Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “Fluking has been slow; fishing east for fluke has been good! Decent-size keepers are being hauled over the rails. The bite is on and off. There are plenty of shorts around chomping on sandeels. We’re seeing a lot of bait show up—borderline adult bunkers are flooding into local bays. Small live eels and spots are the move for bass!”
Captain Kenny of The Angler Fleet out of Port Washington reports: “Bass are still here, and it looks like we may have a bass bite throughout the summer—fingers crossed. Our night chunking trips are going great! Still little to no sign of porgy, but the fluke is very slowly picking up.” Striper fishing remains good at the deeper-water reefs during optimal feeding times, including the low-light hours, but most anglers are switching tactics to subsurface jigging and bait fishing as topwater feeding has become less consistent. Fishing in the Eastern Sound in places like The Race was still very strong.
The big story this past week has been the arrival of bluefin tuna “midshore” south of Long Island along the 20- and 30-fathom lines. There are a tremendous number of 30 lb to 100 lb+ bluefins, as well as some giants in the mix. We had incredible surface feeds this past week, as there is a hard thermocline in some areas pinning the sand eels to the top 20 feet of the water column. Humpbacks and dolphins are a good indication that you are in the correct zone and tunas are nearby. These fish are still moving day to day and not set up yet, so be flexible and start fishing even if you aren’t marking the tunas on the fish finder, as they may be higher in the water column. Tunas feeding on the surface were being selective, so be prepared to cycle through a Rolodex of lures to figure out what is working that day. Paddle tails and stickbaits seem to be most reliable, but some anglers succeeded with poppers. Even some fly fishermen have been ticking off bluefin from their bucket list.”
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Bill Falco at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Tuna fever! Tuna water has finally pushed up close, and the bite is red hot! Poppers, plastics, and side trackers are putting in work! We just stocked up with some killer Chatter Lures tackle, so come check that out! Fluke are finally the talk of the town this week. Seems like that warmer water really made things move around. Weakfish are showing up alongside them, and that’s making everyone happy. Sea bass action on the local reefs and wrecks is good; better fish are out at the farther wrecks. Bluefish are ripping around, holding on the flats and stalking the bait they can find. Stripers are held up in the inlets, deep. Dredge some bucktails or send a live eel down for the best shot at some good fishing, especially with this moon.”
Aqualina Charters out of Moriches Bay reports: “Fluke continues to improve on most trips. We had a decent pick of short fluke and a handful of keepers last week. My son Joey and his two friends for his birthday trip had a few keepers and plenty of shorts. Sunday’s trip was a pick as well, but with a good amount of short life in some spots. Today’s trip was the best so far—nine keepers up to 5 lbs. Savage action at times during drifts away from the fleet, with 2 to 3 fish on at once during Ward Melville High School Fishing Club’s annual trip for graduating seniors.”
White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “The inshore fishing has been decent. Stripers are in Shinnecock Inlet and Peconic Bay. Fluking is picking up, but it’s not that great; the bay is slowing down while out front, some sea bass and triggerfish have moved in on reefs. The offshore scene is booming—bluefin are 10 to 15 miles off, ranging from 45- to 50-inches, with some bigger fish mixed in. The canyons have been excellent with yellowfin, bigeye, giant bluefin, and tilefish.”
Captain Adam Ross of Tuna Cartel (@tunacartelofficial) on the South Shore reports: “The bluefin bite has been on fire with fish spread throughout the midshore grounds, and it’s only getting better. We’ve been seeing consistent action, and on Monday we had our limit of bluefin and were back at the dock early—a great problem to have. The canyon bite has been just as impressive, especially to the east. On our last trip, we put 30 yellowfin tuna in the boat and added a pair of bigeye to the mix with only two anglers aboard. After an incredible day of nonstop action, the guys were completely worn out, so we called it early with sore arms, full fish boxes, and plenty of smiles. If the weather continues to cooperate, there’s no reason this excellent tuna fishing won’t continue. Whether you’re looking for a quick limit of bluefin or an action-packed canyon trip for yellowfin and bigeye, now is the time to get offshore.”
