Long Island and NYC Fishing Report- August 1, 2024

Bill at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Fluke Fest 2024 is still going strong. There are so many solid fluke being caught this year. With the regulations randomly changing mid-season, this is a great sign. Lots of fat flatties are roaming the bay and inlet. Our shop rigs are getting hammered by quality fluke left and right. Fish them with bait or a soft plastic in a contrasting color, and you’re in. If you’re after sea bass, head out to the wrecks for steady action. Plenty of keepers and some mondo knuckleheads are coming up over the rails. Summer striper action goes steady, some big fish are still being caught. Plenty of schoolies are around, too. Snapper fishing at the local docks has started to heat up. Kastmasters, snapper poppers, and our secret Snapper Slayer are getting whacked hard by hungry baby blues. Crabs are starting to get bigger and showing up in bigger numbers down at the docks as well. We are loaded with all sorts of nets, hand lines, and traps.
In the freshwater, bass are smacking topwater lures hard in the early morning and evening hours. Frogs, toads, poppers, whatever you have, they’re on it. Summertime is the best time to get out there and toss some amphibian lures around. Hungry bass are eating eagerly. Once the sun comes up, switch over to jigs or soft plastics. Drag them low and slow. Pickerel are out lurking, hitting many of the same lures as bass. Bluegill, pumpkinseeds, and yellow perch are all out doing their thing too. The ponds provide plenty of light-tackle fun for anglers of any age.”

Jeff at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Fluke fishing in the bay is pretty good, there are a lot of shorts and keepers being caught. Bass fishing is still pretty solid for anglers fishing live bait near the inlet and by the bridge. Fish are moving around the flats still, and cool, clean water has those flats fish happy. The tuna thing is still strong when the weather is nice enough; there are giants out there and smaller bluefin mixed in. Peconic Bay has a bunch of summer weakfish with tons of action from keepers.”

Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “It was an extraordinary week of fishing in Montauk, both inshore and offshore. The inshore reports highlighted some epic fluke fishing! With a handful of 9-pound-plus fish landed, many anglers walked away with their personal best fish this week. To the east, the striped bass and bluefish have been very cooperative. Black sea bass fishing to the west has been lock and load. With the Gulp X jighead combination you can catch your limit of jumbo-sized black bass every time. These jigheads are available in our store only at Montauk Anglers Club Tackle Shop. On the offshore scene, the bluefin tuna report doesn’t get much better than last week, with reports reminiscent of an age long ago in the 70s when fishing offshore was solid like this every day. Hopefully, they stick around after this nasty weather ahead. In the canyons, the mahi-mahi have made an appearance with fish up to 15 pounds.”

Phil at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “A lot of people are targeting sea bass in deeper water in the 60- to 80-foot depth range. You can’t go wrong with clams or squid on a high-low rig. If you’re looking to make it more technical, slow-pitch jigging is also crushing these fish. As for fluke, the name of the game is also deeper water. Anglers fishing in anywhere from 70 to 100 feet are getting large fluke to 25 inches. Although this seems super deep, there is plenty of life down there. As for bait, we just got a ton of killies in the shop, and the fluke are eating them like candy.”

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Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “Bass fishing in The Gut and The Race is back on; the fish are chewing in deep water on bucktails and jig strips. Moving water is key—the outgoing tide is best at The Race and the incoming is best at The Gut. If you’re looking for weakfish action, Greenport has some willing weakfish and even a few nice blues mixed in. Out in the Sound, there are keeper sea bass north of Plum and Mulford Point. Bass fishing from the shore on the Sound is slow, but live eels at night have been pulling decent fish. On the offshore scene, the bluefin and yellowfin have been chewing on the troll. There are plenty of fun-size fish with the occasional giant mixed in.”

