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 & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Fluke season is in full swing! Lots of solid flatties are all over the bay. The flats and the channels are loaded up. The shop rigs, especially the bucktail rigs, are a local favorite. Add your favorite squid and spearing combo, fluke belly, or soft plastic, and you’re good to go! Weakfish are getting caught alongside the fluke, using mostly the same gear. For better luck, use some lighter tackle and smaller, brighter-colored jigs. Bass are moving on but still catchable if you find the right ball of bait. Blues are ripping around, and still have some size to them! All of the local docks are starting to see blue claw crabs and blowfish. Kingfish and snappers should be very close behind, if not there this week; it’s so much fun for kids, and the kids at heart. They should be there all summer long!”
Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “The past week brought a larger class of striped bass around the point. Surf fisherman got into 40- to 50-pound fish from the boat and beach. Many anglers caught their personal best striped bass last week chucking eels, trolling, and by jigging bucktails, the Nomad Squidtrex, and diamond jigs. The black sea bass opener was not very eventful, as the weather was not favorable for bottom fishing, however, we did see some nice ling move into the sea bass grounds. The fluke fishing has gotten even better with double digits hitting the scales—Captain Jamie on the Miss Montauk has been contributing to most of those double-digit fish. Regarding the offshore scene, the bluefin tuna fishery produced fish above 100 lbs, and many limits were caught before the wind picked up. The bite mostly happens on the troll, and fish are being caught as close as Cartwright. It’s all about being there before first light. Come to the Montauk Anglers Club tackle shop and get the latest information before you head out fishing.”
Captain Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly in Smithtown reports: “It’s crazy to think we are already coming up to the last week of June! Summer is officially here and the fishing is still hot. The big bass fishing has been consistent, with plenty of fish on all the local reefs and high points in the Sound. Finding the right period of the tide can be the big difference in success though. Most of the fish are in the 20- to 25-pound range, but we have also had some in the 30- to 40-pound range. Sand eels are the dominant bait inshore and you can still find bass blitzing on them all day long. These fish are in close and range from schoolies to just outside the slot range. Many 2- to 5-pound bluefish have also moved in, so be careful with soft plastics! Speaking of bluefish, a big body of fish came in with the heat wave and are now mixing in with the big bass. You’ll also find them in the early and late afternoons throughout the boulder fields. I’ve been getting my clients into some real brutes right around 18 pounds. July should provide some great opportunities for world-class bluefishing and plenty of bass to go around. Water temperatures are still in the mid to upper 60s, with surface temps hitting close to 75 degrees on the real hot days. Cool enough for the bass run to stay strong through July! Call/text or email for availability!”
Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reported: “We’re picking away at fluke in the Sound but porgies are not her in numbers yet, which is a strange occurrence. We’re still catching stripers both in the slot and over. Big, nasty bluefish up to 12 pounds have now moved into our area and they’re destroying mojos, but we’re bending rods daily with the kids in my summer fishing camp!”
Captain Tommy LaSala (@montauk_fishing_charters) in Montauk reports: “Montauk bass fishing is as good as it gets! The big cows have moved in and are stacked all over; lots of 30- to 40-pound fish with a few bigger ones as well. We have been getting our slot limits on most trips, but it’s been a lot of work as of recent with all the big ones around. The porgies have finally made their way into the ocean and are setting up on all the inshore rock piles. A few fluke are around to be caught, but the biomass isn’t here just yet. There’s also a good amount of sea bass with a few keepers in the mix if you can get through the shorts.”
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Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “Another wave of blues showed up, and they’re coming in at 15 to 18 pounds. Although the bunker pods are getting smaller the fish are still plentiful. As for bass, the fishing is tougher; however you still have a chance at finding a 40-inch fish locally.”
Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “Bass are still feeding in The Race. There is an astronomical amount of bait around. Bucktails from 6 to 8 ounces or the old 3-way rig have been steady picking up fish. The porgy and weakfish bite is solid, especially at Jessups Point. There should be plenty of bait to maintain good fishing throughout this summer.”
