Long Island Fishing Report - June 4, 2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

North Shore fluke fishermen are really chugging away with keepers all along the shorelines, inside the bays, and further off the beach in some of the more well-known fishing spots. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson reported good fishing on his home turf with limits around the boat and pool fish in the 6-8 lb range. There are plenty of shorts in the mix making for constant action. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said the shop has been seeing a ton of fish in the 5 lb range, but have also weighed in fluke up to 7.5 lbs. Many guys are drifting right off the open beaches, but Mark said the recent north winds might change things up a bit. For those wanting to venture further from the beach, Carmine from Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station said the Triangle and Brush Pile are showing signs of a good summer flounder bite, and the folks at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park added that finding where the squid are located will land you in the right areas for the more sizable fluke. Bucktails, spearing, and whole squid are all putting fish on board. A large sand eel hatch along the beaches may account for the excellent activity. On the porgy front, all of the shops agree that the action is going to bust wide open any day now.

Carmine at Campsite said that there are still plenty of bunker schools along the North Shore, but bass are not on every pod so fishing remains spotty. There are schoolies in the northern parts of many of the bays, including Oyster Bay and Bayville, and a few more were caught by anglers fishing the Nissequogue and trolling in Northport Harbor. Mark from Cow Harbor added that larger fish to 20 or more pounds were landed on chunks at the Triangle. A few bluefish are in the mix, but they have not overrun the area as of yet.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Joe at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said the fluke reports were slow this week, but the weather conditions definitely attributed to that. However, Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside did receive a few fishing details, including a 5.3 lb summer flounder caught off the Cedarhurst Yacht Club on squid and spearing. Ryan from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said that the activity in the west side of Shinnecock Bay is really picking up, but the better action in on the North Fork.

Bass anglers are having the most luck finding and hitting bunker pods along the South Shore. Bay Park weighed in stripers from 17 lbs to over 33 lbs this week that were trolled outside of Debs Inlet off the Roundhouse. For those who prefer fishing at night, Ryan at White Water said bucktails are productive in and around the inlets. Bluefish continue to be thick wherever bait is prevalent, and they can be caught on any tough tackle, such as tins and plugs.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Bottom fishing is a hot ticket in western Long Island with both fluke and porgy making a nice showing. Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn weighed in summer flounder to 8.5 lbs this week that came from areas around the Marine Parkway Bridge. Bait consists of the typical squid and spearing combination, while those preferring artificials are using bucktails and Gulp. Prospect and Sands Points are other productive spots for fluke, according to John from Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx, and scup are hammering from the Execution Lighthouse to points further east.

Stretch at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn reported a good striper night bite around the stanchions of the Marine Parkway Bridge for those drifting worms. The daytime action for bass and bluefish around the Throgs Neck Bridge and Stepping Stone Lighthouse on chunks and live bunker continues to be quite good, and anglers are also finding hordes of blues in the back of Jamaica Bay and Nortons Point.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

The East End continues to be picking up nicely, especially for those fishing on the bottom. Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck reported summer flounder caught on squid and spearing from the Greenlawns to Bug Light and scattered scup from buoys 17-30 on clam and lots of chum. Both species are also beginning to show up in the Sound from Mattituck Inlet to the Motel. Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 out of Orient hit a number of fluke in the 6-8 lb range and boatloads of 3 lb porgy in the Peconic this week. The fluke are even larger off Montauk with 10 pounders caught on the south side from the Radar Tower to Ditch Plains, according to Mike at Star Island Marina in Montauk, and Dan from Montauk Marine Basin in Montauk reported dinner plate porgy just shy of 4 lbs coming from Cherry Harbor.

Paul from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said the surfcasters found a lot of bass weighing in the mid-20’s off the beach under the Light with a number of bluefish and even a weakfish or two in the mix. Most of the guys were either using bucktails or big plugs. Boat fishing was a bit tougher with the east wind, but Captain Mike said another charter in their fleet out of Orient hit their limits on the last few trips with stripers to around 25 lbs. Mike at Star Island also said that while most of the boats trolling off the Point were landing 20-25 lb fish, a cow of 54 lbs was actually weighed in on Sunday. The Peconic bite has not picked up in full force yet, but blues were caught on chunks at Buoy 17, and the creeks were productive early and late in the day for bass.

Best Bets for the Weekend

It is looking like we might actually steer clear of high winds this weekend, but seas unfortunately will not be glass flat. Either way, there will be few excuses for not getting out on the water. Bottom fishing is a great way to go with plenty of opportunities around the Island. Fluke seem to be abundant in most waters, especially in areas where there is an abundance of small bait and structure. Scup populations are concentrated on the eastern and western ends, but the North Shore is starting to see fish and will bust open any day now. There really is no going wrong no matter which dock you leave from.

The bass are a little tougher to find, but your best chances are to fish around a pod of bunker. Stripers on the schools are not a sure thing, but it will at least key you into where you could start looking. Trolling can also help pinpoint a good spot in a large area. The South Shore is seeing the best quantities of fish, but the east and west ends are right behind. The North Shore is still lagging, but the drop-offs and structure are definitely holding some stripers.