Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Captain Kenny of The Angler Fleet (@anglerfleet) out of Port Washington reports: “We’re still seeing striped bass action, both busting on the surface during the day and needing chunks at night. Finding fluke in all the usual haunts, as well as in the bays, with more and more keepers being caught lately. We are also seeing our first local porgy on fluke trips, so we should be running porgy trips in no time.”
Captain Jess Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Excellent fluke fishing over the past week with drop-and-stick action on the hard bottom. Plenty of keepers in the mix with Gavin taking big fish honors with an 8-pound beauty. We saw quite a few limits as well, with many passengers going home with dinner.”
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Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “The bass bite continues to be strong with fish in the 20-to-30-pound class on live bait. The best live bait for the job is live eels and live spot. Inside the harbor the bite has slowed down. There are a few fluke around — if you live-line a spot in some deeper water, you might be surprised with a jumbo!”
Nick Cherkas (@surfcasting_the_island) reports: “The backside of this full moon brought a wave of flatties onto the sand beaches, and it was lock-and-load action if you knew where to look. Moderate/calm conditions called for 1/4-oz jigs tipped with 5-inch jerk shads in pearl white and pink shine. The majority of the fluke taken have been sub-par to keeper size, with your occasional 17- to 20-inch fish in the mix. As the doldrums of summer continue, we should begin to see more bunker pods with sharks and cobia on them, and more fluke emptying out of the bay.”
Bill Falco at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle (@chasingtailsbait) in Oakdale reports: “It’s officially the heat of the summer, and it’s time to adjust your fishing accordingly. Bass are out east and holding deep — dredge the inlets with bucktails or any live bait at the right time and you’re on. Montauk guys are doing well with parachutes; up north, they’re still wrecking spooks and poppers, chasing schools of big baits. Bluefish are ripping around the flats, looking for any bait they can manage, and they’re holding strong in those areas. Fluke are plentiful, with some solid keepers in the mix of all the shorts. Sea bass and porgies are all over the wrecks and reefs, along with some giant gray triggerfish. Clams on a hi-lo rig will always work for those fun and tasty bottom fish.”
Aqualina Charters (@aqualinacharters) out of Moriches Bay reports: “More and more fluke showing up, and with the right conditions there are plenty of shorts and quality keepers to be had in the bay. In the ocean, there is a lot of bait, and fluke are showing there too with the rising temps. Ling and sea bass are on the local wrecks and reefs as well.”
White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “The tuna game offshore has been good, however it recently slowed down after the moon. Giant fishing is still pretty good, but they need to be released; inshore, the striped bass bite has been a steady pick. Montauk and Block have been decent for stripers as well. Fluke fishing is slow overall, but picking up in the bay. Plenty of shorts to keep busy!”
Captain Pete Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters out of Montauk reports: “As good as this spring bite was, the bass fishing here in Montauk is starting to settle into its summer patterns. Topwater opportunity has been limited lately, but there have still been some giants down deep. Heavy fly lines fished around sunrise/sunset and at night have been working really well for me, as have 10-inch Fin-S Fish and Zinger Snakes on jigheads. I still prefer the flood, but the ebb is producing too. It’s not quite the same, but this already feels like summers from 10 to 15 years ago. The big blues, albeit slower than years past, have shown up and can be found pretty much all day cruising the shallows. The nearshore bite took a step back this week, but I expect that to explode any minute.”
The Author’s Experience
I hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth of July. Last weekend I fished 22 hard hours with my buddy Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26), Dan Termini (@blufflures), and On The Water’s own Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater) in Montauk. On Friday’s adventure we found the fish at the end of the incoming, raging on the surface. Andrew and I quickly fired off a cast and smashed two fish in the high-30-pound-class range. Once the dust settled on the blitz, we resorted to jigging monsters up off the bottom on GT Eels, Joe Baggs Block Island Eels, and bucktails tipped with rinds.
Twenty minutes into our jig bite, something epic happened. Andrew hooked a mythical fish in deep water on a bucktail and rind. As he set the hook, we thought we were into another 40-pound-class fish… we were sorely mistaken. The rod began to bounce hard as the fish head-shook in the deep blue water. Five minutes later I was holding the fish of a lifetime boatside. Andrew’s fish was no normal striped bass — the monster was 60 pounds with a massive girth. As I reached into its mouth to retrieve the bucktail, my hand disappeared. I was holding the largest striped bass I had ever laid my eyes upon. After Andrew got his hero shot, we simply lowered the fish over the side and waited for it to kick off out of his hands. It took all of 20 seconds for the fish to shoot back down toward the blue abyss.
With a giant landed, Andrew took a break while the rest of us kept cracking 40-pound-class fish. This bite went on deep into the afternoon and into the early night.
Fast forward to Sunday: we started the day fishing 40 to 80 feet of water and recreated our jig bite. As we picked fish off in the morning, we knew the incoming afternoon tide would deliver an insane bite. Once again, the fish seemed to hug the bottom third of the column in deep water ranging from 40 to 80 feet. Everything from snap jigs to soft plastics got the job done. Nick broke his PB multiple times, while Andrew wrenched in unlimited 40-pounders. By the time we looked up, our 4 a.m. start had turned into a 9:30 p.m. departure from the bass grounds.
All things considered, this past weekend was one of the most epic sessions I’ve ever had.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
The bass bite is beginning to slow down, the fluke bite is “eh” at best, and the porgy bite is slower than usual. However, some bluefish should be funneling into their summer haunts off Montauk any day now. We are just entering the doldrums of summer. Fishing will naturally ebb and flow as moons come and go — bass bites will be sporadic and windows will be shorter, but more rewarding in the size department for those who grind it out.
The offshore scene is heating up: the bluefin bite was great to start, but the moon and recent wind shook things up big time. The rec-size class of fish off Montauk is nowhere to be found. That said, these fish should move inshore rapidly and settle into summertime patterns in the next few weeks. Right now, we’re playing a search-and-destroy tuna game, with searching taking up most of everyone’s time. That said, things could change overnight!