This past week has seen consistent temperatures in the high 80’s and 90’s and has definitely taken a toll on the Island’s fishing scene. Still, some anglers that have braved the sun have continued to find success. Porgies and sea bass have remained red hot and the fluke pick has been decent in most areas.
John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle reports that monster bluefish are still carving up bait in the New Rochelle area. The best action has been on low tide out of New Rochelle Harbor on topwater plugs and bunker chunks. There are still some bass to be had but they are generally out-competed by the blues. Fluke fishing continues to be decent with some 6- and 7-pound fish picking up Gulp! and squid rigs. Also, as is usual for this time of year, the big porgies and sea bass are abundant and giving up plenty of limit catches.
At Stella Maris in Brooklyn, Stretch also has terrific scup action off both East Reef and Floyd Bennet Field. Anglers looking for stripers have had good action at night tossing live eels. In the daytime, cocktail blues have been an easy target as the birds give away their positions on bait. Diamond jigs and small spoons are the way to go for these, along with a much needed long leader. The fluke fishing is still worthwhile off of Coney Island but the action with keepers has slowed. On the offshore scene, there have been some tuna for boats that are trolling on the south side of Hudson Canyon, but you will need to put your work in to yield the reward.
In Oceanside, at Bay Park Fishing Station, Mark weighed an 8.3-pound fluke at the dock this week that came from Jones Inlet. The best fluke bite has been on bucktails and spearing but other setups will work too as the action has been hot. Mixed in with the flatfish are sea bass averaging 3-pounds. Bluefin tuna have been around offshore but the sizes have been small up to this point. Still, at any size, these tuna are worth the trip.
Another nice West End doormat was weighed at Woodcleft Fishing Station in Freeport by Capt. Mike Barnett of the Freeport charter boat Codfather. That one, Barnett’s biggest to date at 12 pounds, 11 ounces, ate a bunker in 60 feet of water on a reef just a short run from Jones Inlet.
At Musketa Cove, John reported that the best bite has been with porgies and fluke. There is still a mixe of shorts and keepers but the cooler fillers have been plentiful enough to keep moral high. There have also been cocktail blues around on the lingering bunker schools and sea bass are holding fast on structured bottoms.
Carmine from The Campsite has very good action for big bass both in the evening and morning this week. A shop regular, Sean, had eight keepers on his last trip and creeled only one while sending back multiple 40-inch fish. Porgies to 3 pounds have also been causing heavy lines and sea bass are still tagging along. Both the scup and sea biscuits are hitting on both tides. The snappers are also showing up and just about ready to be targeted with poppers. With each passing week they grow bigger.
John Sr., from Terminal Tackle, has notices that most of the local favorites seem to be sliding out to deeper, cooler water. The bunker schools are continuing to attract fish but have moved out to about 70 to 80 feet of water in the Kings Park area. Despite the recent heat wave, fluke fishing has improved both in terms of quantity and quality. Sea bass and porgies have been in 50 to 70-feet of water and hitting best on slack tide. As for surfcasting, there are still some blues off the local beaches and flats and that action remains somewhat reliable.
At Cow Harbor, Phil reports that the sunset bite for monster blues is in full swing on the bunker schools. There have also been plenty of schoolie bass mixed in but the bigger fish, 20-pound and up class, have been out in the cooler waters taking bunker heads and chunks. Fluke fishing has produced a lot of shorts but plenty of fish and weakfish have begun to show up in the inside harbors and back bays with decent size. Off the beaches, porgies and sea bass have been prevalent. You can also find them off the Coast Guard tower, where they are a little bigger.
Stu at Northport Charters has been having some solid action with fluke of late. He’s been averaging between 20 and 30 a day with keepers to 4 pounds while working within the confines of Cold Spring Harbor. Out in the open Sound off Eaton’s Neck, he has also found porgies to 16 inches to be quite willing. In addition to the chunky scup, Capt. Stu has managed to work up a couple of winter flounder from right around his clam-filled chum pots. A few sea bass, plus some cocktail blues, have rounded out his catches.
Brendan from Captree Bait and Tackle still has consistent fluke action in the inlet as well as some inside the Great South Bay. Sea bass have also been around out in deeper water, reliably filling the coolers at the three-fish limit. For anyone looking to fill a pot with blue claws, they have been all over the local piers in numbers that even the gulls can’t seem to keep up with.
Aboard the Jib VI this week, Capt. Joe reports outstanding results for sea bass and scup trips. Today, the boat limited out on the sea bass and, although the porgies were smaller than they had been, there were more than enough to keep the mates busy. Fluke action has been decent this week for keepers but the overall bite has been terrific. The night trips are consisting of a mix of fluke and sea bass as there are not many stripers and blues around. Catches, overall, have been quite good.
Further east in Hampton Bays, Jake from White Water Outfitters mentioned that there are fluke to be had on the ocean side in about 80 feet of water. The bass fishing has been very good, especially in Shinnecock Canal at night on live eels. The offshore action has been decent with sharks anywhere from 7 to 25-miles out, plus some bluefins which continue to move further east.
Out in Montauk, at Westlake Marine, Tonya reports that there have been some small bluefin around the CIA area. One 60-pound fish made it back to the docks this week. The sharking has been much better as threshers weighing 217 and 412 pounds were brought home earlier this week. For those looking to stay further inshore, the striped bass bite has been red hot. The big fish have finally shown up and seem to be here to stay. Fluke, sea bass and porgies have also been great and are keeping local boater’s hands filled.
At Montauk Marine Basin, Courtney confirmed the hot striper action on live eels. On the south side of the Island, Frisbee-sized fluke have become a regular catch. Porgies and sea bass have been all over and difficult to keep off the lines in some areas. Offshore, trolling for bluefin has produced mostly shorts but there are big ones mixed in as a 100-pounder was recently weighed at the marina.
TJ from Gone Fishing Marina also spoke of rod-bending action on everything from fluke and bass to bluefish, porgies and sea bass. All of the local Montauk spots are filled up with bait and predator fish chasing them. Further out at about 30-miles is where the tuna have been reported on the south side.
Joe from Staten Island Tuna Club reports blistering fluke action with fish from 10 to 12-pounds around the Verrazano Bridge. There has been nice sea bass action and the best weak fishing in years on pink shad, bucktails and sandworms. The bluefish bite has slowed down but there are plenty of snappers chasing the big killies in Great Kills Harbor.
In Oceanside, at River Bay Outfitters, Paul has seen a significant change in fishing due to the heat in both the fish and anglers trying. The fish are still around though as there are lots of shorts mixed in with keeper fluke in Debs Inlet. Snappers are also showing up around all the local piers, bays and canals.
On the freshwater side, the shift is on to a morning and late-night bite. The Connetquot River is still fishing well for trout, even though the water level has dropped. The Carmans River has also been efficient, even with its low water and increase of weeds. The best bet is to stick with dry flies and work where you can to pull out some big fish.
Long Island Fishing Forecast
As the heat continues to play a factor, push to deeper waters to target bigger fish. With the arrival of snappers, dropping down a live one for a doormat fluke is never a bad idea. Keep in mind that fish avoid the high heat so look to start or end your day by wetting a line. If all else fails, look to the birds to show you the way.