Stripers in the bays across the island. Big stripers are still chewing in Montauk. Fluking on the constant upswing. Double digits coming in various areas throughout the island. Spanish mackerel arrived to the west, and weakfish too. Triggerfish are becoming relatively common. Blue claw crabs come out of hiding. Sharking is scary good. Productive bottom fishing for big sea bass and porgies.
Long Island Fishing Report
Frank from Bernie’s Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn says the general fishing scene is very good. Everything is in play, including a couple new summer characters. The bluefish are still around in a variety of sizes, and are appearing randomly throughout the area. The striper fishing is solid too, and nighttime is the right time. A bunch of guys have been talking about getting them back in the creeks on the night tides; they seem to be corralling bunker, or whatever they can corral, and making some noise. It’s the same technique they’ve been employing over the past couple weeks. Fluking has provided some solid action lately for those targeting deep water around structure. Wrecks and rough bottom areas have been holding big fish. Inside the bay, they’re all spread out, but there aren’t as many big fish. You’ll find plenty of shorts, with a few just-keepers in the mix. Frank says the typical hoodlums are in the area, such as sand sharks and sea robins. Two more species have spiced up the scene a bit though. Blue claw crabs have shown up in great numbers. People are catching them in traps and crab condos, and they’ve also been seen poling (which is when they hang out on pilings, rocks and other structure). Our other fresh arrival is the Spanish mackerel! Find them around the channel and Sandy Hook areas. Some weakfish have also arrived in the far Rockaways. Frank says the fish are there, they’re biting, and they don’t seem too concerned about the weather… they’re already wet after all. All your summer characters are in play, so go out and get ‘em.
Josh at Gypsea Charters in the Rockaways reports:
Summer striped bass fishing remains excellent, with limits and releases of slot-sized fish, all taken on live bait. Ocean fluking has also been productive, bouncing around the hard bottom with plenty of action and quality keepers hitting the deck. We had fluke to 7 pounds this week. We have seen a nice mix of jumbo seabass on the fluke grounds too, and have been filling coolers throughout the day. Their two boats are sailing from Howard Beach; the Gypsea is a 6-pack and the Star runs an open boat every weekend, by reservation only. Text for booking details: 516-659-3814
Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reports:
Rick Barteldt of “The Surf Caster” landed his first double-digit fluke of the year while fishing a bucktail and fat cow jig strip in front of the LB high school this past Sunday. The crew of “The Buddha” landed a 360-pound thresher 10 miles south of Debs Inlet on Bay Park chum and fresh bunker. The crew of “SwaySea” had a 10.6-pound Mahi caught on a strip of bunker in their shark slick. The shark front was quiet, but they put a keeper cod and a few nice porgies in the box before returning to the dock.
Captain Willie of the Capt. Lou Fleet in Freeport reports:
We got back into the ocean this morning, and the fishing was excellent. The boat was limited out on sea bass, and we had some jumbo fluke to six pounds. We will not be fishing in the bay unless extreme conditions prevent it. Even if it is rough, we will anchor up for sea bass and be jigging for fluke. Make sure you take some Dramamine if you tend to get seasick. The Starstream VIII is sailing two 1/2 day trips daily. Book your trip at www.captloufleet.com.
Point Lookout’s Super Hawk says the sea bass are alive and kicking, comprising most of their catch. Porgies, fluke, ling, cod and more have mixed up the bags. Fluke have been chowing down on Gulp. Call Capt. Steve to make a reservation: 516-607-3004.
Captree’s Laura Lee crushed ‘em as usual. I’ll give you yesterday’s stats; all the other days this week were pretty much on par with that. “Today’s 7 am trip caught 556 big sea bass, keeping a full boat limit; 33 red hake, 13 porgies, 3 blackfish and one conger eel. The 8 am trip caught 61 fluke, 43 sea robins, and 31 dogfish; The 1 pm trip caught 330 big sea bass (another full boat limit), 13 porgies, six ling, and five mackerel. The 2 pm trip caught twelve fluke, ten sea robins, and four dogfish. The 6 pm trip caught 19 fluke, eight bluefish, one striper, 32 sea robins, three dogfish, and three seabass. The 7 pm trip caught 152 seabass, six porgies, and five ling. They saw some triggerfish this week, plus a flounder, a stargazer, some spot and pout. Of note to me is the low quantity of stripers they’ve been catching this year, although they do seem to put much of their focus on bottom fishing.
