Eastern Long Island Fishing Report

• Very little bunker reported all around the island. The few schools are covered in sharks and big predators.
• Solid bass bite on the open beach, plus big bluefish. Great bite on the north shore.
• Cobia being caught to the west.
• Solid offshore fishing. Tuna near the beach when bunker is present.
• Good bottom fishing. Fluke are getting bigger and bigger.

The Fishfinder of Captree reports: 

“Last night’s 5 p.m. prime tide trip saw good action on the fluke grounds, with both keepers and shorts. The pool fish was a six pounder, and we had several over 5 pounds. The day prior saw similar fishing, with a 5 pound pool winner taken on a 6-inch firetiger Gulp. The bite has been extremely consistent, with pool fish going 4 to 7 pounds, and high hooks catching about 30 fish. There have been at least a few limits on most trips. Our night trips produced some nice bluefish and school stripers. Fluke are even coming up on the night tides as well! We’ll be targeting fluke every night until further notice, from 5-9 p.m.”

Capt. Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly in Northport reports:

“Despite the heat, the fish were on the feed! Jerry got a chance at some good sight fishing, so we hit the flats for some stripers. John had a few bass on the fly, which were his first. Carlo and Ethan came out to fill up a last minute cancellation, and they had a heck of a day catching big bass on spinning gear. The next day, Jerry and Will joined me, and we put about 20 fish on the boat to 25 pounds. Liam came out yesterday for an awesome bite, where he put personal best after personal best on the boat. He must’ve beat his personal record 4 times before the day was done.” Check out Dave’s website to book him for a charter at northislandfly.com.

Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: 

“The chunk bite during fishing camp took some time to kick in, but once it did the action was awesome! Blues and stripers both came over the rail, and they weren’t small. Bottom fishing was great the rest of the week, with porgies and fluke hitting the deck. Some good looking sea bass came up later in the week.” Call/text Stu at 631-707-3266 or check out Stu’s website to book a trip: northportcharters.com.

The Celtic Quest Fishing Fleet of Port Jefferson reports: 

“Some big porgies and quality sea bass have been coming over the rail recently. We even had a winter flounder come up yesterday, released back to the deep. Keeper fluke are also constituting part of the catch, with some weakfish to boot. The porgies are the main prize though. Port Jeff is really living up to its moniker of Porgytown USA.” Call them at 631-928-3926 for booking info, or check the website/Facebook for more info.

• Looking for the Western L.I. and NYC Fishing Report? Click here to read what’s happening around Nassau, Kings and Queens counties!

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain on Long Island!

Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:

“Lots of heat and quality fish this week! Fluke action is on fire in the bay and outside. Big flatties are taking down bucktail rigs, shop hi-lo rigs, and plenty of gulp. Fluke action all over the bay is going well, with lots of shorts but plenty of keepers. Work the flats, the channels, and the inlet. If you’re on a good bite, size up to cull out the little ones. If they’re being a little picky, size down and use something with more attraction. The outside reefs are holding some impressive fluke as well. Knucklehead sea bass are holding out there too, smacking down mouthfuls of clam, and smashing jigs that get in their way. Slow pitch, bucktail, epoxy… they all work very well. Some big blues are still around cruising the inlet, destroying popping plugs, SP Minnows, and anything shiny you toss at them. Look for birds and schools of bait. Bass are few and far between these days, with an occasional straggler being caught. Big plugs like bottle plugs and darters will get the job done if they’re around.

If you’re out looking for some sweet water action, hit the lake as the sun is coming up or just as it’s going down for the best results. Bass and pickerel are out, and topwater lures will get smacked hard; swimbaits are also getting choked, and no Senko is safe. If you’re fishing later in the day, go slow and low and hit ’em with a jig or senko setup. Same tips go for trout fishing, go after them early or just before it’s getting dark for the best shot. Bug hatches are going off like crazy this time of year, so bring the arsenal with you. For a fun family day, or if you just need to bend a rod, bluegill and yellow perch are out there for you. Schooled up tight and very hungry, they’ll happily eat worms off a bobber rig or split shot rig all day. They also love chasing down inline spinners and Trout Magnets.”

