Large Blitzing Stripers off South Shore
It’s been another great month for anglers in New York State, but just because the calendar will flip to June at midnight doesn’t mean the fishing will slow down. The striper fishing continues going strong across large portions of Long Island’s south shore, and it’s showing no real signs of slowing down anytime soon. Big schools of bunker are still being corralled by an increasing amount of large linesiders — some into the high 30- and low 40-pound class. Look for this action to continue as the mass of fish continues its slow slide to the east. Fluke fishing remains in an overall pattern of slow but steady improvement across the region, with bigger fish into the high single digits being caught in the widening area this week. Porgy fishing has been good in the Peconic Bay and off the east end, and the black sea bass season opener is now just over two weeks away. June looks to be another promising month for anglers to enjoy this extended spring run, even though it’s already feeling like summer.
East End
Although a small-craft advisory remains in effect for the waters off Montauk Point for the time being, it’s still a great place to be if you’re a die-hard angler. The Viking Fleet has been sailing for fluke and striped bass this week, and the inshore fishing has definitely been heating up. June looks to be a great month for east end fisheries in general, with more stripers continue pushing in from the west and bigger fluke move into the area. Water temperatures have now reached into the high 50s to low 60s in Block Island Sound, and the fish have arrived in larger number with the rising mercury. We’re also now getting close to the opener of the black sea bass season, which always makes bottom fishing off Block Island a more attractive option. Fluke fishing also looks primed to take-off for the headboats out of Montauk, and Captain Carl of the Viking reported “great” fishing condition on the most recent trip. Although the fish are not on the jumbo side yet, there is still a good amount of keepers making it in to the coolers on the half-day trips as well as plenty of action to keep anglers vigilant on the rail. The Viking’s most recent “Flood Chaser” trip for striped bass also saw a big improvement over recent weeks, with one linesider tipping the scales at an impressive 40 pounds. Although, to be fair, this cow was assisted into the 40-pound class by the “three whole fluke” packed in its stomach. There were also a good amount of keepers caught by the end of the trip, including several reaching into the high 20-pound class. The bass fishing off Montauk should really heat over over the coming weeks, as water temperatures to the west begin climbing out of the “comfort zone” for the bigger linesiders.
South Shore
Big numbers of striped bass are still feeding on the large pods of bunker scattered along the south shore, and although water temperatures are quickly working through the mid 60s in the New York Bight, water temperatures off the central south shore are still within the ideal comfort range for striped bass. Heading out of the inlet is definitely the best option at this point, as the water temperatures inside the bays and harbors a little too warm for the larger stripers. Outside the inlets, however, the bass have been thick and aggressive enough that many anglers are hooking up on the bunker snag as soon as a menhaden is pulled from the main school. There’s also an increasing percentage of large fish in the area, with more bass into the 30-pound class fish mixing in by the day. Bluefish have showing up thick in some places, especially at night, but overall they’ve yet to hamper the bass fishing in most places. The biggest obstacle for the time being will be the less-than-ideal marine forecast for the upcoming weekend due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl that will pass through the area. NOAA is calling for 4- to 6-foot seas on Friday night into Saturday even in the New York Bight, and Sunday will likely be the best bet for getting outside the inlet when seas are forecasted to subside to 2 to 4 feet.
North Shore
Water temperatures spiked significantly in the western Long Island Sound this past week, with temperatures hitting the 70-degree mark in some places to the west. The bass and bluefish are making their way through the sound in pretty decent numbers at this point, and fluke fishing should continue improving with the increasing water temperatures. If you’re planning on fishing the sound this weekend for stripers, chunking with fresh bunker over structure should do the trick. If you’re shore-bound, I’d consider throwing some pencil poppers at dusk and dawn along the rocky outcropping that dot the north shore, or slinging darters during the overnight session.
Metro New York
With fish still hanging out in the area, there’s still plenty of angling opportunities to be found within the limits of the Five Boroughs. In Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn the Marilyn Jean IV continues to find productive ling fishing in the near-shore wrecks, as well as good amounts for RSA black sea bass further inshore. The nighttime trips have also remained productive this week, with the crew reporting that anglers are “still bailing on the bluefish with a few stripers mixed in.” Anglers are also still tying-into big blues and the occasional striper at night from the fish piers in the city. The best option remains a chunk of fresh of bunker on a fish finder rig at night, but if there’s fish working in the area they’ll also take a variety of artificial lures.
Upstate
There’s still plenty of quality spring fishing opportunities to be found upstate right now, even as we move within a few weeks of the official start of summer. Trout fishing remains strong in the Delaware River System in the Catskills. Matt from Beaverkill Angler told me he expects to see some good dry fly conditions over the weekend, as water levels are now returning to normal after significant amounts of rainfall early in the week. Hatches have been coming off at different times in the morning recently, and some of the bugs seen on rivers in the area recently have been grey foxes, sulfurs, march browns, stone flies, olives, and even some green drakes. The overcast conditions this weekend should be positive for the fishery overall, helping to cool water temperatures slightly — keeping fish active and catch-and-release mortality rates at an acceptably low level. With the marine forecast looking iffy at best for the bulk of the upcoming weekend, it isn’t a bad idea to head up to the Catskills for a weekend of trout fishing. If you do feel like breaking out the 5-weight and making the drive north, just make sure Beaverkill is your first stop to get the latest on this diverse and constantly changing fishery.
Best Bets
Fishing with live bunker for striped bass off the south shore of Long Island continues to be a good-to-great option for boat anglers depending on the tide and specific location. The bunker remain balled-up tight and well within the 3-mile legal limit for striper fishing. The problem this weekend will be getting out to them, Friday and Saturday are looking like they could be a total wash for the entire south shore and even conditions on Sunday look like they will at least be on the “nautical” side. My backup plan for the weekend would be some surfcasting at night along the south shore’s ocean beaches. Chunking should draw some action from both the bass and blues, but it’s also a good time to work on that super-slow darter retrieve. The big surf should draw some nice fish tight to the beach to feed in the wash, and the ample white water will help fool even battle-tested linesiders into striking artificial lures. Another option for the weekend if you’re determined to get out in the boat would be heading up to the Long Island Sound where seas are forecasted to be a more manageable 2 to 3 feet on Friday and Saturday, and subsiding back to a more normal one-foot-or-less by Sunday. Despite the poor weather forecast, the fishing should continue chugging along at a steady pace through the upcoming week — get out there and enjoy it.