North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
This has been an incredible week of fishing all around, and it is only just starting to get good. The North Shore fluke action continues to be off to a great start with Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport weighing in fish over 7 pounds. He can account the good fishing to the vast amount of squid from 4 to 13 inches in the area. Anglers are even hooking up with them as a bycatch on fluke rigs. John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said the larger fish are in 30 to 40 feet of water, and there are flatties over 6 pounds coming from Smithtown Bay. Anglers have also been having a lot of luck off Asharoken, Crab Meadow, Lloyd Harbor, and in Centerport Channel, according to Robert at Hi Hook Bait and Tackle in Huntington.
Porgy continue to flood further west, and the number of scup around have been steadily increasing. John at Terminal Tackle said to focus on the mussel beds and rocky beaches as that is where the fish over 3 pounds are right now. There is also a weakfish bite going on right now, according to Mark at Cow Harbor. Anglers have been catching fish up to 7 pounds off the boat and beaches at night or during the early morning hours.
Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station reported that the bass bite has also been improving, with bunker chunks and rubber shads working for the fish in Huntington, Northport, and Centerport Harbors. There have also been plenty of reports of larger fish to 30 pounds caught at the Eatons Neck Triangle on chunks or while trolling umbrella rigs.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
The fluke bite picked up on the South Shore this week with anglers picking up a good number of fish in Shinnecock Inlet, according to Mike from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays. Further to the west, Chris at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh said there is good fluke fishing in both the bays and the ocean, especially at the Hempstead and Atlantic Beach Reefs. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside also reported flatties over 7 pounds in Reynolds Channel, the McAllister Grounds, and Cholera Banks on KO rigs and spearing and squid.
Bass and blues are keeping anglers busy on the South Shore. Bay Park reported stripers over 20 pounds and 18 pound blues south of the Church, Debs Inlet, and Raritan Bay in 50 feet of water caught by trolling green and white bunker spoons. Mike at White Water also said that the bass are still milling around in the creeks to the east and are spreading around throughout the bays and inlets.
We also got our first offshore report of the season from On The Water contributor Chris Paparo who did some shark fishing with Captain Greg Metzger alongside Angelo Amendolia and his son Placido. They were fishing southeast of Shinnecock Inlet in 130 feet of water and tagged and released four blue sharks, all reeled in by 14 year old Placido. Another blue was cruising around in the slick for about 20 minutes at the end of the trip.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
The porgy are still concentrated further to the east, but Stretch at Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn said there are weakfish at the Pumpkin Patch and in Jamaica Bay. There were also some 8.5 pound weaks caught off Mattinecock Point, according to John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle.
John at Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx reported fluke to almost 8 pounds off Prospect Point and Sands Point caught on spearing and squid. John from Hudson Park also said fish up to 9 pounds were being pulled up east of Hempstead Harbor and off of Bayville.
Bluefish are all over western Long Island, according to Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn, with fish up to 13 pounds caught on bunker. There are also plenty of spots to try from some stripers. Stretch at Stella Maris said there is a night bite at Floyd Bennett Field and the Breezy Point Jetty using live lined bunker or chunks. John from Jack’s Bait reported bass to 34 pounds around the Stepping Stone Lighthouse and in Hempstead Harbor and Manhasset Bay. John at Hudson Park also added that fish from 25 to 40 pounds have been relatively common in the middle of the Sound feeding on bunker. He said it is important to find the pods of bunker that are being harassed and not to bother with the ones that look like they are being left alone.
East End Long Island Fishing Report
Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck said the porgy are still biting great in the Peconic, namely at the Middle Grounds. Paulie from Paulie’s Tackle in Montauk also said anglers have been doing really well for scup at Cherry Harbor while chumming and fishing with clams and worms.
Ben at Star Island Marina in Montauk said fluke well over 9 pounds have been caught on the south side in 50 to 65 feet of water. On the Sound side, Bill at Jamesport said the fluking has been good off the Motel, in Mattituck Inlet, and around the Iron Pier.
Paulie reported that the bass and bluefish action have been picking up on the south side, although it can still be pretty spotty. Ditch Plains continues to be the most consistent area with keeper stripers and blues up to 17 pounds. Bass can also be found at Goose Creek, Jockey Creek, Deep Hole, and the Gut, according to Bill at Jamesport.
Ben at Star Island also wanted to remind everyone to sign up for their 28th annual shark tournament. There is plenty of information on their website.
Best Bets for the Weekend
It is about time that we are starting to see some good spring fishing. Jumbo porgy are on the North Shore and in the Peconic. This is about the time of year that they are spawning, so the big ones won’t be here forever. This means the weekend is looking like a perfect time to get out on the water. Chumming always helps, and clams and worms should do the trick nicely.
The fluke season has been nothing short of incredible. Just about the entire Island has been lit up with big flatties, so you really can’t go wrong wherever you end up. Spearing and squid will get the job done, and staying around 30 to 40 feet of water will hopefully get you one of the big ones.
Big bass keep moving toward the East, and your favorite local spots will be picking up soon if they haven’t already. Chunking, live lining, and trolling will work quite well for those on the boats, and fresh or live bunker are the way to go off the beach.