The Peconic Star of Greenport reports:

“We fished Block Island Sound yesterday, picking a ton of porgies to bring home. We had to work for every bite, but the skilled anglers hammered them, with one angler picking 71 fish (returning all but his limit). There were some sea bass, fluke and mackerel in the mix. Some weakfish came up earlier in the week. We’re running full day trips daily, from 7:30-3. The weekends have half-day options, from 7:30-12:30, targeting a mixed bag. For booking info, call Captain Paul.”

Capt. Phil of Fishy Business in Orient reports:

“All of our trips this week produced a good amount of slot stripers, and plenty of bluefish that either came home or were put back to fight another day. We caught a number of over-slot and short bass that went back as well. They sail out of Duryea’s in Orient.” Give Phil a call to book a trip.

Rosie Fishing of Moriches Bay reports:

“Fluke fishing remains awesome, with lots of keepers and short life coming over the rail. We’ve had pool fish regularly to about seven pounds, and limits caught this week. Kristina caught the fish of a lifetime, an 11.3 pound doormat fluke, on a 6 inch nuclear chicken Gulp. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for sailing times and reports. Give us a call for booking info!”

Nick from Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports:

“On the bay side, fluke fishing has been showing more quality over the last week. We’re seeing more catches towards the basket/east cut area on the incoming tide. This indicates that the ocean fish are moving in to feed. There are reports of triggerfish coming in too; guys are catching them off the rocks and piers.

In the ocean, there are lots of short fluke about a mile out. There are some jumbos in the mix too, with fish 24-28 inches. One customer had a fluke come up with a missing tail; the boat was surround by dolphins, so the angler thought they were the culprit. Sea bass has been a tough pick on the mile reef, but there are some quality fish a bit farther out. In the surf, there are a good amount of slot stripers being caught by the bait soakers, using clams and crabs. The bunker and sharks have shown up; there are some hammerheads, spinners, blacktips and even threshers working the schools. Offshore, it’s about the same as last week.”

• Looking for the Western L.I. and NYC Fishing Report? Click here to read what’s happening around Nassau, Kings and Queens counties!

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain on Long Island!

The Shinnecock Star in Hampton Bays reports:

“Fluke fishing was stellar this week, with fish to 6.5 pounds. We’ve been picking fish daily, on both the inside and outside. In the ocean, we’re finding sea bass, ling, porgies and mackerel alongside the fluke. They’re sailing out of Oaklands Marina daily from 7am-2pm.”

Chris Albronda from Montauk reports:

“It’s been an exciting week in Montauk. The stripers have been chewing well, but you have to travel pretty far to get on them good. There’s a good stock off Block. Under the light, you can pick some large ones on the flood tide by soaking bait. Down the beach, there are bluefish of all sizes. The first real batch of bunker moved in with porpoises and dolphins in hot pursuit. The bottom fishing has been producing some solid fish. Fluke to the double digits have been getting caught daily. Black Sea bass fishing has also been excellent. Unfortunately they aren’t really hanging out in the same areas as the fluke.

Offshore, the tuna fishing is about as good as it gets.” Shoot Chris a text at 631-830-3881 to book a trip. He has availability this Sunday if you’re interested.

Montauk’s Viking Fleet reports:

“We’ve been picking a good bag of fish, even on the tougher days. Monday’s fishing wasn’t easy, but we went home with some medium sea bass, large scup, some bluefish and a keeper fluke on the offshore grounds. Inside by the light, we found some solid scup. Bluefish have been coming up pretty regularly these days. Call the office to book or book online.”

Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast

I conducted a survey among avid watermen, anglers, mariners and other water-centric folks yesterday. I asked about this season’s bunker sightings. After conversing with about 200 people from Virginia to Massachusetts, I had a pretty good picture of what the menhaden stock looks like along the coast.

