Long Island, Metro NY - North Shore Fishing Reports

Over at East Coast Fishing in Little Neck Mike said that scup are all over the place and the hot spots have been the Bayside Marina, Ft. Totten and Port Washington. You can catch short summer flatties in the same areas. Snapper action is keeping children and adults alike happy at the docks and piers. Blues and bass activity has slowed down.

I spoke to Richie at L&R Bait and Tackle in Pelham and porgy action was very good with plenty of fish to go around. The best fluking was in Mamaroneck with a few nice keepers and plenty of shorts. Snappers are continuing to get better off the docks. Some customers have encountered 12 to 14-inch cocktails in the Sound.

Capt. Pat of the Shamrock in New Rochelle told me his fares enjoyed a good week on the Sunset Fluke Specials. Loads of shorts and a few keepers every now and then to 5-pounds. Porgy fishing was good prior to the storm and but a little tough afterwards. On Sunday the scup bounced back with good action on 1 to 2-pound fish. Private charters can be booked.

Over at Fishing East Coast Bait and Tackle in Little Neck Mike told me herring anglers are finding very good action. Not only are the herring around in good numbers but they are also large in size. The top areas should be Manhasset Bay, Oyster Bay, Port Washington and Long Beach. Night squid activity has been going strong at Oyster Bay and Huntington. The shop will be open all winter from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. everyday. (718) 631-2196. The shop will have fresh clams, green and white crabs, frozen clams, frozen squid and frozen spearing.

I had a chat with Pat from Island B&T in City Island and now is the time for porgy maniacs. Action is solid at Orchard Beach section one, the City Island Bridge (on the side facing Orchard Beach) and Ferry Point Park. Turtle Cove has schoolie and keeper bass that are chasing after soft baits, bucktails, small poppers such as a Smack-It, and 6-inch Gulp grubs. Fish to 29-inches have been caught. Blue claw crabs are keeping people happy at in City Island, the Whitestone Bridge and Rye Playland Pier. Fluke action on keepers has been slow with a keeper ratio of 1 in 20.

Capt. Carl of the Riptide 3 in City Island said the porgy action was terrific on Monday prior to the storm and then there was a slowdown the rest of the week. On Friday and Saturday, he had to work super hard to locate the scup. Sunday saw some improvement. The night trips on Friday and Saturday were pretty good.

Over at Duffy's B&T in Glenwood Landing Blaise told me Katie Swiesbin checked in with a 4.15-pound while fishing with dad and mom. They hauled in a total of 20 on spearing and fluke belly at the mouth of Hempstead Harbor. Porgies have been setting up in the deep-water areas as the water warms up. A nice run of 5 to 6-pound blues occurred during the week. Sea bass have basically been a by-catch for anglers in the hunt for fluke and porgies. Overall bass activity was very slow.

Capt. Herb Hahn of Cold Spring Charters said that the porgy bite has been consistent. Blues in the 4 to 6-pound range are roaming about. A few keeper bass are mixed in with the schoolies. Summer flatties have been somewhat consistent with loads of shorts keeping the action lively. The fluke are responding to spearing on high/low rigs. Dates are available.

The report from Carmine at Campsite Sport Shop in Huntington indicated the local waters are loaded with porgies and sea bass. Search the rocky areas and mussel beds. Head east for a shot at bass on the night bite. Fluking has been slow with very few keepers but good numbers of shorts. Snappers are small but growing in size and numbers.

I spoke to the staff at Caraftis Fishing Station in Port Jefferson and porgies and sea bass have been the primary targets of their customers. Bass fishing has been pretty good. A few weakfish were taken on the Middle Grounds, while a few summer flatties were found at Flats Pond. A decent amount of blues have appeared here and there.

According to Capt. Mark DeJong of the Celtic Quest Fleet in Port Jefferson porgy action was pretty good when they had weaker tides and they could work the deep-water areas. The by catch saw some sea bass, and the occasional weakfish and fluke. When the tides ran hard, they diamond jigged for bass and blues. A few slot fish were taken along with the schoolies.

Over at Miller Place B&T Jim Flora told me his customers are nailing sea bass at 11. Cranes Neck had some nice size porgies. Blues are running deep along the 100-ft. ranges and some are in the 8 to 9-pound range. Bass are being trolled along the Middle Grounds.

Capt. Brian of Captain Skippy Charters in Mt. Sinai reports the striped bass bite in the central Long Island Sound has been red hot. Fish have been ranging from schoolies to over 40-pounds, with a nice showing of slot fish every trip. Umbrella rigs, tubes, and bunker chunking have been working well. While not in thick, some big gator bluefish have made an appearance. Sea bass and porgy fishing remains fair with a steady pick most trips on clams. The fluke bite has improved with great action and a few keepers mixed in if you fish the ledges with bucktails and Gulp. Captain Skippy Charters sails daily out of Mount Sinai Harbor on a 27-foot Grady White Sailfish and accommodates 1-4 passengers. Please call (631) 252-6536 to book your trip!

