Long Island, Metro NY - South Shore Fishing Reports

In from Capt. Tom Cornicelli of Back Bay Outfitter in East Moriches I heard not only is spot available 24/7, but Tom will also deliver to your boat or marina if needed. For info, call Tom at 516-446-2286.

Jay at Silly Lily Fishing Station in East Moriches said the station will officially open on May 15th with rentals available. The shop will also have all the seasonal baits, with tackle available.

In from Richie at Dick's B&T in Mastic Beach we learned that anglers are seeing bass from shorts to slot size fish. The action has been under the birds. Shop regular on his “Yabba Dabba Do” had bass to 29 inches on a soft plastics. Anglers have also had fish on poppers and SP Minnows. Moving towards the inlet, anglers have scored with bass using clams. Flounder action has been non-existent. Although fluke season does not open until this Saturday, anglers have had fish on soft plastics meant for bass. This bodes well for the opener. Richie also said he heard of blues in the bay!

John at J&J Sports in Patchogue said anglers have caught many slot and over slot fish in Great South Bay around bunker pods. Bass are also on the local docks with bunker and clam working well on slot and short fish. Bucktails, swim shads and top water have also produced action. The shop had a few reports of flounder by anglers using a heavy dose of mussel chum and sandworms on the hook. The hot spots have been the Smith Point Bridge and Quogue Canal are good spring areas to try. On the blackfish front, fishing has started to pick up as the water temps increase. Clam seems to be the bait for this spring season. Keep in mind the spring season is a 2 fish, 16-inch limit and closes on April 30th! Bluefish have been reported in the bay near the Smith Point Bridge, with anglers using Diamond Jigs and topwater poppers. Weakfish have begun to pop up as well.

Down the road at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale, Billy reported bass are on the beach - hitting poppers, swim shads, darters, bottle plugs, diamond jigs and SP Minnows. Fly guys are having a blast tossing clousers, small hollows, and deceivers at them and hooking up regularly. Early morning and twilight hours are producing the best. The water is still cold, but it is very clean. Another week or two and the bay will have exploded with life. The local docks are starting to see their first few fish of the season. It’s officially striped bass time! Even some solid bluefish have come up. Weakfish are starting to poke around a bit as well. Fish light for them - light rods, light lines, light jigs. They love bright colors. The shop is fully stocked with rods, reels, and all sorts of lures to cover every bit of water you need. White perch action is picking up again. These feisty little cousins of the striped bass are a blast on light gear. They’ll eat worms, and they love crushing small jigs.

In from Anthony at Bay Shore Fish and Hunt I heard school bass are definitely roaming the bay with anglers scoring keepers as well. Anthony also heard of a bluefish caught near the inlet area.

Greg from Burnett's Marina in Bay Shore we heard that John Payne with his dad and buddy fished on their “Lucky Strike II,” fished Kismet with SP Minnows. On the day the guys had several slot fish and throwbacks.

At Saltwaters Bait and Tackle in West Islip I heard the bay has a lot of life as this week it broke open a bit more. Anglers are finding stripers in all the haunts, with a lot of slot fish in the mix. On Saturday blues – and big ones at that – entered the bay. And, weakfish action is already gaining speed with fish taking small soft plastics. Fluke season opens this Saturday so hit the water and make sure to stop down for any bait and tackle needs before heading out.

On the Capt. Gillen, we heard their first trip of the 2024 fluke season will be at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 4.  To start the season, they will be sailing at 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and at 11 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The full schedule for fluke season is posted on their website. As always, families and novices welcome.  Rod, reel, bait, tackle included in fare. Reduced fares for seniors, veterans, first responders, and children; information available by clicking on the tickets page on their site.  No surcharge for using credit cards.  For more information call 631-586-5511 or visit their website.

Brenden at Captree Bait and Tackle Shop on Captree Island reported anglers scored with bass and blues mainly this week, with the occasional fluke in the mix. This Saturday fluke season opens and it should be a great weekend of fishing.

Capt. Walter on the Fishfinder II reported the boat will begin their season on May 4th, with fluke trips at 10 a.m. followed by striper and bluefish trips at 5 p.m. For info, go to www.captreefishfinder.com.

On the King Cod VII out of Captree I heard from Capt. Joe who said they have been sailing daily for blackfish. Action has been had both inside the inlet, and out on the Fire Island Reef. The ocean drops have been alive with shorts, and a few ling, but not too much going in the buckets. The bay has seen slower action with keepers to 6 pounds. With that they are wrapping up the blackfish trips now in order to give the vessel a little love before Saturday’s fluke opening. The boat will sail daily 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will also be giving away Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the season opening. Join them by texting Capt. Joe at 631-605-1404, or just come on down!

On the Laura Lee out of Captree, the FB Page is showing really good striper action this past week on the night trips. Shorts and slot fish have been coming over the rails. On the outside, the action has been slow but the weather has been nice. Fares scored with some ling and cod on these trips.

In from The Captree Fleet I heard anglers were treated to good striped bass action east of the inlet by day. For the boats sailing outside the inlet, blackfish season ended on a good note, but anglers also had sea bass and stripers. The fleet will be hitting the water full time this Saturday with the opening of fluke season. For complete sailing times please go to their website https://captreefleet.com.

Dennis at Babylon Fishing Station I heard Antonio on his boat threw plugs on the flats for a few short bass. Another angler fished Snake Hill and had a few run-offs to no avail. The shop is loaded with bait, tackle and ice for a great day on the water.

Taylor Renee Charters reported the first weakfish of the year caught the other day a little earlier this year. Stripers are good on clam bellies and at night at the Moses bridge you’ll also find some blues in the mix. Just looking forward to fluke season this year hoping to get on some more double digits. 

Bob Rose at Bob's Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor reported there are a lot of bass and bluefish, with stray reports of fluke, porgies and weakfish being caught. And, surprisingly a flounder was caught in a canal. Back to bass and blues, the bass are smacking topwaters, bucktails and bait, while the blues, which are at the inlet and open beach are whacking anything in sight. Fluke season opens Saturday and the shop is fully loaded with all the rigs and bait you will need.

Over at Pelagic Outfitters, Chris said bass have shown up in the State Channel, with fish chomping on Mojo’s on the troll and topwater fishing the drains. The Wantagh Bridge has them in good numbers, but the bite has been better at night for anglers using clam and casting swim shads. There were a lot of reports from canal front customers reporting bass swimming in the lights underwater the dock at night. On another note in the bay, big bluefish have arrived. The local reefs (60-80 feet) have been giving up some cod, mainly on clams with sea bass in the mix, which bodes well for when the season opens. On the offshore scene, big bluefins have moved in, in the past week. Fish are off Jersey at the moment so Chris expects them off the western end south shore in short order.  Trolled ballyhoo have been the preferred bait. The shop is stocked with ballyhoo, so come and grab some.