Long Island - New York Fishing Report - August 30, 2018

I called around to the local shops this week and everyone said the only way you can catch fish was on orange Gulp! I’m kidding, but that was big news this past week with the new Red Salmon Gulp color hitting the shelves and selling out very fast.  The weather this week has been very hot, and it kept many anglers inside in the A/C.  For the anglers that did make it out, the reports from the shops were very good.  Here is what your local shops had to say this week.

Long Island Fishing Report

Hudson Park Bait and Tackle reports, that things have been slow over the past week.  They are still catching some striped bass off the rocks, but not as good as it was the week before.  Porgies are still the main target for many anglers in the area.  John hopes with this weather change, the fishing will improve in the coming weeks.

Stella Maris Bait and Tackle reports inshore there have been a bunch of sharks on the bunker pods. Mahi have also showed up inshore and to quote the shop “they are all over the place.” The fluke fishing has been ok, but has slowed down a little bit.  The porgy bite they report is still hot. The cocktail blues are still around in the bays and the surf.

Bay Park Fishing Station reports, this past Sunday fishing the AB Reef, Danny Levi landed a 6.50-pound fluke.  The Fluke was angled in a depth of about 60 ft of water using 4in white swimming mullet Gulps. On Saturday, Lloyd Malsin Sailed 20 miles to a wreck and loaded up with ling and seabass all caught on clams. Drifting produced best sizes.

Rick, from Harbor Marina of East Hampton, told us that with a large body of fluke preparing for their eventual migration to deeper waters, it is tough to overlook Montauk for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Locally, on Three Mile Harbor, snappers and cocktail blues are ravaging an abundance of baitfish ranging from peanut bunker to spearing to bay anchovies, making for great light tackle action. Porgies and seabass are to be found in the deeper / cooler waters north and east of Gardiners Island.
During a recent trip to the Cartwright grounds south of Montauk on the “Exhale” based out of 3 Mile Harbor, Rick ran into Thresher Sharks, Whales, Porpoise, Jumbo Sea Bass and some Fluke up to 8 pounds. Unfortunately, his favorite medium action fluke outfit was no match for a 6-foot thresher shark, resulting in a costly loss of rigging and braid.
Larger Bluefish and Keeper Stripers are to be found in the rips along the Fishers Island Chain. Daytime seems to favor heavy Diamond Jigs and Eels are working at Night.

River Bay Outfitters reports, anglers fishing the local ponds out east, have been doing very good with large bluegills and largemouth bass.  Closer to home, one of the shops regulars named Taso while fishing by Jones Inlet saw our first report of bonitos. Paul said the boats that are fishing for seabass and porgies are doing very well. Offshore, the Mahi fishing has been great around the lobster pots on the fly rod.

Captree Bait and Tackle reports, the best action has been around the local piers. Anglers are still catching blowfish, snappers, and triggerfish.  The crabbing has been decent, and there are still some fluke around though many are small.

White Water Outfitters reports, the white marlin fishing offshore has been red hot.  There have been reports of a bluefin tuna bite near the Bacardi and a report of yellowfin near the dip.  Closer to home there has been a great fluke bite on the local reefs.  They are patiently awaiting the false albacore bite that should happen anyway now.

Westlake Marina reports, the fluke and seabass bite has been great over the past week.  Both the seabass and fluke seem to be getting bigger each week. Porgy fishing is still very good for the anglers that want to fish for them.  They are finally seeing snappers starting to move into the harbor finally as well.

Gone Fishing Marina reports, there has been a good bite of Mahi this week. Anglers fishing 15 to 20 miles offshore have been catching these fish on mackerel chunks and squid.  The biggest catch this week came from the boat Rough Around the Edges, who caught a 550lb thresher shark.  The fluke bite has been very good this past week.  The boat Fish On, limited out on fluke to 28 inches.  The boat Memory Maker, had the largest fluke weighed in this week, weighing 11bs.

Montauk Marine Basin reports offshore the marlin and mahi bite has been good.  There is still a decent tuna bite, but not as good as it was in weeks past.

Miller Place Bait and Tackle reports, a few customers headed out to the middle grounds and caught bass weighing up to 28lbs on the troll. Most boats were using mojo rigs or tube & worm. There have been bluefish mixed in with these striped bass. Fluke fishing has been good in the deeper water from the 60- to 65-foot range. Porgies and seabass have been taken in the Cranes Neck and Old Field area.

Fishing Forecast for Long Island

The weather finally seems to be breaking giving us some relief from all this heat.  Hopefully the change in weather will get more anglers out there and catching some fish.  The reefs and other structures are a great bet for this weekend, with all the reports of big fluke, porgies, and seabass.  Fall is right around the corner and so are the albies. If you are out this weekend or next week, make sure to pack some small metals in your bag.  You don’t want to miss out at your first chance at these great fighting fish. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and good luck out there on the water.