Over at Ralph’s Fishing Station in Mt Sinai Kathleen told me there are some fluke at Old Field but most are shorts. Sea bass and porgies are both being cooperative. The snappers are officially in.

Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport has been keeping busy servicing reels and building custom rods. Some small bass and some shad are being picked from local harbors which are loaded with bait.

Adam Wilson at North Country Gas B&T reports from Edward Sloup had the first weakfish reported this season of 1st weak fish caught at the back of the Setauket Harbor while fishing with worms looking for flounder. In addition, Ed had a very muddy flounder that also took the worm bait. A scattering of corn kernels and a sash weight for stirring the bottom did the trick. Great job Ed, and kudos on banging out the first weakfish report along the north shore. For anglers looking for flounder, bank mussels and sandworms in Flax Pond always hold strong potential.

Chris at Blue Water Ventures in Southold said small bass are still all over the beach on the North Fork hitting small bucktails and soft plastics. Chris got out himself for some blackfish action off the shore and nailed a keeper before he went home. The shop will be open selling tying materials for those looking to keep busy during the slow months.

Robert from We Go Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports the North Fork is alive with sea bass, porgies, weakfish, stripers, kingfish, blowfish, and gator blues. The bay remains packed with summer weakfish especially off buoy 17 and inside Noyack Bay. The deep-water off Nassau Point in 70-feet of water is also holding a solid body of weakies. Hi/low rigs tipped with squid strips or Fishbites EZ Squid both working remarkably, especially during the outgoing tide. Porgies remain abundant at Jessup Neck, the Middle Grounds, and Roses Grove. You can drift porgy rigs baited with clams or you can anchor and chum with clam logs, either way works. Sea bass are in the deep cooler waters by Fishers Island, Pidgeon’s Rip and in the Sound off Rocky and Mulford Points. Hortons Point in 80-feet catches the biscuits also. Use diamond jigs during slack tide and clams on hi/lo rigs while the current is swift. Big porgies remains solid in Plum Gut and along the northside of Plum Island on clams and porgy rigs. Big sea bass have also showed the past few days inside Plum Gut hitting diamond jigs intended for bluefish Fishers Island and the Sound are also chock full of scup. Striped bass of mixed sizes and gorilla blues are at all the usual rips inside Plum Gut, the Race, and the Sluiceway on diamond jigs and 3x3 rigs armed with bucktails or swim shad. Fluke fishing was slow this week off Montauk due to the dirty water left behind by Isaias but should bounce back this coming week. Blowfish, kingfish, snappers, and crabs are all in good supply in the bay, docks, and creeks.

On the Peconic Star out of Greenport I heard from Capt. Dave Brennan and he said fishing has been lock and load with full boat limit of scup, along with a mix of other tasty sea treats every day. Please note that besides the super-fast Peconic Star Express, the all-new 78-foot super-fast Peconic Star III will be joining the fleet within the next 3 or 4 weeks. Stay tuned.

Liz at Mattituck Fishing Station and Marina in Mattituck tells us porgies remains excellent in 40 to 60-feet of water, especially at all the rock piles at those depths. Porgy rigs baited with clams anywhere from the Firing Range and off the Motels remains red hot. Sea bass are at Hortons, Mulford and Rocky Points in 80 to 90 feet of water. Use 3-ounce diamond jigs and drift at these depths until you located the sea bass, which most are in the 3 to 4-pound range. Gus Kouasias had a limit of sea bass on Saturday. Some stripers, blues, and even some weakfish are just west of the inlet by Coopers Rock and to the east by Hortons with an occasional small fluke coming up.

Capt. Tim of the open boat Timothy J Fishing in Mattituck reports phenomenal sea bass fishing with every angler limiting out and releasing many others. The Timothy J is located at 5675 West Mill Road in Mattituck. The boat sails open, no reservations needed from Wednesday to Sunday at 8 a.m. returning at 3 p.m. For more information, please visit his website at timothy-j-fishing-open-boat or give Capt. Tim a call at (631) 960-8204.

Adam at North Country Gas Bait and Tackle reported that Jose Lopez had 3 blackfish fishing in 60-feet of water off Old Field Point right by the Bell Buoy. Jose was using clams and had them to 5-pounds. Looks as if the tog are beginning to chew. Marjorie Swift and her friends trolled up some schoolie stripers while employing an umbrella rig just off the Nissequoge River.