Eastern Long Island Fishing Report

• Cobia at the south shore inlets.
• Bunker schools crawling with big critters.
• Bait galore on the south fork.
• Awesome offshore fishing on calm days. Giant bluefin have been particularly plentiful. Many mahi under floating debris.
• Big bluefish in the surf consistently. Awesome recipes in this report.
• Big bass off Block. Lots of sharks there too.
• Excellent bottom fishing continues.

Captree Bait and Tackle reports:

“It’s crabbing season down at the docks, and we’re seeing some good catches put together! Anglers are also picking some nice fish off the piers.”

The Fishfinder of Captree reports: 

“We’re running ‘prime tide fluke trips’ for the next 5 nights. All fishing is done inside the bay. We’ve been picking some good ones out by the reef too. There’s plenty of keepers and short life coming over the rail. There are also sea bass, scup and mackerel chewing. The pool fish yesterday was taken by Scott with a 5 pound fluke. Monday and Tuesday’s AM trips were spent on the reef as well. We boated all the same fish as yesterday, plus some triggerfish to boot. We’ve been putting together mixed bags regularly, with limits of fluke inside them. Fluke weighed up to and over eight pounds. We also had a successful nighttime trip, with slot-and-short stripers, and plenty of 4-8 pound bluefish. We’ll be targeting fluke every night until further notice, from 5-9pm.”

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

The jig bite has been pretty ridiculous lately. Nick and Will came out yesterday, and we hammered fluke and stripers on X-Raps and Gibbs pencil poppers. Even the big sea robins were smacking the pencil. We tripled up pretty often.” Check out Dave’s website to book him for a charter at www.northislandfly.com.

Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: 

We’re still whacking big porgies to 2.5 pounds up here. There are nice sea bass and fluke to five pounds as well. We’re working hard on the fluke grounds to get some keepers over the rail, but we’re picking away at plenty of life with campers and charter trips. Cocktail blues and some weakfish are in the mix as well.” 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: 

“We’ve been reeling in a ridiculously good mixed bag lately. Yesterday’s trip produced abundant porgies, some quality sea bass and fluke, weakfish, and tautog. There are some nice sized weakfish and sea bass coming over the rail. We had a lot of kids come out and put together awesome catches. A four spot flounder also came over the rail. The week started out tough, but it’s been on fire ever since!” 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!

The Peconic Star of Greenport reports:

“For yesterday’s trip, we sailed to Block Island Sound to target porgies. We found mostly medium and large ones. There were some really nice sea bass in the mix. Everybody went home with a good bag of fish fillets. There were limits of porgies and sea bass acquired. 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.”

Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:

“Fluke fishing just gets better and better every week. Our local waters are stacked with big fish right now, and fish well over the 20-inch mark are very common. Shop rigs with either Gulp or squid-and-spearing will put them in the boat. Jigging bucktails and soft plastics is also highly effective. I’ve been sizing down for the more finicky fish and shallow water presentations. Rip up the channels and find every hole and hump you can. Sea bass action is on fire on the outside reefs and wrecks. Mondo knuckleheads are coming up from the deep daily. They’re loving big epoxy jigs, bucktails, diamond jigs, and of course the shop rig loaded with clam; so are all of the huge chub mackerel out there with them. Cobia are the talk of the town these days, now that we get solid runs of these fish in our local water every summer. Cobia pushing 40+ pounds are being reported right outside the inlets. They love bucktails, epoxy jigs, and top water lures.

In the sweetwater, bass and pickerel are active in the mornings and evenings, crushing topwater lures. Frogs are super effective anywhere with vegetation on the surface. If you’re heading out later in the day, work the bottom with Senkos or jigs. Look for structure and places for fish to hide. Panfish action is non stop with nothing more than a warm and bobber rig. You could also get a bit fancy with it and throw Trout Magnet jigs or small in-line spinners for them. Trout are most active at daybreak and sunset with the bug hatches. Terrestrials work great, and so do mayfly patterns. Late morning into the late afternoon go with a nymphing rig for maximum efficiency.”

