Long Island and NYC Fishing Report- May 29, 2025

Captain Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly (@northislandfly) in Smithtown reports: “Just as we expected, big bluefish have moved into Long Island Sound. We got into a mess of bluefish pushing into the 15-pound class this week. Luckily, they haven’t really entered the areas with the bass, so you may be able to keep the wire leaders away for a bit. A slight increase in water temp along with the new moon seems to have pushed them in, along with a larger class of bass, with multiple reports of fish over 50 inches being caught. We are still seeing the same trend of fishing with large bass feeding deep, as well as pushing big baits to the surface. It’s been an excellent May and June, and looks like it could be one for the books. The big bunker pods are finally moving east through the Sound, which should help alleviate some of the boat traffic in the well-known hot spots. Stick to large offerings for your personal best. The sand eels are heavy all throughout the Sound and I have found a ton of mackerel feeding on them! There is certainly no shortage of bait. The fluke fishing remains solid with plenty of shorts and keepers into the lower 20-inch range abundant.”

Tom Truehart in Smithtown reports: “Memorial Day weekend—no time for anything but fishing. The weather has been pretty rough the last few years, and this year was no different. Striped bass were chewing really well in a hard northwest wind during the outgoing tide. On Friday, we had fish up to 42 pounds. Saturday and Sunday brought multiple bass in the upper 30-pound range. Monday, despite being the nicest day of all, seemed to be the slowest. Still, it was a good pick of fish—and if you worked areas away from the crowds, they seemed to be much more active. Most of my fish came on flutter spoons, using the extra-heavy ones to stay close to the bottom in those windy conditions. I also had a few nice topwater bites. You’ve got to be quick to get ’em, but if you’re in the right spot at the right time, you’ll see them blowing up on bunker right next to the boat. The biggest bass was 32 pounds on the 9-inch Doc. A lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and a lot of fish, as is always the case on Memorial Day weekend. Thank you to all the men and women who have served this country to make days like this possible.”

Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater) in the Western Long Island Sound reports: “Bunker have made their way into the Sound in force. There’s also a mix of sand eels closer to shore, which has built up a great fluke bite, although the stripers have been scattered. At times, you’ll find random blitzes that only last a minute or less on small pockets of sand eels. The bluefish time bomb is ticking—get the most out of your soft plastics before they crash the party!”

From the north shore, Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) reports: “To start the week, a good push of fish chased bunker into the Western Long Island Sound and with water temperatures surpassing 58 degrees, the topwater bite has lit up with fish ranging from 20 to 40 pounds and an occasional bluefish in the mix. Fishing at night in shallow water, between 8 to 20 feet, with chunk baits on a fish finder rig and 1- to 2-ounces of lead (or weightless, if conditions allow), is also a good option, producing bass in the 30-pound range. For daytime fishing, trolling the normal neon green or white tandem 4- to 8-ounce Mojos is still producing a solid amount of fish.”

Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: “The striped bass fishing in LI Sound right now is as good as it gets—on fire! We are limiting out on most charters with slot fish and throwing back beauties up to 36 pounds. We have adult bunker and sand eels fueling our fishery. Some days, the stripers are slamming bunker on top, too. The fluke bite is improving daily with most of the summer flounder to my east on sand eels. To get in on the incredible action, call or text 631-707-3266 or go to northportcharters.com.”

Captain Ken Schmidt of the Angler Fleet in Manhasset Bay reports: “The bass bite is in full swing—plugging, chunking and jigging. Crushing bass on flutter spoons is as fun as it gets. We are also getting large numbers of fluke on our trips and the porgies just showed up as well.”

Jason from Captree Bait and Tackle reports: “Guys are slaying bass and fluke right off the pier. People are also catching a ton of ling right now, which is odd! At night, there are blitzes in the corner of the dock. Soft plastics on jigheads, and traditional rigs with clam and bunker are also working well. On the freshwater side, the pickerel and bass are chewing Rooster Tails and anything perch colored.”

Brandon Weitz (@bweitz1) of Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports: “The last few days in the ocean for striped bass have been a little rough. On Sunday/Monday from Jones to the Rockaways, there was not much bait, no bass, and some bluefish up shallow to the beach. Guys trolled everywhere with minimal success; it seems like the cold temps/weather pushed them deeper. But fluke fishing is decent in the bay. We should get another push of those big post-spawn bass coming out the river soon. Bluefish are still in the bays and surf. Hopefully warmer weather will push more fish in! Dock fishing has been good; we were able to catch this 21-inch fluke!”

From the south shore, Will King (@willie_fish) reports: “Since the new moon earlier this week, bass fishing has slowed a bit in my neck of the woods. The large body of fish that was here locally have continued their migration to the east. The past few nights have produced a decent pick of schoolie/slot-sized bass with a few 35-inch fish mixed in. Bucktails have been doing the most damage, with swimmers right behind as the fish push bait to the surface. As we approach the next moon phase, I’m expecting another large body to settle in. I will be out tonight to check.”

Jeff Lomonaco at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Bass are moving into the inlets and bays, and live baits and plugs are working great at the moment. There are tons of slots and a few overs. The bluefish have been spotty in the last week; the water temperatures are a little cold. Today I read 53 degrees, which needs to warm up a bit. Fluking in the bay is pretty decent, I had a keeper this morning. Porgy fishing in Peconic is good with a few weakfish coming over the rails too.”

Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “The bluefish takeover has officially begun, all over the island. They’re in the ocean, they’re in the bays, and now they’re in the Sound! These yellow-eyed demons are angrily snapping at poppers, spooks and big plugs like darters, SPs, and bottle plugs every cast. The local dock anglers have been slamming them left and right on fresh bunker chunks. Don’t worry, there are plenty of stripers still around too. Darters, bucktails, and SPs have been the go-to for many anglers. Early morning topwater bites are popping up as well. Toss a popper or spook over, or bomb a swimbait in there for some solid hookups. Fluke reports are up and up every day—lots of solid flatties in the bay. Our shop rigs remain a local favorite for both fish and anglers alike. The bucktail rigs are lethal when tipped with a Fat Cow strip or Gulp of choice, and the bait rigs will have everyone on board hooked up. Weakfish are popping up alongside the fluke, eating smaller soft plastics bounced off the bottom. Light tackle is a must. Topwater season is starting to heat up more and more in the local lakes. Bass and pickerel are out early and actively looking up for some nice, tasty, topwater eats. Frogs, mice, poppers and spooks are getting lit up in the early morning and evening hours. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are killer options at this time. During midday, fish low and slow with Senkos or jigs. Trout are all about the hatches. They’ll hit terrestrials this time of year too, heading into the warmer months.”

Captain Joe “Maz” Mustari in NYC reports: “The fly fishing in Raritan Bay has been fantastic all month. Striped bass have been stacked along the Reach Channel out to Staten Island. Sinking lines and big chartreuse Hollow Fleyes fished on 9- and 10-wt rods have been the ticket on bass from 10 to 20 pounds on average and sometimes bigger. There have also been some days with great bird action in the Rockaways. This past week things have definitely changed. It seems that lots of the fish have pushed out of the bay and are heading to Long Island. There’s still some fish around, but it’s a lot more work to put a catch together. I’m still hearing there are plenty of fish in the Hudson that have yet to come down, so we may get another good shot at them before they move on. If you’re looking to catch your dream striper on the fly, now is the time. Big bass from 30 pounds and up are migrating along the Jersey coast feasting on the bunker schools. You’re going to need 10- and 11-weight rods with both sinking and intermediate lines. The fly of choice has been 8-12-inch Beast Fleyes or Game Changers. White, or some combination of white and chartreuse will work well! If you’re lucky enough to find the fish blitzing on bunker, it’s game on; but for the most part, you’ve got to find the bunker schools and blind cast around each school looking for those fish that are lurking under the bait. If you work hard at it, you just might be rewarded with that striper of a lifetime on fly!”

Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens reports: “Fishing this week has been really consistent. There are tons of bunker and slots to 36-inch fish inside of the bay that we’ve been starting our day targeting. Then, once we get a limit, we’ll run to the ocean and look for bunker schools and life targeting trophy size bass. We’ve been managing a PB or two before heading back to the barn. We’re almost sold out for spring bass trips, so call 347-661-4501 or book online at rockfishcharters.com for a trip in June.”

First and foremost, thank you to all those who have served our beautiful country. Memorial Day commemorates the bravery of active and fallen troops, but it also marks the first push of summer boaters and beachgoers. With that in mind, I passed up the saltwater and instead sent it up to Vermont to chase a plethora of different species on the fly over 3 days. My friends and I paddled around Lake Champlain and waded a variety of rivers in search of pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth, and bowfin. While the lake was tough, we were able to sightfish bowfin in just a few feet of water. The name of the game is sliding into dense, grassy backwaters, where the bowfin sit just above the weedlines. A simple pitch and twitch gets them to react to most jig-style flies! The beauty of these fish is their green spawning colors that can be seen on their belly.

As far as pike, the later afternoons delivered aggressive strikes at a few specific river mouths. The pike preferred a flashy fly stripped sharply underneath the surface, a strip pause seemed to get the job done. Our final day, we hit some local tributaries in search of lake run smallies, and it did not disappoint whatsoever. Large smallmouth in the 3- to 5-pound range were more than willing to crush a swinging streamer in shallow runs. As the sun beat down on the freestone rivers, you could see the smallmouth in every riverbend and hole.

In regards to salt, I’m currently undergoing a big service on my 19-foot Whaler, so I’ve been sidelined from hitting some of my favorite boulder fields and rips. That said, once the boat gets back in the water, it’s time to fish for some mega bass. The Western Sound is teeming with huge fish! It’s time to put in the work. I’ll be carrying large metal lips, pikies, and of course, throwing the Doc! Let’s hope the weather stays cool heading into the summer.

Heading into the weekend, we are going to see air temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s. Next week, air temperatures should rise into the 80s! With Memorial Day behind us, you’ll likely see a lot more boat traffic whether you’re on land or on your boat. If you’re looking for a day bite amidst the traffic and noise, try your hand at catching some fluke. I prefer to fish fairly light; a go-to setup has always been a 5000- to 6000-size reel, 10-pound braid, an 8- or 9-foot medium light rod, and 20-pound leader. As for bait, you can’t go wrong with a 1⁄2- to 1-ounce lead head with a Gulp swimming mullet in pearl, chartreuse, or nuclear chicken. A few hot spots might be the Jones Beach piers, Captree docks, or anywhere you can find sand eels!

With the new moon in the rear view, it’s certainly still worth grinding it out tonight! The three days leading up to and and after the new moon can be deadly. As I’ve said in the past, full and new moons exacerbate tides creating higher incoming and outgoing water levels. Accompanied by these swings are strong current seams, which attract big bass. It’s a great time to pack a 6-inch Yo-zuri Mag Darter, Super Strike darter, or a custom glider such as a 6-inch Scabelly.

Looking ahead, it seems like we’re steadily getting over last week’s biblical rain. The fish are happy and people are reporting some monster bass hitting bunker on the surface. Pack those Docs, pencils, and spooks. Your best bet is looking for schools of bunker, so whip out the binoculars or find some high ground on the beach. Be sure to look out for dark patches of water, flapping bunker tails, or even the unmistakable smell of bunker! Remember, even if the bunker aren’t getting actively crushed, you still have a money shot at a bass tracking near the school.