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
Sea bass season is on fire! The local wrecks and reefs are loaded up with big, gorgeous fish. Fish in the 4-6 pound range are common if you’re on the right spot. The farther you go, the bigger the fish get. You can use bucktails, jigs, or put clams or Gulp! on a rig to pull them up from the deep. Inside, the flats and channels are loaded up with some good fluke. There are lots of shorts to pick through, but consistent action. Rig up with a bucktail (especially with a teaser) or Gulp! on a jig head for consistent action. The bay has some really solid fish hidden among the shorts. Bluefish are still around, making their way offshore. Solid fighters willing to take popping plugs are still roaming the flats. Bass action is pretty good inside, with some good slot-sized fish showing up. They take some work to find, but they are here. Clams are pulling them off structure, and the fish that are on bait can be pulled with topwater or swimming lures. The ocean has some larger fish taking diamond jigs, and trolling lures. Fish in the 15-30 pound range are coming over the rails. Weakfish action is tapering off but they are still catchable on the early tides. Small bucktails and soft plastics in bright colors will do the trick. In the freshwater – the water is warm, so that means trout fishing and mid-day fishing are going to have to be put on hold for a bit. In the meantime, you can target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, pickerel, carp, crappie, catfish, and sunfish. They are all active in the warmer water and they are hungry! Swimbaits, lipless cranks, jigs, soft plastics, and topwater lures are all great choices for summer bass and pickerel fishing. Topwater for the morning and evenings, everything else for mid-day. For the sunfish and perch, all you need is some worms and bobbers and you’re set to fish all day. It’s perfect for the kids or a fun family day in the sun.
The Celtic Quest Fishing Fleet of Port Jefferson have been all over the scup up north. On the hotter days, the fish tend to be a bit more sluggish, but they still get on them, slow and steady.
That’s it for their report, but I want to highlight their amazing customer service. Just have a look through their Facebook page, and you’ll see how well they take care of their clientele. Everyone seems to have a good time, and if there’s any issue whatsoever, they get right on top of resolving it. Bravo CQ fleet. They’ll be sailing regularly, weather permitting. Go to celticquestfishing.com to buy a ticket.
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport says the fishing remains red hot on north shore, especially between Cold Spring Harbor and the river. There’s been some great action to be found among multiple species. Some decent stripers have been getting caught by boat and surfcasters alike. Bluefish showed up big time this week too. They’re arriving in greater numbers each week. You can even hear/see them in the back of the harbors sometimes ripping up the surface, making for some insane topwater action. Fluke are biting as well. You should check out Mark’s fishing report on Instagram if you haven’t seen it. He predicts some turbulent waters starting tomorrow (Friday). I’ll give you a quick rundown of what he said, and the aspects of this storm that should make you extra cautious. A big storm surge is coming this week. The new moon is on Friday, meaning big tides. These factors together will make for some dangerous surfcasting. Big water will create a big berm (the cliff near the shoreline) that you’ll be tempted to descend to get your cast far out. Be super careful doing that, as the heaves that will come up can create a backwash that’s impossible to fight, dragging you out to sea with it. Be especially careful on the jetties during any onshore wind at the top of the tide, as you stand a very good chance of getting swept off into the inlet. I’ve seen it happen firsthand, and the good outcome was pure luck. Beware. The Sound will be choppy and unstable, so boaters/kayakers must beware as well. Mark said he’ll be staying away from the boats during these conditions, but there should be plenty of action on the beach.
Dave Flanagan of “North Island Fly” reports:
The bluefish bite is still going strong; with the amount of fish I’m seeing, I’m not expecting it to slow down for a while. Some days are better than others, but even in the tough conditions we still manage to pull up some nice fish. The bass bite has only gotten better in the boulder fields. We are seeing some nice slot-sized fish in the mix. We’ve gotten lots of bycatch on the fly rod lately, with porgies, hickory shad, and even fluke snatching up our flies. I’m still seeing water temps under 70 degrees, which bodes well for the near-future bass fishing, especially on the flats. I’m already starting to get interest in the fall run, which is great, but let’s slow down the clock!