Rosie Fishing of Moriches Bay reports:

“We’ve been culling a bunch of fluke limits this week, with some solid fish to boot. Two days ago, we had fish to 6 pounds. Earlier in the week, we got out for a tuna trip, and pulled in some yellowfin to 50 pounds, plus a 180 pound bigeye tuna. Both daytime and evening trips are producing solid numbers of fish. We’re booking up quickly amidst all the awesome fishing lately, so keep an eye on our website for sailing times, reports, and trip openings. Give us a call for booking info!”

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

“Lots of short and just-keeper fluke have been getting caught this week inside the bay. Try either end of the slack tides for your best bet at catching. The black sea bass bite has slowed down on the reef, but you can still pick some big porgies out there. Triggerfish are in and abundant. Tiny snappers are beginning to show at the docks. There are lots of blue claw crabs around for those willing to put the time in; give it a go at night on the beginning of the outgoing. Offshore, the yellowfin action started to pick up again. Conditions were perfect this past weekend, allowing many anglers to try their hand at the tuna grounds. The best action is still to the east, either at Suffolk wreck or tuna ridge. The dump is also holding quality yellows, with some bluefin in the mix.”

• 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:

“We’ve had a great bite all week! The fluke are chewing up a storm. Lots of very calm water made for some slow drifts, but our anglers just added a little more vertical action to their presentations to keep the fish biting. Pink gulp and bucktails were the hot menu items this week, convincing lots of fluke to eat. A couple days ago, we culled a full boat limit in under two hours. There have been plenty of fish both inside and outside the bay. Fluke have been weighing to about 6 pounds. We picked plenty of sea bass, mackerel, scup and ling off the bottom as well.” They’re sailing out of Oaklands Marina daily from 7am-2pm. Text or call Capt. John for info.

Montauk’s Viking Fleet reports:

“Sunday saw some excellent fishing all day, in both the local waters and around Block Island. It was family fun in the AM, with lots of kids catching their pick of porgies. We also had a nice bag of sea bass and keeper fluke to take home. Jose Seidel took the pool with a 5 pound fluke. We did some awesome whale watching on Sunday as well. A young humpback put on a pec-slapping show for us. We saw a bunch of dolphins and a couple sharks as well. Our 6 a.m. trips have been especially productive, so we’ve added some extra trips this weekend to target Block Island knothead sea bass and fluke. Today, the wind picked up and put an end to the hot fishing at our hot spots. We stayed local, drifting in the calm, sheltered waters around Montauk. We killed it there! Everyone went home with sea bass, scup and fluke fillets. Erwin Yeung from Staten Island took the pool with a 4.5 pound fluke. Hopefully this weather passes quickly and we can get back to the excellent bites we experienced during the calm days.” 

Chris Albronda from Montauk reports:

“What a phenomenal week of fishing we had! The striper fishing is producing fish between 40-60 pounds. The only drawback to catching those fish is they necessitate a thorough revival, otherwise they are going to get eaten by sharks. The taxman is here, looking to collect. Black sea bass, porgies and fluke have been biting up a storm. Capt. Tommy of Hammertime has been absolutely hammering the fluke out here. Offshore fishing is super productive. Yellowfin, bluefin, bigeye and mahi are all chewing well. Shark fishing has been exceptionally good as well.” Shoot Chris a text at 631-830-3881 to book a trip. He has availability for the remainder of the month.

Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast

It’s going to be tough to beat the perfect weather and fishing combo we saw this week. I hope you took advantage! I wish I had more time during the day to fish; I would’ve gone offshore as much as possible. The tuna bite out there is “stoopid,” so I’m told. With glassy calm water most days, even a skiff could’ve made the trek out of sight of land. You didn’t need to go offshore for awesome action though. The bunker schools seem like they’re here to stay. They are covered in predators. An array of sharks, bluefish, tuna, cobia, and more are keying in on the menhaden schools to remain sated. The whales and dolphins are obviously taking part in the feast as well. When you put 5 of those species together, the experience is second to none. 

