by the Coney Island Flats to the Statue of Liberty. Louie at Island Bait & Tackle in the Bronx also reported fish into the East and Hudson Rivers and around the Pelham Bay Bridge.

The blues are hard to come by right now, however a few are mixing in with the bass while jigging behind Execution Lighthouse or in other occasional spots on chunks. Dawn and dusk seem to be the best time for them.

The blackfish bite is improving with fish over 9 lbs caught off Rye Playland in 25-30 feet of water, according to John from Jack’s Bait, and Louie at Island Bait reported that there are a lot of shorts with keepers of over 6 lbs in the mix in 50-90 feet of water around Huckleberry Island and up around Captains Island. John at Hudson Park even reported a 12 lb winning fish in a tournament over the weekend, so some big tog are definitely in the area. The porgy bite is definitely dropping off, although there are a few lingering fish still around.

East End Long Island Fishing Report

The bass bite on the East End seems to be dwindling and the fish that are around have gotten smaller. Paulie at Paulie’s Bait and Tackle in Montauk reported that short to teen sized bass have moved in, but the surf action has been pretty steady despite the lack of big fish. Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck said there are a few stripers scattered in the Sound, but the beaches have been very quiet. Diamond jigs, bucktails, needlefish, and darters have been working.

Mike at Star Island Marina in Montauk said that there are some blues around mostly being caught by the boats, but they will show up toward the beach from time to time. Paulie said that your better chance at a blue would be on the Bay side using bunker.

The tog fishing has been steadily improving with fish up to 9 pounds being weighed in from Fishers Island, Shagwong, and The Highway, according to Mike from Star Island. Bill at Jamesport reported that some nice blackfish can also be found east of Horton’s and at Rocky Point in 40 feet of water. The sea bass fishing is pretty decent on the East End as well.

Best Bets for the Weekend

The South Shore is still the place to be for stripers, but who knows how long they will be sticking around. My suggestion is to tell your boss you came down with something terrible and get yourself to the beach or out on the boat before you miss some awesome fishing. You can even pack light and just bring a handful of diamond jigs with you, and maybe throw some bunker spoons in your bag to troll.

Blackfish are definitely another way to go since the bite is good just about everywhere. They are starting to move out to deeper water since last week, but remain relatively shallow since the water is on the warm side still. The porgy fishing is just about done, however you may have some luck with left over scup mixing in at the blackfish grounds.