Long Island, Metro NY - South Shore Fishing Reports

Cody at Silly Lily Fishing Station in East Moriches said a few bass came up this week, with the dogs in the mix. The fluke action is still a slow start. The station is up and running with rentals available daily.

From Capt. Paul Nilsson of Just One Bite Charters in Center Moriches I heard with the later tide this week, Paul didn’t get to fish the inlet much. The water coming in from the ocean is starting to warm up with it being 54 degrees at the end of the incoming on Saturday. With the warmer water comes the dogfish. Fares had them on Saturday from 18 inches to over 48 inches; the big ones sure get the blood pumping. Fluking shows signs of improvement. Water temps in the Narrows at the end of the outgoing was 71 degrees. Saturday’s early charter had Dawn and her husband and two adult kids catching some big dogfish. After switching to fluke, they ended the day with a bunch of shorts and 2 keepers. The evening trip with Brandon and his son Hunter saw a tough drift in the inlet with wind against tide. Changed gears and went fluking to get a few shorts and some bluefish.

In from Richie at Dick's B&T in Mastic Beach we learned of an up and down week of fluke action as fish were off the bite on some days, while fish to 5 pounds came up on good days. Davis Whelpy fished Thursday near the Smith Point Bridge and Narrow Bay for two fish, but one was a fat 21-1/2-inch keeper. Anglers are catching a few fish, with at least one or two quality fish. Cocktail blues are running the bay, and are thick in the inlet. The fish are in the 2 to 3-pound range. Earlier in the week, Richie Bovich weighed in a 14-pound, 8-ounce bluefish for the Dream Boat Contest. He caught the blue on Monday. He also had bass to 30 plus pounds while using live spot when the bluefish took his bait. Bass have been taking shads and bucktails, with live spot also a great option.

At Smith Point Beach Bait and Tackle, Terrence reported the fluke bite is okay, with active cocktail blues chasing in the bay. There are reports of weakfish in the back bay. For bass head to the inlet, with live bait and bucktails accounting for action.

John at J&J Sports in Patchogue said the highlight of the week was Steve Scanapico’s mini-doormat fluke weighing in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Hopefully this will be a Dream Boat entry! Steve drilled the fish in one of the few areas that seems to be holding a fair amount of fluke – Moriches. Fluke fishing is heating up in Moriches Bay as anglers are seeing a steady pick of fish. Spearing/squid combo, on a fluke rig seems to be working well. Hi-lo rigs jigging a bucktail and teaser tipped with Gulp has had great results too. Patchogue locals reported a good pick of fluke off the Ocean Beach area too. Great South Bay is seeing some good action with bass, blues, and weakfish.  Many of these fish are being taken on bunker chunks from local docks between Oakdale and Sayville. Moriches Inlet has plenty of blues too, with fish being caught both during the day and at night. With Father’s Day on June 21st, don't forget about your dad. Shop online, or in store; J&J has all the fishing supplies your dad will need. Or get dad a gift card Crabbing continues to improve.

Greg from Burnett's Marina in Bay Shore we heard fluking is off to a good start in the bay, with squid/spearing the best option. Bass action is lock and load, with live spot producing the best action on all sizes of fish. On the outside wrecks, the sea bass have been good size. The Girls, Gina and Chrissy fished the State Channel fir fluke 4 pounds this past week. On the “lucky Strike II,” John Payne fished with friends and kept two keeper bass. John also reported they quickly released oversized all day. The action was all on live spot. Ed Seckeler on his “Steel-n-Time” fished a mid-week trip on the north side of the bay off Bay Shore. For his efforts he had a fat fluke weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces right off the marina!

At Saltwaters Bait and Tackle in West Islip I heard of small blues throughout the bay – they are smaller snapper blues, usually a pound or less, but still fun. The fluke action is west in the State Channel, with the Meadowbrook and Wantagh bridge areas the better spots. Mackerel schools are outside with stripers on the chase. Back inside Great South, fluke action is tough go.

On the Capt. Gillen, we heard that the leader in the adult division of the heaviest fluke caught this season aboard the Captain Gillen (all customers automatically entered) is still Jimmy’s 4-pound, 6-ounce fluke.  Keepers this week were caught by Joe, Ernie, Dave, and a 3-pound, 6-ounce flattie for Rob, to name a few. They are sailing every weekday at 11 a.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 6 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m.  Starting June 19, they will be sailing at 6 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. every day. The spring / summer sailing and fare schedule is posted on their website.  Reservations recommended for all trips.  Rod, reel, bait, tackle included in fare. Reduced fares for seniors, veterans, active military, first responders, and children.  Family friendly.  No surcharge for using credit cards.  Gift certificates available all year ‘round for birthdays, holidays, and special events.  Don’t forget Father’s Day is only a few weeks away.  July 4th fireworks cruise tickets are also available.  For more information call 631-586-5511 or visit their website.

Capt. Walter on the Fishfinder II reported the fluke action remained a slow pick this week with shorts and a handful of keepers made for tough days on the water. The water temperature is definitely climbing, so hopefully this coming week and the weeks beyond will be fruitful. The boat will continue to sail daily, leaving the dock at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

On the Jib VI, Capt. Joe reported It was a slow week of fishing with some days better with short life and a few nice fish coming up. The hardest problem is there is no consistency to the action as far as tide and wind is concerned. There were a handful of good fish this past week - Joan with a 4.6-pound fluke, and Jose with a 6.8 pounder.

On the King Cod VII out of Captree I heard from Capt. Joe reported that ocean sea bass jigging really picked up steam this week. Easy limits of nice sea bass to 18 inches and larger were caught by fares on Diamond Jigs and bait. A couple porgies, and more fluke are mixed in every day. They sail daily at 6a.m. from the right side of the dock. Ocean sea bass and fluke on tap daily, with no reservations needed. Text 631-605-1404 for the latest news and sailing information

On the Laura Lee Fleet out of Captree, Capt. Kenny reported the sea bass action was greatly improved this past week. Anglers saw plenty of limits and all the ling you wanted. Fluke action is slow, but the evening trip saw an uptick in bluefish action.

In from The Captree Fleet I heard the fleet has started taking reservation for the 4th of July cruise to Jones Beach. On the fishing front, fluke has been slow, but a handful of larger fish to 6 pounds have been weighed in. Night bass trips are seeing a lot of oversize fish and slot size. On the ocean tile trips, limits to 34 pounds were reported. Sea bass is still being caught with ling on the ocean pieces. Bluefish action has been getting hotter with some larger fish pushing close to 10.

Frank at Suffolk Marine in Babylon reported weakfish moved closer to shore, with soft plastics the best option. Stripers are all over the bay on live baits and artificials. The best fluke bite has been in the State Channel.

Bob Rose at Bob's Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor reported the fluke action is good in the East West Channel between Lindenhurst and Amityville. Small bucktails with spearing and Gulp has been best. A scattering of weakfish is at all the usual haunts on soft plastics. Small blues are at the inlet with anything small and shiny the key. Offshore on the reefs, fat sea bass and ling are active, plus a few fluke have been in the mix. At the dock at Tanner, some fluke were reported along with blue claw crabs.