The nearly summer-like weather we saw this week has made it easy to get out on the water and led to some great fishing.
John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle has found himself surrounded by giant blues being caught both from shore and boats. The fish are biting just about everything from poppers to swim baits and chunks of bunker. ”It’s almost more difficult to keep them off your line than on,” said John. The porgy bite has finally slowed down but blackfish action has filled the void. There are still lots of shorts to weed through, however, some big fish mixed in are making it well worth the effort.
At Stella Maris, Stretch has seen a ton of action on the surface with blues and schoolie bass. They have been easy to find as the birds are working the schools hard. Poppers and swimbaits are best for the bluefish and if you can get to the bottom there are plenty of bass picking up the scraps. The best striper bite, however, has been at night on eels. Some boats have picked up a few fish while trolling bunker spoons and Rock Candy but live-lined eels seem to work better. The blackfish are still mostly short but the cooler weather this weekend should help wake up the keepers.
John, Sr. has seen explosive fishing all over the Kings Park waters. Blackfishing is off to a great start, although like most of the Island, the majority of fish are shorts. There are plenty of keepers to be found if you are willing to work through the throw-backs. Most action has been in just 10 to 20 feet of water and the biggest catches have weighed up to 8-pounds. Sea bass are still around and very big, up to 3 pounds. The striper bite is widespread and in all the harbors. The fish are schooled up so thick you can almost walk across them. Big bluefish are still present but it seems the bass are more than in control of the waters. Lots of bass are 20 to 25 pounds. The time to get out is, now whether from the surf or on a boat.
At The Campsite Sports Shop, Carmine is also seeing plenty blues with a wide range of sizes from 5 to 16 pounds. Bunker chunks, plugs and diamond jigs are all successful tools either for night casting or working the early morning tides. Bass have been best at night on eels or soaking bait chunks. For bottom fishing, scup and sea bass are holding steady on the bottom structure and have been more present in the shallow waters as of late.
At Captree Bait & Tackle, Brendan has keeper bass and big blues still slamming lures and baits along the piers. Bass fishing has picked up in Great South Bay and Fire Island Inlet with schoolies everywhere and bigger fish underneath them. The heaviest fish this week was a 37.06-pound bass. Gorilla blues are starting to come in to grab a late peanut bunker or mullet snack. Sea bass and scup have slowed down a bit both in action and size but the shad have continued to hang around.
Aboard the Jib VI with Captain Joe, anglers continue to pick away at the stripers. The bite has been on and off this week but they have found some keepers on each trip. Clam bellies are the bait for daytime fishing and live eels are on deck for the night trips.
At Cow Harbor, Mark reports that the boats are still doing well with lots of short blackfish and some big keepers mixed in. All have been in about 28 feet of water. There are tons of short sea bass but the keepers have measured up to 4 pounds. The bluefish have been causing mayhem chasing various sized bunker from peanuts to adults. The blues are all between 12 and 15 pounds and spread thought all the harbors. Stripers have been mixed with shorts and schoolies to about 14 pounds. Both are being hammered by surfcasters as they chase bait up against the shore.
Jim from Miller Place Bait & Tackle has had great blackfish action lately. Multiple fish have come in from 5 to 7 pounds, the leader of the season long tournament being the 7-pound fish caught this past Monday. Sea bass are also biting well at the Middle Grounds.
In Hampton Bays, Bryce from White Water Outfitters reports decent bass biting from the surf. A few blues and the occasional school of false albacore are also moving through but the action has slowed down. Today, the albacore began to show up again so hopefully they will stick out the weather this weekend and still be present next week. Blackfish are biting in the shallow waters and the bass are being found inside and just outside the inlet at night on live eels.
At Wego Fishing, Steve has seen the best fishing from shore as schools of bass, blues and false albacore scream down the local beaches. Bottom fishing for blackfish is also heating up off Horton’s Point and Rocky Point. If you’re looking for sea bass, Fishers Island and the north side of Plum Island are the best bets.
Tonya from West Lake Marina has decent fishing with blackfish and sea bass on the bottom with much of the same productive results being reported at other ports. Albies have re-grouped and the striper action has been slowly picking up.
Joe from Staten Island Tuna Club saw the striped bass actioin pick up in Raritan Bay this week and blues are pounding on the bunker pods when you can find them in the area. Anglers looking for blackfish are doing well, especially from the boats of which many are limiting out.
At River Bay Outfitters, Paul reports bass on the high end of ebbing tides out of Jones Inlet and in the back bays. These fish are mostly in the 25-inch range but some have been bigger. Shad have also been hitting on the outgoing tide lately. Jamaica Bay has been hot for big blues and bass on poppers and bunker chunks. At the shop this weekend, Paul will be hosting an event benefitting the Healing Waters group, helping veterans learn to fly fish. There will be fly-tying demonstrations, food, prizes and 10-percent of sales will go to the charity group.
On the freshwater scene, the Long Island rivers and streams are stocked with trout and Hempstead Park Lake is one of the many spots that are fishing well. Flies and spinners, worked along the edges of overhanging brush and remaining green weed patches, are a great way to connect.
Long Island Fishing Forecast
Blackfish action has been picking up all over and the striper and bluefish runs are almost out of control in some spots across Long Island. Porgies and sea bass have hung around in their usual spots and are still showing a lot of life. Sea bass season in the EEZ Zone (more than 3 miles offshore) resumes on Saturday.