North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said the porgy have just about finished spawning so they are moving a little further off the beaches to 20 to 30 feet of water. However, you can catch them closer to shore when they start moving back in during the evening to dark hours. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson said the porgy bite in his area is excellent with plenty of 10 inch keeper fish to 3 pound jumbos on every trip.
Captain Stu of Northport Charters out of Northport reported that his boat has been hammering fluke this week, and keepers of 21 inches are common. He also said they have hooked up with a few weakfish to 8 pounds at the fluke grounds off Eatons Neck. John at Terminal Tackle also mentioned that while there are plenty of fluke around, the sea robins are very abundant right now so there are times where you might just have to pick up and move to get away from them. Carmine from Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station said there have been sandeels seen around the North Shore, which is a good sign. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest also talked about the sand eels and said the fluke bite has improved drastically since they showed up late last week. I was fishing outside of Port Jefferson at Buoy 11 over the weekend, and all of the fluke we pulled up were spitting sand eels and even a few squid, so the bait is definitely in the area.
Phil at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said it looks like there was a cinderworm hatch recently at Crab Meadow, and since then there have been a bunch of small bass in the back of the harbors, up in the marches, and in the creeks. Those fish are mainly being caught on sandworms and poppers. There is night bite in the back of the Nissequogue River, according to John at Terminal Tackle, but it is a tough area to navigate so the fishing there isn’t for everyone. Captain Stu of Northport Charters told us the larger fish over 20 pounds are being found at the Eatons Neck Triangle. Carmine at Campsite said bigger bluefish are starting to show up in the area, but they are not overrunning things just yet. Further to the west, John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle said the bass and bluefish bite is busting open from Matinecock to Rye.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Captain Joe of the Jib VI said the sea bass fishing with his RSA permit has been decent, and there have been jumbo porgy mixing in on those trips.
Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said the fluke bite has greatly improved recently as the water temperatures have risen to the high 60’s. The outgoing tide seems to be better with fish in the 6 to 11 pound range coming from the area of Reynolds Channel to the Wantagh Bridge. Bay Park Fishing Station added that fluking in the ocean is doing well at the Atlantic Beach Reef with fish over 6 pounds on squid and spearing. Vinny at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays also said that the fluke fishing has been good in Shinnecock Bay on bucktails, Gulp, and spearing.
Bill at Combs Bait reported that the bass bite to the east of Jones and Fire Island Inlets has been getting better with a 50 pound fish caught recently. Stripers are on the bunker pods, and the most action has been seen at early or late times of the day. Robert from Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport said trolling off the beaches and inside the bays and inlets has produced a good number of fish. Further to the east, anglers have been hitting stripers at Shinnecock West on clam bellies, according to Vinny at White Water.
We also got an offshore report from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon that the tuna fishing out at Hudson Canyon has begun heating up.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
Scup have finally made their way over to the Metro area. Although the fishing isn’t red hot yet, Stretch at Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn said you can find some porgy at the Tin Can Grounds, and John from Hudson Park said the rocks off New Rochelle are holding some fish as well.
John at Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx said anglers have been able to catch their limits of 18 to 22 inch fluke around Harts Island and at the local bridges and barges. Anglers have also been hooking up with some flatties at the Coney Island Flats and in the channel by the Marine Parkway Bridge, according to Stretch at Stella Maris.
Vinny from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn reported stripers over 45 pounds coming from the Ambrose Channel and the bays by the shop. John at Jack’s Bait also said the bass and blues have been abundant behind Execution Lighthouse, and fresh bunker have been the way to catch them as there are pods of bait all over the area.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
Captain Bob with Rainbow Charters out of Orient said that the weather this week was tough and restricted when they could get out, but the fishing continues to be good when the boat is able to sail. He is looking forward to a great start to the sea bass season as they are hooking up with some decent fish already as bycatch. Paulie at Paulie’s Bait and Tackle in Montauk reported that the porgy fishing at Cherry Harbor is still going, but starting to slow down a bit. However, Captain Mike of Prime Time 3 Charters out of Orient said the action at Gardiners Island has been outstanding. They have filled the boat this week with over 400 keepers to 3 pounds during most trips.
Fluke are continuing to bite off the Lighthouse on squid and spearing, according to Tom from Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk. Harry at Star Island Marina in Montauk added that many of the charter boats have been able to limit out on big flatties, with fish in the 7 to 10 pound range fairly common. On the Sound side, Bill at Jamesport Bait and Tackle in Mattituck said the fluke fishing is good off the Motel, at Buoy 5, and outside of Mattituck Inlet.
David from Westlake Marina in Montauk said the bass bite has picked up at the Rips for the guys fishing trolling parachutes. Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 reported that the boat has been limiting out on stripers, especially during these past few nights leading up to the full moon. The pool fish is typically in the 35 pound range. Bluefish have not overrun the East End like they normally would be at this point, according to Paulie at Paulie’s Tackle, and there is not much small bait in the water. Time will tell if that will change.
Best Bets for the Weekend
This cruddy, overcast weather all week is reason enough to get out on the water on what looks like a beautiful weekend. However, the fishing is definitely another good reason as there are plenty of opportunities going on right now. Porgy are all over the North Shore and between the Forks, and the fishing has been nothing short of excellent. Big fish are coming from both areas, and the scup bite is picking up toward the west and south also. Clam and clam chum work just fine on most rocky areas.
Check out the fluke fishing on the North Shore, as the bite has picked up quite a bit with the appearance of more bait in the area. The entire Island is actually pretty lit up with fish right now, so wherever you like to go, you really can’t go wrong. The fluke are still staying shallow in water less than 30 feet, so don’t go too deep just yet. Squid and spearing are always a go-to bait, but bucktails and Gulp are definitely good options also.
Bigger bass continue to move toward the east, and 30 pound fish are commonplace on the South Shore, East End, and western Long Island right now. The North Shore is holding some big fish also, but you will have to do a bit more searching to find them. Live lined bunker or bunker chunks and trolling parachute jigs are good for open water, and plugs and sandworms will account for smaller fish in the marshes and back harbors. The full moon is coming up, so fish your area accordingly.