Long Island, Metro NY - North Shore Fishing Reports

Mike at Fishing East Coast Bait and Tackle in Little Neck reports that the nighttime striped bass bite was pretty good this week due to the full moon. Throggs Neck Bridge, Manhasset Bay and live eels accounted for many slot size bass being taken. Fluke remains plentiful though most still remain short inside Little Neck Bay and around Hart Island. Bucktails tipped with Gulp or a squid and spearing combo are catching the flatties with one in 30 maybe being a keeper. Bluefish have been few and far between. Porgy fishing remains excellent inside Oyster Bay with worms, clams and clam chum all participating in coolers full of quality porgies to 2-1/2 pounds. Snapper fishing has been excellent from the South Shore docks and piers and very good from the local North Shore docks and piers, especially during the early morning hours.

Capt. Pat Barrett of the Shamrock Charterboat in New Rochelle reports fishing the 30 to 60 foot depths for decent to excellent porgy fishing on the private charters and open boat Sunset Porgy Trips. In addition to the scup, each trip sees an assortment of weakfish, sea bass, Virginia spot and sand sharks. The Sunset Porgy trips will continue to sail every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday through Sunday September 20th chasing porgies and friends. In the meantime please come out and enjoy an evening with friends and family which include some truly sparkling views and some of the most stunning sunsets. Catching fish is always a bonus, the real memories are made bonding with family and friends. As always, private fishing charters for the remaining fall months can be arranged by giving Capt. Pat a call at (914) 552-3050. You can check out their website at shamrockcharterboat.com

Nuno DeCosta Tyalure Professional Tackle & Gear in Rye, NY reports those with the know-how have been scoring well with the striped bass from the jetties on swim shads. Porgy fishing remains excellent for anglers applying frozen clam logs in chum pots and using worms and clams on high/low rigs. Although not great, there are some fluke being taken off Matinecock Point on bucktails tipped with squid and spearing or Berkley Gulp. Bluefish continues to disappoint. Hopefully, once the waters cool down a bit the choppers will show up for the feast that awaits. Snapper fishing has been excellent at all the docks and piers as well as the Rye Playland Pier which bodes well for the kids young and old. As it has been all summer, the tuna fishing remains second to none on the offshore grounds as all the canyons are chock full of yellowfin and big eye tuna, while the 20 to 30 Fathom lines are scattered with bluefin tuna. Tyalure is fully stocked with offshore gear, bait and chum to handle anything needed for the task offshore and inshore. Many of the rods available at the store are custom built for heavy and light tackle tuna fishing designed by Nuno. Without a doubt, Tyalure is your one stop shop for all your fishing supplies as well as clothing to deal with any of the elements that Mother Nature may throw at you. Nuno suggests stocking up on tuna bait and gear while everything is in stock and before he sells out with the current tuna craze going on at the moment. The store is open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Aboard the open boat the Rip Tide III in City Island Capt. Carl was excited to report porgy fishing is as good as it could be with weakfish, sea bass, fluke and spot are all included in the catches. Hopefully the fishing will remain excellent right into blackfish season which takes over by the end of October. The boat sails daily at 8 a.m.

Blaise from Duffy’s Bait and Tackle in Glenwood Landing reports good porgy fishing at all the beaches on worms and clam baits. Boaters also enjoying good scup fishing at all the rockpiles and at buoy 28 C. Worms, clams and clam chum has been the culprits. With this past week’s full moon, stripers showed a burst in action on live bait. Fluke continues to be the target at Matinecock Point with some impressive size flatties mixing in with the shorts. Bucktails tipped with squid and spearing combos or Berkley Gulp baits all account for fluke to 8 pounds. Bluefish continues to void the area most days. The snapper fishing at the docks and jetties has been very good, especially if you get out of bed early in the morning and hit the water by 6:30 a.m.

