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).
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports:
“This week, spearing fueled the striper activity. Slot-size bass and fish in the 15- to 20-pound range are still plentiful. Out front by Eatons Neck, guys continue to find success trolling mojos and umbrella rigs. In the surf there are plenty of schoolies eating smaller bait. Additionally, sand eels are showing up on the outer beach, which can fuel an epic fluke bite. Try fishing for fluke anywhere from Eatons to Sunken Meadow. As for porgies, the bite is slowly picking up. Nothing quite hot and heavy yet.”
Jeff at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports:
“There are a lot of bass around and they have been all over the place, from the bays to the marshes. There’s also been a lot of sandeel-fueled action in the ocean. Additionally, bluefish are moving in nicely and more are trickling in by the day. In a week it should get hot, especially for topwater fishing. As for porgies, the Peconic Bay bite is red hot this week.”
Steve at Wego Fishing Bait & Tackle in Southold reports:
“The private and public charter boats are crushing porgies. My buddy and his crew caught 100 fish between 3 guys in under 5 hours. As for fluking, there are plenty of keepers around already so get out there with some Gulp and start jigging. Also, the weakfish are a week to 10 days behind. By this weekend we should start to see them move in heavy.”
Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports:
“It was an epic week in Montauk for striped bass fishing. Acres of birds from gannets to Arctic terns were diving on bunker and bay anchovies. Some of those batches of birds were within reach in the surf, making for some epic fishing. As long as you could find the birds you could find bass anywhere from schoolie size to 30 pounds. A few bluefish have shown up in the mix as well. As for the charter boats, opening day on Miss Montauk produced some nice size keeper fluke. It’s only going to get better from here, especially as that water starts to warm up. It seems like incoming tide has been the best on the boat and outgoing has been best for the surf. No sign of porgies yet, but there are blowfish available at the public docks. Use clams and small hooks on hi-lo rigs to target them. We have all the tackle and bait you need at Montauk Anglers Club, with an order of Super Strike lures on the way and a variety of new bucktails coming in. See you soon!”
Will King (IG @willie_fish) in Great South Bay reports:
“On May 7th I left the dock at midnight for the tide swing; a good fog and overcast conditions with barometric pressure drops fueled an epic bite. I stumbled across schools of hundreds of bass feeding on the surface between 5 and 15 feet of water along the edges of a drop off from a flat. Butterfish and adult bunker were on the menu. Shortly after arriving on scene the bass settled in on a large rip. My brother and I went cast for cast on 30- to 44-inch bass which were eating anything that swam by the boat. Our total tally was 60 bass caught and released between the two of us. Most fish were taken on light custom-made bucktails, however, SP minnows and Danny plugs did their fair share of damage as well.”
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This past week I fished every sunset and night tide. At the beginning of the week I spent my efforts fly fishing the bridges on the south shore. Although fishing wasn’t too hot, I did lose a decent-sized fish I estimated to be 15 pounds. The following night I focused on targeting big bass on metal lips in the Western Sound. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to coax one into eating, however I did mark some giants. Toward the middle of the week I got some bunker from a local shop and ended up chunking up a 30 pounder with my buddy Andrew. The key was a weightless bunker head drifting on the bottom. On Wednesday night, I broke out my fiberglass 8-weight rod to hammer schoolies on dock lights. To say the least it was a blast keeping my rod bent on some fun size fish. Andrew even managed a 9-pound striper on a 5-weight fly rod.
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
For the remainder of the week we’ll be seeing air temperatures in the mid 50’s to low 60’s. Come next week, air temperatures will hover in the high 60s to low 70s. Over the next several days we’re likely going to experience on-and-off again rain, which should heat the bite up. If you’re looking to cash in on some bass action, break out some topwater plugs and hammer bunker schools. Although bunker schools are hard to come by, if you can find them you’ll likely find some mammoth fish. I’d recommend working the edges of the bunker school with Docs or metal-lipped swimmers. Even if you don’t see fish crashing on the bunker, there’s likely a few bass trailing the school, so don’t give up if you’re not getting hit within the first few casts.
As for bluefish, I’d recommend breaking out the heavier leader material and hitting the areas around Great South Bay with Super Strike poppers, spooks, and epoxy jigs or tins. For fluke, the early season can be difficult yet rewarding. Small presentations usually work best. A 1/4- to 1/2-ounce jighead with a Gulp swimming mullet is a killer set up. Light twitches and quick pauses seem to get the attention of more aggressive fluke. As for Gulp color, pearl is always an early-season killer for me. Over the next week, the porgies should be entering local areas in force too, and they’ll take cut bait, Gulp, or virtually anything you put in front of them.
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).
- Big blues continue to bite out in the surf and throughout the back bays
- Keeper-size fluke being caught off the beach lips and channel ledges from both shores.
- Good size weakfish mixed in with the bass and blues on the South shore
- Things have been quiet on the North shore, but both keeper-sized fluke and slot-size striped bass are biting in the bays.
