Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “This week hasn’t been as exciting; the bass bite is slowing down. Bunker, eels, and spot are working for slot-size bass. Some guys are still getting bass on top here and there. Light-tackle fluking is good—there aren’t many keepers, but at least there is plenty of action. Porgy fishing from both the beach and boat is hot.”
Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: “With August water temperatures now between 76 to 80 degrees, the bite slowed a bit, but we are still bending rods bottom fishing with fluke, porgy, and sea bass. The porgy bite is improving daily with fish to 1.5 pounds, and keeper sea bass are starting to show up! I am seeing bait set up on every fishing spot I stop at. There is spearing everywhere in the bays and LI Sound. This is a good sign with all this life around; it will set up for a great fall run! We are currently booking bottom fishing trips and blackfish trips for the fall—great fighting fish and tasty fish to eat! Call or text today at 631-707-3266 or go to northportcharters.com.”
Captain Jess Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Excellent fluking continues! August is typically the best time for both quality and quantity, and this year is no exception. Other than a handful of off days, most trips are seeing excellent fluking. Nonstop action all day long with shorts while there are enough keepers around to keep you on your toes. The more experienced anglers are seeing limit catches most trips. Many 3- to 5-pound fish have hit the deck this past week with the big fish going just over 7 pounds. The fishing should continue to be lights out pending any hurricanes or large storms.”
Captain Doug Toback of Corazon Fishing Charters out of Freeport reports: “Fluke fishing is on. We are entering the part of the year where this is the best it’s going to be! While not white-hot yet, the bite gets better every day. We have been able to catch some high-quality fish lately!”
- Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC
Aqualina Charters (@aqualinacharters) out of Moriches Bay reports: “Lots of short fluke to pick through, but there are still enough keepers in the mix to 5 1/2 pounds around.”
Bill Falco (@chasingtailsbait) of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Hardtails are in, and fluke reports this week are pretty solid! A lot of shorts to catch and toss back while you’re hunting down that limit of keepers. Constant action is good! I’ve been doing well on chartreuse and blue curly-tail grubs on a ball jig or bucktail. Our shop rigs with either bait or the soft plastic of your choice will put non-stop flatties on the boat. Spanish mackerel and bonito are being caught out east this week. Epoxy jigs and Deadly Dicks are what you want, and we have ’em! Hit the reefs and wrecks for some really good and active sea bass fishing. The jig bite is hot, and clams always work. Porgy and some good fluke are out there, too. The locals down at the docks are having a great time with snappers and blue claw crabs! Traps, bait lines, nets, or however you like to catch them, it’s going to work! Snappers are all over the poppers and little spoon lures.”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters (@rockfishcharters) out of Moriches reports: “Does it get any better?! The big update this report is consistency. The fish haven’t really moved, and we’re putting easy, consistent catches together every day. Big bluefin mixed with lots of yellowfin, kinda as good as it gets right now. We’ve been out daily and are settling into a nice routine—jigging fish at first light, often running into them on our way to the spot we’ve been fishing. We’re also catching live squid in between bites, then setting up long drifts away from the fleet, letting the fish find us and our fresh calamari! As an added bonus, mahi have started filtering in, and we caught a ton of smaller ones yesterday. As the fastest-growing fish in the ocean, they should be nice-sized in September.”
Capt. Pete Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters out of Montauk reports: “Really good week here in Montauk. On the midshore grounds, the rec-size fish have finally filled in even more. It has been mostly overs around 50 inches with a few unders in the mix. Thankfully, I’m way less worried about hooking giants than I was earlier this summer. Sand eels have been the primary bait, and slow jigging close to the bottom, under chicks and rays, has been my most productive method. Infamous Tackle Needle Jigs in chartreuse ember glow have been my most productive jig, but RonZs are getting bit well, too. Inshore, it has still been a bluefish game for me. Topwater lures and flies have been the most productive in shallow water. Tough to beat skinny-water bluefishing on a summer day. I did see some more bass this week on the sand beaches, but that remains inconsistent. Haven’t seen any bonito or Spanish macks yet, but I expect to any day now.”
The Author’s Experience
This week, I had the pleasure of venturing out onto the bluefin tuna grounds with Andrew Bernat, Matt Malone, and OTW’s Nick Cancelliere. As always, I like to make an absolute mission of the day. We started at 4 AM and got back around 8 PM. As soon as we pulled up to our numbers, we were greeted by whales, tuna chicks, and tuna! The fish seemed to be hanging out consistently about 75 feet down in 120 feet of water. Jigging plastic and metal has been the key to success. 14K setups and 200- to 300-gram rods, such as the Jigging Elf, Century Vertical Jigger, and Shimano Trevala, are great rods for the job. We landed our first fish at around 8:30 AM. From there on, we found consistent marks and went 11 for 17 on the jig. Everyone on board landed multiple fish, which made for an exciting day! The highlight was our last fish, a mid-60-inch fish that smoked the jig and had us running in circles.
The bite is phenomenal. I’m excited to get back out!
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
The most consistent bite inshore seems to be porgy and fluke. That said, light jigheads and scented artificial baits make the fishing fun. Tap your jigs along the bottom from the beach or the boat, and you’ll surely be in for a good time with easier species. Taking a light-tackle approach keeps things finesse and enjoyable. That said, finding keeper fluke may take a bit more effort and focus. Additionally, the tuna bite has been pretty silly lately, so pack your jigs and get out there.
Looking ahead, we are less than a month from albie season. It’s time to get your gear ready!