Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
North Shore
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “The stripers slowed down a little bit, but soft plastics and topwater plugs are still catching fish. There are a good amount of big blues out in the Sound on bunker; guys are getting them trolling umbrellas and mojos. Live bunker and live spot are a good move. There are fewer bass than there were earlier in the season, but the bite is still going. There are a ton of fun-size fish on the beach.”
Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: “Lots of bait around in the Sound including sand eels, spearing, and bunker. As the water temps continue to climb, the bite has become very stage-of-tide specific, but we are still bringing slot-size fish over the rail and in the pail! We had a nice striper bite at camp this week with fish to 30 inches. More keeper sea bass to 3 pounds are showing up, and we are still bending rods on pork-chop porgies up to 2.5 pounds. There are lots of shorts on the fluke grounds to get to the keeper fish. To get in on the action, call or text 631-707-3266 or go to northportcharters.com.”
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Manny Orellana (@fynestfishing) in the Western Sound reports: “The striped bass bite remains very good even though the water temperature has definitely gotten warmer due to the heatwave that we had recently. They are really keyed in on live bunker and they just can’t say no to it. I find that they have been more active in the last two hours of the outgoing tide. We still have lots of bait in the water so that will make them stick around longer as the summer progresses. The bluefish have yet to really make a showing, but with the abundance of bait, I believe that any day now they’ll appear in numbers.”
Alfred Allen (@surfcaster11) in the Mid-Sound reports: “I only got out on Monday morning. I was a little late getting in the water, around 3:40 am. Super dark, increasing fog, middle of the outgoing current. I started with a 6-inch, black-shad-patterned Bass Assassin and got hammered right away. Solid fight from a 29-incher that was quickly released. Time: 3:59 am… And that was it! I left at sunrise. I’ve noticed that the last couple of fish needed extra time to be revived in the warmer water. Have a great 4th of July holiday weekend! Be safe and tight lines.”
Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “Weakfish action has picked up; I had a 32-inch weakfish this week. Bass fishing, however, is slowing down. The water is starting to get a little warmer. Fluke fishing is still a pick but it’s getting better. Plus, bluefish are around in the bay and they’re huge. The porgy bite on the Sound beaches is decent.”
South Shore
Capt. Doug Toback of Corazon Charters (@corazonfishing) in Freeport reports: “Sea bass fishing is the best it’s ever been, and the fluke have shown up and they are huge. My prediction is that it’s going to be an amazing fluke season. Threshers are moving out and the tuna have moved in. There are tons of sand eels all over!”
Brandon Weitz (@bbweitz1) at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports: “This week the shark bite has been hot from shore. A small chunk of bluefish caught this giant sand tiger which was estimated to be over 300 pounds!”
The Captree Fleet (@captreefleet) reports: “Some of our fleet are doing combo trips for fluke and black sea bass, catching fluke up to 6 pounds, and limits of large sea bass. The afternoon stripers/blues trips are doing great using a combo of jigs and eels. For all participating boat days and sailing times, please visit our website. Reservations are always suggested for all open boat trips. Also, get your gift certificates; available to purchase in our office or online, they can be used on any of our Members Boats. Our 4th of July cruise tickets are on sale now and can also be purchased on our site.”
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Hit the lakes in the early daylight hours or during sunset for a topwater blowout. Pickerel and bass are all over them this time of year. Frogs, ducks, mice, poppers, all of it! Midday they are just chilling down on the bottom, so toss a soft-plastic creature bait or Senko and work it slowly. Panfish are still plentiful and easy to catch, which makes for great family days on the water. It’s a bit too hot for trout, especially during the daylight hours. If you’re going to go after them, go very early or very late and check the water temperatures. Anything over 68° is not ideal. In salt water, fluke action is on the up as they start spreading throughout the bay. Look for humps, dips, and ledges, and the fluke will be hiding there. Weakfish are available, too. Fish light tackle and bright colors. A bucktail or jighead with some Gulp always does the trick, and our shop fluke rigs always put fish on the deck too. Just add weight and bait! Sea bass are on the local wrecks and reefs, annihilating jigs and clam rigs. Some big ol’ knuckleheads have been caught this week. Cocktail blues are still all over the place, cracking poppers and spooks, and inhaling minnow plugs like Mags and SPs. Bass are up north still pretty good, but starting to move. Resident fish can be found out east and along the north shore through the summer months, if you know where to look.”
Now sailing out of Moriches, Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters (@rockfishcharters) reports: “We finished our last bass trip this week and have been switching gears to start our tuna season. There are still plenty of bass holding tight to structure back west, but you have to pick through the sharks if you fish during the day. At night, there are fewer sharks and bigger bass to 30 pounds eating bunker chunks. The mid-shore tuna bite broke wide open and there are huge feeds of school-size to 50-inch-class fish all around. We have some prime tuna dates still available and will be sailing out of Moriches for the foreseeable future to be closer to the fish.”
Matt at Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports: “The fluke bite is picking up on the reefs, and the bays are still fishing well. Tuna are slowly moving in, sea bass fishing is good and triggers are showing up too. Plus, bluefish are loaded in the inlets, and sharks are on the beach!”