Last year, I’d see sharks skedaddle when a whale approached. They were terrified of this giant creature that eclipsed them in size. Granted, even an eight-foot spinner shark is perceived as prey to the giant hammerheads, so it makes sense that a body larger than one’s own would spook a spinner into flight. I swear though, now the spinners are utilizing the whale to stage attacks. Almost every day I’m seeing a smaller humpback whale swim in my waters, feeding upon the bunker. Every day, I watch numerous sharks capitalize on the bunker that flees the whale’s vicinity. You live and you learn, I guess.

It reminds me of the dogfish feeding on mole crabs. The first few years I utilized this bait, it would only catch stripers and fluke up front. Then, one year, I began catching a ton of dogfish on them. A doggie was a novel catch in those first few years, and I’d actually be excited about it. Then, once again, the hounds became a nuisance. I had to switch to my Holy Moley instead, because the dogfish key in on the real bait. It’s funny, now I really want to catch a dogfish on my artificial flea. Guaranteed, once that happens, I’m going to start getting annoyed that it’s happening. I’m just a big baby, when I think about it like that. 

Another special occurrence of late is the consistent presence of big bluefish in the surf. Each morning, I bring my big stick to the water now. It’s rigged to protect my lure from being chopped off by a big shark. I’m rocking a 9 foot fluorocarbon leader (60 pound) tied to my braid via an FG knot. There’s a big barrel swivel at the terminal end of the fluoro, looped to a bite wire ~1 foot long. The end of the bite wire has a strong TA clip to which I attach my white super strike popper.

I’ve watched the sharks from my drone for years now. I can tell which ones are most likely to attack, just by how they look. I follow those sharks for a short while, and I see them snatch fish. Here’s their approach:

For the most part, the sharks swim through the school pretty slowly. Every once in a while, they get riled up and give chase, scaring the bunker into a frenzied flight; the aggressive shark will snatch one of the slower ones. Most of the time, though, I see sharks with an almost-lackadaisical swagger mulling through the school. The bunker spread apart as the shark approaches. If you’ve seen my footage, you know exactly what I’m talking about; the fish part like the Red Sea. Some of these sharks are very sharp. It’s tough to say whether I read the situation well, or just get lucky quite often… but every once in a while, I key in on the right shark, and get a closeup of the beast grabbing a fish in its jaws. There is one fish that moves too slowly, or just makes the wrong move; the sharp shark will see it and catch it. I haven’t seen a shark fail at this. They act so quickly, that the bunker doesn’t stand a chance of escaping the reflex bite.

So that’s what I’m hoping for. I cast my popper into the school and I let it sit. I can often tell from the beach exactly where the most sharks are. I obviously look for blowups, but those can even be caused by cormorants. Bluefish will also cause the bunker to go airborne. The dead giveaway that sharks are there is the brown-tinged water. I cast towards the edges of the brown water. Sharks regularly peruse the edges of the bunker schools; once they’re outside of the school, they’ll turn and swim along the edge for a bit before heading back into the mix. The most sharks are usually in the deeper water. So it makes sense to cast towards the back edges of the school, nearest the brown water. I think if I leave my lure still in one spot, a shark will believe it’s a bunker reacting too slowly. This should provoke a reaction strike.

That was quite the tangent. Back to the blues. They are cruising much closer in than the sharks. There are bluefish inside the bunker schools, but a lot of them are on the smaller side. Up front, there are big schools of gator blues swimming just outside the surf zone. My sharking popper rig is perfect for them. I’ve already filled my quota of lures lost to choppers this Spring, so the added safety that the bite wire provides makes for very fun mornings with the best kind of workout: tussling with a big bluefish.

