Long Island and NYC Fishing Report- May 22, 2025

Mark from Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “ Wind, wind, and more wind. The weather is awful; even the guys that know their spots well are having a hard time in the weather. A majority of the folks are really getting sidelined. The beach has been hit or miss, as a lot of areas are very stirred up—the water is muddy and the wind is scattering the bait. Certain areas might have bait pushed deep into the backwaters. In other news, we have sand eels in the area! Once the weather improves, fishing for stripers and fluke should be hot!”

Captain Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly (@northislandfly) in Smithtown reports: “Fishing in central and Western Long Island Sound has really picked up after the last full moon on the 12th. We have been seeing some schools of bunker finally making their way into the mid-Sound and there are some stripers picking away at the pods. The majority of the fast-paced action has been in the rip lines and high points off of just about every ledge. Large topwater offerings, big soft plastics, metal lips and of course, flutter spoons, have been producing fish into the mid-40-inch range. So far, the outgoing tide has been best but if you look around on the incoming you can still find some decent action. The fly guys are having a great time when the boat traffic isn’t too bad. Big flies in the 7- to 12-inch range will get the fish’s attention and give you the best shot at a personal best. One thing to note, when working these fish, make sure to stay calm and slowly approach the rip lines to ensure the bite lasts. Too many boats moving too fast will put the fish down, and we all want happy fish! We have also seen an influx of sand eels just about on every sand shoreline. If you’re looking to get away from the big crowds in the main areas, keep an eye out along the beaches for terns working and comorants grouped up. I ran across a few bluefish for the first time this year, but did not spend time targeting them as we were on our way to the bass grounds, but I expect the blues to filter in after this next new moon on the 27th. For those who do like fluke fishing, now is the time to get out! The fish are feeding heavily on these sand eels and we are starting to see some good-size keepers come in mixed with tons of shorts. Water temps are still in the 58- to 61-degree, range which is prolonging our spring bite and should last well into July this summer. If you’d like to get out, reach out to me via email, text or Instagram to check for available days. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend and stay safe out there.”

Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) on the North Shore reports: “Last week in Western Long Island Sound there was a solid bite for the guys trolling and fishing live bunker. This week’s cold snap seems to have shut the bite down to a slow crawl, yet slow-trolling mojos and fishing chunked bait at night is still producing fish up to 25 pounds. Over the last few days, the surface temperature dropped which slowed the plug bite drastically. In order to get on these tricky fish you’ll need to mark pods of fish in 25 to 55 feet of water and snap jig bucktails and small plastics.”

Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) on the North Shore reports: “Local saltwater for me has been slow. Lots of micro bass in the 12- to 14-inch range that have been gobbling small flies I tied. Larger fish are few and far between the last couple of weeks. Blues started to move into the backwaters as well, and they’re hitting topwater.”

Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater) in the Western Long Island sound reports: “May has been a bit frustrating—periods of good weather shut down by bad. Good bites here one day and gone the next. It’s been everything but consistent. There are some massive schools of bait and bass moving around and it’s a game of cat and mouse at times. When you do find them, don’t expect them to be there tomorrow. If you’re marking fish, you have to commit to finding that window when they’re going to bite. You’ll usually get rewarded with some epic fall-like topwater action, but it will be brief. Hopefully this Nor’easter flies by. The weather looks promising afterwards!”

Freeport Bait & Tackle reports: “There are a ton of bass and blues around with some good fluke coming in. Spearing and squid have been the hot bait in the bays! A guy got a 10-pounder in the back channel near Jones Inlet. Weakfish are eating plastics and worms and the bite is just heating up. The bass are chewing everything, from chunks, to Swarters and SPs, to Little Neck Poppers. ”

Max Fracchioni on the Patty Ann out of Captree reports: “It was a good NW blow so we ran outside in hopes to find bass crushing bunker. When we exited the inlet, we were greeted by tons of life. We quickly snagged bunker and dropped them back in and it was slow picking until we ran east and found bass destroying the bunker super shallow in 10 to 12 feet. This northwest wind pushed the bunker up shallow and the bass had them pinned against the sandbar. After quickly getting fresh bunker and sending them back down, we were almost instantly hooked up with all over-slot fish; my buddy Jason also smoked this monster 49-inch fish!”