Jeff at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “The bass have slowed down on the bunker schools outside of the inlet. We’re now seeing a ton of cocktail blues crushing bait. As for fluke, the bite is steadily picking up out front. The sea bass opener was this past weekend, and there were plenty caught; however, getting a keeper was tough.”
Capt Paul of the Peconic Star in Peconic Bay reports: “We’ve been crushing porgies every day, however it takes a finesse approach. Those who can detect the bite and give a light hookset are reaching limits with fish up to 2 pounds. Mixed in with these fish are tons of weakfish, and we’re actually limiting out and releasing weakfish most trips. As of recent we’ve also found fluke up to 8.5 pounds. This past weekend was the sea bass opener and we caught 150 sea bass in a half day trip, and while action was plentiful, it was tough to find keepers.”
Capt. Rich Jensen from Nancy Ann Charters in Orient reports: “The striper fishing has been excellent—we’ve been limiting out with slot fish every trip and we’re releasing a lot of overs. Additionally, big blues from 12 to 13 pounds are slowly finding their way into the mix. Besides that we’ve been crushing porgies, the bite has been hot, and our sea bass season opened on the 23rd. We haven’t seen big fish yet but we’ve seen steady action on smaller size fish. We got 2 to 3 keepers mixed in the last few days with porgies.”
Captain Ben Burdine out of Connecticut reports: “Striped bass and bluefish fishing remains excellent despite the recent heat wave. Nearshore around the Nissequogue area, schoolie bass and bluefish have been consistently found eating sand eels, popping on the surface underneath smaller gulls and terns. Out a bit deeper in open water, there have been bunker pods with larger bass and blues in hot pursuit. Larger bass are still mostly being found on deep water reefs and structures. On flat calm, hot, sunny days, we have been targeting finning bluefish that are sunbathing on the surface. Sight fishing for them with light tackle or fly rod is tremendous fun.”
This past weekend in Nantucket was extraordinary. In the middle of the week, I hopped on a local charter boat to fish the rips. To say the least, it’s a far cry away from the calm technical waters of the Long Island Sound. The name of the game was casting large pencil poppers in frothing white water. Within 5 seconds of the popper landing, slot-sized bass trailed and punted my popper clean out of the water. As the poppers splashed down, they were immediately met with frenzied fish. Four hours later my arms felt dead!
Once Friday hit, I hunted for a large surf bass with my good friend Dan Holmes. With three all-nighters under our belt, we had non-stop action. Each night we landed a fish over 15 pounds. With shad, bunker, and squid in the mix, we chucked large Mag Darters in wonder bread, bronze, and white. We came tight almost every time our plugs lifted over a set of waves.
Each spot that we hit was better than the next. That said, we had to weed through plenty of small fish before finding some larger over-slot bass. At 4 AM on Saturday night, Dan came tight to the largest fish of the weekend, which clocked in at just over 20 pounds.
While I started my week tired, I’m stoked I was able to find some quality fish from the surf.
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
Next week, we’ll be experiencing temperatures in the low to upper 80s. It’s about that time when things start slowing down, so if you plan on chasing big bass or bluefish, you’ll need to find some cooler water. I’d recommend heading east toward Montauk, Peconic, and Shinnecock. The water should be colder, so the fish should be happier and more willing to eat! Try throwing a bucktail and pork rind combo. You can’t go wrong with an S&S smiling bill paired with an Uncle Josh’s sea rind strip in red or white. When choosing the appropriate bucktail weight, you’ll want to go with something that suspends in the column without sinking to the bottom. You may have to play with the weight to get the presentation right, so it’s important to pack a few different sizes. I’d recommend carrying sizes from 1⁄2 to 2 ounces. As for retrieve, give the reel 3 to 5 slow, full rotations and impart a light twitch of the rod tip. If the fish hits it, give it one firm hookset.