Captain Stu Paterson of “Northport Charters” reports:
The porgy bite is still great in the Sound, and we’re starting to catch keeper seabass on the wrecks and rock piles holding scup. Blues and weakfish are still around, but stripers started to go deep with the warming water temps in the LI Sound. We’ve been working hard to put keeper fluke in the box, as there are lots of shorts out there. Call or text to today to make reservations: 631-707-3266. Or check out his website at northportcharters.com
Robert at Wego Fishing Bait & Tackle in Southold says there’s still a lot of weakfish in the bay near Jessups. Guys says they’re catching them every time they go. Buoy 16 is holding them as well. Greenlawns has been hot with the porgies mainly, but there are also weakfish there. Porgies could really be found everywhere though; Nomads is another good spot. Blowfish and kingfish are arriving now, and anglers are starting to get them daily off the beaches. There are still some really nice bass and blues at Plum Gut. One guy reeled up a thirty-pounder there the other day. Look for seabass at petty bight and mulfords. Pigeon rip is also holding some nice knuckleheads. Fluking off Montauk on the north grounds has been awesome this week. The offshore bite has been really good lately. 55-pound bluefin are the norm about 35 miles off of Montauk. You can find some nice makos and threshers out there too. The threshers should be close to Montauk any day now (about 4 miles off). The canyons have been holding some real nice yellowfin tuna and a few swordfish lately.
The Shinnecock Star in Hampton Bays has been hammering the fluke in the bay the past few days. Alan had one around seven pounds in eight feet of water to win the pool on Monday. Another angler pulled up three keeper fluke in three minutes. Sea bass has also been a productive target.
Chris at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays says the striped bass bite has been phenomenal out east from Montauk to Block. Fish upwards of thirty pounds (to fifty) have been caught and released by anglers using mainly live bait and diamond jigs. Back in the Hamptons area, it’s more small fish, and more of a nighttime game. Fluke fishing has been okay. It hasn’t improved much since the beginning of the season, nor has it decayed. The sea bass fishing slowed down a good bit. Chris says most of the wrecks have been picked pretty clean in regards to the big fish. Offshore, the canyon bite has been really good on the tuna front. There are lots of smaller, “buoy” bigeyes, and a good amount of yellowfin tuna. The inshore tuna bite has not been so great in this area. There are some reports of guys catching, but they’ve been grinding hard to do so. They’re finding the majority of them south of Block and out east. Shark fishing has been real good, but there’s been a lack of effort. Chris thinks everybody’s got tuna on the brain instead.
Kenny at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor said we lost almost an entire week out here due to Mother Nature. We probably lost more fish than we gained. The peconics seem to be emptying out, as there were few if any reports from the bay waters. The offshore reports, on the other hand, have been spectacular. Some good tuna reports came from the Block Island area. Lots of school bluefin were getting caught. One customer went ten for twelve on school size fish. The big eye bite in the canyons is supposed to have been very good thus far as well. One customer made it out to Montauk and said the bite was fantastic. There were big sea bass, big bluefish, and of course big striped bass. Besides that, the south fork fishery seems to be quite lackluster this year.
Montauk’s Viking Fleet had a tough start to the week with rough conditions given the east swell and winds. They still caught quite well, with numbers of porgy, fluke and seabass. A half dozen blues graced their Monday trip, with porgies to two pounds. It only improved as the day went on, with a four-pound seabass winning the pool, caught by John Connors from Mt. Sinai. Tuesday’s morning 1/2 day trip took on some windy conditions, forcing them to stay local. Fluke, seabass, and porgies were chewing, and Paul Dill from Smithtown took the pool with a nine-pound fluke. Jeff Greenbaum had a 3+ pound porgy and a four-pound seabass. Their whale watching trip obtained some important fishing information. The sea surface temps ranged from about 53 degrees to almost 68 degrees. Prey has begun to show up in great abundance. They actually saw no whales on the trip, which rarely happens, but they’re confident they’ll be back on them in no time. Porgy action slowed down a bit by Wednesday, but the porgies did not quit. Tony Ho from NYC took the pool with a 2.75-pound scup. There were plenty of jumbo porgies hanging around the lighthouse. The afternoon trip livened up a bit, with fluke, sea bass, and jumbo porgies coming over the rail regularly. They caught keeper fluke all over the map. Bigger seabass and porgies were found closer to home. Eric Andersen of Brookhaven won the pool with a 4.9-pound fluke. Laura Christiani got second with a 3.5-pound fluke.
