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, “It’s been an incredible fluke season so far, lots of really big fish have been caught right inside the bay. This week, Tom Luciano brought in an 11.22-pound fluke to weigh in. This monster was caught in the bay on one of our shop rigs! White with green soft plastics was the color combo that filled this doormat. Contrasting colors on your rigs helps a great deal. Sea bass action on the reefs and wrecks is steady. Plenty of fish to fill the cooler and some mondo knuckleheads coming up. Summer striper action is going well; find the right tides and baits, and it’s on. Some chunky fish are out there lurking. At the docks, small snappers are in, and they’re hungry! Crushing small metal lures, snapper poppers, and our popular shop special Snapper Slayers! Blue claw crabs are in as well, and the shop is loaded with traps, commercial grade traps, overnight traps, hand lines, and all sorts of nets”
Captain Stu from Northport Charters reports, “We are still bending the rod with fluke and nice porgy. The bigger party just migrated in on Sunday’s full moon and tons of bait in the bay and sound! We have adult bunker and peanuts, spearing, and some sand eels around. The bigger dogfish moved in, too. Great fight for the kids, plus cocktail blues are now in our area on all the peanuts!”
Jeff at Whitewater Outfitters in Easthampton reports, “Fluke fishing the bay in Shinnecock is quite good however, it’s super tidal dependent. In the ocean, fluke fishing is slow, the large swell has made jigging super difficult. When it comes to bass, there are a lot of slot-sized fish moving around. In the surf, we’re finding small fish eating bucktails and plugs. If you’re looking to break out of the slot-sized fish, try bucktailing the inlet at night. In the offshore scene, there are mega size tuna close to home and plenty of yellowfin in the canyons.
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain on Long Island!
Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports “It was a tough week for fishing in Montauk. The striped bass migrated last week, only leaving a handful of fish to be caught. The porgies decided to move in full force, seeing that the coast was clear of blues and hungry bass. The bottom fishing was the highlight of the week, with jumbo black seabass, porgy, and extra large fluke. While there were not many double-digitfluke caught last week, a lot of quality-sized fish were caught. If you’re looking to target jumbo black seabass, we have what you need in store: jig heads with gulp. Striped bass fishing at night seems to be best, however there are not many slots available. Lastweek, offshore was very productive with bluefin, yellowfin, and big eye. It seems they disappeared as quickly as they showed up, they will be back, though with mahi-mahi as well.”
Phil at Cow Harbor in Northport reports, “It’s basically all schoolies out in the sound; jigging, chunking and trolling at depth seems to be most productive. Were in the doldrums, tons of fluke but nothing too big. Monster blues are still around out in the open water, and smaller fish blues are still cruising the bay. Porgies are fairly active as well. In regards to bait there are adult bunker, peanut bunkers, spearing, and grass shrimp”
Bella Hirschfeldd (@bellahirschfeldd) took a trip on the Hampton Lady and reports, “On July 24th, conditions were great. The fluke were active and there were plenty of fish to go around from short to keeper size. I had the most action on a gulp and bucktail combo. Natural bait wasn’t even necessary. I casted out about 30 feet from the boat, jigged for not even 30 seconds, and hooked into a handful of fluke with ease over and over”
Steve at Wego Bait and Tackle in Southold reports, “The bass finally slowed down this week, and we can’t complain; we had two months of insane fishing. Some days, the fish are still hot but the bite is now inconsistent. As for seabass, they’re chewing jigs and bucktails in the race. Jessups and Greenlawn have tons of seabass, fluke, and porgy. Snappers are also finding their way into the area. There was an epic bass bite on the moon in Montauk. Some bluefish up to 12 pounds are also moving in.
Another week in Nantucket has come and passed, the summer doldrums have kicked in! The residential bass have wised up and are slowing down with their feeding. The ticket has been mole crabs on lead heads in the wash. Although the fish aren’t big, it’s fun on a lightweight 5000 combo. As for blues, it’s been a super strange and slow year. In years past, we usually see 10-12 pound class fish, however, the majority of fish have hovered in the 5-pound and under class this year. Luckily, this week, we also saw a nice push of Atlantic bonito that moved in on sandeels. These speedsters are tough to pattern however the new body of fish has anglers excited to try their luck. I’m hoping another few pods invade the beach!
