Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
North Shore
The Angler Fleet out of Port Washington reports: “The fluke bite has continued to provide plenty of action for anglers of all experience levels, with a solid showing of shorts and a steady pick of quality keepers hitting the deck, making for productive outings across our open boat and private charter trips. Meanwhile, porgy have begun showing up in greater numbers along local structure, signaling the start of the mixed-bag season. Our Kids Summer Fishing Camp is officially underway for its 17th season. Running Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM, it’s an incredible opportunity for young anglers (ages 8–14) to get out on the water, learn about fishing and marine life, and develop lasting outdoor skills. To get in on the action call or text (718) 659-8181 or visit our website.”
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “There are still bass around being caught on flies, topwaters, and live bait. A lot of guys are crushing bass on live spot, and the fish are big! Earlier this week, there was a big bass blitz locally with a few large blues in the mix up to 15 or 16 pounds. Porgies are everywhere, and weakfish are still in the bay as well. We have tons of live eels and spot available in store and on our website!”
Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: “Nice bite this week with charters & Kids Fishing Camp! Still catching lots of short fluke, but with the occasional 4- to 6-pound keeper. Sea bass are now starting to come over the rail, with bigger keepers showing up weekly. Porgies are also showing up in more numbers and size. On a charter this week. 5-year-old Brady had a 17-inch porgy that weighed in at 2-3/4 lbs…he is now hooked for life! Slot-size stripers are still coming over the rail, but with the water warming, they are less abundant in the Sound. We are also catching the occasional weakfish & blowfish here and there! To get in on action call or text (631) 707-3266 or visit our website.”
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Captain Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly (@northislandfly) out of Smithtown Bay reports: “The first week of July has had some hot weather along with some hot fishing. The bunker seem to have finally made their way into Long Island Sound in bigger numbers. I have been fishing far away from the crowds and finding consistent action with large schoolies and fish to 20 pounds mixed in with them. These fish are hanging on deepwater ledges, gorging on sand eels and 6- to 7-inch bunker. The full moon that we have now has also pushed one more wave of quality stripers into central LI Sound. We’ve been finding big fish feeding on top in VERY short windows, so if you aren’t finding crazy action, it’s mainly because the water temps are starting to rise with mid-day temps around 80°F on the surface. When the fish aren’t popping, the S&S Rock Hopper bucktails have been absolutely hammering the bass. I have phased out the flutter spoons as they have not been producing as well, and let’s face it—a bucktail is way more fun to fish! Cast out, let it free fall to the bottom, and work it up and down the water column all the way back to the boat. The big bluefish have not really been consistent yet this year, but hopefully they will show up well after the bass decide to slow down, if they ever do! I still have some availability in the second half of July, so if you are still itching for some good bass action, hit me up!”
Captain Brian of Skippy Charters out of Mount Sinai reports: “The striped bass have moved off the beaches to their summer grounds. We have been catching schoolies to fish over 30 pounds with a good amount of slots in the mix, through trolling, jigging, and live bait. We have been working with GrayFish Tag, tagging over-slot striped bass for their research, giving customers the unique opportunity to catch, tag, name, and release large striped bass all in the name of science and conservation! A striped bass tagged almost two years ago was recaptured just 15 miles away in Long Island Sound, proving that they return to the same grounds year after year. There are a ton of fluke on the shoals feeding on sand eels, but keepers are hard to come by. The sea bass season is off to a good start with nonstop action on the local wrecks and rock piles. The porgies have spread out and are not as thick as previous weeks, but still provide a fun bite for the kids. Bluefish have been few and far between, but should increase in numbers as water temperatures continue to warm.”
Tom Truehart (@northshoretommy) made a nearshore tuna journey and reported: “I decided to head to Montauk for the 4th and go offshore for some tuna. I heard the bite to the west had been really good and wasn’t sure what to expect that morning, but once the crew and I hit the 20–30 fathom area, life started showing up all over. We headed southwest and ran into some pretty large feeds. Lots of boats were trolling the area with great success. We decided to work some areas outside the fleets, ran into large schools of bluefin pushing water on the surface, and managed to plug a few fish on Madd Mantis poppers. Hoping for some good weather this tuna season—great to see it’s off to a strong start on the inshore tuna grounds.”
Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “The fishing is almost as hot as the weather out here. The Race is lock and load with bass on the outgoing tide. Bucktails and three-way rigs seem to produce best. Sea bass fishing is a little slow, but they should be moving in and chewing soon. In the bay, Greenlawns has gotten better; porgies, weakfish, and fluke are fishing well, and you can grind out a limit of fluke if you put your time in. On the Sound beaches, there are bass after dark and plenty of porgies. This year, we haven’t seen too many bluefish. The Gut has some bunker showing up, but the bite is inconsistent.”
South Shore
Captain Arthur Cortes of Cortes Outfitters in NYC reports: “Striper fishing this week has slowed down a bit, with temperatures remaining stable in the upper 80s to low 90s. Bluefishing, however, continues to be good, with blitzes occurring around Jamaica Bay everyday. Larger striped bass are being caught at night using big metal lips and swim shads. If you’re hitting the water with artificials, I recommend throwing a Jim Jaget metal lip or a suspended shrimp fly.”
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports: “Fluke fishing remains very good! Lots of action each trip keeping you on your toes until you get the right bite. We have been averaging anywhere between 20 and 40 keepers on most trips with some beautiful sea bass in the mix. Limits are the norm for the more experienced anglers, but everyone has been getting in on the action. We have been fishing the stick bottom most days; we know where they live! Big fish of the week went just over 8 pounds, landed by Benny Lewkowitz. We’re sailing two boats daily by reservation only. Call/text (516) 659-3814 for info and availability!”
Captain Doug Toback of Corazon Fishing Charters in Freeport reports: “Tuna and sea bass are dominating the season to date, but there is a lot more season left! We are running offshore and the tuna have been flying over the rails. We are jigging and sniping our fish, which consists predominantly of bluefin to 60 pounds, but yellowfin are starting to move in also. We have still been sea bass fishing and the fluke have been making a stronger appearance lately. The sea bass bite continues to be the best we have ever seen. When we get the right weather, the fishing is off the charts.”
Jimmy Andrews (@jimmy_andrews) reports from the South Shore: “If you were out early on 4th of July weekend, it wasn’t hard to find the bluefish around Jones Beach. Flocks of birds and blitzing blues were terrorizing bait balls. The sun was rising on a falling tide, and fish were blasting topwater plugs without hesitation. In my experience this season, the early outgoing tides have been producing some of the best light-tackle fishing you could ask for!”
The Captree Fleet reports: “This week the action has been hot in the Bay and outside reef; we’re catching fluke to 6 pounds plus, sea bass to 3 pounds, and an assortment of bluefish to 10 pounds, along with porgies, mackerel, triggerfish and weakfish. Reservations are suggested for all open boat trips. Get your gift certificates, available to purchase in our office or online. They can be used on any of our Members Boats. Tight lines!”
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Ryan (@fish_the_northeast_) on the South Shore reports: “Fluke fishing has been going strong. There’s been no shortage of 19- to 23-inch fish along the south shore. I’ve been doing well fishing shallow water between 6 to 10 feet. Most of the time I’ve been going with a 6-inch Gulp Jerk Shad on a 1/4-ounce jighead. As the hot weather continues, it’s best to focus your efforts around cooler, cleaner water on incoming tides.”
Matt at Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports: “Fishing has been great; the fluke in Shinnecock are chewing. Striped bass fishing is basically non-existent, but there are a ton of triggerfish around, and a cobia was caught in the inlet! The big news has been tuna. There are a ton of 40- to 60-inch fish near shore and they have been chewing.”
