Stripers, bluefish, weakfish and porgies are all up for grabs this week as mid-May fishing begins to ignite the bite across all water depths. Fluke are also a very common by-catch this week for anglers looking for scup and weaks. Although they are not in season until May 17th, with the amount of fish being caught and released already, it’s shaping up for a wild opening week.
Metro
At Hudson Park Bait and Tackle, John reports that keeper bass are in as a Mojo rig produced a couple 29-33 inch fish this week for anglers trolling the New Rochelle waters. The action has yet to really get crazy but with the amount of bait around, it seems it’s only a matter of time. Small plastic grubs, Mojo’s and bunker chunks have all initiated bites so there really is no wrong way to go about looking for the stripers.
South Shore
Brendan from Captree Bait Shop has had a bluefish invasion this week. Right off the Captree Pier you can run into some weighing up to 10 pounds. Most are in the 5-6 pound range but there’s a decent amount of bigger fish mixed in. Also working the same waters have been the stripers but at the moment the blues have been so aggressive it’s difficult to reach them. New this week is the blowfish that have begun to make their presences felt, much to everyone’s delight. Small squid strips are the way to go for these puffers and although the bite has just come to life this week, the numbers thus far have been pretty impressive.
At Causeway Bait and Tackle, Mike is still waiting for the bass bite to really pick up steam but in the meantime, the blues are all over. There’s a wide range on size as fish have come in anywhere from 20-35 inches. It seems if you have a line in the water you can run into one of these gators, but Green Island and the Jones Beach Pier have been great areas to target.
Paul from River Bay Outfitters reports this week that last weeks rain made things a little more difficult keeping anglers off the water and lowering visibility in the water but it wasn’t enough to shut down the bite completely. A friend of the shop headed out to have his first go at saltwater fly fishing and nailed a nice striper. Bass have been bitting well in the Oceanside waters and will hopefully pick up where they left off this week. On the freshwater side, water levels were high and water was muddy but white perch and carp were both victims to the fly rod and the action should only get hotter with clearer weather.
North Shore
Aboard the Northport Charters, Capt. Stu has been having trouble not running into fluke this week. He has been fining success with bass lately between working the bottom and using the Mojo rigs but the fluke are all over and geared up for next weeks opener. He has a new open boat that will set sail with the opening day from 7-1 and can fit up to 12 anglers. With the way things are stacked up, it should be a May den voyage to remember.
At Miller Place Bait and Tackle, Jim continues to report all the schoolie bass you can handle. The occasional keeper has began to show face but has yet to take over these waters. Storm paddle tails and S&S minnows have yielded the best results so far. At Smith’s Point the blues have taken over both on top and bottom water levels and plenty of fluke have been mistakenly caught and released here as well.
East End
Aboard the Celtic Quest, out of their South Jamesport location, Capt. Mark has been finding red hot scup action with some slabs weighing up to 3.5 pounds. Clams have been the better tactic over worms so far and up until Tuesday, when the bluefish invaded and took over, the boat limiting out was almost a regular occurrence. A mix of weakfish, sea bass and fluke have also been run into so it seems the bottom is painted with fish at this point.
In Southold, at Blue Water Ventures, Chris reports weaks around Jesops and a complete onslaught of scup on the Peconic Bay side of Greenport. Bigger bass have also began to move in, especially in the New Suffolk waters. The action has been best in the mornings especially on the incoming tide.
Out in Hampton Bays, at White Water Outfitters, Rich reports that the last few days the porgy action has caught fire. The weakfish here have been mixed in but seem to change day by day. The bite can be red hot and then go a few days of limited action, especially in the canal. Cocktail blues in the 3-6 pound range have moved in but the stripers are all over the SouthFork waters. Due to last weeks windy, rainy weather, most of the catching has been by surf casters at night this week. There are lots of 30-inch keepers coming in and one fish hitting the scales at 31 pounds.
Fishing Forecast for Long Island
As the saltwater continues to heat up, look to keep pounding away at the bass and blues as bigger fish continue to make their way across the Island. Keep an eye on the birds and and a rod in the car as they can appear as quickly as they they leave. With fluke season set to open this Wednesday, May 17th, all signs are pointing to blistering action so look to head out early and bail the doormats while they are still around.
Can I get a copy of your article on the Huntington triangle ?
Not sure where to post this, but I’ve notice near Long Island and the northeast clams are a popular beat for a variety of species. Down south, VA and the Carolinas, shrimp seems to be the bait of choice. Is there a north-south point where one is more effective than the other?
got my first blue fish of the season on may 11, 2017 off jfk still going on the hunt for my first stripe bass never caught one before.