If you’re looking to bottom fish, it’s a great time to take your first headboat trip of the year for fluke and sea bass. Sea bass can often be found right over the fluke grounds, and are more than happy to crush a fluke jig. In terms of preparation, I’d recommend stocking up on some 8-inch Gulp grubs in white, chartreuse, pink, and spearing colors. These grubs are killer at getting the attention of large fish. That said, adding a teaser to the rig is important; my favorites are the Tsunami glass minnows. For rod choice, I’d recommend carrying a heavy conventional rod for deep water jig fishing in the 30-plus foot range, and a lighter jigging rod for shallower spots.
Looking toward mid-July and August, we should see some exotic summer species. It’s only a matter of time before the triggerfish roll in out east!”
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 compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).
- Rays and sharks are being caught from the beaches on chunk baits. Remember to read up on the latest shark fishing regulations before targeting sharks and bring the appropriate tackle.
- Fluke fishing picks up in a big way. Fish over 20 inches a common site out of the surf and inside the bays.
- Bluefish continue to show up in larger numbers, with some gator-sized specimens in the mix of cocktails.
- Bass migration winds down and fish start staging up. Best bet for catching them is at night, dawn, or dusk.
- Black sea bass season kicked off June 23rd, with a limit of 3 fish over 16.5 inches from now through August.
Petey Trovato from Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle told me: “The fluke bite has been really fast but you have to work hard for keeper-size fish. Last night we had 20 shorts and a limit of keepers. Striped bass and blues have still been around the inlets with birds marking them. We have fresh killies stocked, which are an excellent bait for fluke, especially keeper-sized ones! Pick some up and catch a doormat.”
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reported: “Some good days, some slow days, and some really excellent days over the past week. Depending on the conditions, the short life has been very good at times with nice keepers in the mix. Most trips are seeing between 20 and 30 keepers a trip with many in the 4- to 6-pound range. As the water warms, we will begin our ocean trips in the next few weeks but the current fishing has been pretty solid. Many limits taken over the course of the last week has been thanks to a consistent bite. Book your trip now at fishgypseany.com.”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens said:
“While the bigger bass have moved on, we’ve been hammering fish up to 36-inches all week long! Fishing has been consistent and we’ve been bending rods throughout the entirety of our trips around Manhattan. The bait is staying put in the bay and we’ve settled nicely into the summer routine. As soon as this wind settles down we can’t wait to start our tuna season! Visit rockfishcharters.com to see our schedule & book a trip!”
Al Rotunno of the Staten Island Fishing Club reports: “Last week’s weather was not ideal as mother nature had the fan on high for much of the week. With that wind, not many were able to get out and fish. Striped bass are still around ocean side, and drifting eels will still produce jumbo-size bass. Fluke fishing has been picking up in the area around Ambrose Channel and the Verazanno Bridge, with keepers being landed and a few double-digit fluke coming over the rail. I still haven’t heard much about thresher sharks, but I believe they are still around and can be caught if you drift some chum. Tuna fishing is expected to blow wide open with a nice weather feature approaching the Hudson. We are hoping that this eddy brings yellowfin tuna action to the areas between the 30 and 40 fathom lines. Time will tell. Tight lines all!”
Rich Brown of the Long Island Hooksets told me:
“Fishing has been pretty good! I fished 10 days straight for a couple of hours each morning and got 3 keeper-size fluke between a lot of shorts, including my new PB pier fluke at 23.5 inches and 4.44 pounds! I also hooked 6 northern kingfish. The fishing action has really kept me on my toes.”
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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 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.
I don’t have a ton to share from this past week. Between the wind, the heat, and work, its been tough for myself and many in my circle to find time to fish. I did get manage out for a few chunkin’ sessions over the weekend and once during the week.