John from Freeport Bait & Tackle reports:
“The bluefish blitz continues. The pier at Guy Lombardo marina is on fire with many customers bringing in 30 inch and overfish to weigh-in. Some fluke and striped bass are also being caught from the Jones Beach, and Point Lookout piers. Fluke fishermen have been successful in the bay landing keepers right at the end of Woodcleft Avenue, in Reynolds channel and near the Meadowbrook Bridges.
We have our usual specialty premium local spearing from the bay that we pack ourselves! Fluke are also feeding on grass shrimp right now and every shape of Gulp. Killies should begin soon, hopefully in a week or two as water temperatures continue to rise. Visit Freeport Bait & Tackle for the best quality bait and largest selection of tackle for all your fishing needs!”
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reported:
“Fluke season kicked off with a bang in our local waters! Opening day yielded close to 40 keepers for a sold out crowd, with the pool fish weighing 6.5lbs. The bite has been on and off since then, with some lucky anglers nailing limits on each trip. As the water warms, the bite should continue to get better and better. A new body of fish should be coming into the bay any day. We’re sailing daily by reservation only, call/text (516) 659-3814 or visit www.fishgypsea.com”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens said:
“Fishing has gotten very consistent this week. The bunker in Jamaica & Raritan Bays are starting to school tighter together enabling us to fill the wells in a throw or two and get fishing much quicker.
We’re still having to bounce around a bit more than last year at this time but are averaging a few dozen, mostly slot-sized bass on every charter. Bigger fish should come in with this next moon and we’re excited to catch more fish on topwater and plugs. We’re running open boats every Wednesday morning and are available for charter twice a day, book online at rockfishcharters.com.”
Al Rotunno of the Staten Island Fishing Club reports:
“With water temperatures continuing to rise, the striped bass bite is turning on in Raritan Bay as well as ocean side. Bunker are starting to show up in the Raritan, but not like I remember when you could practically walk on them. Bass up to 40 pounds have been caught along the Reach Channel with anglers using live bunker, swim shads, and trolling lures.
A few nights ago I joined Paul Spina and chunked for bass in the evening with our biggest up to 40 pounds. Guy Buono, Artie Waldhelm, Ralph Spinelli, and Phil DeLorenzo have been catching bass up to 48 pounds drifting eels on structure in the ocean off Northern Jersey this past week. It’s safe to say the 2024 spring bass migration is well underway. This bite will continue for the next few weeks or until the water gets too warm. Fluking has also been heating up in shallow water. Get out there and fish! Tight lines everybody.”
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Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
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If you have a catch you’d like to share, DM me on Instagram @nick_onthewater.
It’s starting to feel more like summer! We’re still riding the rollercoaster of warm one day, cold the next, but every week the baseline air and sea temperatures continue to rise. More bait moves into the bays, the Sound, and the surf with our favorite species in chase.
In my neck of the woods, it’s been nothing but striped bass. The few days I’ve been able to wet a line I’ve been hooking bass from 20 inches to slot-size. I’ve been getting out on my kayak in the back bays in water as shallow as 6 feet, finding schools of bass that either want to bite or don’t. It can be a grind at times, with low numbers of fish hooked for the amount of time and effort put in.
I’m looking forward to larger fish arriving in the Sound. This time last year my buddy Frank and I would troll tubes across boulder fields and find fish in excess of 30 inches. Likewise, I can recall a day of non-stop porgy action in Northport Bay the day prior.
It’s definitely a good idea to keep a fishing log to look back on past fishing trips, but sometimes it can be deflating when you’re not seeing the same level of success, or if conditions don’t match how good they were a year ago. Still, this time of year it pays to get out and fish as much as you can, whenever you can, because you could be the first one in your area to greet a school of migratory fish.
Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
Gator blues and migratory stripers continue to prowl the surf. Swimming plugs, spoons, and diamond jigs casted and retrieved through the wash and rips will yield large bluefish and spirited bass. Look for beach structure like shallow rips and sandbars to cast between, but don’t spend too much time in a single spot–fish are on the move right now, and it’s more of a game of intercepting them from the beach as they bounce around.
If you’re vessel-bound, cover water with trolling lures and keep an eye out for birds and boils. If you find a bunker school, it’s usually a sure-bet that bass will be underneath them if the bait is on the surface. Flutter spoons have been a popular choice this past week, and according to those anglers I’ve talked to, they’re out-performing other lures especially when around bunker schools.
Fluke season has been off to its usual start–slow at first, but ramping up every day. There’s been a lot of small bait around, and I’d advise using the lightest jigs you can get away with. One of my favorite weights for jigging in 30 feet of water or less is 5/8 ounce. A ball-head jig of that size combined with a 5 or 6-inch pink jerk shad is deadly for both fluke and weakfish in the back bays. Consider even using the Ned rig if you have a sensitive-enough rod for it. (» Read: Using the Ned Rig for Fluke)
The weather’s been pretty unpredictable, so don’t let a rainy forecast ruin your week. Pack rain gear and fish anyway, even if it’s blowing 20 knots directly in your face. Good luck & tight lines! Thanks for reading.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).