Dave Gill was the first person to mention Omega Protein to me. Omega is a Canadian-owned company that harvests bunker to make fish oil pills (among other products). I’ve heard they are infamous for overharvesting to the point of ecological collapse, despite their entire website being plastered with the word “SUSTAINABILITY.” That word is capitalized and in huge font on almost every single page they’ve published. Dave noticed that Omega had sent boats from Virginia to New York to harvest our bunker stock. That’s about 300 miles north of their usual hunting grounds in the Chesapeake Bay. They used spotter planes to point out the big bunker schools, and seven boats went to work. According to Menhaden Defenders, Omega spent one day here and harvested 13 million fish from the NY Bight. That sparked some concern in my mind.

Why was this company, who spews the word “sustainability” unable to harvest their home waters anymore? The answer came from several southerners who saw my Bluefin Tuna video this week. Apparently, the Chesapeake has been getting ravaged by this company. They didn’t stop there. According to my sources, you can’t find any bunker within twenty miles of the VA coast because of these factory ships. While we were watching whales, tuna, dolphins, ospreys, and many other species thrive along the NY coast, Virginians were watching their ocean become devoid of life. How depressing.

I’ll save some time by not going into detail about every region I surveyed. It’s pretty much the same exact story everywhere. New Jersey has seen large bunker schools moving north. They’ll be there for two days and then disappear completely, leaving nothing in their wake. Long Island is practically the same. There were two regions, one on the western end of the island and one near the central south shore, that had seen a somewhat consistent showing of bunker schools. These schools are anywhere from 2-10 miles offshore, sometimes coming within a mile of the beach. Anywhere within 2 miles of the coast would only see two days of action before the bunker dissipated. The bunker schools that remained were covered in life. There are huge blitzes occurring with large predators. I’ve heard the schools are massive. 

The north shore of Long Island had a couple quick spits of bunker during the spring, as did the back bays. There’s been next-to-nothing since then. I received some contradictory reports about the bays, but most people concur that the bunker population is extremely diminished compared to years past. Connecticut has some schools hanging outside the rivers apparently. One angler who has plied the waters regularly for 40+ years said there are bunker, but they’re acting strangely. Different year classes that he’s never seen mingle before are now schooled up together. Waters in Massachusetts that have been hosting massive schools of bunker for some years are now seeing none. Granted, the people from MA who I heard from admitted that the fish’s presence probably shouldn’t be considered reliable for an annual influx. It’s hit-or-miss on whether they’ll get the bunker. The ONLY promising piece of info I received was from a MA commercial lobsterman, whose counterparts in Maine have been seeing massive schools of bunker in the Bay of Fundy.

Back on Long Island, some lifeguards have been seeing smaller schools of bunker that have hung tight to specific beaches consistently. There seem to be sharks on these beaches and humpback whales lunge feeding almost daily. Consistent weather is key, as a strong uptick in wind and swell can cause the fish to disperse. I gather that these lively beaches are few and far between. There are many miles between them that have nothing but hungry dolphins, sickly looking stripers, and small schools of gator bluefish (at least from my perspective).

Chris Paparo is my go-to guy for anything related to the sea. He works at Stony Brook Southampton (SoMAS), which hosts a robust marine program, and is an incredibly knowledgeable naturalist. If I ever see something I don’t recognize or understand, I hit up Chris and he almost always knows the answer. Speaking of which, if you’re not following his Instagram/Youtube page @fishguyphotos, you are depriving yourself of some of the best educational content on those platforms. After conducting my survey, I asked for his perspective. His ability to see things objectively made his perspective the perfect conclusion. 

He is hesitant to say that Omega is causing this bunker shortage. I am with him on this, as I think it’s silly to purport opinions as objective fact. In today’s political climate, there are malevolent forces, especially in the media, who make lots of money doing exactly that. The truth is important, and it’s important to have your facts straight before claiming something to be truthful.

