Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Report

• Schools of cocktail bluefish chase sandeels and other bait in the surf and in the sound.  
• Rays in the surf. 
• Loads of cobia being weighed in on the South shore. 
• Tons of nearshore keeper fluke being caught on both shores. 

Johnny from Lindenhurst Bait and Tackle reports: 

“The reefs by Rockaway and Jones have been producing keeper fluke. We’ve had several 4 to 7 pounders weighed in this week. Triggerfish and other exotics are making their way in. Fluking in general has been hot this week with a lot of keeper sized fish coming in at the inlets and off the beach.”

Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh told me:  

“Shark fishing is on fire, and cobia are around in full force. Its a perfect time to be chunking from the beach or from your boat. Giant bluefin are around too on the bunker pods. The fluke bite is epic with tons of anglers catching keepers and weighing them in at the shop. A lot of near-shore catches being weighed in over 5 pounds.” 

Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station said: 

“Fluke bite is hot at the reefs with some nice size sea bass mixed in. We’ve weighed a ton of cobia this week, the largest so far being 58 pounds! Martin Wenk had a banner day at the pods weighing in a beautiful specimen. Make sure your set ups can handle big fish and sharks as a lot of anglers have reported run offs and losing fish at the boat. We have everything you need to beef up your fishing gear this summer!” 

Paul Mccain from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin said: 

“With the rain we’ve had this past week, all the CT rivers are blown out and will likely be that way for a week and a half so we had to cancel our smallmouth trip. The Catskills faired a bit better and are actually in really good shape. As far as saltwater, still plenty of blues out there. We did a meet-up last week and we saw some Stripers and one guy caught a 3 foot dogfish shark on a fly in a back bay which was a total anomaly.”  

John from Freeport Bait and Tackle reports: 

“We’ve had a lot of reports of cobia just outside Jones Inlet. Fluking is super hot right now and we’ve had a ton of big fluke come in to be weighed by our customers, more so than last year. Anglers are also limiting out on sea bass from the reefs. In the surf, there’s a ton of big rays cruising around as well as sand tigers. Be careful handling them if you do hook one, and keep them wet and in the wash. Catch ’em up!” 

Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports:

“Fluke fishing continues to produce quality fish with enough short life to keep things interesting. We have been fishing the ocean when the weather permits, but there are also still plenty of fish to be caught locally. Nice to see some of the larger fish starting to show up, with fish being taken to 8.57 pounds this week. We are primarily fishing rock piles and wrecks, just bring your Gulp and enjoy a day out! Reservations are a must, call or text (516) 659-3814 for info and availability.”

Rockfish Charters in Queens reports:

“We’ve fished every day this past week and had some real ups and downs. Had our first offshore tuna trip and went 7 for 11 jigging yellowfins. Manhattan bass fishing continues to produce a steady pick of fish on live bunker and eels. The last 3 days have been crazy. Close-to-home bluefins airing out all around the boat for hours at a time even splashing the boat! We tried live-lining mackerel, jigging and popping and didn’t connect. We had two blow-ups on poppers today but didn’t come tight. Very exciting fishing that makes you pull your hair out sometimes! We’re booking mixed bag tuna/tilefish offshore trips for August and September right now. Give us a ring to book (347) 661-4501.”

• Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report: Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and The Forks!

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

Here’s what anglers have been posting on social media: 

 

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A post shared by Raul Andres (@_raul_andres_)

• Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report: Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and The Forks!

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

Rather than bake in my kayak under the hot sun, I spent a few days this week walking the beaches on both shores, first at Jones Beach, and then close to home on the North Shore in Sea Cliff. 

My day at Jones began around 7:00AM. I was a bit lazy on this day and couldn’t be bothered to load up my kayak, so I opted for a nice stroll on the beach with a single spinning rod and light pack full of the essentials. It was a gorgeous day, with only a moderate cross breeze by the afternoon. I casted a 5/8-ounce ballhead jig lazily a few feet out into the surf, slowly working it over the beach lip which is what I considered the strike zone. I didn’t go far before I lost 3 or 4 Gulp! shads to cocktail bluefish, which seemed to be infesting the surf. Moving to a different spot didn’t help. These devils were everywhere, and the birds were following them. The handful that I caught spit up loads of sandeels. I kept a limit of them and went home content. 

