Long Island, Metro NY - South Shore Fishing Reports

From Capt. Paul Nilsson of Just One Bite Charters in Center Moriches I heard he headed to Moriches Saturday morning and caught the incoming tide. The bass were hitting anything you threw at them. Paul headed back out Sunday but the change in wind made the bite tough. The surfcasters were landing one after another, but the boats had a hard time with the wind.

In from Richie at Dick's B&T in Mastic Beach we learned the striper bite is on! The bay and ocean are producing school fish, slot fish and over size fish. Pete Scourby fished the Great Gun for bass on SP Minnows, with one slot and one smaller. Several buddies also had several fish in the same area. One angler had a small bass off the Union Ave Dock, but it was a real small fish – still, it’s a fish! Bunker schools have had bass on them in the bay as well. Reports also came in of blues in the bay, which is a great sign. With fluke opening tomorrow, the season is getting going big time.

At Smith Point Beach Bait and Tackle, Terrence reported the bass bite has been good all along the open beach for casters. School fish to slot fish have been reported. The shop is ready for the fluke opener with baits and tackle in stock.

John at J&J Sports in Patchogue said with May 4th the kick off for fluke season in NY, reports have already been positive by anglers catching them as a by-catch. A couple of fluke rigs and a spearing/squid combo will do the trick and hopefully bring home an early season keeper, or perhaps a doormat! Some good places to start are Shinnecock inlet and Moriches Narrow Bay. Striped bass are off Patchogue, weakfish have been reported to the west, with porgies out east. Patchogue locals had a good pick of schoolie striped bass in the back bays. Shinnecock Canal, most bridges and docks have fish. Using light tackle with small soft plastics and bucktails makes for a more exciting catch. The boaters have been searching for bunker pods and targeting bass and several big bass have been reported already. John’s lilacs bloomed this past weekend, which means weakfish should be making an appearance soon in our local area. Sandworms drifted along the bottom as well as small soft plastics on a jig head is a good strategy. Bluefish were reported at Shinnecock Inlet. Fish have been in the 5 plus pound class. Tins, popping plugs and bunker bait are producing fine results. Once again porgy fishing has started and the season is fast underway. If you want quality and quantity, go to the North Shore or Peconic Bays. A mix of clams and sandworms has been very effective, with anglers reaching their limit in no time.

Down the road at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale, Billy reported the stripers must’ve known Billy was begging for them to show up this week because, man, oh man, they showed up. From the back bays to the surf and everywhere in between, the bass action is hot. Dock guys are having a blast soaking chunks and ripping lips. The surf is loaded up with fish of all sizes. Billy and his best friend Vinny Cagnina had a field day on the beach Monday afternoon into dark. Schools pulled up and they were hooking into them with the entire beach to ourselves. Billy said they had fish from well over slot size to 12-inch dinkers and everything in between. Bucktails and SPs were getting absolutely hammered. The night bite seems like it’ll be another Darter and bottle plug year - big fish are eating all of the bunker we have here locally. In the bay, Billy reported having great luck with a solid topwater bite and shallow divers like the mini–Mag Darter. The schools show up fast, rip through, and they’re gone! Finding the right time to show up is key. There are some very big fish holding out in the bay, and some spots will have you wishing you brought a bigger rod. Boat anglers are pulling up on fish all over the place, with some impressive numbers coming up over the rails. Trolling has been very fruitful, and having some SP's and swim shads slashing through the schools will do some damage.  

Greg from Burnett's Marina in Bay Shore we heard John Payne and his family, on their “Lucky Strike II,” had three nice keeper bass fishing the back bay area. John said the bite was very good, with popping plugs the best choice for action. Bunker are in the bay pretty thick, but Greg feels we need some weather to really kick things off.

At Saltwaters Bait and Tackle in West Islip I heard of a bass explosion this week with fish from the ocean to back bay. Bass Assassins, bait, topwater and anything else you throw will catch you a bass in the Great South Bay areas. On the fluke front, it looks like a solid opener as by-catch reports have come in all week. On the bluefish front, reports from the Long Beach pier were rumored, but nothing locally yet.

On the Capt. Gillen, we heard they are now sailing every weekday at 11 a.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.  There will be an expanded schedule Memorial Day Weekend. Full 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.  No surcharge for using credit cards.  Gift certificates available for birthdays, holidays, and special events.  For more information call 631-586-5511 or visit their website.

Capt. Walter on the Fishfinder II reported the opener for fluke begins Monday and the boat is ready to rock and roll for another great season on stripers and big flatties. Come on down and have a great day on the water.

On the King Cod VII out of Captree I heard from Capt. Joe reported a very strong finish for the boat's 2026 spring blackfish season. The fish bit mad dog style the last 2 days the season was open. Hundreds of shorts bending rods. Lots of limit catches, and pool contenders in the 7-pound class. The regulations say it is now time to move on to fluke. The boat will be bay fluking every day 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and in the evenings 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily for the next couple of weeks. Light crowds are expected especially during the week, so shoot a text to 631-605-1404 to let them know you are coming, or for updates, reports, etc. The boat will be switching to their always popular, and productive fluke/sea bass combo trips early this year. They plan to kick those off on May 16.

On the Laura Lee Fleet out of Captree, Capt. Kenny reported anglers had better striper fishing with some night very good and some nights just a few. The boats are ready for the fluke opener Monday (tomorrow). The season should be good as there were already reports of throw-back fluke catches. Back to bass, the action has been on a mix of Bass Assassins and assorted rubbers on the night trips.

In from The Captree Fleet I heard most of the fleet is now fluke fishing, with night striper trips available as well. On the bass front, the action has been hot with a lot of slot size and oversize stripers. There has been a lot of bait fish coming into Great South Bay and bass and fluke are on their tails. Go to https://captreefleet.com for sailing days and times.

Frank at Suffolk Marine in Babylon reported reports of bass action in the State Channel and some fluke – shorts and thrown back, east of the Moses Bridge.

Bob Rose at Bob's Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor reported striped bass are all around with fish from the ocean to the north side of the bay. Plugs, tins, or however you like to fish will account for action. And, to make it even better, these are not just throw-back school size fish and on the contrary a lot of slot fish have been caught. Fluke season opens Monday the 4th (tomorrow) and there has already been reports of solid fluke action as a bycatch by anglers. From what we can see, the fluke opener could be rock solid.

Over at Pelagic Outfitters, the report is of plenty of bass in the State Channel being caught using umbrella rigs. If you head west into Jamaica Bay or the Raritan area, the bite has been on live bait. Also have guys working in the north side of the bay with good success and some top water action when you can find them.