Long Island Fishing Report - August 5, 2016

Between the heat, wind and rain this week the fishing around Long Island was tougher than usual. Still, those anglers who braved the elements did meet with a lot of success. Generally speaking, offshore action took the hardest hit this week, but bass, blues, porgies and the other usual species all hung tough and remained fairly active. On the other hand, the freshwater fishing has continued to get better and better of late with some pretty impressive scores being racked-up on regular basis of late.

John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle reports this week that the bunker schools are still hanging around and drawing out the blues. On the bottom, porgies and fluke have been on fire with sizeable catches for both species landing on the docks. The doormat fluke seem to have finally outnumbered the shorts and are making for more cooler-filled trips. The scup can be found just about anywhere from inside the river to the back-bay. Simply find some bottom structure and it’s a good bet you’ll find the porgies as well.

At Stella Maris, Stretch also has had all the porgy action anglers can handle – and catches have been solid both from boats and the shore. Weakfish have also begun to show in Jamaica Bay, taking both worms and Gulp! The blues have been steady for anglers jigging the bottom and fluke fishing has been red hot. Normally, in Brooklyn waters, the fluke bite starts slowing down this time of year as the flatties move east – so get out there and catch them while you can as they are still holding strong.

Aboard the Manhattan, NYC, charter boat Capitol Princess, Eric said he has had consistent fluke action with fish up to 6-pounds. The bottom is almost carpeted with fluke even through the tough weather. Striped bass, on the other hand, have slowed but hopes are high for the weekend trips as the east winds turn back around at Pier 36. Up to now, bunker chunks have been the bait of choice for bass in this area, but anglers are hoping to switch over to live eels and clams going forward. The porgy bite has been decent out of New York Harbor and has kept anglers busy while they wait for the bass to turn back on.

Just east in Glen Cove at Musketa bait and Tackle, John has seen a similar trend of hot fluke action to go along with aggressive porgies and a showing of cocktail blues. There have also been some sea bass around though they cannot keep up with the competition from scup.

At Bay Park Fishing Station, Mark reports five keepers to 5 pounds graced the deck on his most recent fluke trip. He noted that the fluke have moved out into the deeper water in the 62- to 75-foot range. Among the fluke have been a fair pick of scup and sea bass but it’s the fluke – to many angler’s delight – that seem to be most ready for action.
Phil from Cow Harbor has had a wide variety of fish all prove worthy of a day on the water. Big blues have been tearing up the bunker schools inside the harbor drawing both anglers and birds alike. There also seems to be a new body of bass that have moved in in with some in the 20- to 30-pound class. These fish have been hitting live bunker out in deeper water with 40-feet the sweet spot. A few bass are also responding to live eels. Porgies remain consistent around the Coast Guard Station and fluking has been a little tougher over the past few days. The flatfish seem to be stacked-up in deeper water but they have been more picked than hammered. Sea bass are around but have moved further east each day, putting anglers more on charter boats than chasing them down themselves.

John from Terminal Tackle reports the fishing scene is little changed since last week. Porgies are still plentiful over structured bottoms and the fluking is on fire. Along with the fluke, the bunker schools have moved out to deep water and are still drawing a couple blues. The snappers in the area continue to grow and make great live bait for a doormat fluke if you haven’t already made plans for them to be involved in a fish fry.

At Captree Bait Station, Brandon continues to report seeing solid action off the piers. Everything from fluke, cocktail blues and snappers have been working the local waters. Boating anglers have seen a few sea bass mixed in as well. The action from the beach has been well worth the effort as porgies are being taken along with some keeper fluke.

Aboard Northport Charters with Captain Stu, the fishing has been at a peak. Indeed, it’s been so good that 4-pound fluke are becoming a norm for anglers using bucktails along. Mixing in with the summer flatties have been some 8-pound blues and stripers pushing into the double-digits. There is still a ton of bunker in the Northport area and these are holding the predator species tight. When cleaning the blues, Captain Stu is finding 4- to 6-inch peanut bunker in the bellies. That should make your bait choice simple if fishing this area.

At The Campsite, Carmine still is seeing the best bass action at daybreak and evening on bunker chunks. Although the stripers have been less numerous they have averaged larger in size. That’s a trade-off most anglers gladly welcome. The fluking off Eatons Neck has slacked a bit in terms of offering keepers as there are still a lot of shorts to work through for cooler fillers. The porgy action has been great with 3-pound dinner plate sized fish becoming common and nearly always a few nice sea bass also in the mix.

Jim from Miller Place Bait and Tackle seems to be following the trend of hot fishing. The local piers are lighting up with porgies, as is Cedar Beach. In Port Jeff Harbor, bass are hitting well at dawn and dusk with a local catch coming in at 21.31-pounds. Near buoy 9, there have been some blues following schools of bunker. Sea bass and some weaks have been generally willing up inside Mt. Saini Harbor.

In Hampton Bays at White Water Outfitters, Bryce knew that fluking on the bay side has been picking up. The summer flatties have also made their presence known in the ocean in 40- to 50-foot depths as they continue to slide out into deeper, cooler waters. As for the bass action, nighttime eeling has been the best bet but live-lining spot in the daytime is a close second. Bryce reports that the offshore action has been slow although the shark fishing remains fairly holding strong.

Out on the East End, TJ at Gone Fishing Marina reports that the east winds slowed things down through the early part of the week. Bass fishing has rebounded a bit over past few days, however, with live eels accounting for some 30- to 40-pounders landing on the docks. Fluke have also improved and seem to be back on track now. Sea bass and scup continue to litter the bottom and make for fast and easy fishing.

At Montauk Marine Basin, Courtney also had a hot lead on stripers. Live-lining eels, she stated, has been the ticket to connecting with cows in the 30- to 40-pound class. Fluke have also been good along with the usual sea bass and porgies. On the offshore scene, there are still some bluefin to be caught at the Butterfish Hole but that action has surely slowed down of late.

Paul from River Bay Outfitters said that there have been plenty of short fluke caught out of Debbs Inlet of late. All the local piers, bays and canals have produced fish on a reliable basis. The snappers continue to grow in size and make great fun for catching and bait. On the freshwater side, all local ponds and rivers are on fire. Targeting largemouth bass and bluegills is a great way to spend an afternoon setting hooks and making memories.

Fishing Forecast for Long Island
As the weather turns back in our favor over the next few days, look to continue hooking-up with big time fluke and striped bass as the season hits its peak. Before the fall blitz starts to take form in the weeks ahead, be sure to prepare your rods, reels and rigs to be ready at a moment’s notice when the shoreline erupts with fish. On the sweetwater side, now is the best time to be hitting the lakes at sunrise and sunset for monster bass and thick panfish. On either end, make sure to add plans to get on the water as action is sure to be keeping lines tight and coolers full.