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: “Another solid week of fluke fishing is in the books this summer. So many large fish are running around the bay, and so many people are getting on a great bite. Fish over 20 inches have been quite common. No 10 pounders that I have seen yet, but lots of 6- to 8-pound fish are here. Hit the channels and the flats with some light tackle. Our shop rigs, especially bucktail rigs, are a local favorite for anglers and fish. Pop on your favorite squid and spearing combo, fluke belly, or soft plastic, and you’re ready to crush em! A good amount of very nice weakfish are being caught as well. No giant tide runners so far from what I’ve seen, but they’re lurking. Fish light for them as well; finesse is key to landing the weakfish of a lifetime. Bluefish are definitely still around, and some still have good size to them. The local docks are full of blue claw crab and blowfish. Kingfish and snappers are very close behind.”
Captain Tommy LaSala (@montauk_fishing_charters) in Montauk reports: “ Everything is biting in Montauk. A new body of giant bass from 20 to 50 pounds has arrived and they’re eating everything; they’re gorging on sand eels, bunker, squid, butterfish, and mackerel. The fluke finally showed up and are biting when conditions allow. There are also some nice sea bass to be had on the rocks, and porgies are just about everywhere.”
Captain Stu Paterson from Northport Charters reports: “ With lots of sand eels now in our area, we recently switched from shad umbrella rigs to tube umbrellas. In order to find success you’ll need to match the hatch. Some days, mojos are the best match. However, when the big blues show up they destroy my gear! The catch of the week was a hefty 38-inch fish caught by my customer on Friday night.”
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Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “Beautiful water brought in masses of bait including foot-long sand eels, squid, Atlantic mackerel, horseye mackerel, bunker, and much more; all of the predators were out to play. From East Hampton to 3 miles south of the Block Island wind farms, gigantic striped bass could be found on these schools of bait. In Montauk, striped bass over 50 pounds arrived to the joy of many anglers shattering their old PB records. Now is the time to catch the striped bass of a lifetime! If you’re a surf fisherman, put the time in after midnight all week for your shot at a new PB! There are some XXL black seabass around, not that many yet, but very soon that will change with the new moon coming; they will be invading Montauk. The fluke fishing is the best I’ve seen in a long time. Party boats are crushing the fish, with nearly a dozen double-digit flatties landed since last week for the fleet. There are a few porgies around; they are all of the supersize variety, with more porgies flooding in every day. Offshore, the bluefin tuna bite continues to impress. Way offshore, the yellowfin bite has picked up, with a few bigeyes being caught… Chatterlures, sidetrackers and splash bars have landed most of these fish. Most yellowfin are being caught on the troll, but the bigger models are loving the chunk. Come see me at Montauk Anglers Club tackle shop, where we offer competitive prices and an incredible selection of tackle for all.”
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “People are still catching stripers; there are alot of bass out there, but they’re definitely moving into deeper water. If you hit the early morning and dusk bite, you still have a shot on topwater. Fluking is still good, and there are plenty of shorts with a good amount of keepers mixed in. As for sea bass, I haven’t heard a ton of catches—the guys heading toward Connecticut are definitely catching more quality sea bass than the New York side. Finally, weakfish are on the porgy grounds, so get out there with some soft plastics!”
Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “Porgies are plentiful in the bay and Sound, and the bass are chewing in The Race and Plum Gut and show no signs of slowing down. The hot striper technique continues to be bucktailing in deep water on a three way rig. Fish are still chewing but they are difficult to catch.”
Jeff at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Bass fishing has been relatively good this weekend in the inlet and bay. The bunker pods are moving off and dispersing. The Montauk bite has been insane. There are tons of fish over there to catch. Locally, fluking is a grind; however, when it’s good, it’s great. As for sea bass, we’re steady picking at shorts and hoping to see some larger fish show up in the near future.”
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This weekend, I pulled two all-nighters in the Nantucket surf. I was brimming with confidence coming off my successful full-moon outings. That said, conditions changed and tides got weaker. The once strong tide that helped to present my darters and needlefish grew weak. As I retrieved the plug I couldn’t feel the distinct digging action I was looking for. I knew I needed to change things up, so with an influx of small sand eels I adjusted my approach and threw a few different swimming plugs.
On the change of the tide, I was able to trick a few hungry schoolies into eating an SP Minnow and Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow in the wonderbread pattern. Each of the fish hit just off the beach lip. Looking toward the future, I believe Nantucket is in for a bluefish invasion. It looks like the bluefish are leaving the inshore rips and venturing onto the flats to demolish rain bait and squid. I can’t wait to womp on some blues on the fly. Time will tell!
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
Over the next week, temperatures will be in the low to mid 80s. With the 4th of July around the corner, there’s going to be a ton of boat traffic. It’s best to leave the bass and blues alone and opt for some bottom fishing. Fluke and porgies are more than willing to eat during a busy boat day.
