Long Island - New York Fishing Report for 5-7-2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

There is no shortage of bait on the North Shore, but little in the way of bigger fish on them, according to Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport. Bunker are all over the place, and squid, spearing, and mantis shrimp are moving into the harbors. However, John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said that even though there are a few more bass around this week than last week, they are still not here in good numbers. Hopefully the amount of food in the water will keep the stripers here for a while once they do finally show up.

The warm weather kicked the flounder numbers up a bit, but it is still just one fish here or there. Mark at Cow Harbor said you might have some luck fishing muddy, shallow water using heavy chum. There have been reports from many North Shore locations, including Huntington, Centerport, Lloyd Harbor, Northport Bay, Cold Spring Harbor, and Oyster Bay, but the key is to find those warm spots more likely to be holding fish.

The water is still too cold for the party boats to begin sailing consistently as they have not had much success during recent test runs. Captain Stu of Northport Charters said he is looking to head out on the first trip of the season on May 17th for a porgy and fluke combo. Captain Mark with the Celtic Quest told us they are mostly focusing their attention right now on their boat docked in Jamesport, which will fish the Peconic for porgy, but the fleet will be sailing out of Port Jefferson as soon as things start heating up toward home base.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Things are really starting to pick up on the South Shore, and the increasing options are getting people excited. Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree has been sailing for flounder when conditions are favorable for them and filling in with bluefish, who showed up in full force on Sunday, when things got slow.

Many anglers out in search of bass are getting bombarded by the blues, and their bunker chunks cannot get down in the water fast enough, according to Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside. Guys who went out this week reported a handful of decent sized bass, but the chompers took over in what they called world class bluefishing. Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said small tins are a great choice for teen-sized blues in the Great South Bay, and you can also find short bass scattered around the west bar of Jones Inlet. However, anglers have found success with the bigger ones in the north sides of Massapequa coves on small white bucktails. Stripers are slowly starting to trickle toward the east, but Mike at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said the action is not spectacular out toward them yet. The local creeks are not producing as much as they would like, but the piles of bait in and around Shinnecock will make the fishing good once they get there.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

There was a nice pick up of flounder action this week around western Long Island with John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle reporting nice fish of almost 2 lbs in the western Sound. Anglers are also finding flatties on the Coney Island and Plum Beach Flats, all over Eastchester Bay, and at the Round House with mussels and worms being the best baits, according to Vinny from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn.

Stretch at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said bluefish in the 5-8 lb range moved in heavy to Jamaica Bay, Raritan, and Sea Gate, and guys are really having to weed through them to get a shot at a bass. One of the best stretches of water for linesiders right now is between the Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges, according to John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx. Fresh bunker chunks are the way to go, but with plenty of blues around also, topwater lures and tins are likely to catch you plenty.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

John at Star Island Marina in Montauk said the cod are still going slow and steady, but the fish are mainly small now. The bigger news these days is the substantial number of schoolies on the East End. Paul from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk reported that Ditch Plains is loaded with shorts to 26 inches, and the action looks to be the best spring fishing they have seen in years. The fish are not anything huge, but they are consistent and plentiful. Paul also mentioned squid can be found around the docks at night.

Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 out of Orient sailed out for their first porgy trip of the season in the Peconic this week. They were able to put together a couple of bushels of medium to large size porgy throughout several drops. They are looking forward to the bluefish and fluke coming up in the next few weeks.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Fishing is really starting to heat up out there, and the opportunities are only going to get better in upcoming weeks. Bottom fishing was off to a slow start with relatively dismal flounder action, but the porgy will definitely turn things around. They are making an appearance in the Peconic, which will only get stronger as the days go by, and it is only a matter of two weeks or so before they start flooding the rest of the Island. There is plenty of time for scup, but if you are eager to get out, there are fish hungrily waiting.

I have to think that after such a long time of not being able to get out on the water, the prospects of even a small striper are very appealing. There are plenty of shorts around, especially to the west and far east on the south fork, but there have also been reports of some really respectable fish coming in. The South Shore and western Long Island are your best bets at bringing home bass for dinner, and you might also get the opportunity to tangle with sizable bluefish, which is good or bad depending on how you feel about them. With the amount of bunker in the water, chunks will surely work well, but trolling, topwater, worms, bucktails, and soft plastics are likely to fool a hungry fish also.