North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
The porgy bite on the North Shore is phenomenal right now, according to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park. The beaches off Sunken Meadow and Callahans and out to deeper water are yielding scup to over 3 pounds. Phil at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said the hotter the better when it comes to porgy fishing, and things are really heating up at Target Rock, Makamah, and Crab Meadow. The sea bass fishing is also fantastic right now out at 25 feet of water down to 50 feet on the rock piles. Anglers have been doing well at the OB in the Triangle on pink skirts with whole squid and clam.
Fluke fishing continues to be spotty on the North Shore, but John at Terminal Tackle said the best fishing has been at drop-offs from 10 feet down to 40 feet.
Bluefish are becoming more abundant, according to John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle. Anglers are finding schools popping up on bait all over, and Phil at Cow Harbor reported that snappers are getting big enough to catch at the bridge and moorings. There isn’t much going on in the way of a bass bite, but John from Terminal Tackle said any stripers around are sluggish at this point with the warm water, so bunker chunks and a lot of patience is the key to catching one.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
The best fishing you will find on the South Shore is at the fluke grounds. The bite has stepped up this week in Shinnecock Bay, according to Bert at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays, and Robert of Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport also said the fishing has been excellent in the bays by the shop, but the ocean bite is spotty. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported the south side of the AB Reef in 55-65 feet of water has anglers catching summer flounder over 6 pounds, and Cholera Banks has seen boats landing 20 keeper sea bass in a single trip. Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale weighed in a 10.56 pound fluke taken from Fire Island Inlet on a whole squid this week.
Bert from White Water said the bass fishing has been spotty on the South Shore, but there are plenty of bait around such as bunker, anchovy, and sand eels.
The offshore fishing has been pretty consistent the last few weeks with Blue Marlin caught east of the Dip and tunas out at the Canyons, according to Robert at Sea Isle.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
There are plenty of porgy in western Long Island, including the area up by New Rochelle and all around Harts Island, Pea Island, and City Island, according to John at Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn also said the Tin Can Grounds are loaded with scup, and anglers are pulling up a bunch of mixed in sea bass. Vinny from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn added that the Reef and Breezy Point are producing sea bass as well.
Fluke fishing is decent, but nothing to be too crazy about. John at Jack’s Bait said there are a few keepers that were pulled from the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Blouses, and Coney Island this week.
Vinny at Bernie’s reported that a few bass have been caught at Breezy Point on bucktails and while trolling, but they are hard to come by. However, bluefish are very abundant. Stretch from Stella Maris said you can jig them from sun-up to about 8am under the birds or head out to 17 fathoms during the day to catch some on bait with a few albies and bonito mixed in. If you prefer fishing at night, John at Jack’s Bait said you can find blues from the Execution Lighthouse all the way up to Rye Playland.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
The Peconic is still seeing action with porgy off Robins Island and Buoy 20 and weakfish at Roses Grove and Buoy 16, according to Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck. Bill also said a good number of sea bass have been found on the Sound side at the Firing Range and the Motel. Steve from Wego Bait & Tackle in Southold reported that the Ruins and north of Plum Island are showing good hauls of both sea bass and porgy.
The East End has a nice fluke bite right now Mike from Star Island Marina in Montauk reporting fish in the 4-9 pound range at Frisbees and Rocky Hill. Tom at Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk also said summer flounder to 10 pounds were weighed in this week from the North Rips and the South Side.
The boat fishing for stripers has slowed since last week, but Tonya at Westlake Marina in Montauk said there are still a number of bass over 30 pounds caught while trolling with monster blues to 18 pounds mixed in. Mike from Star Island said the shop has weighed in fish from 30-50 pounds this weeks from the Rips, and live spot seems to be the bait of choice right now. Paul from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk reported that there haven’t been too many anglers fishing the night bite, but there is action going on under the Light at night during the last two hours of the incoming. Most of the action has come from a few guys hanging out during the day throwing bait from Napeague to the Point catching a few. Giant blues are also trolling around the North and South Side.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Not a whole lot has changed from last week in terms of where to fish. Porgy are dominating on the North Shore at all the usual spots, but they are also littering the water all around the Island. The North Shore is also seeing a really good sea bass bite, but again they will be mixed in all over. You can also head out East at some good, almost guaranteed action as well. Clams and squid will work just fine for both sea bass and scup, and you usually won’t have to go too deep to find them.
Fluke action is mediocre around most of the Island. The key is patience, as you will be picking through a lot of shorts wherever you go. The best fishing can be seen on the East End at the Rips, but if you choose to fish anywhere else, look to drop your bait on the steep drop-offs.
The bass fishing is starting to head into the dreaded summer doldrums that we all hate, but by putting the time in out at Montauk, there is still a good chance at boating a sizable fish. Live spot are working the best right now, but trolling can account for its share of stripers as well. The fishing around the rest of the Island is spotty at best, but a few sluggish bass still around might just be coerced by fresh bunker chunks.