Long Island and NYC Fishing Report- June 12, 2025

Manny Orellana (@fynestfishing) in the Western Sound reports: “The striped bass bite has really taken off in the last week or so with fish ranging from slot size to 40 inches. The outgoing tide seems to be the ticket, and live-lining bunker is the premier choice right now. If you wait out the tide a little longer at certain spots, the fish will eat flutter spoons, spooks, and poppers. Additionally, the blues are slowly trickling in and will cause havoc here at any moment with the vast amount of bait available.”

Christian Bellomo (@cjb_fishing_longisland) in the Western Sound reports: “Striped bass have been hitting big topwater spooks along with Cotton Cordell pencil poppers, but live bait fishing has been my go-to on the outgoing tides in the early afternoons. The bite has been very active in the afternoon rather than the early morning. All fish have been ranging from 30 to 40 plus inches, and they’re fat and full of adult bunker. We just experienced a sand eel boom, so Hogy sand eels and SP Minnows have become very effective.”

Dan Fry (@danielflyfishing) in the Western Sound reports: “The fish are predictable, the same tide and scenario are fruitful. Some days there are tons of boats and others not so much. The Manhattan Cup boats seemed to be out in the bay as well! The ticket has been the fly and the Fish Snax Super Snax in pink for fish ranging from 34 to 40 inches. This week, I tagged my first fish too!”

Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: “Stripers are still chewing hard and chasing bunker, and all of my charters are limiting out on each trip. We also have lots of sand eels all over LI Sound; the fish are hurling them up all over the place. I’ve also heard blues and bass are further east crushing sand eels. In regards to fluke, the bite is improving daily. Customers are busy bending the rods with keeper fluke and lots of action. Some of the campers from my Kids Summer Fishing Camp were nailing fluke with bucktails and custom teasers by my buddy Tom (Tom’s Teasers). Christian, in the picture below, had the largest fluke on Saturday at 5 pounds. Great day! Call or text (631) 707-3266 today to get in on the action or go to www.northportcharters.com.”

Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) in the Eastern Sound reports: “There are a lot of schoolie to slot-size fish around right now, but they’re being extremely picky. Smaller profiles of 5 inches and under seem to be the key as the fish are all on sand eels. There are also tons of fluke around Smithtown Bay, too. A bucktail tipped with Gulp is all you need. Expect a bunch of sea robins in the mix, and some nice weakfish as well. Freshwater fishing has also been very productive. Nothing like tossing frogs into lily pads and watching them get demolished. Also, the night bite for largemouth on topwater has been solid when the saltwater night bite isn’t working out.”

Marc Achtziger (@salty_ax) in the Eastern Sound reports: “We had an unforgettable day on the water this week, working topwater plugs along the north shore mid-Sound. The bite has been consistent this season, but this outing was something special. My family and I were fortunate to run into a school of bass actively busting on the surface—big fish, too, in the 20- to 30-pound class. We threw both the Madd Mantis Plank and the Doc, and the bass were crushing them. The highlight of the day came when Emma and Gracie each cast the Doc and were instantly met with massive surface explosions—two biggins blowing up at the same time! Watching the chaos unfold and hearing them both scream with excitement was a moment none of us will forget. The season’s off to an outstanding start.”

Joe Vukas (@joevukas) in the Eastern Sound reports: “I did make a few trips out and had a few good sessions on the fly. It seems some sand eels have shown up on the east end, mainly in the bay. I had bass to 30 inches during night sessions…as for the daytime…it’s been all bluefish! Loads of fun.”

Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “Fishing is good locally, but fluke is a pick. There are decent-sized fish in Peconic and Montauk, and weakfish and jumbo scup are particularly hot in Peconic. For weakfish, high-low rigs with fresh squid are crushing fish. For fluke, guys are catching on the usual strip baits and Gulp; the bigger fish want natural bait. Aside from bottom fishing, striper fishing in The Race and Plum Gut is hot. Bass guys are using three-way bucktail rigs; if you’re going out to do the same, you’ll need to use 12- to 16-ounce sinkers with these full moon tides.”

Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reported: “Big fluke being served on the menu this week! A new body of fish moved in and we have been on top of them. Loads of quality fish to 9 pounds hit the deck this past week. Limits have been the norm for those who work hard at the rail all day long. Let’s hope this holds up!”

Joshua Banayan (@reel.ny) in Queens reports: “Fishing still remains great on the western beaches and bays for striped bass and bluefish. Lots of cocktail blues and schoolie-sized bass have shown up to the party, with some good-sized fish in the mix as well. Nighttime has been working well for me, but I’ve noticed the fish have been more active during the day, blitzing on baitfish in the surf and bays. The bluefish have been biting just about anything you can put in front of them, but pencil poppers, SP Minnows, bucktails, and Super Strike darters have been getting the job done for me. Fluking still remains on fire and more fish seem to be moving toward the ocean as the season continues.”

