North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Despite this week being a very tough one in terms of weather and rough seas, anglers who were able to dodge the worst of it had a good time on the water. Bottom fishing on the North Shore is nothing short of excellent right now with Captain Stu of Northport Charters out of Northport reporting sea bass to 4 pounds and scup to 1.5 pounds with a few blowfish mixed in at the Eatons Neck Triangle. Blackfish can also be found at Eatons Neck as well as Cranes Neck, Smithtown Bay, and other wrecks and rock piles in water up to 50 feet, according to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park. He took a charter out this week, and the boat limited out on 4 to 8 pound tog in 3 hours. The tough part is finding and staying on a piece of structure with good action without drifting, so using two anchors is a good strategy if you are able. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said the blackfishing is most effective in shallow water to 15 feet as the water temperatures are still averaging a warm 68 degrees. Anglers fishing a bit deeper in 20 to 25 feet of water are mainly hitting sea bass and porgy.
John at Terminal Tackle said there were a few bass picked off at night at the beaches on eels and plugs, and the blues were sporadically jigged at Eatons and Cranes Neck. Captain Stu of Northport Charters had blues to 12 pounds hitting the rails in Northport Bay that were chasing the bunker schools. Bunker have also been running inside and outside Huntington Bay with 9 to 12 pound blues on them and a few bass to 20 pounds following behind, according to Mark at Cow Harbor. Chunks and livelined bunker worked best for those fish. Carmine from Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station reported false albacore popping up in the Sound off Bayville and moving from east to west.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree fished on the good tides for tog before the storm came through over the weekend. The boat managed a decent catch of blackfish in the 6 to 7 pound range before the fishing turned off due to dirty water. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported blackfish to 18.5 inches at the AB Reef on green crabs when the weather allowed boats to get out there. When the seas were too snotty, anglers stuck to the Atlantic Beach Bridge for a mix of tog, sea bass, and bluefish on clam and clam chum. With federal waters now open for sea bass fishing, Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said that the AB Reef, McAllister, and Cholera Banks produced fish in the 4 to 5 pound range.
Joe at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said there are bass hitting bunker schools in and around Fire Island Inlet and off the ocean beaches, and Jones Inlet is giving up stripers to 40 inches on eels and bunker, according to Ronnie at Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport. Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle reported a lot of bunker in 50 to 55 feet of water off Long Beach and the Pink Hotel with bass to 45 pounds harassing them. The afternoon bite is better from around 2 pm to dark, and there are surprisingly no bluefish to deal with. Moving to the east, Mike from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said there are plenty of small bass in Shinnecock Inlet with a few nice fish in the mix. Stripers were also caught off the beaches to the east and west of Shinnecock, and when the weather allows, bass are on bunker pods outside of the Inlet. For those looking to jig up some bluefish, Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reported a few of their customers headed out to the USS San Diego wreck for blues over 12 pounds.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
John at Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle said is seems like more and larger blackfish moved into the area around Captains Island with fish to a whopping 13.9 pounds hitting the scales at the shop. The cold snaps at night may have triggered the larger tog to become more active as of late. Porgy fishing is slowing a bit in the area, but sea bass are very abundant at the moment. Josh from Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx reported a lot of blackfish action off of Rye Playland, but many of the fish coming up are shorts. On the ocean side, Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said the Rockaway Reef is producing a good amount of scup and sea bass.
Stretch from Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said the birds are a good indication of where you might find some bass and blues hanging out. Trolling and jigging worked well for those anglers chasing the schools. Live eels off Floyd Bennett Field, the Marine Parkway Bridge, and the Breezy Point Jetty also produced a few teen sized stripers. According to John at Hudson Park, anglers got a few quick glimpses of false albies and bonito in the western Sound.
East End Long Island Fishing Report
Captain Bob of Rainbow Charters out of Orient said the best North Fork bottom fishing is concentrated around the Islands where nice catches of blackfish, sea bass, and even bluefish can be found. Captain Mike with the Prime Time 3 out of Orient fished Plum and Fishers Island this week, and the boat limited out on sea bass to 3 pounds and tog to 8 pounds in 20 to 50 feet of water. The shallow water of 15 to 18 feet off of Hortons and out to Orient is also seeing some nice blackfish, according to Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck. On the South Fork, sea bass and porgy are very abundant at the Point, according to David from Westlake Marina in Montauk.
Paul from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said conditions this past week were the least desirable for surf fishing as the wind was whipping dead out of the north and switched to the west making for a very quiet beach. With an easterly wind coming toward the end of this week, he is hopeful that fishing will pick up. Tom at Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk reported stripers being caught at the Point, and the most effective ways of catching them are live eels, jigs, and trolling parachutes, according to Courtney from Montauk Marine Basin in Montauk. Plum Gut is still holding a good number of big blues and a few schoolies, according to Bill at Jamesport, and Steve at Wego Bait & Tackle in Southold reported albies galore in the Sound off Hortons and many of the other beaches. The Point is also loaded with little tunny as well.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Relatively heavy winds are stirring up the water up toward the end of this week, but it looks like the ocean will lay down a bit Friday into Saturday, and you shouldn’t have much of a problem on the Sound. If conditions allow, get out for some excellent bottom fishing while this awesome mixed bag action sticks around. You can find at least three different species at the wrecks and piles on the North Shore all in just about the same areas. Stay shallow for blackfish for now, and, as always, green crabs are the go-to. Fishers Island is also getting a lot of good feedback, so it is a great place to go if you feel like traveling. Overall, find a good piece of structure and you’ll likely be rewarded with plenty of offerings for the dinner table.
The bass bite has been on and off in recent weeks, but lately it is on an obvious upward trend. Montauk Point and the South Shore Inlets are beginning to light up, and the beaches are good when conditions are right. I have not heard of any big girls coming out to play as of yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t show up some time soon. Live eels, trolling, bucktails, poppers, darters, and needlefish are all good choices when seeking stripers depending how you choose to fish for them. You can also search around the for bunker pods, many of which are holding a good number of bass.