Long Island Fishing Report - August 6, 2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Bottom fishing continues to be the most productive action that anglers are finding on the North Shore, especially for the scup and black sea bass. Porgy are prevalent at many of the more shallow structure areas, while sea bass are mixing in good numbers for those fishing in over 30 feet of water, according to Evan at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport who named Buoy 13 at the Triangle as a very productive spot. Fluking is slow, but there are a few keepers to be had in the area for anglers going a bit deeper to 40 feet of water closer to the OB Buoy. The folks at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park added that the Nissequogue still has a few barely keeper fish as well.

There are not many guys chasing stripers at this point as the doldrums seems to have hit the area this late into the season. However, for those putting in a lot of work out in waters of 60 feet or deeper at the OB are connecting with a few small keepers. Fish larger than 15-20 lbs are quite rare as we head into late summer. Bluefish on the other hand are making a more frequent appearance, and they can be found harassing the remaining bunker schools on the North Shore. Snappers grew a bit this week making them a little easier to catch from the beaches and docks.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The ocean fishing really turned on this week for fluke with a good majority of the bigger South Shore fish coming from deeper depths. Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville reported good fishing at many of the Reefs, including Cholera, where summer flounder to 9 lbs were weighed in at the shop. Bryce at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays to the east agreed saying there were much better odds of a take home fish out in 60-90 feet of water, but the folks putting in the effort have had some luck with larger fish in Shinnecock Bay. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside received reports of fluke to 4 lbs in Reynold’s Channel on Gulp-tipped fluke rigs and fast action on the Rockaway Reef for a number of quality sea bass mixed with a number of flatfish to 9.5 lbs. As for the sea bass fishing along the rest of the South Shore, Mark from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said that the most commonly fished structures are just about picked clean so anglers have to find unmolested grounds in order to bring home dinner.

Bryce from White Water said the bass fishing is actually enduring in Shinnecock Bay and through the Inlet with clam and chum dragging them up during the day and drifting eels doing the trick at night. The keepers are not cows by any means, but they are big enough to make a nice meal. Shark fishing couldn’t be better right now with so many threshers around that if you don’t catch one you must be doing something wrong. Shark fisherman do not have to go far either with plenty caught inside of 5 miles and in depths of less than 100 feet. In addition to threshers, makos, browns, and small whites also hit the baits this week. Inshore tuna fishing has slowed up significantly, but guys that headed offshore brought in bigeyes from the waters south of the Hudson Canyon.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Local spots, including the Execution Lighthouse, Rye Playland, Mamaroneck, and the Points, are loaded with scup in the shallow water with sea bass mixing in for those fishing in a few of the deeper pieces, according to John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx. Prospect, Sands, and Mattinecock Points are also good spots for fluke as well as High Island, Hart Island, and the structure around the bridges and barges. Vinny from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said that the Tin Can Grounds and Rockaway Reef are seeing good action for all bottom fish species, while porgy and black sea bass are prevalent at the AB Reef, according to Stretch at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn.

Finding the few bunker schools around is one key to finding the remaining bass in the area. On the oceanside, the Atlantic Highlands are seeing some action which might be worth the trip, but striper fishing is not so hot on the north side of western Long Island. Bluefish are definitely around in better numbers with schools hammering bait mid-Sound and off of Rye with only a handful of stripers in the mix.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

The Peconic porgy fishing continues to hold steady with a vast array of areas from Jessups to Buoy 30 showing productive signs of fish, according to Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck. Small keeper weakfish from 16-18 inches were also caught at Buoys 20 and 22 rounding out pretty good action in the Bay. Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 out of Orient reported really good local bottom fishing off the North Fork with as many scup as you could want to 4 lbs and nice quantities of black sea bass to 5 lbs. There are a few respectable fluke in local waters, but Captain Mike said they have to travel to Block Island for doormats to 12 lbs. The boat even managed a 14 lb monster last week. Mike from Star Island Marina in Montauk said the fluke fishing is phenomenal on Montauk’s south side and throughout the Midway Rips. 4-7 lb fish are not uncommon to see at the shop scales, but a few 10 pounders are out there as well. Porgy were as prevalent as ever off the town beaches on the south side this week with the majority caught on clams and worms, and any rock off the South Fork that can be marked is holding at least a few sea bass.

Paul from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said that bluefish flooded the East End this week and were caught on the north side during the day with a few small bass mixing in. The larger stripers that hit the sand were fished during the moon Friday night into Saturday morning. The surf gave up plenty of big fish that night, including a 38 lb and 43 lb bass, according to Paul. Maureen from Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk added that the boats saw a lot of activity with the moon also with some of the largest fish hitting the decks weighing in between 56-65.7 lbs caught dragging live eels. North Fork bass were much harder to come by, so the Prime Time 3 has been able to focus some time on offshore trips catching cod to 15 lbs, tons of Pollock, and hundreds of red hake.

Best Bets for the Weekend

We are looking at some snotty seas in the forecast this weekend with a potential for 6 foot wave heights so it might be better to stick to the Sound and bays until things calm down a bit. The North Shore, western Long Island, and the Peconic have a good number of bottom fishing opportunities with bucket-loads of porgy up for grabs and plenty of big sea bass in the mix. Drifting between shallow structure and water of about 30 feet deep should present you with a nice mixed bag by the end of your trip. On the other hand, keeper fluke will be difficult to land in these waters as the better fishing has been out in the ocean. If the heavy swell doesn’t bother you then there is good fluking out in deep structure. If you prefer things to be a bit calmer, be prepared to work pretty hard for a take home fish.

Bass and offshore fishing will be tough as there is not much good action in protected waters. The best bet for stripers is to head east and throw eels from the beach or drift them from the boats. It might be only a matter of time before the bite shuts off until the fall, so if the conditions are safe and favorable get at them. Same goes for offshore. Sharks are everywhere, but you might encounter a queasy environment out there.