Rain and wind certainly didn’t work in our favor this week as anglers as a couple days in a row of the nasty weather made it tough to be out on the water. However, in the breaks of sunshine there was some solid fishing to be found. Bass continue to pound away with a mix of blues all over, and weakfish, fluke and scup have the bottom covered with life.
Metro
At Hudson Park Bait and Tackle, John reports that bass fishing has been red hot. There were a number of fish landed that were either at or above the 40-pound mark. The most he’s ever seen taken in one week at the shop that were all in that weight class. Trolling white spoons seems to be the best tactic at the moment between Greenwich and Stepping Stone Lighthouse. Gator blues have also been tearing up these waters, weighing in at up to 18 pounds. The scup have shown up but the bite has been better as you move east, and fluke have been improving each day.
In Oceanside, at Bay Park Fishing Station, trolling for stripers has been red hot. Whether you’re using bunker spoons or Mojo rigs, the bass have been jumping all over it. This week there were a 27.55 and 31.3 pounder landed trolling through about 40-60 feet off of Roundhouse. An impressive 45.7 pounder hit the deck just south of Debs Inlet and also fell victim to the troll.
South Shore
At Sea Isle Custom Rob Builders, Rob has been seeing consistent fishing over the last two or three weeks. The bass bite has been killer lately with big fish outside the Inlet, especially on the troll, and tons of schoolies inside with a couple keepers mixed in. Fluke has also begun to finally get a little hot. As with everywhere else across Long Island, you will still have to do your fair share of picking through shorts but the bigger fish are there.
Over at Causeway Bait and Tackle, the word is that the bass action has been good by the local Wantagh bridges, but the open beaches and inlets are mainly being patrolled by blues. Clam has been working well in these parts as the trolling action has been slightly slower than usual but should improve within the next few days with a little good weather. Fluke have been hitting well in the Bay between Merrill and Massapequa.
Paul from River Bay Outfitters has been seeing lots of big stripers and bluefish this week. The boats have been doing very well and surfcasters have run into some fish as well. On the freshwater side, the Long Island Flyrodders fished the Healing Waters event out of the Connetquat river this week with about 13 veterans. Everyone caught their fill of trout and had a great time, including a friend of the shop, “Kenny the hat” who landed one that stretched out to 20 inches. The Carmens River has also been fishing very well but the trick is to stay until dark as that is when the bite, especially on the fly rod, really turns on.
North Shore
Aboard the Northport Charter boat with Captain Stu, the action has been red hot. A 7-pound fluke was landed this week and was spitting up tons of bait including silversides and lots of tiny sand eels. The boat fished in the Marty Lyons Fluke Foundation tournament this week as well where former NFL player Wesley Walker and his wife landed a 5 pounder aboard Stu’s vessel. Scup have also been around making the bottom bite more than enough to keep anyone busy for a day.
In Port Jefferson, aboard the Celtic Quest, the porgy bite has been terrific and the fluke action has been pretty good as well. There are still a lot of shorts around but the bigger fish are there and just need a little extra effort and determination to be found. The size on the scup has been varying somewhat with each day but it seems every day the bite has been reliable.
At Miller Place Bait and Tackle, Sue reports that buoy 9 has been this weeks hot spot for those looking to land a fluke above the 19-inch mark. The Mt. Sinai area has also been fishing very well this week with a combination of Gulp! Baits and spearing. The scup bite has been zeroed in on between Old Field and Crane neck on clam and spearing too.
East End
At Blue Water Ventures, Chris has been seeing decent action in the Gut. Not the crazy action we all look forward to yet but there are some fish to be found there. Over closer to Shelter Island, the bass are all over. Bucktails have been the way to entice these fish and once you really zone in on them, they can keep you busy for hours. Fluke and porgies can still be found working the waters off the Green Lawns and Claudio’s Restaurant. New Suffolk has been yielding a few nice weakfish lately and a 36-inch bass was run into and landed right out of Mattituck Inlet.
In Montauk, at West Lake Marina, the first reports of tuna have broken through as a 378 pounder was brought into the docks by the boat “One love” this week. The striper action has been doing well but was much better from the boats than the shoreline. Diamond jigs, drifting eels and trolling has all produced fish. It’s just a matter of what the flavor of the day is. Fluking remains the same with a possible limit very doable but needing lots of work to reach.
Long Island Fishing Forecast
Things continue to set up well across Long Island for a very productive summer and eventual fall run. Although the best action has been from the boats lately, the surf is bound to begin lighting up soon and should offer some easily accessible fun. Bottom fishing has been getting hotter and if you’re just looking to get someone out and bend a rod, porgies have been picking up any slack the fluke have been leaving.