Chris Albronda gave me the goods on Montauk:
It was another exciting week in Montauk. The inshore bite is phenomenal! Bottom fishing is producing giant Black Sea bass, fluke, porgies, and triggerfish. The striper fishery is producing multiple 50+ pound fish in the fleet daily. We had two epic days of diamond jigging in 45 feet of water. From top to bottom was solid striped bass. Offshore, the shark bite is keeping anglers busy with blue sharks, makos, and threshers. My private guided shark trip was a success; we caught six blue sharks on bluefish chunks. Our chum slick called in some great white sharks as well, which were cool to see. The tuna fishing has been red hot. The bluefin are still running strong; one day we pulled up 22 bluefin on the troll. Chris is doing open boat trips with Tailwrapped Sportfishing charters. Check them out on social media, and/or give Chris a call to book a trip at 631-830-3881.
Long Island Fishing Forecast
Go back and read the Cow Harbor report right now if you skipped over it. That’s the most important report to consider, as it lays out the potential dangers a fisherman may face this weekend. Considering these factors could save your life if you plan on wetting a line in the next few days. My friend got knocked off a jetty into the drink during similar conditions we’ll see this week. A good samaritan and I got him out and we hightailed it off the rocks. Play it safe, no fish is worth your life.
Good. Back to the fishing. Let me tell you a quick story; I hope you’ll learn a lesson from it that I just can’t for some reason. I’m stubborn to a fault, so that’s probably the reason. Anyway…
They say good things come to those who wait. Sometimes that rings true for an angler. Often, though, I’m left standing twiddling my thumbs with a dumb look on my face, and regretting my “inaction.” That kind of epitomizes fishing in general, as a huge part of the game is luck. So I usually opt to wait around for what I expect should come.
It makes good sense to learn your home waters. Mine is an oft productive stretch of beach. I fished it from April 15-December 15, every single day, for 7 years. That consistency helped me learn a tremendous amount, and luck into some absurd bites. You know from recent reports that I see offshore species within casting range; I’ve intercepted false albacore running nowhere near an inlet/current; I’ve learned to identify bait without actually seeing it, and my ability to decipher a fishy ripple amongst a hundred other ripples caused by wave movement is kind of freakish. Watching the water consistently for countless hours has twice put me into a [possibly] clairvoyant state, where I can predict where and when fish will be. I think anybody can probably get there if they spend enough time observing a single stretch of water. Point is, over time, it pays to stay put. Staying put can also be a bad investment; I’m currently in the midst of riding one of those to the moon. Let me tell you about the first bad fishing-time investment I made.
In 2014, we began to see the first signs of a once-in-a-generation goliath bluefish bite. These weren’t gators; they’d friggin’ eat the gators. Before 2016 was over, I had caught two twenty-pound blues from the beach. My girlfriend batted 1,000 that year by taking a single cast just past the beach lip and bringing in a 19-pound bluefish. That was her only cast of the season. Those who experienced this run won’t ever forget it. The fish got bigger and bigger every single year. I expected the following year to provide potential for state-record-size fish, and that’s exactly the fish I was targeting.
2017 came and went, but the bluefish never showed on the south shore. I was out there every single day anxiously awaiting the frothy, bloody whitewater indicating their arrival. Meanwhile, for about a week or two on the north shore, anglers reeled in blues bigger than the ones the year before. My friend Nico had a 23 pounder from the beach. I was excited for them to show by me, but they just did not.
