Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
North Shore
Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: “Stripers are still biting on more specific stages of the tide now in LI Sound. With this 3-day heat advisory and temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, it quickly drove up water temperatures in the harbor to 80 degrees. We’re also starting to catch keeper sea bass and larger fluke lately, which keeps our customers busy bending the rod. There are still plenty of spearing, sand eels, adult bunker and mackerel in our fishery swimming around the water column. We’ve had a slow start to porgy fishing, but more should come up any day now! To get in on the action, call or text 631-707-3266 or go to northportcharters.com.”
Patrick Hilbert (@pattytales) on the North Shore reports: “The bass are still around but getting more finicky. So much bait and rising temps has them down deep, feeding at night and picking specific times to gorge. Occasionally, the fish pop up top but that bite seems to be waning. During the middle of the outgoing, on deep ledges, the fish have been stacking up and feeding for an hour or two. Spoons and large paddletails have been the ticket. The Personal Best Lures Cedar Glider has also been performing well.”
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “It’s been brutally hot, so late night fishing has been where it’s at. The beach bite is slowing down. Guys are catching fluke, but porgy fishing has been a grind lately. There are plenty of weakfish around although they’ve been picky. We have plenty of live spot for sale in our store! Visit our website at cowharbortackle.com or call us at (631) 239-1631.”
Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) in the Eastern Sound reports: “Fluking has been really good. Tons of sand eels around. I was out on the paddleboard fluking and was floating over schools of sand eels—the fluke have been right underneath them. I’m even seeing them air out of the water. I’ve mostly been jigging bucktails tipped with Gulp and a dropper loop above, also tipped with Gulp. Striper fishing at night has been productive as well. Lots of little fish, but the larger fish, for me, were down deep on the bottom. Slowly jigging soft plastics in deeper water and letting the current swing it up the channel ledge was how I culled the larger bass.”
Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “Bass fishing is about as hot as the weather; the Gut bite continues. The Race has plenty of fish on the outgoing, and diamond jigs are killer lately. There is some bigger bait around now. The 3-way rig with light bucktails, or a lone 6-ounce bucktail with a trailer is killer. The bass will also blow up on top from time to time. Fluke action has stayed consistent, and the weakfish bite is very good in the bay but they aren’t really schooled up. A high-low rig with squid continues to produce best.”
Marc Achtziger (@salty_ax) headed out to Block Island and reported: “I was out this week with Scott Worth of North Fork Light Tackle Charters at Block Island. Larger-class fish are stacked, and the consistent quality makes every trip a shot at a true cow. The bite continues to impress; we caught several fish around the 45- to 49-inch range and flirting with the 50-pound mark. This is similar to a trip we took together last year that was unbelievable. These fish are fired up—fighting hard and delivering long, punishing runs. Most of the action came on 13-inch Joe Baggs BI Eels and Gravity Tackle baits, which have been the go-to this season for triggering bites from the big ones.”
South Shore
Captain Doug Toback of Corazon Charters (@corazonfishing) in Freeport reports: “Sea bass fishing has been the best we have ever seen! Good numbers and size. Guests are catching them on jigs and bait on our slow-pitch Daiwa outfits. Fluke showed up in good numbers in the ocean—this is shaping up to be an epic season. We have always had great fluke fishing when sea bass has been strong early. On top of all that, threshers are on fire! Offshore is showing signs of life and we are ready to roll when percentages get high. Fingers crossed for good weather ahead!”
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Brandon Weitz (@bweitz1) at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports: “Fluking is starting to pick up on the reefs, as well as sea bass. Sharks are starting to show up on the beaches and boats as well. Three of our Causeway guys got a 460-pound thresher on Tuesday!”
Joshua Banayan (@reel.ny) on the South Shore reports: “The bass fishing has slowed down on the western beaches, replaced with blitzing bluefish varying from cocktails to very healthy gators. I have even seen pelagics starting to show up, with Spanish mackerel and bonito moving closer to the surf. Big bass can still be caught on the western beaches, but as the season moves on, it seems like the eastern beaches are more fruitful. Topwater lures, darters, SP minnows and bucktails have been my go-tos.”
Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “In the lakes, it’s topwater season! There are tons of lily pads and tons of muck on the surface for the bass and pickerel to hide under and crash on any frog lure that passes by. Hit that around first light or sunset for your best bet at a grab or two. Late morning and midday, go low and slow with a classic Senko or a jig with a nice creature trailer. If you’re going to go after trout right now, be sure to check the water temperatures first. Anything over 68° is really a no-go. That being said, on the right mornings and evening hours, the hatches are big and the fish are active. In the salt, fluke are in heavy, and moving all throughout the bay. Channels, flats, holes, lumps, and slopes are loaded up with solid flatfish. Plenty of fluke over twenty inches are coming up over the rails. Weakfish are in with them, and they’re starting to show face a bit more frequently. Fish light, and fish bright! We fish a lot of 1/8- to 1/2-ounce jigs with 10-pound braid on very sensitive rods. Tom Luciano brought in two fish over 6 pounds to weigh in recently. Sea bass action is red hot right now. The local wrecks and reefs are stacked up with plenty of gorgeous sea bass. I’ve seen some good knuckleheads already; drop a jig or a baited rig down and you’re on. If bluefish are what you are after, there are tons of them ripping around the bay from cocktail to chopper size. Toss a popper or spook, an SP Minnow or Mag Darter, or sacrifice some soft plastics you’ve had in the box for way too long. If you’re looking for bass, head out east or up north. Still plenty of good fish in those waters. Soft plastics and SPs seem to be doing the trick.”
Kyle Ellis (@kyle_Lsx) on the South Shore reports: “Bluefish are everywhere right now, with sizes all over the map, especially if you’re tossing topwater lures during the day. Every so often, a few schoolie bass crash the party. If luck’s on your side, you might even get a trophy bass—think 40 pounds or more. Strangely enough, those bigger fish have been showing up in daylight, at least before this heat wave rolled in. Now that the water’s warming up, there’s way more weed drifting through, but it comes and goes with the tides. I’ve hit a few inlets at night and found bass willing to hit bucktails. The open beaches are holding bass after dark too—try twitchbaits or Swarters and see what happens. The fish are definitely out there, but it takes some patience. Wait for the water to clear and put in the hours, and you’ll find them.”
Wyatt at Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports: “There are tons of blues around, bass are eating live bait, and sharks and fluke are on the beach. The bay side has been good for fluke, with Gulp and spearing both crushing fish. Fluke are spitting up squid and shrimp.”
Nick at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Bass fishing is pretty slow locally, and Montauk is slow as well. Block Island had a push of good fish. There are still a lot of bluefish around though. Regardless of tide, the inlet and outer bars are providing gators. A few tuna are starting to show in 180 feet of water. The Hudson Canyon is hot lately, too.”
New York City
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reported: “Good fluking continues! When the conditions allow we have been fishing the ocean targeting the wrecks and rock piles. Lots of action between short fluke and sea bass flying up, with plenty of keepers in the mix. When targeting larger fish, we have been staying in the harbors and bays and boy do these trips produce! The quantity is less, but the quality is there with fish up to 9 pounds this past week!” Call or text (516) 659-3814 for info and availability.
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters (@rockfishcharters) in Queens reports: “This week we’ve been fishing structure in our NY & NJ waters. Bunker has been tough to net and unfortunately, we’re spending a lot of time at the beginning of our trips getting it. The effort is worth it though, because once we have fresh bait the fish chew right through this heat wave! We have a handful of bass trips left in the schedule, then we’ll be switching over to tuna and more mixed-bag trips.”
