Long Island Fishing Report - June 1, 2017

The last week of May fishing on Long Island offered some tough conditions but still managed to produce some solid action. Bass and blues continue to patrol schools of bunker while fluke and porgies battle it out along the bottom. Both bottom dwellers seemed to become a little more active and give way to some bigger fish before the rain really set in.

Metro

At Hudson Park Bait and Tackle, John reports that the big bass have arrived. Some 35- to 40-pound fish have been hitting the decks this week on bunker chunks. The big blues are still hanging around as well and mixed in with the bass as usual. On the Bay side, scup were weighed in at the shop between 4.5 to 5.5 pounds. They just seem to get bigger and thicker with each passing day. Weaks and fluke are bitting well but aren’t huge for the most part. Most keeper flatties to this point are around 19- to 21-inch fish.

In Oceanside, at Bay Park Fishing Station, there have been a couple of big fluke landed this week. The biggest being a 10.65-pound doormat that fell victim to a buck tail tipped with a strip of Gulp! Bait. There was also a 7.2-pound fish taken along with a couple others that remained closer to 19-21 inches. The bass bite was hot early in the week but cooled down with the chilly, wet weather. Trolling Mojo’s and spoons have been very effective as a 38 pounder was taken on the southeast side of Debs inlet. The bite should pick up where it left off as the skies clear.

South Shore

Robert from Sea Isle Custom Rod Builders reports that the striper action was red hot in the ocean. Trolling is the way to go and it seems there are plenty of big fish to go around. If you’re looking to take some cast from shore, there are schoolies all over with an occasional keeper strolling through to check things out. On the Bay side, fluking has been improving with each drift as size and numbers continue to climb.

Over at River Bay Outfitters, Paul had a couple friends of the shop have terrific trips on the water this week both on salt and fresh. One familiar face took the fly rod down on the salt side and ran into a few stripers and tons of sea robins as both were feeding on small, maybe 2-inch sand eels. The fluke bite has been down with the weather but gator blues can be found in Jamaica Bay as well as off Jones Beach. On the freshwater side, McDonalds pond allowed for some big blue gills on the fly and although there weren’t a ton caught, the size made it well worth the effort. Another friend of Paul’s went dropped a line in a local pond and although he refused to revile the location, he had no trouble explains the action he ran into with carp. Small bread flies did the trick and anywhere carp are known to be found, it’s worth a shot taking a cast as they can give a terrific fight on the fly rod.

North Shore

Aboard the Celtic Quest in Port Jeff, the porgy bite had been insane leading up to the stormy days. The blow cooled things off but they are already beginning to rise back to the aggressive level they were at. The fluke bite has been getting better as more and more cooler stuffers move into the area. Stripers have also shown up while jogging the bottom and have no problem getting in on the day’s action.

John Sr. at Terminal Tackle has been seeing plenty of fluke as of late. The best action has been just east of Smith town Bay. They aren’t all quite up to snuff as far as limits go but there have been enough keepers to make things interesting. Porgies are around but haven’t caught fire so far. It’s only a matter of time before they begin to take over the sea floor the way we all expect them too. The bass bite has also been decent off rocky beaches and while trolling spoons. The average seems to be around 15-16 pounds right now but there is always a chance of that monster being mixed in.

At Miller Place Bait and Tackle, Jim reports that the bass have been getting longer and fatter, just how we all like them. The new current leader in the shop contest was at 25.5 pounds and is now up to 31 pounds. The scup bite has been getting hotter off Cranes Neck and summer flatties have been piling up off buoy 11.

East End

In Hampton Bays, at White Water Outfitters, Rich reports that the fluke action has been good and the shallow waters on the Bay side have been the best locations. There have been a few 10-pound fish coming out of about 7-feet of water. The Green Lawns and Jessop’s have also been doing well but there is less of a consistent bite. Bluefish remain in just about all waters and are as aggressive as ever. There are small blues tearing up Shinnecock Inlet and about 5- to 10-pounders being jogged up in Jessop’s. The porgy bite has lived up to the height so far and there haven’t been a ton of stripers around but anglers are still running into their fair share.

At West Lake Marina, there are scup all over. A 3.8 pounder hit the deck this week along with plenty of other keepers. The bass action has been hot as well as a 46 and 37.55 pounder were run into this week. All tactics seem to be working as hooks were set using spoons, diamond jigs and drifting eels. The fluke bite has been there but the shorts continue to greatly outnumber those that can reach the 19-inch mark. A flounder was run into this week as anglers searched the bottoms for doormat fluke and weighed in at 2.25 pounds.

Fishing Forecast

Look to keep pounding away at the beaches and anywhere you can find schools of bait. Big bass and blues are beginning to surround Long Island and it is anyone’s guess where the next monster will be stirred up at. It could be any day now that the shorelines begin to erupt and you don’t want to be a step behind when the madness begins. In the meantime, bottom fishing has been getting better by the day so don’t be afraid to soak some bait while the casting pole awaits its moment of glory.