Scott Monahan (@bonesyfishing) reports: “That’s a wrap for me for the 2026 spring bass run. When most had given up and I was fishing empty beaches, I pushed it extra hard for the solitary big girls. These fish are extremely hard to raise, stick, and land. They know how to survive, and that’s exactly how they get to be cows. Everything must be how they want it, or you won’t even know they are there. Big Skippers and metal lips from Cowdozer & Lights Out Lures were the only plugs getting thrown. You have to commit sometimes for a week for a shot at one. I’ll be switching to shore fluke and an occasional tuna trip with Reel Therapy Charters Montauk. Hope everyone has a great summer!”
Capt. Pete Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters out of Montauk reports: “As water temps reach 65°F and up, I know our days of this incredible bass bite are coming to an end, but it has just kept going. While squid seems to be the favorite target of the big fish, there are fish hitting sand eel schools as well. Topwater still works with any big fluffy flies blind-casted or behind a teaser plug. The 11-inch Surface Freak and Super Snax get the most love if not throwing a fly. Once the sun comes up bright, I’m doing much better going deep with the same large profiles. Not sure I’ve seen this much bait in a while, so while I’m being cautiously optimistic, we could have the makings of a decent summer bite—something we haven’t seen in a few years. Bluefish are continuing to fill into their summer spots, and the nearshore tuna bite is just getting going. There is so much bait out there, it feels like it has to explode any day.”
The Author’s Experience
This week I had the pleasure of fishing with Mike Lamb out of Manhasset Bay. We pushed off the dock in the early afternoon in search of big bass, and the bite did not disappoint. Mike slayed on the glide bait like a pro. To get the right bite, he casted directly on top of a bottom contour and let the glide sink 10 to 20 feet. Upon engaging the glide, Mike took six fast cranks and paused the plug. Within 10 seconds, he was tight on a 20-plus-pound fish. Mike, like the beast he is, replicated that moment about 10 times with fish up to 28 pounds! On the other hand, I stuck with throwing giant topwaters but only had a measly three hits. It’s safe to say Mike absolutely smoked me.
As for Tuesday, I took the day off and went out to the tuna grounds with my friend Capt. Ben Burdine of Apex Angling. As we approached the grounds, we were greeted by tons of life, including whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and balls of sand eels. As we cased the scene looking for tuna, we couldn’t seem to find much. Then, like a true expert, Ben suggested we keep moving within a few miles of our original area. We were met with a spectacle on the surface—tuna ram-feeding on sand eels. We threw into them a few times and just could not come tight. By mid-morning, the feeds had disappeared, and we began jigging. With a few fish on the screen, our confidence boosted. At around 9 a.m., my 14-year-old cousin Sonny hooked up on the jig and came tight. I yelled “hit him, hit him again!” and the fish went on a blistering run. Ben and I both knew that this wasn’t a rec. fish. I quickly took over the rod and began fighting a giant for about 45 minutes. The fish came to the surface, sweeping across the bow. Let’s just say we confirmed that it was over 80 inches. Tired and overheating, I took a break and let Ben tangle with the beast. He did a great job pumping up the fish and maintaining heat. A few minutes later, I was back on the rod with Ben on the wheel. An hour and a half later, we had the fish pinned midship with the harpoon ready. Unfortunately, our 14K light setup couldn’t handle any more abuse, and the fish snapped us off. Pretty crazy way to start my tuna season!
As we reset, Sonny dropped the jig again and came tight to a rec. fish, but it swam right at the boat and spit the jig. While the rest of the day looked promising, we just couldn’t stay on top of any fish or come tight. Nevertheless, Ben put us on, but we couldn’t take advantage of the moment. It’s still super early in the tuna season, and it’s only going to get better. If you’re in the Connecticut area, Captain Ben Burdine of Apex Angling is your guy!
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
Bass fishing is slowing down; the fish have migrated through, and there are a few resident fish willing to chew. That said, we’re entering the dog days of summer with some heavy heat coming our way. Fluking is picking up, and that bite should only be getting better. Porgy fishing to the west has been really tough, but the Eastern Sound continues to hold a few patches of good-size porgies. The inshore and offshore tuna game is strong—it’s only the beginning, and folks are slaying. Jigging, popping, and trolling are all fair getting it done!