Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Eastern Long Island
The Eastern Long Island Fishing Report is compiled and written by writer/blogger and fly-fishing industry professional, Jack Larizadeh (@jack.lariz).
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Bass fishing has been incredible again this week. The open beaches are seeing numbers of quality fish moving in and out. Darters, bottle plugs, shallow divers and bucktails are getting swallowed by large stripers. Boat anglers are doing exceptionally well in the inlet and ocean. Bucktails, flutter spoons, slow-pitch jigs, shallow divers, and poppers are the ticket for a solid bite. Bluefish are all over the place, with some solid gorillas still around. Tins, poppers, shallow divers and walking plugs are getting demolished. Fluke reports are super solid. The channels are loaded with good fish, and the flats are starting to fill up. Bucktails and jigheads tipped with soft plastics or jig strips are doing very well. Shop rigs with squid and spearing combo always put numbers in the boat too. Also, weakfish are running well! Early morning bite, with super light tackle and bright colors works best.”
Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “It was an awesome week of fishing in Montauk, especially with the striped bass. During the full moon fish to 30 pounds were caught in the surf while fish in the 40s were caught from the boat. Fish are chewing on a variety of lures, the most effective being flutter spoons. The stripers were mainly feeding on butterfish and bay anchovies. You can figure out where they are by the size of birds diving in the water. If there are turns, they are diving on anchovies and if there are bigger common, there eating butterfish. In other news, plenty of double digit fluke were caught this week and lots of keepers and shorts were chewing. Party boat Ebb Tide is doing fluke bass combo trips, this combination is unique and amazing for party boat fishing in Montauk. I highly recommend doing a trip on the Ebb Tide behind Salivars. Montauk Anglers Club tackle shop recently received an order from Super Strike, as well as loading up on a variety of bucktails and teasers to go with them. Come check us out and hand feed the striped bass while you’re here.”
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “The predominant bait has been mackerel and bunker. These baits are slowly making their way toward Stonybrook. Bluefish showed up heavy in the sound, guys that are out trolling are getting there mojo tails ripped in half. That said, the first wave of bluefish means that chunking for bass at night should be killer. As for weakfish, the bite continues to be spotty, it isn’t like it was last year.”
Jeff Lomonaco at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Bass fishing has been pretty good. Bunker pods are a little west but they’re producing big fish in the 30- to 40-pound range; a couple of 50-pound bass have even been caught. In other news, bluefish are everywhere but not finning yet, and weakfish is decent in the Peconic; pink or natural-colored soft plastics are your best bet.”
Alfred Allen (@surfcaster11) on Eastern Long Island reports: “It seems like there’s two classes of blues, one around 4 to 5 pounds and the others around 14 to 15 pounds! I had fish up to 36 inches, almost all on bucktails on Wednesday morning.”
Captain Timothy O’Rourke (@mtkpointflyfishing) in Montauk reports: “Fishing has been very good, plenty of large striped bass up to 38 inches on the fly rod and there are plenty of bigger fish around. I have limited availability on weekends but the sunset/evening trip has been solid and productive, so reach out for availability.”
Captain Ben (@fishtheforkli) of Fish the Fork Charters reports: “There has been plenty of striped bass and bluefish in the rips and shallow waters of eastern long island. Fish have been feeding on a variety of bait like bay anchovies, sandeels, spearing, bunker and other small bait. There is also plenty of weakfish and porgies in peconic bay for the bottom fishing crowd. Feel free to check availability on our website.”
Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) in Suffolk County reports: “I’ve been finding some fish in the back bays and getting them on small bucktails that I tied for snap jigging/finesse fishing. Walleye fishing has also been pretty good, however it slowed down a bit due to pressure, but I’m still hooking into some good ones. Last night I was tossing the fly and had the hook of the fly break off on something pretty big so I know they’re chewing!”
Steven Figari (@bassholes_surfcasting) in Suffolk County reports: “I hooked a tuna while chunking for bass and ended up fighting it for 3 hours and change. After being towed 8 miles out, it finally broke off.”