Jamie at Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reports: “Bigger fluke were weighed in this week. Most were caught at Rockaway Reef and in the back bays. The hot baits are Gulp, squid, and spearing. Cocktail blues are also all over the bridges; the fish seem to blitz and crush bucktails and topwater toward the top of the tide. In other news, the thresher bite is on! Multiple threshers in the 300-pound range were weighed in this week. It seems most sharks were caught inshore, drifting bunker pods. Marty Wink landed two 5-pound fluke from a honey hole near Reynold’s Channel. Addittionally, Lloyd and company reported a great day bottom fishing for ling and sea bass, which seems to be the most consistent action in town. Bay Park is open 7 days a week for all of your fishing and boating needs.”

Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale said: “Fluke reports are coming in hot this week. Lots of solid flatties are in the bay, with fish up to 7 pounds being caught. Our shop fluke rigs are flying off the walls as more reports come in. Weakfish are alongside them, crushing small jigs. Light tackle and bright colors are pulling the fluke and weaks. Bluefish are all over the place, destroying schools of bait as best they can. Poppers and spooks will trigger those angry topwater strikes, and it’s fish after fish with SPs and Mag Darters. Bass action on the beaches has been going well; some really big fish have been taken on SPs, darters, and bucktails. It’s a grind, but the fish are here. If you’re looking for something to do with the kids before the snappers are at the docks, hit the local lakes for some panfish! Bluegill and perch will be schooled up tight and eagerly eating worms. Trout are all over the big bug hatches in the morning and evening hours; match it up and lay down a good cast. In the local lakes, it is full-on topwater season. The surface is covered in lily pads and weeds, so just pull a frog or a weedless soft plastic over the top for some major blowups. Bass and pickerel are all over them. During the mid-day hours, slow it down and fish on the bottom with Senkos.”

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!  

Bryce Poyer at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Fluking in the Shinnecock area is hot, but I haven’t heard much about fluking in the ocean yet. The better fishermen are catching limits. In terms of stripers, it’s been tough locally. Bluefish are still local, but it’s mostly small to medium-size blues around. Porgy fishing is hot in the Sound, and the weakfish bite in Peconic is going strong. I’m hopeful things will change for the better; the moon is looking good for a bass bite. In the last few weeks, we had some dirty water but the bright side is that it cleaned up. That said, Montauk and the North Fork are fishing spectacular.”

Captain Tim O’Rourke (@mtkpointflyfishing) in Montauk reports: “The bluefish have moved in pretty heavy making it difficult to get to the bass. However, bass fishing is still strong. There is plenty of action on flies and light tackle. I’ve also seen tuna busting in the rips around the point, which means the offshore bite should be heating up.”

This past week I spent my time dredging flies with a full-sink line in Western Long Island Sound. Much like jigging, dredging revolves around fishing drop offs and different contours along the bottom. When it comes to a setup, I’m typically using a 10-weight fast action rod, a large-arbor reel, 450-grain sink line, and a large Deceiver. Having a reliable fish finder is key. Usually, I prefer to make one drift without fishing just to scan the bottom. Once I know the fish are down there, on my next pass I cast and allow it to sink toward the bottom. When I feel it’s far down enough, I simply give the fly a few pops and pauses to elicit a strike. This technique is particularly effective for large bass hanging low in the water column anywhere from 10 to 50 feet. One question that I get a lot is, “How do you know when you’re on the bottom?” Well, each line has what’s called an inches-per-second sink rate, and the lines I fish sink at a rate of 8 inches per second. Based on your depth, you can reasonably quantify how long it will take to get your fly to the bottom. So if it’s 40 feet deep (or 480 inches), your fly will be down there in roughly 60 seconds. While I’m no mathematician, calculating these basic equations helps me get my fly right in the money zone!

Speaking of, this week I put my friend Matt Malone (@mattmalone_20) on his first striped bass on the fly; the big fella pictured below ate a chartreuse Deceiver in 25 feet of water while dredging.

Today, June 12th, is an absolute scorcher. It’s 89 degrees, the first HOT day of the year. These air temperatures are heating up the sand bottom, which means a hot fluke bite is in order. If you’re looking for steady action, grab your rod and a 3000- to 4000-size reel, and head down to the beach or back bay docks. Pack a few Gulp grubs, jigheads and teasers, and slowly but consistently tap the bottom! You’ll feel that distinct thud when the right fish swallows your offering.

On the bass side of things, the June full moon on the 11th should have fish fired up. That said, I’ve noticed in the past that the June moon has traditionally brought a chunk bite, with guys throwing meat and outfishing seasoned plug fanatics. If you’re a chunker, get your fresh bunker, tie up those snells, and prepare for a full night soak. When chunking bunker, be proactive. Make sure that you change your bait every 15 minutes or so—keeping a fresh bait out is pivotal. A lot of times, the fish are drawn in by the slime that the chunk has on its skin, and once that layer of oil and slime is gone, the fish are often less inclined to eat your offering. When it comes to a cut of choice, you can’t go wrong with a bunker head. Don’t be fooled though, the head does not mean cut all the meat behind the gill plate off; be sure to fish a bit of body meat on your bunker chunk!