Above: Happy anglers aboard Northport Fishing Charters showing off a brace of scup from Long Island Sound.
Long Island Fishing Report
This week’s report is basically a carbon copy of last week. From big striped bass along the south shore and in the sound to the insane porgy bite that just seems to be never ending. The good news is, the sea bass that we have been catching and having to throw back recently we can now keep starting this Saturday. You will be able to keep 3 fish at 15 inches until August 31st. As for the fluke the action seems to be getting better along the south shore and in Montauk, but has been somewhat slow on the north shore. Here is what your local shops had to say for the week.
At Hudson Park Bait and Tackle, big striped bass have been taken from the Throgs Neck Bridge to Connecticut. John has seen pictures and weighed in some bass in the 30-, 40-, and 50-pound class this past week. Chunking bunker at night seems to be your best bet. The blues have moved in closer to shore and into the middle of the sound, producing some great top water action. The porgy fishing remains good though the fish seem to be getting a little smaller. Even though the fluke action has been decent, John said it has been off to a way better start than last year.
In Brooklyn at Stella Maris Bait and Tackle, the shark bite has been hot with some really big fish weighed in. Last week they had two thresher sharks weighing in at 250 and 350 pounds. They report that there have been a few makos taken as well. Porgies are still thick in the area and boats are limiting out early on their trips. Cocktail blues have moved into the area and the action has been great. This past week saw great fluke fishing as well, with both bait and bucktails producing fish.
Bay Park Fishing Station received a report today from Leandro Fiorentino that said fishing in Reynolds channel, west of the school Lea hooked, and dad reeled in the first doormat of the season, at 26.5″ using Bay Park spearing. This past Sunday Capt Kenny Owens, Keith Owens, Brayden Owens, and Jessie DiBenedetto on their 23-foot center console, ran 25 miles and caught a beautiful 326-pound thresher to win the Hudson Anglers tournament! Congrats to the captain and crew on catching the winning shark.
Paul at River Bay Outfitters said, the night time seems to be the best time for the striped bass along the south shore. Both out front and in the back bays. He said he has heard reports of more bluefish starting to show up along the north shore. He mentioned the Long Island Flyrodders Association went on their annual trip to the Connetquot this past Monday. While conditions were not the best everyone on the trip caught fish and had a great day.
Talked to Jake over at White Water Outfitters and he said there has been a good bluefin tuna bite about 40 to 50 miles offshore. He said in the canyons the tuna action is really starting to heat up. Fluke fishing has been picking up much better in the ocean over this past week. With anglers limiting out and catching some doormats as well. Closer to home in the bay the fluke and striped bass action remains solid.
At Harbor Marina of East Hampton Rick said, there are large pods of bunker to be found across the Peconics and Gardiners Bay. It is highly recommended that you snag or cast net these favored baitfish and swim them live in your favorite big bass locations. Tuning up the “live well” is a necessary precursor to this style of fishing. A fresh body of schoolie bass are keeping local fly fishermen and light tackle guys busy along the North Flats. The local harbors and creek mouths along the North side of the South Fork, are still holding fish as well. These are mostly school sized fish, with an occasional keeper mixed in. The night bite is turning on along the Fishers Island chain with some quality fish being taken. On a recent busman’s holiday from Harbor Marina, Rick enjoyed observing massive pods of bait getting worked from both above and below the surface just before sunset. The general lack of bluefish is a little unusual for this time of year. Hopefully they will arrive soon and add some spice to the local scene. Local sharpies are picking away at keeper sized fluke and the porgies continue to cooperate from Shelter Island out to Montauk.
In Montauk at Montauk Marine, the fluke fishing has remained good as of late. They had a few fish weighed in this week weighing in over the double-digit mark. Big porgies have remained constant and seem to be just about everywhere. Anglers have been catching a ton of sea bass lately that they have had to throw back which is a great sign for this weekend with the season opening.
Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said, your best bet for the weekend is the porgies. They seem to be everywhere. The fluke fishing has been dependable with many fish being between 4 to 8 pounds. There have been a few bluefish around, but nothing too crazy. They report anglers are catching striped bass around buoy 15 and the triangle. The bass seem to be holding on the structure even though there is a lot of bunker around. They think these bass might be feeding on the sand eels.
At Miller Place Bait and Tackle they had some large striped bass hit the scales this past week. A 48.6-pound, 36.5-pound, and a 15.2-pound striped bass were weighed in all caught off the south shore from a boat. On the north shore while porgy fishing from cedar beach and angler caught a 30 inch striped bass on a porgy rig. Porgy fishing from shore is still basically a guarantee for some action. For the anglers fishing for fluke if you can get through the shorts and the porgies there have been some nice fluke to hit the deck packed with sand eels.
Captain Stu of Northport Charters said, they had a great porgy bite this week to 2 1/2 pounds, Seabass showing up to 4 pounds had to toss back, lots of bait around, bite is on!
Fishing Forecast for Long Island
While the weather and ocean forecast might not be perfect for this weekend, if you are able to get out there is a ton of options. Along both North and South shores, you can target a variety of species and can add sea bass to the list for this weekend. From the surf, hit the suds at night time while these big striped bass seem to be on the move. This is really time of year where if you fish from the beach to the canyons there is something for everyone.