Brandon Cirillo (@bbon_cirillo) reports: “The fishing continues to improve each week as we approach the new moon. I expect to see some bigger fish showing up along the south shore soon. Timing your outings with the right tides—especially those that line up with sunrise and sunset—has been the key to success. During the day, I’ve had good results using natural-colored 5-inch Mag Darters with a slow retrieve. After sunset, switching to plugs with a larger profile has been effective in targeting and culling out some quality fish.”

Joshua Banayan (@reel.ny) reports: “I’ve been fishing Jamaica Bay and the south shore beaches and bays, catching bass that range in size from schoolies to 30 pounders in the back bays at night on SP Minnows, swim shads, and darters. The inlets have been producing a lot of gator bluefish on topwater, diamond jigs and SP Minnows. The bluefish have been less sensitive to the tide changes and the bite turns on sporadically. I start fishing 2-3 hours before the tide changes in either direction and I’ve been having a lot of success about an hour before slack. When it comes to bass, 2 hours after slack seems to be when the bite really turns on. Fluking has been very good in Jamaica Bay as well; my mom caught an 8.5-pound fluke on a bucktail and 4-inch Gulp grub this past Sunday.”

Jeff at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Porgies are chewing in the Peconic pretty good, the weakfish are hot coming in at 3 to 5 pounds. Schoolies and blues have invaded the Peconic, and a few fluke are showing as well. In Shinnecock, hoards of blues are crushing bait in the bay, bass are in the usual spots, and the weakfish are pushing through the canal. Fluking is definitely better in Shinnecock than Peconic. In the ocean, bunker pods should attract hungry bass and tuna just about any day now.”

Bill falco (@fishlongisland) of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Another solid week in the books. Spring fishing is fully underway. Weakfish are starting to get picked up in more places, fluke are invading the bay and loading up all of the channels and flats, bluefish are stalking every possible piece of bait in the area, and stripers are sitting pretty getting fatter and fatter. Weakfish have been chewing up small soft plastics and bucktails. The more vibrant colors, like bright pink and chartreuse, do the best. Fluke are chilling in the usual spots and they’re also crushing up bucktails and soft plastics; fish light and keep those lines tight! Bluefish of all sizes are everywhere. The open beaches and bays are littered with fish eating anything you can toss at ’em. I’ve had fish over ten pounds and fish under five pounds all in the same outing. The striper bite has been pretty incredible, this season is seeing a lot of big fish eating big profile lures like darters, bottle plugs, Mag Darters and SPs. There is plenty of bait around, so hopefully these big, beautiful striped fish stay around for a while. Boat guys are doing very well with poppers and spooks, trolling, and tossing around bucktails and metal lips. In fresh water, topwater action for largemouth, smallmouth, and pickerel is getting better by the day. They’re chasing big baits like frogs and poppers. Best time to do that would be in the early mornings into the late mornings and then again in the evening into dark. During the day, toss swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and Senkos. Panfish, like perch and bluegills, will be all schooled up and pretty easy to catch with the old worm and bobber. You could also toss small jigs at them, hung under a float. Trout are feeding actively on bug hatches, just figure out what they’re eating, match the hatch, and you’ll be on.”

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Brandon Weitz (@bweitz1) from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports: “Bass and bluefish are all over the bays, from the inlets to bridges. Bass are chewing at night and during the day on clams, bucktails, and jigs. There are also more bunker showing up every day, so bass fishing in the ocean is producing some bigger fish on the troll. As for bottom fishing, there are a lot of short fluke in the bay with some keepers showing up and even a nice 10-pound fluke came up locally. If you’re fishing from shore, Jones Beach is producing some fish on Super Strikes and Joe Baggs Swarters.”

