Long Island Fishing Report - July 2, 2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Captain Stu of Northport Charters out of Britannia Marina reported another awesome week of fluke fishing on the North Shore. The abundance of bait in the vicinity, including tons of sand eels and 8-9 inch squid, allowed his boat to pull fish to 9 lbs from the Crab Meadow area. He has also been doing well with scup at Eatons Neck. Plenty of shorts and keepers to 2.5 lbs have been hitting the hi-lo rigs tipped with clam along with a bycatch of winter flounder, short stripers, and a nice quantity of beautiful 15-16 inch sea bass that needed to be released. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson will continue to focus mainly on the consistent fluke bite for his charters, but will try for porgy if the is action is sufficient. He has noticed that the summer flounder pushed off the flats to a bit deeper water of 20-25 feet, and bucktails seem to have the edge for the bigger fish. Notable spots for fluke include Smithtown Bay, Stony Brook Harbor, Cranes Neck, and Eatons Neck. Porgy are plentiful on just about every rocky or other structure area with the larger ones hanging a bit deeper.

John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported an influx of small bluefish off Sunken Meadow and Short Beach caught on small poppers and diamond jigs. He also spoke of decent numbers of bass caught this week at Eatons and Cranes Neck. Chunks are accounting for larger 30 lb class fish, whereas smaller teen-sized bass are hitting trolling rigs.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Ryan at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said Shinnecock Bay gave up a number of keepers this week, but anglers had to weed through the shorts. The ocean outside the Inlet is also showing signs of good life out deep in 60-90 feet of water. To the west, Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported a few small keepers caught on hi-lo rigs paired with a squid/spearing combination in the East Rockaway Inlet. Mid-South Shore in the Great South Bay is also looking good with plenty of small fish to cull through.

John from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said that the bass bite continues to be better than average on the bunker pods to the east and west of Fire Island Inlet. Chunks and trolling are the preferred methods, but guys are having fun throwing poppers also. Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reported an infestation of threshers on the ocean bunker pods 3-6 miles off the beach, but if you can get away from them there are stripers to 50 lbs lingering around. The best action toward the east is at night on eels in Shinnecock Inlet, according to Ryan at White Water.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Prospect, Sands, and Matinecock Points are really hot on the bottom fishing front with plenty of fluke and porgy hitting the decks, according to John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx. The Execution Lighthouse is also another hot spot in the western Sound, while fisherman on the south side are having good luck from the Coney Island Channel to the Ambrose Channel and out to the Tin Can Grounds, according to Stretch at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn. Those drifting around the stanchions of the Marine Parkway Bridge at night are also filling buckets with scup.

Jimmy from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn reported a night bass bite on the edge of the Ambrose Channel, while John at Jack’s Bait said anglers on the north side are using chunks to hit stripers at the Execution Lighthouse, in Hempstead Harbor, and the waters off Mamaroneck and Rye. John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle added that the action definitely livened up from the slowdown we saw last week, and trolling and chunks are effective methods for those fishing around the bridges for both bass and blues. For cows, Stretch at Stella Maris said you need to travel out to Sandy Hook and fish the bunker schools over there.

Shark fishing is top-notch at the moment with threshers continuing to come closer at 12-20 miles offshore, and makos and blues are plentiful at the mako hotel area. Stella Maris also wanted to let everyone know that due to the weather conditions last weekend, their shark tournament has been postponed to July 11th.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

Paul at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said that the fluke bite off the Point had picked up before the rough weather that moved in over the weekend created big ocean swells. However, Tom from Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk weighed in fluke to 7 lbs early this week that were caught in the North Rips. On the North Fork, action was good from the oyster factory to Bug Light, and Gardiner’s Bay also saw a good quantity of fish, according to Steve at Wego Bait & Tackle in Southold. Scup fishing is now pretty absent in the Peconic, but those fish have rounded both Forks where anglers can fill buckets in both the Sound and ocean. The North Shore waters from Goldsmith’s Inlet to Horton’s Point are holding a number of fish, while the south side of Montauk is littered with scup.

Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 out of Orient is catching a good number of 30 lb class stripers mostly on the night trips at the Gut and Race. Paul at Paulie’s said there are enough bass and blues off the beach to keep guys interested, but the bite was very picky this week. The boats have not been doing much better, but the action is picking up a bit with a few decent fish accounted for.

Best Bets for the Weekend

For those looking to bottom fish on this holiday weekend, the North Shore continues to look like the place to be. With the abundance of fluke around and porgy finally making the migration to local rock piles, anglers will not have a shortage of fish coming aboard. Solid double digit fluke have also been popping up in other locations, but there will be a mess of small fish to contend with first. You can also find insane scup fishing on the south side of Montauk also. The action is really quite good right now if you are able to find the time to take the boat out this weekend. The ocean is looking a bit rough at times, especially later in the weekend, but there is a good chance of bringing home dinner even if you have to stay in the protected bays. A squid and spearing combination is always a go to for fluke, but do not forget about how enticing bucktails are. Porgy will of course be biting on clam and sandworms.

South Shore bunker pods continue to hold a lot of stripers, and their sizes are getting massive. If conditions allow it, the trip out into the ocean is worth it if you are looking for your next personal best. Trolling and chunks are the game for the big girls. Bass numbers are starting to increase a bit off Montauk, and there are a few western and northern spots holding quality fish also.

Shark fishing is as good as it gets right now if you can manage an offshore trip. Makos and blues are abundant, and threshers are becoming very active on the bunker pods. I have even been seeing photos of a few beach caught sharks as well. Whatever you decide to do this weekend, have a good time and stay safe. Boat traffic is likely to be abundant and beaches will be crowded so always keep your eyes and ears open and have a fantastic holiday!