North Shore Long Island Fishing Forecast
Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson said that, although the bite is better some days than others, the porgy fishing continues to be excellent. He has been sailing out to 75 feet of water to fill buckets of scup with nice sea bass mixed in. Phil from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said there are also plenty of nice sized porgy right off the beaches, but he has noticed that the guys on the boats fishing Marshall Fields, the OB, and the Brush Pile have been picking up buckets of chum and using bloodworms for fish over 16 inches. John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported that the sea bass fishing is the best he has ever seen it on the North Shore. The action on his charter this week was nonstop, and they were able to be picky about which fish they kept, which consisted of sea bass well over 15 inches. Cranes Neck and Eatons Neck are holding a good number of fish at the moment.
Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station said the fluke bite is slowing down, and there are many more shorts to keepers. However, he has seen anglers pulling keepers from deeper waters now. John at Terminal Tackle echoed this by saying that there is plenty of short action outside of Stony Brook, off Short Beach, and on the drop-offs, but a few were keepers mixed in for those who put in the time.
Carmine at Campsite said the bass are far and few between, but the night bite is the best chance for a fish. John at Terminal Tackle reported that a few nice stripers weighing upwards of 25 pounds were caught at the Eatons Neck Triangle and under the bunker pods on chunks. The fishing isn’t great as the bass are sluggish with the warm, summer waters, but those anglers working their tails off can be rewarded. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest said they are just waiting for the big blues to show up around Port Jefferson, but Phil at Cow Harbor reported chompers working the bunker schools off the beaches and inside Northport Harbor with sporadic blitzes going on. There are also cocktails off Crab Meadow at all times, and snappers are biting like crazy now.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Forecast
Robert at Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport reported that things have not changed too much on the South Shore with fluke as the bite is still excellent in the bay and spotty in the ocean. Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said Jones Inlet to the Meadowbrook and through the back bays are seeing limits of summer flounder caught in the 20 to 23 inch range. The outgoing tide seems to be the best with a squid/spearing combo on bucktails, preferably green or pink in color. Bill also said for those fishing on the outside, Cholera Banks has an edge for quality fluke and sea bass in the northeast corner using peruvians and whole baby squid. Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree said he has seen the best fishing on the last of the flood tide to the beginning of the outgoing with hundreds of fish on every trip and keepers in the 6 to 8 pound range.
Robert at Sea Isle said the bass bite is pretty nonexistent on the South Shore; however the offshore fishing is really heating up. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported bluefin to 40 pounds out at Coimbra caught on the troll. Joe at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon added that yellowfins have made a good presence at Hudson Canyon, and there were a few swordfish caught there also.
Metro Long Island Fishing Forecast
John at Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle reported that the porgy fishing has slowed a bit in their area, but a bit further out the action is phenomenal with plenty of big scup from Orchard Beach to Rye Playland, according to John at Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn also said the bite is good at the Round House and off Kingsborough College in the channel.
Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn reported that the bottom fishing picked up a bit this week, and there was a nice mixed bag of porgy, sea bass, and fluke caught at the Reef. John at Jack’s Bait said anglers drifting around Harts Island had a good pick of fish to 5 pounds on squid and spearing. There were also some summer flounder to be found at the Coney Island Flats and off Brighton Beach, according to Stretch at Stella Maris.
Although the stripers are hard to come by in western Long Island, Vinny at Bernie’s reported a few mixed in with the blues off the Rockaways in the surf. John at Hudson Park said blues of 12 to 16 pounds with a couple of stripers can be found all around the western Sound. Plenty of blues can be targeted at the Whitestone and Throgsneck Bridges and around the Execution Lighthouse under the bunker schools, according to John at Jack’s Bait. Stretch from Stella Maris added that the albies and bonito have moved into the area and can be found hanging around the bluefish schools.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Forecast
Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck told us that the porgy bite is picking up nicely in the Sound side of the North Fork off Hortons and the Motel with plenty of sea bass mixed in. On the other side of the Forks, Tom from Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk said scup to 3 pounds and sea bass to 5 pounds came out from the south side this week.
Mike at Star Island Marina in Montauk said the fluke fishing was phenomenal this week with countless fish in the 6 to 7 pound range at Frisbees, Rocky Hill, and Cartwright in 80 to 90 feet of water. Even larger fish of 8 to 10 pounds were weighed in this week from the Northern Rips, according to Tom at Gone Fishing Marina.
Captain Bob with Rainbow Charters out of Orient said that with the rough weather over the weekend, the fishing was tough, but things are picking up with the full moon coming. He has been heading out for the night and evening fishing, which worked out best this week with live baits and chunks at the Rips, the Race, and upper Plum Gut. Bill from Jamesport said the beach bite is picking up a bit in the Sound with eels and chunks accounting for a few bass. He added that anglers have been able to jig up a number of blues from Jessup’s Buoy 17 inside the Peconic. Snappers and crabs are also abundant in creeks off the Peconic.
Best Bets for the Weekend
There are a ton of fishing opportunities around the Island right now, and you can definitely catch a number of fish as long as you are not too picky. Porgy is red hot all around, and there are both shallow and deep options. Off the beaches you can cast clam and sandworms out or head out on the boats to water up to 75 feet deep. Any hard structure you set up over will produce nice catches, and there’s a good chance sea bass will be biting also as that fishery is pretty abundant right now.
For your best shot at a keeper fluke, move out to deeper water on the reefs or drop-offs. The East End has the largest concentration of big summer flounder, but keepers can be pulled from all locations with enough patience.
We are currently watching Bertha come up the coast, which looks like it might be sending some rollers our way. Before heading out, be sure to check the forecast and water conditions so you don’t get caught out there in dangerous seas. If conditions permit safe sailing, bass fishing in Montauk is still where the best action is. The bite is picking up with the full moon and might be even better after the storm passes by. Night time fishing with live baits will yield better catches, but chunks will also get the job done.
The offshore fishing is also heating up nicely if you can get out, but again check conditions before heading out. The Canyons and Coimbra are producing nice tuna and swordfish right now.