On Cold Spring Charters in Cold Spring Harbor, Capt. Herb Hahn reports striped bass fishing has slowed for the time being but will resume where it left off once the waters begin to cool down and the baitfish begin to move out. In the meantime porgy fishing has been excellent and filling the box. Capt. Herb is now accepting charters for the upcoming blackfish season. Book now to avoid being shut out to what should be an excellent blackfish season by calling (516) 641-3401.

The guys at Campsite Sport Shop in Huntington reports with the exception of porgy fishing, action has been slow. Striped bass fishing did see a bit of improvement this week with the full moon phase on live bait. Sea bass are at Cable Reef and at the Green Ledge with most being under the legal size. Fluke are still showing themselves with mostly undersize flatties making up the bulk of the catch. Bluefishing remains slow with spurts of good action with small cocktail blues inside Huntington Bay. On a bright note, once the waters begin to cool down and with the enormous amount of baitfish that are all over the place, fishing should really catch fire with striped bass, bluefish, false albacore and possibly fluke as the baitfish move out of the bays and harbors and into the Sound in the hungry mouths of the speedsters and gamesters.

Rob at Hi-Hook Bait and Tackle in Huntington reports porgy fishing remains excellent on worms, clams and squid. The scup are in all their usual havens for September. Stripers are just waiting for the first flush out of baitfish once the usual low pressure systems move into the area cooling down the waters and getting the baitfish to move into the Sound triggering the appetites of the stripers, blues and false albacore. Black Sea bass are slamming clam and squid baits as well as diamond jigs baited with Gulp at the local wrecks, Anchors Reef and the Green Ledge. Snapper fishing remains very good at the local docks and piers.

Mark DeJong of the Celtic Quest Fleet in Port Jefferson reports that the porgy fishing remains excellent on most trips providing the conditions permit. Patrons are catching plenty of scup with some folks only keeping a few and releasing the rest. Aside from the porgies, there have been a mix of sea bass, weakfish and bluefish mixing into catches. In spite of the good fishing, the action will only get better as the waters begin to cool down and the scup and sea bass move into shallow water. If you want to enjoy great fishing aboard a great and friendly party boat, then the Celtic Quest has it all. You can reserve your spots at the rails by visiting the Celtic Quest fishing website.

Matt of Port Tackle in Port Jefferson reports excellent porgy fishing at Old Field Point and the Middle Grounds on worms, clams and porgy jigs. With the full moon this week, the striped bass perked up dramatically with live spot producing during the day tides, while live eels take over during the night tides. Black sea bass fishing continues to improve as we move into autumn and should really take hold as we move into fall. High/low rigs baited with clam and squid account for mixed size fish while employing diamond jigs and sea bass jigs tipped with Berkley Gulp baits account for many large sea bass. Bluefishing has been slow as is fluke fishing. On the other hand there have been reports of large Spanish mackerel being taken by the Middle Grounds on bunker spoons intended for striped bass. The offshore bite continues to be spectacular with plenty of yellowfin and big eyes at the 30 Fathom Curve while bluefin are everywhere from 3 to 5 miles south of Shinnecock and Montauk. The amount of bait and sea life in the deep blue has been incredible and anywhere you mark bait, the tuna are not far behind. Port Tackle is your East End go to for all your inshore and offshore needs. Be sure to stop in and say hello.

Sue Flora of Miller Place Bait and Tackle reports excellent porgy fishing off Cranes Neck, Old Field Point and the Middle Grounds on high/low rigs baited with worms, clams, squid and porgy jigs. Some quality sea bass are also being taken by anglers fishing the Middle Grounds. High/low rigs baited with clam and squid nail the sea bass along with diamond jigs and ball jigs baited with Berkley Gulp. There are striped bass in the area responding to live bait during the full moon phase. Whether the stripers will respond to baits now that we are off the full moon is yet to be seen. Bluefishing has been sporadic with Mount Sinai Harbor producing mainly cocktail blues. Some large Spanish mackerel are also in the area this week anywhere from Old Field Point to the Middle Grounds. The speedsters are slamming Crippled Herring intended for bluefish. Fluke are still being taken at the shoals with some impressive fish to 9 pounds caught off Old Field Point. Bucktails and traditional fluke rigs are producing best with spearing, squid and Gulp garnishing the hook marvel best. The Cedar Beach pier and all the local docks enjoying good snapper and porgy fishing.