Chris is seeing big changes from year-to-year throughout the entire ecosystem. There is definitely fewer bunker, but to lay blame on one cause could be faulty. For instance, climate change has been pushing many migratory species farther north. Apparently there are lots of bunker up north. So who’s to say that they were only in our water for a few short years, and now they want even colder water? Point is, there are some circumstances that should give somebody pause before he/she asserts an opinion as a fact.

So, I’ll wait a bit longer to see if this could be a late arrival on the bunker’s behalf, before I really worry. I am impatient and anxious. So far, a lot of factors point towards Omega destroying this fishery, and therefore the ecosystem at large. I don’t want to eat my words though, so I won’t say that this is what’s happening. Just keep it in the back of your mind, because it very well may be the case.

John Szalai was one of the lucky folks to find a school of bunker about 2 miles off the beach on the western half of LI’s south shore. He found cobia and tuna feeding on them, putting on an explosive show. A couple other reports came in from 2-10 miles off the beach in a specific area along the central south shore; they too are finding some awesome action out there. There is a huge number of sharks on the massive schools of bunker, and a good amount of other wildlife feeding upon them.

The striper bite has been tough but productive. The bite on the open beach is where it’s at. There are good numbers of fish cruising up front, feeding on crustaceans. When the bunker shows up, the bass will switch over to them.

There seems to be other bait in the water too, which the terns are feeding on. It’s a small bait, either anchovies, spearing or sandeels up to about 2 inches. The hickory shad are also working that smaller bait, and there is a good amount of shad coming in to feed when the light gets low. The night bite has been producing some good bass too, also feeding up front. Justin Friedman has been catching at all hours; I watched him pick some big bluefish and some quality stripers this week.

For a moment there, I felt like my incessant complaining in these fishing reports led to an increased presence of life and good fishing. I swear, that’s always how it goes; as soon as I get all pessimistic and start whining publicly, everything picks up the next day. So, you’re welcome for that. I’ll try to put on my Negative Ned hat every Thursday, for all of our sakes.

Thursday, shortly after submitting my report, I headed out to the beach for some epic sight fishing. I saw well over a hundred bass swimming up front. I casted the fly rod, serving my Holy Moley to at least sixty fish. Every fish that saw the fly followed it, nosed it, and then turned and ran for the deep. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Maybe they wanted a different bait, a smaller crab, a lighter tippet, or some other factor I could not grasp. I had a couple hits from a school of smaller bass. I reckoned they were acting competitively over my fly, but the hits were quick and I missed the hooksets. About 2 hours and 15 minutes into this brutal session, I saw two fish swimming towards a rip from my left. One larger fish came from my right. I split the difference, casting right into the rip. I watched all three fish respond as the fly sank. I mended my line over an incoming wave and waited for another disappointment. I felt no hit, but I saw my line coming tight underwater; when I strip set, I was on. I pulled a 25+ pound striper onto the beach, and that would be my new personal best bass on the fly. This was one of the hardest, and coolest, fishing experiences I’ve had.

Since then, I’ve tried that midday bite multiple times and experienced the same results (without the catch). The fish just seem extremely finicky when the sun’s high. So I switched up my attack and began targeting the morning tides. I could still see fish swimming around 9 am, but not as easily as I could at noon. Therefore, I did a lot more blind casting, relying upon my Breakdance to get the job done. It worked every day.

After picking a few fish in the mornings, I’d get back to work with a smile on my face. I recommend fishing the mornings and evenings if you don’t want to waste your time casting fruitlessly.

The fluke bite has been solid off the beach too apparently. I heard of some solid weakfish getting caught as well. If you can time the bite well, you can get into a good pick of fish.

Looking forward, the meteorologists are forecasting a rather inconsistent week of weather. They seem to be rarely correct these days, so who know what will happen. When the weather is consistent though, the fishing tends to be pretty good. The water seems warm to me though. Maybe some rain and storms will mix things up and bring those bunker in to the beach. I’d love that. Again, who the heck knows. You can bet that most fishing will only remain good or improve though.

Get out there and catch ‘em up.