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
Looking toward next week, the weather continues to remain in the upper 80’s. With seabass season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to try your luck. There are plenty of headboats going out. I’ve always done best on seabass the last week of July. If I’m looking to fill the cooler, I typically stick with a standard two-hook clam rig. However, if I’m looking for some more technical fun, I love a lightweight jig setup. Typically, I use an Avet Sx spooled with 30-pound braid on a Shimano Trevala medium light jigging rod. As for jigs, I use the standard diamond jig, butterfly flat fall jig, Joe baggs resin jigs, or standard smiling bucktail. Once I let the jig hit the bottom, I take three cranks and slowly/steadily sweep the rod and wait for the thud.
Aside from seabass, you’ll likely find the most consistent action on fluke. This time of year, I love to go super light. Whether I’m on the beach or boat, I opt for fun-size gear. I’d recommend a 5000-size reel like a Shimano stradic spooled up with 10 pound braid paired with a light Shimano convergence and 20-pound fluorocarbon. As for jigs, aim for lighter options in the ¼ to ½ range. Bucktails and jig heads paired with gulp sand eels or
swimming mullet will crush fish. Stick with a jig and short pause retrieve for best results.
As July turns to August, my mind thinks about the beautiful fall blitzes that are just months away.
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).
- Insane Cobia bite this past week. Will they reach the surf?
- Sharks are in thick on the bunker pods, getting in the way of anglers targeting cobia
- Hot sea bass bite on the inshore wrecks, including lingcod.
- Mid-shore bluefin on bunker, plus mahi on the lobster pots!
- 14-pound doormat landed by a Captree angler!
- Spot invade the North shore, making a great bait option for striped bass.
John from Freeport Bait & Tackle told me:
“Fluking continues to be productive out on the ocean reefs and inside the bays. The 14-pound doormat caught recently is a testament to the fact that you don’t have to go far to find keepers, let alone massive fluke.
Natural bait like squid and spearing, or artificial bait like gulp and fish bites are all effective for Fluke. The key is presenting them on a drift with the proper rigging. Whether you’re using a sinker rig for drifting, or a bucktail with a teaser, the most important factor is to have a moving presentation that the fluke can follow and ambush.
There has been a lot of spot around which can be caught from the piers on clams and seaworms. They make a great chunk or live-lined bait for striped bass and even cobia which have arrived in full force. Bull sharks have also been in the surf, making for some serious rod-bending action to those who have the proper gear.
Freeport has fresh bait and all the tackle you need for any species on Long Island! Visit us today and get set to catch some memories.“
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station said:
“Cobia are being weighed in regularly! Live-lined bunker on circle hooks seem to to work best. Fluking in the bays has been steady, outings consist of mostly shorts with large keepers in the mix. The largest are being caught near structure.
Bluefish and small sharks have been keeping the action interesting with non-stop action. Blues have been crashing the beach pinning bunker pods close to shore, and there might be some other pelagics mixed in such as bonito and Spanish mackerel.
Bluefin have been getting caught mid-shore as shallow as 55 feet! Stop in to Bay Park Fishing Station, we’re open 7-days a week for all your inshore and offshore needs.“
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait & Tackle in Wantagh told me:
“The Causeway crew got in on the cobia action going on this week! Cobia weighing from the low 20’s up to 40-pounds were brought in to the shop. The bite has been pretty good, but there are also plenty of sharks around that can steal your catch or your bait. Stop by the shop for all your bait and tackle needs, from rods and reels to fresh bunker and bait! Get out and fish!”
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn, NY reported:
“Up and down fishing this past week with some trips better than others. More experienced anglers have been limiting out some days, while others still catch a few. As long as the conditions are ideal, the fish are chewing. Big fish of the week went to boat regular Tommy, with a 10pound 6-ounce beauty.
We’re sailing daily for fluke, reserve your spot today at www.FishGypseaNY.com”
Adrien Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Howard Beach, NY said:
“Fishing on the Rockfish has been great all week. The bass are chewing really well in New York harbor with a ton of keeper to 40-inch fish per trip. Cobia have moved into our local waters and we had fish up to 58-inches on yesterday’s charter fishing the bunker pods.