Capt. Brian of Captain Skippy Charters in Mount Sinai reports another great week of fishing between storms with striped bass remaining excellent using live bait or trolling bunker spoons and employing light tackle. Captain Skippy Charters continues to collaborate with Gray Fish Tag which gives anglers the opportunity to tag, name and release oversize stripers in the name of science. This week’s shout out goes to David who came out with the goal of catching his first striped bass and Dave did just that, a 40-inch striper taken on live bait that he named “Casimir”. There has been a good influx of cocktail blues close to the beach while their older siblings have been few and far between. Porgy fishing remains spectacular along the deeper drops with larger black sea bass in the mix each week. Capt. Skippy Charters is now running half day charters targeting a mix bag of stripers, blues, porgies and sea bass. To arrange a quality trip to four passengers, please call Capt. Brian at (631) 252-6536.

The crew from Ralphs Fishing Station in Mt. Sinai reports excellent bottom fishing with porgies leading the way at the Middle Grounds on worms and clam with some nice sea bass mixing in the catches. There still some stripers around slamming live bait and bunker chunks. Bluefish have been spotty; here one day gone the next which has been occurring inside the harbor on shiny jigs. Fluke are still hanging tough on the shoals due to the abundance of spearing in the water but keepers continues to be a challenge to find. Bucktails and teasers dressed with spearing and squid catch the fluke. Snappers and porgies are at the Cedar Beach pier.

Phil of Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports there are still bass sucking down live spot during the day and live eels at night around Eaton’s Neck and the Obstruction Buoy. This past week the full moon phase really assisted the bite. Porgy fishing remains excellent at all the usual haunts with worms and clams producing good catches at the Brush Pile, Cranes Neck, Buoy 11 B and Huntington Bay. Sea bass are mainly small but can be found in abundance at Anchors Reef and the Green Ledge. Employing diamond jigs will help filter out the smaller fish for the larger keeper size sea bass. Fluke continues to hang in there south of buoy 13 and in front of the Eaton’s Neck Coast Guard Station on bucktails and traditional rigs baited with squid, spearing or Gulp. The docks are producing good snapper fishing for anglers getting up early in the morning.

Capt. Stu of Northport Charters Northport reports that porgy fishing remains excellent with the kids of the camp and his regular charters all enjoying keeping their rods bent with quality scup. Captain Stu said the amount of spearing, peanut bunker and butterfish that is in the bays and the Sound is incredible which bodes well for the upcoming fall season for the next round of striped bass. Capt. Stu is looking forward to the fall blackfish and sea bass season and strongly suggests booking your bottom fishing trips now as they book fast once blackfish season opens. Captain Stu brings 21 years’ experience fishing the Northport waters and certainly knows where the husky blackfish live. With that said, whether it’s striped bass, fluke, sea bass, porgies, blackfish or combo trips, Capt. Stu has you covered with his experience fishing the North Shore of Long Island Sound. To book your trips please give Capt. Stu a call or text at (631) 707-3266 or go to Northportcharter.com.

Capt. Sean Crean of Port of Call Charters in Northport now the 32 foot Molly Gale K 3, reports that both the Molly Gale K 2 and 3 are bottom fishing with good porgy fishing and fair sea bass catches. Capt. Sean is anticipating the start of blackfish season, which promises to produce plenty of solid fishing with plenty of quality white chins making up the 2026 season. To get in on the action, further info and to book your trips, please give Capt. Sean a call at (631) 896-6709 or visit their website.

