Long Island fishing as a whole seemed to improve this week as the heat died down and made way for more active fish and anglers alike. Though the offshore scene is still mostly on the slow side, the inshore fishing has been great overall. Fluke are still crushing baits and blues and bass are beginning to show up on the beaches.
John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle hasn’t seen much of a change this week as fishing is still solid across the board. There are still plenty of keeper fluke holding tight to the bottom along with scup and seabass. Bluefish and bass have been on opposite cycles as the schoolie bass have hit best on plugs during the day and the blues remain more active after dark.
In Island Park, at Ralph’s Tackle, lots of keeper fluke up to 7 pounds have been consistently showing in areas such as the Middle Grounds and Magnolia Pier. Nine-pound blues are also in the area following the schools of bunker and making for an exciting trip on the water. In the back bays, all the snappers and blue claw crabs you can handle are now showing up and well worth a trip with the kids. On the surf, anglers have been finding a mix of king fish, schoolie bass and fluke off of local beaches such as Long Beach.
At Bay Park Fishing Station, many anglers have been finding great success with fluke off the Middle Grounds using a mix of Gulp! Grub baits and the usually squid and spearing. Multiple fish have been up to 21 inches with plenty of smaller keepers and shorts mixed in. Seabass, porgies and a few weakfish have been mixed in as well with the occasional school of small bluefish popping up on bunker schools.
John Sr. from Terminal Tackle reports tons of action in the Kings Park waters. Porgies are still present in high numbers but there has been a shift in the ratio of small to big fish, leaning now towards the shorter side. The big scup are still around but it may take some weeding through to get to them. Fluke are hitting well and one reason is the huge number of snappers that have moved in. Any area with a dock, or some kind of structure is sure to be holding them. The biggest fluke caught in the area, 7-9 pounds, have been taken on live snappers as their size now is perfect from the 4-6-inch range. In the river, 18- to 26-inch bass can be found and are sure to give way to bigger fish soon. Bluefish are all over falling victim to diamond jigs, just look for the birds and the blues will not be far behind.
Over in Northport at Cow Harbor, the local beaches have been very active. Snappers have lots of rain bait pushed up against the shore from about 20 feet out. Behind that zone there are lots of cocktail blues running through. These fish are about 2-4 pounds. Out in the deeper waters, jigging for blues has produced 6-12-pound fish which are spitting up small 3- to 4-inch porgies once onboard. The porgie bite has been red hot out in the triangle where there are big schools of peanut bunker at the perfect size of 1-6-inches. Fluke are also hanging around these parts and weighing in at up to 7.5 pounds. The striper action has been best early on both jigs and bunker chunks. Seabass are still plentiful but a mostly shorts. Biggest fish have been taken in about 80 feet of water on small wrecks.
At Bergen Bay Docks, Scott reports that the fluke bite is still on. It takes a little work to find them but they are usually stacked up pretty well once you do. There are also some weakfish and seabass on the inside. The offshore report has been slow but there have been a few yellowfin and mahi up to 25 pounds taken. In the Babylon area, anglers have been dropping chum pots and finding a good run of blowfish this past week and all signs show that they will not be leaving too soon.
Captree Bait Station continues to find solid action off the local piers. Everything from snapper, fluke, kingfish and crabs can be found there with the occasional keeper mixed in. The larger fish all have moved out into the deeper waters as the average short to keeper ratio is about 5-1. But if you’re looking for some quick action or to bring the kids, it’s the ideal time to head down.
At Smith Point Bait & Tackle, Craig has seen the fluke fishing remain pretty consistent in the east and west cuts as well as off the beaches. Shark fishing has been great off the Sand Beach as a local brown shark came ashore pushing about 150 pounds.
Jim from Miller Place Bait & Tackle also has been finding decent action as of late. The blues have found the shore lines as a 33-inch fish was taken this week off of Rocky Point. There have been schools of fish moving through as well as a couple of schoolie bass. Out near buoy 11A, the seabass continue to hold steady on the structured bottom and are producing a good number of keepers each trip.
On the East End, at White Water Outfitters, Jake reports that the fluke fishing both in the bay and ocean is very good. Each trip out is producing a full or nearly full limit for a majority of anglers, with a few bluefish mixed in. In Shinnicock Inlet, the bass fishing has been less steady, though there are still some fish around. The blues have been more present here as well as some mackerel off the beaches. The offshore action has been hit or miss with tuna and sharks, but the billfish action has been the best seen in years. If you’re looking to head offshore, look to target white and blue marlin as they are your best chance of success.
At Montauk Marine Basin, the bass fishing has been day to day. Hot one day and slower the next meaning it is more important to plan your trips accordingly with the weather. The best action has been at night under the light house. Fluke, seabass and scup have been doing well on the south side, mainly in the deeper waters.
Tonya from West Lake Marina reported a 11.9-pound fluke being weighed in this week, proving the doormats are still at large in the Montauk waters. The fishing has been steady in areas such as Cartwright. The stripers are still around but have definitely seen a drop in action.
Also in Montauk, TJ from Gone Fishing Marina adds it to the fluke action as it is still worth a trip to the south side of the point. Porgies have been all over coming in at up to 4 pounds. Sea bass and bluefish are also around but neither have been tearing up the waters this week.
Joe from Staten Island Tuna Club reports that the fluke around Staten Island have been slowing down but some 5-8-pounders have been caught in the channel by the Verrazano bridge. The bluefish are starting to pound the loads of baitfish around and a small hammer head was mistakenly hooked into by an angler targeting fluke out of Raritan Bay.
Long Island Fishing Forecast
Much like last week, the fluke fishing is still the best bet for bending a rod and with the presence of local snappers, the chance of hooking into a doormat is at a high. As many anglers are still looking toward the fall run of bass and blues, continue hitting the beaches and buying time with the shorts and remaining porgies, fluke and seabass. As the weather continues to cool, be ready for fish to wander back to slightly shallower waters and always keep an eye on the birds as early schools of bass and blues come in.