Nick Cherkas (@surfcasting_the_island) reports: “It’s around that time where the clock is ticking for my local area. We hope that the last moon of May and the first moon of June will bring a large push of migratory stripers before summer patterns begin to settle in. This past week, the surf fishing has slowed down tremendously not only for me, but for my cohorts as well. Although, my experience hasn’t rang true for everyone; there have been reports of sporadic daytime action from quality striped bass taken on a variety of topwater and swimming plugs. Aside from the striped bass being a hit or miss deal in between moons, the bluefish have seemed impossible to avoid no matter where you wet a line. The back bays, inlets and ocean front remain in the equation for a bite to materialize over these next couple of weeks.”

Derek Monfort (@derek_sucks_at_fishing) on the east end reports: “We had a great 3-day weakfish invasion. I was snap jigging in some back bays with a silver jerk shad to catch them. It was a slow incoming tide, and I was hoping for some slot bass, then out of nowhere I ran into a complete horde of 12- to 24-inch weakfish. It was a great 3-day bite, then the blues ran through and they were gone. Appreciate it while you have it!”

Captain Arthur Cortes (@cortesoutfitters) in NYC reports: “Fishing this week in Jamaica Bay has been challenging in the mornings. The overnight cinder worm hatch made the fish unresponsive until midday. Meanwhile, the ocean is thriving, with very large striped bass in our local waters feeding on bunker. Our preferred methods for catching these fish are using topwater plugs and/or Beast Fleyes and poppers. Tight lines!”

This week I fished in both New Jersey and Long Island! The New Jersey bite was tough. All of the Raritan fish seem to be sliding out into the ocean. The fish that are available in the bay are tight on bunker schools and are unwilling to chew a live bunker or plug. On the other hand, in the Western Sound, the fish seem to be sitting firmly along the bottom eating mojos. I believe that the Western Sound needs a few warm days to get these fish perked up; the drop in temperatures has them lethargic.

In the coming weeks, a spook, metal lip, or bucktail should be lethal. Things are a little behind this year. I’m hoping it means that the fish will stick around longer in the local bays. The water temperature is 58 at the moment, and I’m hoping that once it hits the 60s the fish are going to turn on and begin chewing. Either way, there are fish to catch, but it’s going to take a couple days to reset. Looking ahead, it does seem like there are a few fish still on the way and it’s only going to improve in the Western Sound from here. I’m hoping that these fish turn on soon!

Over the next few days, it’s going to be nasty with heavy winds. I’d recommend reorganizing tackle, rigging rods, and relaxing a bit. It might take a few tides for some dirty water to be cycled over for some cleaner water. That said, the post-storm bite should be really good. This storm should preserve our water temperatures and keep them lower heading into the later season.

It seems as though everywhere in Long Island is getting a nice trickle of fish, but we’re certainly waiting for more to arrive. This time of year, if you can find bunker, you’re apt to find some big bass. Even if the school is unbothered, swimming happily, there are always a few fish hanging low following the school. Working the edges with live bait and topwater lures is crucial. The bass wait for a bunker to step out of line or act funky, and thats exactly what you’re mimicking!

As far as bottom fishing goes, each day is getting better than the next. The porgy bite in Peconic Bay is hot. It’s a great time to take an annual party boat trip out east to fill your freezer. You can’t go wrong with a double dropper loop rig with a #2 or #4 hook. If you’re up for a challenge, jigging porgies is another really fun way to catch them. A light 20-pound leader and a small epoxy or slow-pitch jig will do damage! Simply drop it down, hit the bottom, and tap it around. The hits come quick so be ready to set the hook.

In regards to the open beach, the south shore bluefish are still milling around. However, Shinnecock is your best bet for numbers. Keep in mind that Memorial Day is definitely going bring out some people that are gonna be chilling on the beach. Your best bet is to fish early in the morning or once the sun goes down.