Max Fineman (@max.fineman) and Charlie Plym (@charlieplym.13) out of Shinnecock reported: “On July 4th at 11 PM, we left the dock for the tuna grounds. With our sights set on a bigeye tuna, we trolled a Sterling Tackle zucchini daisy chain. Although it took 6 hours before we eventually came tight, we hit a double with a bigeye and yellowfin. It was a textbook bite; we marked them up high for the first time that day, jigged the spread and got our meat. We were back to the dock the following night!”
Patrick Sheil went out on the Ebb Tide out of Montauk last weekend and reported: “Captain Anthony put everyone on the meat, I was lucky enough to catch the pool fish with my new setup—a Centaur rod (Chiron 65 (B) UL) with an Accurate Valiant 300 reel from the Montauk Anglers Club. My pool-winning fluke hit the top hook on a high-low rig using 6-inch white/glow Berkley Gulp Grub. I was simply bouncing an 8-ounce sinker across sticky bottom.”
Surfcaster Brandon Sausele (@bsausele42) in Montauk reports: “Some more promising action off the rocks out in Montauk coming off the backside of the June new moon. With the sharks making their appearance and the recent heat wave, I started shifting my approach to targeting fish in their summer patterns. That manifested into a “one-hit, one-fish” night, where I grinded it out and was able to stick a mid-40-pound fish from a deep rock on a rigged eel for the Surfmasters Tournament. While it was my only fish of the night, there were rumblings of a few big fish dropped around the same night between the north side, south side, and sand. Likewise, there’s been some more activity in general with smaller bass on the summer feed. Going forward, with the sharks undeniably patrolling the reefs now, it’s best to make a well-thought-out game plan, where you’re targeting spots that aren’t as far out but still allow you to reach deep water. It’s best to avoid some of the further rocks where half your body is submerged.”
The Author’s Experience
July 4th weekend was epic. I had the pleasure of fishing Block Island with Captain Carter of Joe Diorio Guide Service and Tim O’Rourke of Montauk Point Fly Fishing on Friday and Saturday. The fish seemed to be hugging bottom in roughly 30 to 50 feet. We fished live eels and long, slender plastics such as the Savage Gear Eel and Joe Baggs Block Island Eel. The largest fish that hit the deck was caught by my buddy, Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26). As Andrew slowly retrieved and popped the Savage Gear Eel, a healthy bass over 40 inches absolutely clobbered it, and his VS150 drag started screaming. It’s always amazing to see mega-size plastic baits conjure up giant fish! While I didn’t catch any monsters, I was lucky enough to convince a few slot-size fish to inhale a large synthetic baitfish pattern. Either way, I was happy to see and catch some fish on July 4th.
As for the 5th, Tim, my buddy Matt Malone and I hit some ledges off Block Island. The fish sat firmly along the bottom again, but refused to play ball. At one point, we watched a jumbo bass push a porgy 4 feet into the air! A sight to behold. And while the striped bass didn’t cooperate, we had a killer time catching big sea bass on resin jigs and snap jigs. I forgot how hard these sea biscuits can fight!
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
It’s been HOT out, but there’s a silver lining: the July full moon is today. I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but the 3 days before and after the full moon can bring killer fishing. The moon exacerbates the tide which produces faster current and larger tide swings. Like I’ve said in the past, the full moon produces big fish! With the recent heat warming up the Sound and ocean, I’d recommend heading east for a nighttime trip. The Eastern Sound around Orient and down to Montauk will likely be your coolest and cleanest water. Your efforts should be focused around boulder fields and rips. The primary bait seems to be sand eels, so slim profiles such as the Daiwa SP minnow, Tsunami holographic sand eel, Joe Baggs Miracle Minnow, and yellow needlefish plugs are the move. If you can find a bunker school, don’t be afraid to chuck a metal lip, a floating Magic Swimmer, glider, or Red Fin. Keep in mind the water is warm, so make sure your retrieve is slow and methodical, and that you revive stripers before releasing them.
As for the boat guys, the tuna have moved in hot. It’s time to fill those gas tanks and make a run. The South Shore and Montauk received a nice push of schoolie tuna willing to chew jigs and poppers. Be sure to bring the appropriate gear!