Captree Fuel Bait and Tackle reports: “The fluke are hanging out just off the end of the pier. The best bait for the job is spearing, squid, or a 4- to 6-inch pink shine Gulp swimming mullet. As for rigging, you can’t go wrong with a high-low teaser rig. While there are lots of shorts on the pier, you can hook a giant at any time. Remain patient and don’t stop jigging. In other news, large keeper blue crabs have been coming up along the pilings.”

Jamesport Bait & Tackle reports: “There are porgies and weakfish in Peconic Bay and gator bluefish at Jessups. Additionally, there are plenty of sea bass around, however, they’re chewing deep—80 to 100 feet of water seems to be the most conducive zone. In regards to fluke, there are plenty of shorts around and keepers are tough to come by, but a little patience goes a long way. Keep bouncing your jig! As for The Gut, there are bass out there taking diamond jigs and bucktails.

Joe at J&J Sports Bait & Tackle in Patchogue reports: “In Great South Bay the blowfish, kingfish, and snapper are all chewing off the local piers. For boaters, the Captree Bridge is killer for fluke—there have been plenty of fish up to and over 5 pounds caught. The most effective rig continues to be a squid skirt three-way tipped with squid, spearing, or fluke belly strips. That said, bucktails and pink Gulp on a high-low rig are also crushing fish.”

Jose at Saltwaters Bait & Tackle in West Islip reports: “Boat guys are steady on the fluke, there’s a lot of action but a fair amount of short fish in the mix. Pink teasers and pink shine Gulp have been the top producers. At night, weakfish are being caught, however, it’s a tough and technical bite. In the surf, there are plenty of sharks, rays, and sea robins to go around, with an occasional bluefish school consisting of fish from 5 to 12 pounds.”

This weekend marked my last time in Nantucket until my return for albie season. After weeks of shark fishing and slow plugging, the fishing finally turned on. Not the bass, or the blues, or the sea bass, but the Atlantic bonito showed up in astonishing force. Nantucket has not had a run of bones like this in the last 6 years. The fish are honed in on micro sand eels on both the ocean and sound sides of the island.

On Saturday I fished from first light until 11 A.M. As I pulled up to the beach I watched as the sun began to peek over the horizon. Seconds later, bird went up and splashes ensued. With a Game On Exo jig, VS50 and my Century Weapon JR, I hurled a cast into the chaos when WHAM I came tight to a big fish. As it ripped side to side I could see the flash of green, and my first thought was “Albies!” But, once it hit the beach I was shocked to see a monster, 10-pound bonito. For the rest of the morning I watched as school after school moved through the surf. Anglers were lined up ripping tins through the schools, and double and triple headers were plentiful.

Looking toward this week, I’m excited to get back to Long Island. My main goal is going to be fluke fishing. It’s been a while since I’ve spent a full day targeting fluke. With the weather consistently hot, I’ll likely be targeting the 40- to 60-foot depth range. Wish me luck!

For the remainder of the week we can expect scorching hot temperatures, but don’t let that deter you from hitting the water. This is my favorite time of year to hop around the docks and piers of Long Island. The pilings around these docks are host to an array of algae that attracts baitfish, and under those baitfish are porgies, blowfish, triggerfish, and fluke. When fishing piers, I usually prefer a light spinning rod paired up with 10-pound braid and a long leader—roughly 10 feet. This prevents your braid from wrapping up in the pilings and debris. Regarding leader material, I typically prefer 20-pound-test Cortland XTR.

When thinking about the best baits for the job, anything scented will crush. I’ve always loved fishing a jighead and a Gulp swimming mullet. I’ve caught everything from triggerfish to fluke on it! Another great option is a swim shad and Pro-Cure combo. The 5-inch Tsunami holographic shad paired with menhaden Pro-Cure will attract a host of predators.

In terms of timing, you’ll want to make sure you’re fishing around the top of the tide. Many piers and docks are already shallow, so the later stages of outgoing aren’t as conducive due to their super shallow depths. When fishing these areas, be sure to cast and retrieve your jig in a fan pattern in order to cover more water.