Long Island Fishing Report - May 28, 2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The fluke bite on the North Shore is working out quite well despite the other fisheries still lagging. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport reported summer flounder to 7.5 pounds weighed in at the shop this week. The hot spots are the areas loaded with squid from Eatons Neck to the Nissequogue in 15 to 25 feet of water. Captain Stu of Northport Charters has been having luck in those areas as well and is even catching keepers to 23 inches right inside of Northport Bay. Despite the heavy gusting winds lately, I decided to launch the kayak right off the beach in the middle of the North Shore. We encountered fast drifts, but got lucky with a nice keeper for the dinner table along with a handful of shorts and robins in the mix before the winds made us call it quits. All of the bites were in relatively shallow water closer to shore. Porgy are trickling into the area also, according to Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station, but that has yet to really heat up.

Mark from Cow Harbor started seeing stripers to 25 pounds and the first few bluefish between 10 to 14 pounds caught on live bunker, chunks, and trolling spoons. I did not hear of a definite location, but my guess would be that these fish are in and around the Triangle. Carmine at Campsite added that schoolie bass are hitting small flies and plugs in Cold Spring Harbor, Oyster Bay, and Bayville.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said the wind does not want to quit, and with the Jones Beach Airshow this past weekend not a lot of guys went out. Anglers who trekked out for fluke battled to find a spot safe from the wind. However, there was a good keeper to short ratio when they were given the opportunity to drift around the Wantagh bridges. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside also reported nice fluke to 5.65 pounds caught on squid and spearing at the AB Reef.

John at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said there is tons of bait around Shinnecock, including bunker, squid, and spearing, which is making for good bass and bluefish action in the canal and throughout the inlet. There are some fish being taken off the outside beaches now also. Further to the west, guys are hitting the bunker schools outside of Debs Inlet and scoring with stripers to 26 pounds on snagged bunker and spoons, according to Bay Park. The AB Bridge is also seeing a lot of action on clam and chum, but there are more shorts than keepers there.

Offshore trips to the Canyons are also starting up, and some days are slow, but anglers have been rewarded with yellowfin and bluefin tuna to 50 pounds.

 Metro Long Island Fishing Report

The first signs of scup in western Long Island came when John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx reported red hot porgy action from the Execution Lighthouse to Oyster Bay. Fluke have been active at both Prospect and Sands Points, and Joe from Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said Jamaica Bay and the Coney Island Flats are also productive spots. There are a lot of sea robins and shorts to pick through, but decent keepers in the 4 to 6 pound range can be seen hitting the decks.

It looks like the big girls are starting to make an appearance with 54 inch bass caught on spoons and wireline this week from Captain’s Island to Mamaroneck, according to John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle. Smaller stripers and blues weighing into the teens can be found from the Throgs Neck Bridge to Fort Totten, and Vinny from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said the Canarsie Pier is also a good spot for those who prefer to stay on dry land.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

The fishing between the Forks is getting pretty remarkable, at least for anglers who enjoy bottom fishing. Lou at Star Island Marina in Montauk reported a stupid porgy bite in the Peconic with a few weakfish mixed in at all the common spots, including Jessups. Further east, Cherry Harbor is also picking up nicely for scup, according to Courtney from Montauk Marine Basin in Montauk. Fluke in the 7 to 8 pound range are not uncommon either, especially at the Greenlawns.

The fishing outside of the Forks is also picking up with a lot of limits of summer flounder from 7 to 10 pounds landed on the south side and off the Point at Frisbees, according to Lou at Star Island. Paul from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said that small bass were caught off the beach this week with a few blues starting to mix in, but Tonya at Westlake Marina in Montauk said the boats are the way to go with stripers weighing in up to 26.5 pounds and blues to 11.7 pounds.

Best Bets for the Weekend

The wind has been pretty atrocious lately, and I personally have cancelled a number of trips on the water because conditions weren’t going to make for a fun day. We might get a bit of a reprieve on Sunday, but the forecast Saturday is calling for 15 knot winds and gusts even higher. As always, be sure to check conditions before leaving the dock. Bottom fishing is definitely a good way to go this weekend as you have plenty of opportunities to choose from. The Peconic has a good mix of scup, fluke, and weakfish, but the summer flounder fishing has been great all around the Island. Porgy are making their way west and you will soon start seeing a great mixed bag across all sides. Remember that you still do not have to go very deep yet. 20 feet of water should do the trick, but the key is to find what they are feeding on. The belly of the fluke I brought home the other day was empty so these fish are really going to be active and feeding heavily as they wake up with the warmer water temperatures.

The bass are still slow to move west across the North Shore, but they are definitely invading the South Shore and East End. With loads of bunker in the water, snagged bait, chunks, and trolling bunker spoons will yield you the best quantity of catches, especially if you can locate a school of bait. If you prefer artificials, bucktails, plugs, and tins will also give you good results.