Nick at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Fluke fishing in the bay is decent and there is an infestation of cocktail bluefish back there. Bass fishing isn’t great right now, we haven’t had big bass on bunker pods yet. The sea bass bite is solid from Shinnecock to Montauk, and tuna action has been hot. There are tons of mid-sized bluefins eating topwater, but we are still waiting for inshore yellowfin to slide in!”
New York City
Captain Arthur Cortes of Cortes Outfitters (@cortes_outfitters) in NYC reports: “Fishing this week was fantastic! There were plenty of fish in the flats and marshes, eagerly eating anything from crabs and squid to peanut bunker and silversides. It looks like July will bring consistent fishing. For fly choice, I recommend a size 1 white popper, and for lures, a 5-inch Zoom Fluke works well. Call or text (347) 326-4750 or visit cortesoutfitters.com to book!”
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports: “Good weather and good fishing! Lots of action on most trips with the shorts flying up. Keeper fluke have been plentiful as well, and we’re seeing at least a couple on each drift. Some nice sea bass have also been coming up, along with tasty ling helping to fill coolers. Big fish of the week went just over 8 pounds. We’re sailing daily for fluke by reservation only! Call/text (516) 659-3814 for info. and availability.”
Captain Vinnie Calabro of Karen Ann Charters in NYC reports: “Going into the holiday week, temperatures cooled off somewhat with a brief respite from the heat wave. Jamaica Bay is still somewhat in the summer doldrums, but on a bright note, the porgies have arrived. We’re finding some bigger scup on the evening and morning tides. Anglers should check out the bridges and inlets. They are picking up some of the slack and bending rods. Striped bass fishing is okay at best, with the scales tipping toward night tides; drifting eels is your best bet. Surfcasters and boaters alike are seeing blues and schoolie bass breaking out by the inlet at dawn, just look for the birds. Some cleaner green water moved in with the easterly winds, which usually is a cue to other species such as cobia and tuna to move inshore. Thresher action is still on a high note from Ambrose Ridge to the B.A. buoy. I did some recon looking for weakfish with no success to date. The fluke fleet seems to be polarized from Staten Island into N.Y. Harbor, and east from the Rockaway Reef toward the Atlantic Beach Reef. There are plenty of shorts, but you must be persistent to catch keepers. Jersey boats are concentrating around Scotland Light and toward Long Branch. Your arsenal should include bucktails up to 4 ounces. If cooler temperatures prevail, the action should improve.”
Aaron Diener (@aarondiener) in NYC reports: “Lots of cocktail blues at sun up on poppers, which is always fun. Trying to get under them is the goal if you want to find some bass. Fluke fishing is solid, I went out and landed plenty of shorts with the biggest being 23 inches. Stay away from bait to limit interference from dogfish and sea robins. The water has warmed up a bit so remember to take care of any fish being released by handling them fast.”
The Author’s Experience
On June 29, I hopped on my 19-foot Whaler and ripped 35 miles east in search of calm, clean water. Driving from west to east, I could see the water clarity change from a sludge brown to a vibrant green. As we sat in 110 feet of water, I looked down and watched a 5-pound bluefish clobber a sand eel. Seeing that had me psyched. Assuming I’d slay bluefish, I threw a popper for 30 straight minutes. Not a follow, boil, or sign of life. With the afternoon dwindling, I reset on a rip line and began chucking a spook. As 5 PM turned to 6PM, a flock of birds pulled up and began diving. Seconds later bass began to rage on the surface, and within a single cast we were tight on a teen-size fish. While the bass were on the surface, my Simrad screen was absolutely loaded with fish. In fact, the amount of fish around was actually surprising considering the rising air and water temperatures.
On July 1, On The Water had a day out on the Nancy Ann IV in Orient with our friends from SPRO and Sea Falcon, and the Nancy Ann did not disappoint. We started our day fishing 100 feet of water in The Race, and while the bite was tough, we managed a bunch of fish on 6-ounce bucktails and heavy three-way rigs. Once we hit our limit of legal fish, we then switched over to porgy! The rig of choice was a small slow-pitch jig tipped with clam. Simply drop it down, wait for the thud and set the hook…we all went home with sore arms and dinner!
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
Happy 4th of July! If you’re boating this weekend, please be safe, as bays and channels can be super congested with boat traffic. Be sure to take proper precautions when hitting the water. It looks like Long Island will experience daytime temperatures in the upper 80s and night temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s. Being that it’s a holiday weekend, expect a ton of noise and boat traffic. Plugging might be tough! With that in mind, it’s the perfect time to hit the beach with a 7- or 8-foot medium light rod, 5000-size spinning reel, and some jigheads and Gulp. Fluke don’t care about any noise or traffic. The ocean and Sound beaches should have plenty of fun-size fluke around, with shots at keepers as well.
If you’re looking for bass, you’ll need to run far east. The Eastern Sound and Montauk will likely have the coldest water at the moment, which should keep the fish happy. Rigged eels, metal lips, and large swimmers should give up big fish. Aside from inshore activity, the offshore scene should bust wide open any day!