On the North shore, I started in the afternoon, around 5:00PM immediately after work. It was an absolutely picturesque afternoon, the kind you only get on the serene waters of the Sound. Completely flat, and just…quiet. There were no boats within earshot. It was just the birds and the gentle lapping of the waves against the rocky shoreline. I walked maybe a mile or so, replicating my tactics at Jones. My first catch was, to much satisfaction, a short fluke. I stopped at that spot and casted for a while, only catching a handful of sea robins. I only fished for an hour or two.  

I gill-hooked one of the robins and opted into keeping it. Sea robins are underrated and so abundant, I highly recommend you give them a try. My only complaint with them as table fare is the low yield and boniness. Otherwise, they have white, flaky meat that tastes just as good as porgy or fluke in my opinion. I breaded and fried it on the bone, and served it with a squirt of lemon juice and dipped it in a sriracha & tartar-sauce mix. Delish. 

The morning was calm and the water was glassy, my favorite conditions to kayak fish. Except for the fact it was 6:00AM and already almost 80 degrees. Rather than bee-line to my chosen spot I detoured to some boulder piles along the way to see if I could jig up some sea bass with slow-pitch tackle. A couple of rocks and a dozen scup later I gave up on the sea bass and made my way to the ledge. 

With no wind, and a mild outgoing tide, it was very easy to get a near-perfect drift going. I’d maintained a 0.5 mph drift directly along this ledge, keeping an eye on my navigation chart and working the pedals of my Hobie kayak to keep the boat pointed away from the current and drifting backwards. I’d casted my jig – a 5/8oz ball head jig with a pink shine 4 inch Gulp! Grub – ahead of my kayak and gave it light twitches with a short cadence, while keeping the line tight and letting it drift along with me. 

I made a few drifts over this ledge, and I caught a fluke every drift. Even better was that I didn’t hook a single sea robin or porgy. Two of the flukes were postage stamp size, and my one keeper was 20 inches long.  

Is it just me, or do larger fluke hardly fight? When I hooked into this 20 incher, I immediately knew it was keeper-size due to the weight, but he only gave a few head shakes during the initial hook up and just before he reached the surface. When I brought him aboard though, I realized he was deeply gut hooked. That could be the reason for not fighting, similar to a snagged fish. I cut my line and threw him on the stringer to bleed. When I filleted him, I got my jig back. I baked him in the oven with lemon juice and butter. Life was good this week.

What to Expect This Week

I feel like a broken record, but I’ve continued to see sandeels spit up by blues and fluke which makes me think they are the predominant bait right now. On the North shore I saw a mix of spearing and sandeels. I have not seen any large bunker pods in my part of the Long Island Sound since early June. It’s a bit worrying. While jigging for fluke from shore I did see what looked to be bluefish fry following my lure on the way in, so I suspect snapper season is very soon, and I think it’s going to be a comparably good one. Hide your plastics.

Your best bet for catching stripers right now is to go at night, or very early in the morning before sunrise and the water heats up. At this point though, especially with the hot days we’ve had, that water is going to be warm to begin with. Live eels or eel-profile lures are likely your best bet. Remember that fish caught in warm water need extra care taken to ensure a successful release. The new slot limit was put in to address recreational harvest specifically, so it highlights the importance that we as rec anglers have in conserving the species. Personally, I’ve redirected my efforts towards fluking and other bottom-dwellers. 

If you still want to catch a fighting fish without much effort, throw an epoxy jig or light plug at the surf for these masses of cocktail bluefish. Use a medium rod and reel with a light drag setting, and pretend you’re hooked into a bonito or albie. Its an easy way to bring home a shore lunch and cocktails taste better compared to their big brother gators. Bluefish strips are also a great doormat bait, so if you strike out on fluke and get into cocktail blues, it may be a good idea to strip one up and cast it out on a bucktail or bait rig. New York’s current bluefish regulations allow you to keep 3 per day.

Triggerfish and puffers are being caught on the South Shore from the piers, and other exotic visitors should be trickling in as well. Consider throwing a sabiki rig from the docks or piers during your lunch break to see what kind of interesting species might be around. We’ve also seen a bunch of cobia weighed in at Bay Park Fishing Station this week. Most of the are being caught on live or chunked bunker. Throwing a chunk from the beach gets a bit more exciting knowing those things are around. 

Get out on the water anyway you can and enjoy. Thanks for reading. Tight lines.