- Stripers in the 40 inch class are biting on jigs in the Long Island Sound, and large bass are being jigged up from the South shore jetties and inlets, along with the East River.
- Fluking on the South shore has been terrific for boat, kayak, and shore anglers this week.
- Porgies chew just about anywhere you drop a line on the North shore.
- Bluefish are everywhere, biting on topwater and sub-surface jigs in the bays and off the jetties and beaches.
This past weekend was the Manhattan Cup, a tournament where boat captains volunteer their vessels to veterans for a day of sport fishing for striped bass and bluefish across multiple categories, with all proceeds benefiting charitable organizations and the veterans of our armed forces. It’s an awesome event and many kudos to the organizers, captains, and of course our veterans. You can learn more about it at manhattancup.com.
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Here’s what I heard from the shops & charters around the island this week:
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station reports:
“Fluke bite is hot right now! Multiple fluke coming in each day over 3 pounds, with two 6 pound fish in the mix recently. Most fish are being taken from the bays on squid and spearing. Striped bass are all over the bridges on clams and topwater lures.
Good luck to everyone in the Hooks for Heroes tournament this weekend. Bay Park is fully stocked with everything you need for inshore and offshore fishing. We’re open 7 days a week, 6:00AM to 6:00PM”
John from Freeport Bait and Tackle reports:
“Fluke bite was very good this week, we had a 12.3 fluke weighed in Tuesday night from Jones Beach, and many others brought in that were caught outside from the reefs. We’re having a father’s day sale at the shop: 25% off all flutter spoons and 30% off Shimano Stradics of all sizes.”
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Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report: Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and The Forks!
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Owen & Paul Mccain of River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin said:
“Crazy amount of bluefish everywhere. Some of the drone shots coming out of the inlets and bays are just insane. Bays and inlets are loaded with bait and the word around the island is that fluking has improved. The big bass are around as well and a few of our friends sent us pictures of overslot fish caught and released this week from the surf.
We don’t have too much to report on the homefront as we’ve been up on the Delaware river for a shop trip and the fishing has been fantastic there. I invite anyone interested to check out www.riverbayoutfitters.com for future trips.”
Brandon from Causeway Bait & Tackle in Wantagh told me:
“Fluke fishing’s still kind of slow but there’s been nice fluke caught this week. A 9 pounder was caught in the bay by the bridges, and a 12 pounder by the inlet. The water is warming up and I’ve heard the outside bite is picking up. Still plenty of bass and blues around too. Seems like the blues have been taking over the bite. We weighed a fat 13 pound bluefish yesterday. Last weekend I caught a few slot fish off one of the bridges, and off my local dock I had a limit of keeper fluke which was awesome. I think between the weather and the smoke last week things have been a bit quieter but should pick up.”
Johnny Fish from Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle reports:
“50-inch stripers are being caught inside and outside the Jones Beach area. Fluking has been a bit slow, we had more reports coming in last week. Some are catching in the channels, others outside the bay, but it’s been relatively quiet, probably due to the weather. Bluefish have been blitzing within the bays and have been very consistent. We’re stocked up on bunker and everything else you need to catch cows this week.”
Rockfish Charters in Queens reports:
“Fishing was a little tougher this week. We’re still catching trophy bass and breaking PB’s daily, but less of them on each trip. We still have all the slot-size fish we want but have to run a lot further to get to them. We’re excited to start fishing Manhattan under the Statue of Liberty and we’ll be getting our tuna season going next week! Call (347) 661-4501 to book a trip.”
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Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports:
“Fishing remains consistent with nice keepers hitting the deck this week up to 9 pounds. We ran our first ocean trip this past Tuesday and saw great signs of life, with keepers and shorts coming up on every drift. Nice to see the ocean so lively! We will continue to fluke fish daily by reservation only, be prepared to fish both the bay and ocean when conditions allow. Call or text (516) 659-3814 for information and reservations, which are required.”
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Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report: Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and The Forks!
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Here’s what anglers on social media posted this week:
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On Thursday, a buddy and I went out on the North shore on a flat, sunny morning, still hazy with wildfire smoke. We expected an epic topwater bite, and we collided with a large school of bluefish very willing to hit plugs, poppers, and jigs. No stripers in the mix, but its likely the blues were beating them to our lures.
We found a large pod of bunker not far away, but neither of us had live-lining tackle, so we jigged flutter spoons around them instead. The bunker were mostly subsurface, and it seemed they weren’t being very actively fed on. I have no doubt they were being stalked by bass and bluefish under the surface, however none of them wanted anything to do with our spoons. We packed it in when the wind picked up shortly after.
Sunday, I spent 8 hours on the water with a couple of old buddies and while we had a slow and unproductive session of fluking, we saved the day by anchoring up our kayaks over a wreck and jigging for scup. We spent a quarter of the day jigging ledges and beach lips for fluke, and only one of us managed to catch one – a ‘postage stamp’ around 10 or 12 inches. Numerous massive sea robins and aggressive slab-sized porgy chewed on our light bucktail offerings tipped with gulp grubs. So we went to plan ‘P’ – throwing an anchor, tying our kayaks together, putting the summer playlist on shuffle, and jigging up scup under the warm sun.
I haven’t deliberately targeted porgy since May, when I took another friend out kayak fishing with me. It was nice to put my feet up and just jig off the bottom for a while. Small epoxy jigs, and clam on a blackfish jig put plenty of good size porgy in our kayaks. That same day, a buddy on the South shore texted me that they had a banner day for fluke and limited out in only a few drifts. Dan Mendelson of Fishing Accomplished also had himself a fantastic day of fluke drifting further west. I also heard from my good friend Peter Rainieri that he had a fantastic striper bite, catching several 40-inch bass while bottom jigging on light tackle out in the Long Island Sound.
What to Expect This Week
The light-tackle bite continues with the prevalence of small bait on both shores. Short, slim paddletail shads and thin metal jigs will make suitable imitations. For topwater, consider trying something like Albie Snax to imitate a minnow dying on the surface. Unweighted soft plastics worked on the surface require a bit of finesse but are a fun way to catch fish and I highly recommend it while this light tackle bite runs. Bunker are everywhere and a cast net or weighted treble hook can provide you with free bait, just remember to bring your circle hooks and adhere to regulations in your area.
My recommendation is this: if you have time to fish, go fishing! Time on the water is the key ingredient to becoming a better angler and finding more success. Being your own weatherman is also one of the principles of an experienced angler. The weather this week is looking like a toss up with a few days of scattered showers and some on/off wind forecasts. It’s hard to know for sure, especially within a few miles from one spot to another. Keep your weather and wind apps handy, check your tides, and make the best use of your time with the windows you have. I find the most certain weather forecast is the one you read the night before, but even then it can be hit-or-miss.
One thing that’s certain: there are fish to be caught. Know your bait, fish those tides, and you will be successful.
Thanks for reading, good luck, and tight lines.