Capt. Ken of Angler Fleet in Port Washington reports good fluking during the Labor Day Weekend with a fair amount of keepers hitting the fillet table. The kids fish camp that now comes to an end until next summer ended on a good note with a lot of action and plenty of impressive flatties hitting the deck this summer. To keep tabs on when Angler Fleet will be sailing as an open boat, please check their Facebook Page or give Capt. Kenny a call at (718) 659-8181. The boats are also available for blackfish charter for the fall as well as for nighttime parties also by giving Capt. Kenny a call.

Craig from WeGo Bait and Tackle in Southold reports loads of baby weakfish have moved into the bay’s and are hitting all the baits on high/low rigs meant for porgies. Most of the weakfish are under 12 inches and must be returned for another day. Porgy fishing has also been excellent inside the bay from Greenport to Jessup Neck. Worms, clams and squid are catching the scup along with kingfish, spot, blowfish and cocktail blues. Outside the bay’s and from Plum Gut to the Race has been good bluefishing along with some attentive striped bass action during the full moon period. Bucktails and skirts on 3x3 rigs has been catching the stripers, while diamond jigs have been jaw breakers for the blues. Out in the Long Island Sound, porgy fishing has been excellent on porgy jigs as well as high/low rigs baited with worms and clams. Sea bass have been plentiful on the reefs on Block Island Sound with some big knot heads mixed in with many shorts. High/low rigs baited with clam and squid catch the bulk of the sea bass, however, working 6 to 8 ounce diamond jigs are catching the larger keeper sea bass. The docks has been seeing good crabbing and good snapper fishing during the early morning hours.

Capt. Paul Ripperger and Captain Rachel Jannace Johnson of the Tide Hustle in Greenport reports all their patrons are enjoying the “Bonus Season” whereas as of September 1st, creel limits have been increased to 40 porgies and 6 sea bass per person per day and anyone looking to take their limits are easily doing so on the Montauk extended day trips with jumbo porgies to 3 pounds and jumbo sea bass to 4 pounds. In addition to the scup and biscuits is the excellent action with fluke. There are still plenty of shorts around, however most patrons are catching a fair amount of keepers to 5-1/2 pounds to keep everyone smiling. Bottom line, the Montauk trips see bent rods all day long and full coolers of fish for everyone who wants. The family fun trips and the Gardiners Bay trips also see excellent catches of porgies with a mix of black sea bass, triggerfish, weakfish and sand sharks which are a treat for the kids before releasing the baby sharks. The extended Montauk trips will continue for as long as the fluke stick around. As good as the bottom fishing has been, it will only get better as October comes around and then it is off to blackfish season where the fishing promises to be grand judging by the amount of blackfish being caught and released by anglers fishing the reefs for sea bass. The Tide Hustle is sailing from Brick Cove Marina in Greenport every day, weather permitting starting at 7 a.m. and returning back to the dock between 2 and 2:30 p.m. unless they are on an extended trip which returns at 4 p.m. The Tide Hustle is the newest addition of the East End open boat operation and is owned and operated by both Capt. Rachel and her husband Todd Johnson. Open boat trips are limited to 15 anglers with a 100 feet of rail space to roam in. Although walk Ons are welcome when the boat is not filled, a reservation is strongly suggested to guarantee your spot on the rail. The Tide Hustle is also available for charters, also limited to 15 passengers. For further information or to book your spot on the rail you can give Capt. Paul a call at (631) 522-2002 or Captain Rachel at (631) 384-6294.

Adam at North Country Gas Bait and Tackle in St. James reports Stu and Joe Fitzgerald nailed 20 large porgies fishing at Old Field Point using clams. Tim from Bank of America fished outside the Nissequogue River each night this past week and nailed at least one keeper striped bass each evening using sandworms. Karl and Jane Middleton fished the 60 foot depths of the Middle Grounds for two keeper stripers using clam bellies.