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Captain Arthur Cortes (@cortes_outfitters) in NYC reports “Fishing this week has been quite challenging. With temperatures reaching 100 degrees, the bay’s striped bass become inactive or even leave the area at times. The best time to target them is at first light using small lures and flies. Lure choices: Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow, 1/2-ounce white bucktail, pink epoxy jigs. Fly patterns: crab, shrimp and anchovies. On the other hand, the Breezy to Rockaway area has bluefish blitzes almost every day. Let’s hope for cooler temperatures ahead.”
Captain Vinnie Calabro of Karen Ann Charters in NYC reports: “With sea temperatures in the mid seventies, the summer doldrums with regards to striper fishing have arrived. However, although Jamaica bay is slow for the moment, good bass fishing is ongoing in both the cooler waters at the inlet and in New York Harbor. I’ve been catching plenty of fish at dawn, dusk, and on night tides. Live bait is the way to go. Fluke fishing remains the summer staple of the fleet and is still going strong from the Tin Can grounds to points east of the AB Reef. Porgies are also starting to show up in their usual haunts. Meanwhile offshore, everyone is channeling their inner Quint from Jaws, with threshers being a consistent species to target. Prime areas include Ambrose Ridge and the shipping lanes. Tuna are anticipated to chew on the backside of this new moon.”
Aaron Diener (@aarondiener) in NYC reports: “Not much going on honestly; grinding it out to find that window when the bass chew for an hour or so. There are lots of bluefish around, but you really have to work to get under them. Bass have been in the low-slot range.”
This weekend I went out with buddy, Chris Meagher, armed with a full tank of gas, a livewell full of bunker, and a dream of big bass. Leaving Manhasset Bay, I blasted 35 miles east in search of cooler and cleaner water. With 3 fly rods, 4 plugging rods, and a live-line rod, we made our way through the crisp, calm western Sound. Once we arrived in our spot, we were greeted by tons of bait and fish on the screen at roughly 30 feet. Initially, I dropped the flutter spoon but the fish just wouldn’t touch it. What was 5 to 6 marks on the screen then shifted to 100 fish sitting firmly from the bottom to the middle of the column. I grabbed 3 live bunker and chucked them as high as I could into the air to garner the attention of the fish, but they refused to cooperate and quickly darted off the screen. With that in mind, I began slowly circling the area when I marked 3 giant fish. I immediately took my live-line setup and jammed a circle hook right into the bunker where the belly starts to taper off into the tail. This rigging style ensures the bunker swims straight down rather than sit near the surface. In short order, I was on a 20-pound fish that absolutely inhaled my bunker. With the skunk off our back, Chris and I began dredging flies in 40 feet of water. While we marked giant fish they still refused to cooperate, so we spent the rest of our afternoon blasting east in search of bluefish. While we were able to find big, tailing blues on the surface, they too refused to eat anything! After a few hours of watching blues cruise around we sent it back to the bass ground. Once the late afternoon set in, the bass were charged up. Flutter spoons, Docs, and live bunker yielded bass to 30 pounds.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
Jeez, oh Pete! It’s HOT outside. Luckily, it seems like we’re turning the corner and getting back into the 80s during the day and 70s at night. If you’re a traveling surfcaster, now is the time to hit Eastern Long Island. The further east you go toward Orient and Montauk, the cooler the water. Keep in mind that the June full moon was on the 25th! The 26th, 27th, and 28th could yield some very large fish. Hit some boulder fields, as these fish are rocked up in their summering holes eating bunker, small blackfish, and crabs. My go-to plugs are large metal lips, floating Magic Swimmers, and monster weightless soft plastics. I’d fish dreadfully slow, as these recent air temperatures might have some of these fish dazed and confused.
As it pertains to bottom fishing, the fluke bite should remain hot in the Sound. There are plenty of sand eels milling around near the surface and the bottom. Gulp, bucktails, and leadheads with trailers should continue to produce solid fish. We’re headed into the dog days of summer! Let’s all hit this new moon hard. Good luck to all you hardcore anglers out there.
When you say large Magic Swimmer, how large?