People hate bluefish. I’m big on the idea of “to each his own,” but there’s an inordinate amount of anglers who despise bluefish because of their “oily, fishy taste.” Some of those concerns might be valid… to each his own. Not every palate is the same. BUT. I guarantee 100% that a majority of you folks who don’t like bluefish are just doing it wrong. That’s not the bluefish’s fault, it is yours. I challenge you to heed my word here and try this out.

Cut the gills as soon as you catch it. If you throw it in a bucket after that, you might as well throw it in the dumpster next, because you just ruined perfectly good fish meat. Step 1 is cut the gills; step 2 is put its head in the water. I throw sand on the tail for a good grip, and put its head in the surf. As it breathes, blood flows into the water. Each dying breath the fish will take is clean water, not bloody water. Hold it in the ocean for about a minute or so. It will thrash, so make sure you have a good grip. Once it stops breathing blood, take it out of the water.

There are other steps you can take to humanely kill the fish before carving it up. But you literally only need to do step 1 and step 2 above, and then you’ll have delicious bluefish meat. The size of the fish doesn’t matter either, as many say it does. Maybe the smaller ones DO taste better, but the big ones taste damn good. Real quick, I’ll give you my step 3 and 4. Step 3: insert a knife into the brain to fully kill the fish. I stab it in and wiggle the knife back and forth. Then I make a perpendicular stab, essentially making a cross (+) just behind its eyeballs, and wiggle that. Step 4 is gutting it.

My favorite bluefish prep is ceviche. My delicious ceviche this week was simple: diced tomatoes, diced avocado, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and the juice from 3 limes. Mix all that up and throw it in the fridge. Keep mixing it every so often, to ensure that the bluefish chunks remain coated in lime. The lime actually cooks the fish. The first time I had ceviche was life-changing. Every time I make it reminds me of the first time I ate it. It’s always a wonderful experience.

A few hours after you finish the recipe, the meal is good to eat. I use Tostitos Scoops to make the perfect mouthful (my mouth is overflowing with saliva as I write this). The fish will be cooked, but firm a few hours in. If you let it sit overnight, the fish will be a bit easier to chew, and the flavors will have meshed more. I like it more the following day… but to each his own.

Will Horowitz is a chef on the North Fork. I saw his prep of bluefish the other day and was extremely impressed. He gave me the recipe, which is far more advanced and intricate than I’m willing (or likely even capable) to make. I’ll show you the picture of his prep, and give you the spark notes recipe:

1. Bleed fish immediately.
2. Butterfly and debone fish, put in homemade brine for 24 hours.
3. Air dry for 4-10 hours
4. Smoke it. Increase temp gradually over 8 hours from 60-155. Finish with a few minutes at 190 to tan it. Begin basting after the first 2-3 hours. Basting mixture is white miso, lemon, thyme, brown sugar, butter, tiny bit of soy sauce.
5. Let cool. Make it into a salad, or preserve it in oil.

Voila. Legendary.

Besides the bluefish, we’ve got stripers and fluke in the surf. Anglers are picking triggerfish off the jetties now. The Peconics are holding a variety of summer fish, like blowfish, porgies, sea bass, kingfish, and even spot. I heard about schools of spot in one harbor just yesterday.

Someone who had read my report last week said “good call on the potential for redfish.” We’ll see about that. I feel like I can guarantee we’ll have consistent showings of redfish in about a decade. Stay tuned lol.

Actually though, stay tuned to my social media pages @SouthForkSalt. I’ve got some seriously awesome footage I’ll be editing in the next few days. I think this rising wind tonight will blow the surf out pretty bad. I reckon you boat fellas will be stuck in the bays for the most part. But heck if I know. Not even the weathermen can predict what’s coming a few days from now. The forecasts have been so shoddy. All I can say is we’ve had periods of perfection, followed by hardcore storms about once every week or two. I feel like I can count on that pattern. So expect some sketchy storms in the next few days, and take care that you don’t get stranded in one while on the water. Things can get real ugly real quick. Be safe out there.

I’ll talk to you next week. Enjoy!