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This past weekend was epic. The Western Sound had both quantity and quality fish. I started Saturday morning bright and early. As I left the marina, the sun slowly poked over the hills. A slight south breeze slicked out the sound as I entered the mouth of Manhasset Bay. Taking in the sunset and assessing my surroundings, I immediately spotted stripers cruising on the surface. I quickly turned the boat off and watched for a boil. My buddy Chris launched a Doc and twitched it twice when suddenly, WHAM! A monster bass erupted on the plug. It looked like a bowling ball falling into the water from the sky. Although the fish missed the plug it quickly woke us up. We knew there were some serious fish in the area. As we continued poking around we found bunker balled up nervously on the surface, so you could tell that bass were ready to smash them at any point in time. Within a few casts, fish in the upper teens began to chew. Then the bunker suddenly disappeared, so we decided to blind cast. As we worked our plugs, we watched as under slots and fish to twenty-five pounds tracked our offerings to the boat. The smaller fish were eager to crush a large Doc or pencil popper within the first two twitches, however, the larger fish would follow and slowly refuse our offering. Changing plugs seemed to get the fish a bit more amped up; as soon as I put on a metal lip I was able to land a few larger fish.
At 9 a.m. I made the decision to head east toward Eatons Neck in search of a goliath bass. Along the way, I was able to find pods of bunker and what looked like tailing bluefish, however, the blues refused to indulge in my plugs. Upon arrival at Eatons, I marked a few bass, but nothing notable. After puttering around the area it was clear that boat traffic and slack tide had turned the fish off, so we slowly made our way back toward Manhasset. As we traveled back the calm wind subsided and a northeast blow kicked up the Sound. To put it plainly, we were getting slammed around by some sizable waves. That said, when we finally reached Manhasset we were greeted by some gentler seas and some schoolies. After cranking a few 20-inch fish we decided to go back on the prowl for some larger class stripers. Setting up in a calm cove, it didn’t take long to find stripers erupting on bunker. Out of thin air, 20-pound class fish were jumping on our plugs and flies. I was able to put my buddy Chris on a 15-pound personal best striper while also whomping on a 22-pound fish myself.
For fly setup, it seemed that a full-sink line paired with 30-pound fluorocarbon and a 14-inch Beast Fleye worked best. Hopefully the killer fishing continues into the upcoming new moon.
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
Over the next few days, temperatures will be in the upper 70s. As temperatures continue to warm, fluke fishing should continue to get hot. If you’re looking to bag a keeper fluke from shore, grab some 6-inch Gulp swimming mullets and some bucktail jigs or lead heads. These larger baits prevent small fluke from being hooked, which allows ample opportunities for larger-class fish to take advantage of your bait.
As for bass, it’s going to be tough to get a daytime bite with all these bluefish around. I’d recommend snagging some fresh bunker and chunking. This is the perfect time of year to drum up a monster on a large piece of meat. If you want to catch fish on chunks, you’ll need to use inline circle hooks and cut the bunker the right way. Measure your knife so that it’s perpendicular to the top fin, we’ll call this 12 o’clock. Next, turn the knife counter-clockwise toward 10 o’clock and cut the bait diagonally. You’ll essentially be left with half a bunker cut diagonally. Remember that bass eat from the head first, so simply take your circle hook and push the hook point through the meat located on the body end of the bait. When that fish runs off with your bunker you’ll be all set to slide the hook right in the corner of the fish’s mouth. Although the bait bite should be hot, if you’re an artificial-only guy, you’ll still have a shot at some nice fish. I’d recommend throwing large metal lips that slowly roll on the surface. While I do mention the metal lip week after week, it always stays in my plug bag. If you’re not sure which metal lip to pick up, you can’t go wrong with a Gibbs Danny plug or a Tsunami metal lip.
