This past week has seen some tough mid-summer weather high heat, humidity and, of course, some major thunderstorms. The fishing has pulled through, however, as many anglers still caught their bounty when they were able – or brave enough – to head out. The best fishing continues to lay to the but the abundance of bait this year across the Island has helped account for decent to good catches in pretty much all areas.
John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle has seen the best scores of late fall to those using topwater plugs for bluefish. This has been both from surf and boats with pencil poppers the lure of choice. Scup have also been doing well as they continue to gobble any clam and squid that makes its way near a structured bottom.
At Bay Park Fishing Station, Mark reports hot fluke fishing with lots of keepers to be had. Some fish this week have measured up to 23” and 6.7-pounds. Most anglers have been favoring the green KO rigs with a mix of squid, spearing and Gulp baits. There has been a slow pick of porgies and sea bass but not the knockout action we were seeing earlier in the year.
In Glen Cove, John at Musket Cove Bait and Tackle said the fishing this past week took a definite hit from the weather. The decrease in action, he reasoned, stemmed more from a lack of anglers getting out than from the fish not being around. There are still some good-sized blues in the area, plus a decent bite of seabass and scup. The majority of striped bass have made their way past these waters but they are still being caught on occasion.
Aboard the Capitol Princess out of Manhattan, located at Pier 36, anglers have been consistently catching fluke weighing up to 4 pounds. The striper action has slowed down the last few weeks but there is still a ton of bait hanging around and that continues to interest gator blues. Best of the action remains in the area stretching from the Verrazano Bridge Narrows on over to the Statue of Liberty.
On the North Shore at Cow Harbor, Phil reports bluefish roving all over local Northport waters. Anglers dropping down diamond jigs have scored almost at will with fish to 4 pounds accounting for most of the action. There has also been a decent nighttime bite with fish to 15 pounds taking live-lined bunker. The bass have been tough to find sometimes but there are still a lot of big fish around. Live eels fished after sundown resulted in cows this week weighing 45 and 30 pounds. The porgy bite along the beaches is in full swing and there are still a fair number of sea bass to be found in deeper waters.
Larry from Captree Bait and Tackle noted a wide variety of sizes in recent fluke catches. Off the piers, anglers are catching a ton shorts mixed in with big enough snappers to target, plus a steady nice pick of blue claw crabs. Bigger fluke are coming up at the inlet but the biggest of all are now just outside. The local reef has been meeting expectations as sea bass are doing well. There are also a fair number of decent-sized kingfish around.
At Terminal Tackle, John Sr. is still seeing bass and big blues tearing up the local Kings Park waters. They had been holding deeper over the last week but the colder weather has seemed to draw them back into 30-foot depths. The bunker have also relocated into shallower waters. Fluke and porgies have accounted for great days of fishing as both have been filling coolers. Off the beaches, there have been some cocktail blues.
In West Babylon at Bergen Bay Docks, Scott reports that Fire Island Inlet keeps supplying big fluke and the action has been on fire. There has been a ton of peanut bunker in the back bays and the sea bass have been everywhere, too. On the offshore scene, there has been a good bite with both bluefin and yellowfin tuna reported. There have been a couple makos taken as well – one fell to a trolling spread.
Jim from Miller Place Bait and Tackle has witnessed very active fishing on the inshore scene. Porgies are still carpeting the rocky bottom off Cranes Neck. Fluke have also been producing a good bite around buoy 2. The morning and evening hours have proven productive for cocktail blues and a few stripers in the 20- to 30-pound class were landed as well. The bass have been taking both live eels and bunker.
In Hampton Bays at White Water Outfitters, Bryce reports that fluke have been on the prowl in both the bay and ocean waters. The fishing here has been decent but has yet to really catch fire. In Shinnecock Canal, bassing has been okay for those using live bait or chumming with clam. Offshore action really hit stride this week with the best canyon action of the year reported. There are plenty of bigeyes, yellowfins and billfish waiting to greet the offshore machines. The fishing is as good as it gets offshore so now is time if you’ve been waiting to get out.
Out at Montauk, Westlake Marina has had a good run offshore fishing. Everything from tuna, shark and mahi have been showing up with consistency. The tuna have ranged between 46 and-47.5-inches. One boat had five makos – for shots and a barely legal one that was released for good measure. Inshore, bass fishing remains strong on eels while Frisbee-sized fluke and knob-headed sea bass aren’t doing much of a job at hiding from angler’s hooks. Gary Stevens landed a 12-pound doormat fluke this week along with a of couple shorts.
Over at Gone Fishing Marina, David reports that the August action is still cooking. Bass and fluke have both been sticking to the deeper waters and many boats have targeted them on the same trip. One day trip for fluke saw doormats of 11 and 12.3-pounds accompany several more standard keepers for a full boat limit. Another boat returned to its slip with three 30-pound bass and a limit of porgies that filled a bin. There is plenty of life out there as many anglers also limited with sea bass. The water is warm and the time is right.
Chase at Montauk Marine Basin continues to see positive numbers on fluke, sea bass and stripers. There isn’t much bait still hanging around, he noted, but the predator species are still there. The bass have not been numerous but the sizes have been well worth the effort. Chase added that the bluefin tuna bite has been hot offshore.
At River Bay Outfitters, Paul said that a ton of bait still fills local waters. The fluke have slowed down offshore as well as the blues and sea bass. There are a ton of snappers around and these have reached fishable sizes. The night bass action is still very relevant but not as hot as it had been.
For those looking to hit the local ponds, Paul reminded that bluegill fishing is still hot and largemouth bass seem to be hungry as well. The late night hours have been the best for lunkers on poppers. Spinners and rubber worms worked slowly along the bottom have also accounted for some fish.
Fishing Forecast for Long Island
With summer shifting to its later stages, now is the time to get out on the water and dig into some big fish. The fall run is always a highly anticipated time for Eastern Long Island anglers but it is still several weeks away. Look to soak some bait at night or find the bunker schools for some great topwater action.
On the sweeter side, a calm night with a light breeze is the perfect set-up for lunker largemouth bass. Plan your trips ahead of time and be sure to set your drag properly because the big ones love to feed in cool evening waters.
Whereareallthefish