On Wednesday morning we fished nearshore bluefin and had whitewater feeds with giant bluefin blowing bunker into the air with the NY skyline in the distance! The midshore lobster pots are also loaded with Mahi right now. A great time to be fishing with good weather and tons of options. See our full schedule and book now at RockfishCharters.com or call (347) 661-4501“
Al Rotunno of the Staten Island Fishing Club reports:
“The weather has finally s tarted to cooperate with the steady southwest wind finally starting to subside. Fluking in Raritan Bay is heating up with the area around the Verazanno bridge and Ambrose channel producing keepers. Cobia are also in amongst the bunker pods and Guy Buono and Artie Waldhelm caught a few nice Cobia this week.
Midshore tuna continues to heat up with many football-sized bluefin being caught around Chicken Canyon last week. I joined Captain Marek, John Rocca, and George Panetta and had a great trip catching over a dozen bluefin on the jig as well as a few trolling.
Bigger-sized bluefin are also being caught within sight of land on both the NJ and LI side this week. Jigging and trolling ballyhoo have been the way to go. Yellowfin and bigeyes continue to fall victim in the local canyons as nice water has settled in.
This weekend should be a great one weather-wise so get out and fish! Tight lines all!“
Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
Last night I got out with Nick @Surfcasting_The_Island along with Brandon @bbon_cirillo, Billy @billythekidfishing, and a few others to chunk the South shore at night with the dream of catching a cobia. After we set our rods up, a bunker pod was pinned right up against the beach lip with fish doing flips out of the water, clearly being chased by something. Unfortunately, there only seemed to be bluefish around. We spent about 4 hours pacing the sand, sending out fresh chunks, and getting eaten alive by bugs to no avail. Despite the slow action, the presence of bunker so close to the beach left us optimistic for future trips. Certainly now wouldn’t be a bad time to take a surf rod with a popper in search of bluefish, striped bass, or an incredible cobia catch. So far, I’ve hooked a rough tail ray on each of my nighttime chunking trips. Throwing a bunker head, mackerel chunk, or eel 50-100ft off the beach is all it takes. No drone necessary.
Western Long Island Fishing Forecast
It’s a good time to be on a boat right now, as evidenced by one captain posting ‘Bluefin yesterday, Cobia today’ on his Instagram story. You don’t have to leave the inlet to find some amazing sea bass jigging either. The wrecks have been super productive, and a recent trip on the Captree Princess lead to a boat limit of sea bass plus a few ling catches on the inshore wrecks. A 14-pound fluke was caught on one of the party boats out of Captree yesterday. This doormat was caught on a 5-inch pink shine gulp grub on a chicken rig (similar to a hi-lo rig). The best part might be that the angler also earned free fishing for life on that boat. Pretty awesome pay-day.
The cobia bite has been insane. It feels like every time I check Instagram or Facebook there’s a series of new grip-and-grin posts with anglers holding cobia between 40 and 50-inches. They began showing up over the past few weeks, but have since exploded onto the scene and are wreaking havoc on the bunker pods off the Western South shore. Most anglers have been catching them on live bunker on circle hooks, which are plentiful right outside the inlet.
Pelagics should be in now if not very soon. Keep an eye out for Spanish mackerel, bonito, frigate tuna, and other speedsters that will be crashing bait in the surf and the inlets. I love fishing for these pelagics on light-tackle, especially from the jetties. A medium-power rod with a ¾-ounce metal jig like a deadly dick, epoxy jig, or even a slow-pitch jig casted and retrieved quickly close to the surface will entice a bite from hardtails. Pelagics typically feed on bay anchovies, also known as rain bait, peanut bunker, spearing, and other small prey. Look for nervous water and cast into it, working a fast retrieve and skipping your jig on the surface. Birds love to chase pelagic blitzes around too, so keep your eye on the horizon and always be listening for splashes.
Fluking has been hot, with keepers on both shores getting landed regularly. You don’t have to go far – the nearshore wrecks, beach lips, and inlets are all holding fluke. Bucktails tipped with gulp, or squid, are an effective presentation. When fishing from shore, keep moving – especially if you’re fishing the open beach. When you find a fluke, stay in that spot and work it for as long as you can. Generally you’ll find piles of them sitting in the beach lips and troughs.
The Summer doldrums are over. As pelagics move in and sharks become ever plentiful, there’s a lot of excitement to be had on the water right now. Whether you find yourself on a party boat, on a pier, or in the surf, you’re sure to see some amazing stuff out there. Get out and fish, and DM your pics to @Nick_OnTheWater on Instagram or email me at Nick@OnTheWater.com to get featured in next week’s report!
Thanks for reading, and tight lines.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).