On Saturday I ventured out to Jones Beach with my cousin to throw some chunks and enjoy the nice weather. The wind was nuts; 20-knot gusts right into our faces at least kept us cool while we baked under the sun and waited for a bite. The water has also pretty cold despite the air temperatures, probably due to upwelling.
As we waited, terns, gulls, and ospreys started dive-bombing the surf close-in and our rod tips started to bend erratically. Unfortunately, it was just a big school of cocktail-size bluefish stealing our chunks right off the hook. When we did finally hook something, my cousin, who still has much to learn, went for a standard hookset and pulled the hook from the fish’s mouth. Unfortunately, it was our only fish that day. We stayed for about 6 hours fishing the incoming and parts of the outgoing, but the wind got bad enough to the point that our girlfriends wanted to go home.
Later that week, I ventured out to Robert Moses after work with Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) and we casted a pair of chunked bunker into a cut on the incoming tide. Despite some decent tern activity 100 yards off the beach, nothing came in to bite. We were out there for just a couple of hours fishing the incoming tide and heading home at dark. The water was similarly cold, and the wind was a strong south blow.
Despite these skunk outings, I think I’ve fallen back in love with chunking. The bait-and-wait technique really has its charms. I suppose it’s that adrenaline-rush when getting a bite and hearing that drag start to sing, along with that oh-so-satisfying feeling of reeling down on a circle hook and the fight that ensues.
Plus, the ability to just sit and look out on the horizon, read the waves, and shut-off my brain more than I would when fishing from a kayak has been a much-needed change of pace.
Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
As we head into July, bluefish are going to really start taking over the Sound and the South Shore surf. In the Sound, your primary daytime strategy for big bass will be live-lined or chunked bunker. Flutter spoons worked next to bunker schools is an effective tactic, assuming fish are actively feeding. The tube-and-worm never fails, even on a hot and sunny day. On the south shore, inlets are a good bet for both bass and bluefish right now. Fish deep pockets with fast current using heavy bucktails, diamond jigs, or heavily-weighted soft plastics.
Rays have already moved in, and a lot of anglers are catching big ones, and even a few sharks. If you’re fishing the open beach, an efficient strategy would be to throw a chunk out on one rod, and plug the surf with a lighter one for bluefish and stripers. Your plug might even catch a fluke. Metal jigs are also an excellent choice—you can never go wrong throwing an A27 diamond jig into the surf. Chunking is a team sport, so bring a buddy or 2 with you to make it more fun.
Fluking from the beach has been more productive this week. Cast bucktails tipped with Gulp or cut squid and work the beach lips. Another good presentation is a single jighead no heavier than 5/8 ounce and tipped with Gulp or similar 4- to 6-inch soft plastic profile. If you’re on the north shore, you really should be throwing sand eel profiles. Slim soft plastics like Albie Snax, small paddletails, or epoxy jigs are excellent options that will catch a variety of species right now. Although most of the sand eels have moved out east, I’ve continued to see groups of terns panning the water the way they have for most of June.
This wind has stalled the tuna season a bit, which was just starting to take off. Looking ahead, we’ve got strong southerly winds for most of the weekend, which can be a bummer for vessel-based anglers. Consider hitting the inshore bays or heading to the north shore to find calmer water, or fish from shore and beat your chest while taking those 20-knot winds to the face in the surf. Whatever you do, stop scrolling, stay off the couch, and catch some fish!
Next Monday, OTW Assistant Editor Matt Haeffner and I will be heading to Orient Point to field-test some tackle. Last year, while three-way rigging we mostly caught monster-sized bluefish, and we’re hoping to break our PB *boat* striped bass this year.
I’ll be sure to include that in next week’s report, which will be a little earlier than normal because next Thursday is the 4th of July! I hope you and your loved ones have an awesome 4th and you catch some memories.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).
The stripers shown in the photo for Capt. Tommy LaSala of Montauk Fishing Charters certainly don’t look like they’re slot. OTW should do more to encourage anglers to follow the rules.