Long Island - New York Fishing Report for 8-28-14

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The porgy fishing remains strong on the North Shore, with plenty of scup taken off the rocky beaches, such as Callahans and Sunken Meadow, and out to rock piles in 60 feet of water, according to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park. He also said the sea bass continue to be actively mixed in. John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle reported solid scup action at all the Points, and fishing a top hook is key for sea bass.

Phil at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said the fluke fishing is still a bit spotty, but there are fish around if you look hard enough. John at Terminal Tackle said anglers need to have patience this time of year, and he has been able to pull flatties to 5 pounds on deep structure.

Big blues were definitely cruising the North Shore this week, with fish from 12 to 14 pounds caught in the western Sound, according to John at Hudson Park. He also said surprisingly a few weakfish were in the mix hitting diamond jigs. John from Terminal Tackle reported decent blues over 11 pounds all over the bunker in Huntington Harbor, Northport Harbor, and Smithtown Bay and smaller cocktails of 1 to 3 pounds off Callahans and Sunken Meadow caught on diamond jigs and poppers. Striper fishing is slow, but a few can be picked off on chunks at Cranes and Eatons Neck. Phil at Cow Harbor said the bunker are blowing up in the harbors, and he got a report of an 18 pound bass caught while live-lining in the schools. Carmine from Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station reported a few schoolies in the back of the harbors, but the bigger guys are out deeper in the evening.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Bottom fishing is the hot ticket on the South Shore right now. Robert from Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport said the fluking is excellent in the bay, but still not very consistent in the ocean. Bill at Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville echoed this when he said Cholera, Hempstead Reef, and McAllister were slow this week with the swell that’s getting kicked up from Hurricane Cristobal heading up north, but the bay is producing much better catches of keepers at Jones and from Fire Island Inlet to the Lighthouse. Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree said the morning tide this week produced 20 to 40 keeper fluke in the bay, and the boat had nice mixed bag trips of hundreds of sea bass, porgy, and triggerfish on the Fire Island Reef. Despite the bays being more productive, Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported that sea bass to 3 pounds and summer flounder to 6.5 pounds were caught on clams, squid, and spearing at the AB Reef and the Rockaway Reef, with some porgy, triggers, and blues mixed in. It’s the same story toward the eastern South Shore with tons of fluke in Shinnecock Bay, but spotty ocean action, according to Mike at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays.

Robert at Sea Isle Tackle said there are a few more bluefish around this week, and although the reports haven’t been very detailed, he did hear of a few stripers that were picked up recently in his area. Mike from White Water said blues are scattered throughout Shinnecock Inlet and Bay, and anglers are catching them mostly on bucktails, but poppers worked also. He also said the occasional bass was mixed in and measured anywhere from 15 inches to just over keeper size.

Bay Park reported a decent offshore bite with Yellowfins on chunks at night at the Hudson Canyon and a few Mahi and Longfins on the troll.

 

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx said sandworms were working on the loads of porgy stacked up from New Rochelle up through to Connecticut. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn reported good scup fishing off Kingsborough College and Floyd Bennett Field with weakfish in the mix off the helicopter pad.

There were a lot of fluke at Breezy Point this week, according to Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn. Stretch from Stella Maris reported plenty of shorts around, but anglers had to go deep to 50 to 80 feet in the channels for keepers.

John at Jack’s Bait said big blues are cruising the western Sound around the Execution Lighthouse, Hempstead Harbor, Stepping Stone Lighthouse, and around the bridges. You can also keep your eyes peeled for the birds working and throw jigs and bait underneath them for some choppers, according to Stretch. Unfortunately, not many striper reports made it back to the shops this week.

 

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 out of Orient said the bottom fishing is the best he’s seen in many years. Sea bass have been a big addition to their catches, and the boat has caught limits of them to 4 pounds, while also filling buckets with porgy around Plum Island and Fishers Island. Captain Bob of Rainbow Charters out of Orient had a similar story with very good hauls of sea bass and scup and a few fluke mixed in. On the South Side, anglers are seeing sea bass all over, according to Tom at Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk. The shop also weighed in a few nice fluke to 8 pounds, but Tom said there have not been as many as past weeks. David at Westlake Marina in Montauk summed up the East End fishing as a good pick all around, but not an all-out bail job.

Anglers have been able to pencil pop big blues off the town beaches to the Lighthouse, according to Paul at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk. He added that a few stripers are in the mix at night, but the bite is still picky. For the boats, Ben at Star Island Marina in Montauk reported that for those fishing at the Rips, it seems the flood time is the better time to go. Captain Bob of Rainbow Charters said he is hitting plenty of blues at the Race and the Gut, but only a sprinkling of stripers at the Rips.

David at Westlake said the offshore shark bite is still hot for mako and thresher, and Ben from Star Island reported anglers heading 60 to 100 miles out have been rewarded with Bigeye and Albacore.

Best Bets for the Weekend

With the huge swells we are seeing as of Thursday, it seems like the safest place to be is in the bays. However, the surf report showed that the ocean situation should vastly improve by the weekend. As always, check the reports and conditions before leaving the dock.

There are still a few good weeks coming up to fill buckets with porgy, and if you haven’t taken the kids out yet, now is a good time before school starts. The North Shore and East End scup bite is red hot, but the fishing all around is excellent. With a few nice sea bass and triggerfish mixed in, you could have a really great outing and plenty for the dinner table. If fishing off the docks is more your thing, snappers are all over, and the occasional porgy off the beach will add a nice touch.

Fluke is spotty all around, even now on the East End. However, if you head out to 50 to 80 feet on nice structure, keepers are a definite possibility. Montauk and the South Shore bays seem to be holding the most quality fish, but putting in the time can pay off anywhere.

Striper fishing has been expectedly tough these past few weeks and will continue that way for the near future. However, the shops are confident that as we head into September and the cooler weather comes, things will surely be picking up. In the meantime, 10+ pound bluefish have surrounded the entire Island so they can keep you busy while we wait for the bass. Hopefully, the weather holds out for the weekend and everyone has a wonderful holiday on the water.