North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson reported that a new body of porgy moved into the area this weekend in huge numbers. Most of the scup are medium to large in size with a few jumbos and sea bass in the mix. When conditions allow, Captain Mark said drifting is the most productive. John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said scup were found just about everywhere this week with fish outside the harbors in deep water or inside the harbors where kids were able to catch 2 pound porgy while snapper fishing. According to Phil at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport, there is a lot of sea bass action, but the keepers are getting harder to come by.
John at Terminal Tackle said that not too many anglers are bothering with the fluke now, but fish from 5 to 10 pounds are being caught on live snappers if you put in the time. He also said to get out there while you can since the summer flounder will be here for another 2 to 3 weeks and then they will be gone.
Phil from Cow Harbor reported that there are plenty of blues on the North Shore inside and outside the bay under bunker schools. Sunset and during the early morning are the most productive times with a few schoolies in the mix during the hours before and during sunrise. John at Terminal Tackle said that big bass over 20 pounds moved in late last week in 50 feet of water off Cranes Neck. The fishing was good until a northwest wind came through and made conditions tough to get out in. He also reported that jigging for stripers and blues is finally starting to pick up at Eatons Neck, especially on structure toward the Connecticut side.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
The bottom fishing on the South Shore continues to steady. Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree reported that they had a steady pick of fluke inside the bay this week when conditions allow them to fish during the change of tide. If there is an off tide, the boat headed out to Fire Island Reef for summer flounder to 6 pounds and sea bass to 3.5 pounds. Fluke to 7 pounds are biting at the AB Reef, Cholera Banks, Reynolds Channel, and Buoy 4 on squid, spearing, and Gulp, according to reports from Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside. Anglers are also seeing a decent showing of sea bass mixed in those areas to 4 pounds. For those heading east for flatties, Captain Ryan of Grand Bahama Mama Charters out of Hampton Bays said they picked away at the fluke inside of Shinnecock Bay, but the ocean bite remains spotty and slow.
Captain Ryan also let us know that the inshore fishing is beginning to turn around in his area as they saw a nice number of bass returning to Shinnecock Inlet, with bluefish mixed in. The bass reports were relatively quiet across the rest of the South Shore.
Joe from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said the offshore fishing was pretty consistent with last week. He heard reports of bigeye and yellowfin out at the Hudson Canyon and Bluefin at Chicken Canyon.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
John at Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle reported big porgy around Execution Lighthouse, Huckleberry Island, and Pea Island, and now is the time to get out fishing while it’s good. John from Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx also reported a good showing of scup this week from New Rochelle and Mamaroneck up through to Connecticut. Anglers used sandworms to get the buckets full.
Fluke fishing stayed steady this week with guys doing well in the Ambrose Channel and Brighton Beach, according to Stretch at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn. Vinny from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn also reported summer flatties around the Marine Parkway Bridge and off Canarsie Pier.
Bass reports for the area were hard to come by this week, but there were a few schoolies early in the morning off the beaches and some around the Marine Parkway Bridge for those anglers drifting eels, according to Stretch at Stella Maris. He also said there was a good day bite of blues at the Mud Buoy and under the birds. John at Jack’s Bait said huge blues to 15 pounds are in the western Sound, and Execution Lighthouse, Hempstead Harbor, the Whitestone and Throgsneck Bridges, and the Stepping Stone Lighthouse are good spots to find some choppers.
East End / North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
The Peconic River continued to have a good amount of life in it, according to Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck. Weakfish to 20 inches were caught at Roses Grove and the Middle Grounds, and snappers and crabs are stacked throughout the Bay and creeks. There are also plenty of porgy scattered around as well. Tom from Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk reported a good mix of scup and sea bass off the Lighthouse, and David at Westlake Marina in Montauk said Frisbees and the CIA area have plenty of fish to go around.
As I was on the phone with Tom from Gone Fishing Marina, there was a customer in the shop weighing in a 10.3 pound fluke. David at Westlake said there are plenty of summer flounder around and anglers are catching their limits, but they have to pick through shorts. Ben at Star Island Marina in Montauk said Block Island is a good place to try as anglers were able to limit out on fluke and sea bass.
Captain Bob with Rainbow Charters out of Orient said the bass fishing was a little off this week coming off the new moon, but the boat did catch some fish. He also said the bluefishing is stable. Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle reported that the Race and Gut have been quiet on the striper front, but the daytime bite at Hortons has gotten better on the ebb tide. It is mostly blues on the South Fork surf, according to Paul at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk. Big choppers and a few schoolies can be found on the North and South sides and from the town beaches to the Lighthouse. Bucktails work during the day and plugs are good at night.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Porgy fishing is probably the best thing to do right now if you are looking to bring home dinner. They will continue to bite until it really starts to get cool out and are stacked up just about everywhere. You might even get lucky enough to land a nice sea bass as well.
The fluke bite has been steady for the past few weeks and will continue to be for the near future, although time is running out before the fish head out. If you are looking at your best shot at a keeper, try sending down a live snapper. This time of year, the summer flounder love feasting on them, and it’s a good chance to get your bait to stand out over the normal squid and spearing. There are keepers hiding out all around the Island, but you will most likely need to sort through shorts where ever you go.
The North Shore has waited a long time for the jigging to get good, and it looks like it has finally started. Send a diamond jig down to the bottom of deep structure for your shot at a decent fish hiding out. The Montauk striper fishing is finally winding down from those incredible weeks they had, but the East End is still your best bet at a respectable sized fish. Live baits, such as spot or eels, will be the most productive.
This weekend also marks the WICC Greatest Bluefish Tournament on Earth with huge prizes for those that land the biggest fish. Check out their website for rules, how to register, and locations of official weigh stations.
Fishing out at the East End was pretty good late this week. Came across a lot of 22″-24″ blues at the Shinnecock Inlet on Friday morning. I did best with a 2 oz white Popeye jig with a single hook and a bucktail. Other folks were using silver jigs as well, but we were all working them slowly through the outgoing morning tide from the eastern jetty. Lost a rig at 7AM on the bottom, but kept my line low anyway to get at the feeding fish. The big bite was between 7:30AM-8:30Am, when the water was rushing out, about 2 hours after high tide.