That said, it’s the perfect time to keep a bunch of fish for a 4th of July cookout. If you’re looking to fill the table with porgies, hit the local jetties or reefs with some tandem rig porgy setups. Simply grab 4 feet of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader and make a surgeon’s loop on the end of the line to hold the weight. Next, tie two dropper loops above the surgeon’s knot. Following that, take two 1/0 or 2/0 hooks and snell them with roughly 12 inches of 30-pound fluoro. Use a perfection loop to tie off the tag end of the snelled rigs and slide them onto your dropper loops. This rig has always been classic for drumming up multiple fish at a time. As for bait, I’d recommend hitting your local shop and asking for clam bellies. These gooey soft baits have a tough time staying on the hook but they’re killer for drumming up constant porgy action.
Looking toward the future, I’m expecting the fluking to steadily pick up. Get out there and enjoy the warm weather!
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 landed from the surf at night.
- Slot-size striped bass still running around the NY Bight.
- Keeper-size fluke biting from shore and in open water.
- Triggerfish move in, keep an eye out for other exotic visitors.
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reported: “Another solid week of fluking! Depending on the conditions, the short life has been very good at times with nice keepers in the mix. We saw a lot of wind this past week, which did not help, but we still made it happen with fish up to 7 pounds. As the water warms, we will begin our ocean trips in the next couple weeks. For now though, the fishing has been pretty good in the bay!”
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Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens said: “Bass fishing on the Rockfish has been very consistent this week. The bunker are still in the same area it’s been the last couple weeks making bait easy to get. We’re hitting all of our usual NY Harbor spots and picking up a lot of slot-size to 36-inch fish, bending rods in front of the Statue of Liberty, which never gets old! Go to rockfishcharters.com to view our schedule and book a trip.”
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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.
This past Monday I got out with OTW’s Matt Haeffner to slow-pitch jig for stripers, bluefish, and sea bass aboard the Nancy Ann out of Orient Point. We were with the SPRO team to test out new jigs from Sea Falcon.
One jig in particular, the ‘Pesce’ (pronounced Pesci—like the actor from Goodfellas) caught my attention as a great option for false albacore. It was very dense, making for a small profile that could be casted far or vertically jigged in deep water. The lure had a distinct ‘S’ shape made it kick like a spoon would on a steady retrieve.
My catch-of-the-day was a 19-inch knot-head sea bass in addition to a monster, gator bluefish typical for The Race.
I also landed a few slot and over-slot bass, but the high-hook went to Matt who had a striper that was probably pushing 50 inches. It might’ve been the largest striped bass I’d witnessed in person.
It was a great trip and hats-off to the captain & crew of the Nancy Ann IV, who do an amazing job keeping lines in the water, cleaning fish, and keeping us entertained. They are definitely one of the best fishing boats on Long Island. If you want to see the jigs that Matt and I used on our trip, visit SPRO’s website here.
Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
The south shore should be full of life right now. You can fish the inlets and open surf for bluefish, striped bass, and fluke. While most have said that the larger striped bass have moved on, there’s still plenty of slot-size fish around and a few fish pushing 40 inches.
Blues have been somewhat scarce. It definitely feels like less of a showing vs. last year, which was a banner year for them in comparison. I’ve caught bluefish in the Sound and on the South shore, but most have been cocktail sized. Nonetheless they are around and both jigs and plugs are catching.
Fluking has been great from the shore, with a lot of keepers being caught jigging with light-tackle setups off the beaches and piers. When I think of difficult fluking, I look back on the 20-inch minimum size limit we had just a few years ago. While catching a keeper is no guaranteed thing compared to say, porgy fishing, the current limits still make it more attainable from shore than in previous years, in my opinion. Single-jig or jig-and-teaser setups are deadly for fluke. If you prefer to fish with bait, a popcorn rig or three-way rig are ideal, especially if you have a good drift going.
Triggerfish have arrived and when you’re intentionally trying to catch one, they might seem elusive. They feed on the same bait as porgies and sea bass—clam, squid, and crabs to name the usual, but they’ll also hit a bucktail.
Despite the slower bluefish bite, now is a good time to cast metal or resin jigs into the surf and inlets. More fish will be moving in every day and the water will be heating up, as will the fishing.
Spanish mackerel, bonito, cobia, and sheepshead are all likely to make appearances soon. When fishing bunker pods, keep an eye out for cobia. When smaller bait like spearing or anchovies are present, look for splashy surface feeds that might indicate bonito or Spanish mackerel. Sheepshead dwell around bridge pilings with the porgies and blackfish, and crabs are your best bet to hook one. You’ll know right away when you hook a sheepshead because they fight quite a bit harder than a porgy or tautog would.
Have a fun and safe 4th of July. Be the first one to catch a cobia this year, or pull up a sheepshead from beneath one of the bridges in the back bays.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).