In other news, if you’re looking to fly fish, now is a great time to hone your skills on some willing bluefish. A simple floating line and popper should do the trick. Remember to throw some wire tippet on, too. The best knot for the job is a simple double 3-turn uni knot. All in all, fishing is hot! Take advantage and get out there!
The Eastern Long Island Fishing Report is compiled and written by writer/blogger and fly-fishing industry professional, Jack Larizadeh (@jack.lariz).
Western Long Island & NYC
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).
- North shore explodes with bluefish and striped bass!
- Bunker fill the Western bays, but have yet to push East, where smaller bait like sand eels & spearing dominate the bite.
- Bunker pods line the South shore attracting whales, sharks, porpoises and big striped bass.
- Great fluke bite on both shores, with most keepers coming out of shallow water.
- Porgy bite off to a late start on the North shore.
Petey Trovato at Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle told me: “Fluking has been great in the Jones Beach area, light-tackle jigging in the surf has been producing some nice keepers. You might want to bring your heavy surf stick though, because the bass & bluefish action has been really good too. My buddy Darwin Lopez had fish up to 20 pounds last night in the surf, and our customer Alex Worgul has been catching huge blues all over the south shore and even weighed a couple of fluke over 5-pounds in the shop this week.
In freshwater, I took my girlfriend out and we caught a huge chain pickerel, plus sunfish on nightcrawlers & shiners. Largemouth bass have been hitting good too with the warmer temperatures. We have live killies and fresh bait in the shop, so stop in and load up to catch the big fish out there right now!”
Brandon Weitz of Causeway Bait & Tackle in Wantagh said:
“There’s been bunker pods all over the south shore as shallow as 15 feet of water down to about 40 feet. Big bass, bluefish, and even bluefin tuna have moved in to feed on these schools as well as humpback whales, dolphins, and thresher sharks! Birds make it obvious where the bluefish blitzes are, and you’re likely to find striped bass underneath them. Flutter spoons, Joe Baggs Skippers, and large Danny plugs are great lure choices around the pods, but nothing beats a live-lined bunker if you have the right gear with you. It’s great to see the surf literally bursting with life as we get closer to summer!
Many offshore boats have been also running to the canyons for tilefish and bluefin, and finding some nice fish out there. It’s only going to get better from here. Stop by the shop and gear up for the peak of the Spring fishing season!”
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reported:
“Beautiful weather, awesome anglers, and some solid fluking over Memorial Day Weekend! A special thank you to all of our military members who have served both past and present! Quite a few fluke limits were caught over the weekend, with many nice plump quality-sized keepers hitting the deck. The short action was very good as well, keeping everyone busy and tight throughout the trips. The upcoming weather looks beautiful, call or text (516) 659-3814 or visit us at fishgypsea.com for reservations and information!”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens said:
“Fishing is in full swing right now on the Rockfish. We’re on big ocean bass that are following the bunker schools tight to the beach. Most fish are in the 40- to 50-inch class with the occasional slot fish mixed in. Yesterday, we even had bluefin tuna smashing right next to the boat in 20 feet of water.
When the weather doesn’t cooperate, or we have small kids on board, there’s still lots of bass around Jamaica Bay and plenty of bait to keep them around for a few more weeks. We’re doing open boat trips Monday & Wednesday this month and have some private charter availability left. Book at rockfishcharters.com or call (347) 661-4501.”
Al Rotunno of the Staten Island Fishing Club reports:
“Striped bass fishing continues to be the main event in Raritan Bay with fluke fishing right behind that. Striped bass continue to be caught live-lining bunker and trolling mojos or bunker spoons. The ocean is still producing jumbo bass up to and over 50 pounds! Drifting live eels off structure with club members Phil DeLorenzo and Joe Profeta resulted in numerous bass up to 48 pounds this past week.
Bottom fishing has also improved with sea bass, ling and cod being caught on ocean pieces. Still waiting to hear reports on thresher sharks, as I expect they will show up any day now. Offshore/midshore tuna should also pick up in the near future. Tight lines all!”
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Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
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Things really popped off this past weekend in a way that I’d hoped they would. On the north shore, I found both striped bass and bluefish at first light boiling on the surface on small bait—likely sand eels or spearing. These fish would be just a stone’s throw from the shore and finicky enough to make me think at first that the bait was cinder worms. But usually you’ll see thousands of worms writhing on the surface and that wasn’t the case. It was clear they were feeding on schools of small bait closer to the bottom. Terns, gulls, and ospreys dive-bombed the surface of the water, while bluefish made visible leaps that let me know they’ve arrived before I ever hooked one.
I casted a few topwater plugs – a Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow, Yo-zuri Hydro Pencil, and a Cotton Cordell pencil popper to no success. The Rebel elicited a short strike from a striper I assumed to be pushing 40 inches, with about 6 to 7 stripers of various sizes behind it. I think it matched the size profile, but not the action of the bait that these fish were keyed in on.
I tied on an Albie Snax soft plastic in pearl color rigged on a 3/0 weighted swimbait hook. Albie snax cast great even weightless, but the small lead weight on that hook allowed it to sink faster into the strike zone and cast just a bit further to where fish were boiling. Within my first couple of casts, I got tight on the big striper that I’d been looking for all spring. It ferociously hit the Albie Snax as it sunk a few feet down essentially on a dead-stick. It probably looked like a stunned baitfish.
In the chaos of a topwater striper blitz with a mob of boats around us, myself and a boater using a fly rod were the only ones consistently hooking up. The rest of the fleet was throwing large plugs and poppers, and usually only hooking bluefish. However, even the bluefish were finicky, and keyed in on the same bait as the stripers. I was able to notch my first north shore blue of the year on an Albie Snax.
That afternoon, I got out for the first time on a Sea Eagle Fish SUP 126 paddleboard with my fly rod in hand. I’ll be posting a write-up of that super-fishy platform soon, so stay tuned for that if you’re in the market for a fishing paddleboard.
Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
This is peak fishing. In the surf you have the option to target bluefish, striped bass, fluke, and soon, sharks. If you plan on shark fishing this season, make sure you read-up on current regulations, which have changed since last year. No more drones for dropping baits.
Out in the back bays and along the channel edges, fluke lie in wait on the bottom and weakfish prowl in large wolf-packs hunting small bait like grass shrimp, spearing, and sand eels. Bluefish will make it obvious where they are—just look for the birds, or stop a while and listen for the sound of fish breaking the surface. Sometimes, you can even smell them.
With small bait in the back bays and channels, good options are bucktails under 1-ounce, down to 3/8-ounce will have great action and match the profile of small forage. A teaser hook with a Berkely Gulp shrimp or similar small offering will help break a skunk but could lead to more shorts and sea robins. Gulp Jerk Shads on a ¼-ounce jighead is a killer presentation on the flats as well. (Read about Jigging for Fluke on the Flats)
There’s also nothing wrong with bait fishing, and the classic squid/spearing combo on a hi-lo rig will catch a limit. Likewise, if fishing for bass and bluefish in the surf, chunked bunker or mackerel is a classic and dependable way of finding monster fish. An entertaining video demonstrating ‘active chunking’ by Johnny Rego from Rhode Island (you might know him as Fishing With Johnny) can be found here.
On the north shore, my good friend Peter Rainieri broke the ice on porgy season and also got into some mackerel, which seemed unusual. If you can find mackerel at a local bait shop, you might want to consider throwing a chunk out on the north shore for some of the large stripers that have been around in the boulder fields. Likewise, trolling the tube and worm will catch some absolute cows this time of year. But if the spearing and sandeels are running, you might want to switch to a smaller presentation like a small Keitech swimbait or Albie Snax. Keep an eye open for fish on top, which was a common occurrence over the weekend, but seems to have shut down since the storm we’ve had.
That about covers it this week. If you have pictures or a report to share, DM me @Nick_OnTheWater. Thanks for reading and tight lines.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).