Long Island, Metro NY - South Shore Fishing Reports

At Center Yacht Club in Center Moriches I learned the party boat “Rosie” is still banging away on fluke with fares seeing solid action and keepers as well. Saturday was a good trip with many good fish caught. During the week, pool fish were 5 pounds or close to it.

From Capt. Paul Nilsson of Just One Bite Charters in Center Moriches I heard Paul got out Friday for a few hours and hit the ocean to find some bunker outside Moriches inlet. After a quick search, Paul saw a few groups of busting albies. Threw some tins at them and had a couple bites. Came back into the inlet to drift and caught a bunch of bluefish. Saturday morning’s charter fished the end of the outgoing for a few bluefish.

In from Richie at Dick's B&T in Mastic Beach we learned of another good week of fishing. Patrick Walsh headed outside to fish the local wrecks. He scored with large keeper sea bass, ling, fluke and porgies. He fished closer in the afternoon for smaller sea bass, plus some keeper fluke closer to the inlet. Tuna action slowed a bit, but there are still some larger Bluefin around. Stripers are picking up as bass showed in the white water just outside the inlet Sunday morning. Fluke action in the bay and just outside has been good, with tons of shorts and some nice keepers. East and West cuts have been the hotter area, with outside to the reel good too. Deeper in the bay, the bottom is paved with blowfish, with most small and some larger ones in the mix. The dock anglers are also seeing great snapper action, with blowfish on the bottom. Larger blues are circulating around the bay, with some larger ones showing.

John at J&J Sports in Patchogue said with the cooler weather and cooling water temperatures things have started to pick up along the souths shore inlets, beaches and bays.  Striped Bass were reported from Shinnecock, Moriches and Fire Island inlets with reports of bass being landed off the beach in the Davis park area as well. Along with bass, blues continue to roam the area from Moriches to Great South Bay, with anglers chasing birds diving and finding fish from 2 to 5 pounds. Fluke fisherman are landing some impressive keepers. Most of the south shore action is from Shinnecock Bay to Moriches Bay. The best action has been the moving tide, in or out, with the in seeing slightly better action. Live peanut bunker, squid and spearing or bucktails with Gulp will all account for a lot of fish, and some keepers too. Just like the fluke there has been a good supply of weakfish near buoy 34 with many anglers reporting good sized fish. The albie blitz has begun on the south shore with fish caught at the inlets and just outside. Spanish macs have been in the mix was well. Rich Stavdal reported a nice mac while casting to blues this past Thursday. Offshore mahi mahi are about 15 miles out on any floating debris. Mahi mahi can be caught using light spinning gear with top water plugs or small soft plastics. Yellowfin have also been around the tip of the Hudson Canyon. Anglers using UVT Tuna Jigs, Plugs, Spreader Bars (splash Bars) or butterfish bait have scored well. At the local docks from Shinnecock to Sayville, reports of large snapper blues have filtered into the shop. Sea bass fishing has remained good though there is a ton of smaller fish to cull through to get to your keepers. The fish have been aggressive with spearing, squid strips, and clam all catching fish.

Billy from Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle reported “Late-season fluke reports are so good! The flatties have finally made it by all the party boats and spread all over the bay. Hit your usual late-season spots, and they’re stacked up. Fish light, and fish bright! I’ve been doing well with blue and chartreuse soft plastics on a plain round jighead. Your rod will be bent all day, and you’ll have keepers to take home if you wish. Sea bass action on the local wrecks and reefs has been consistent on bait and artificials. Tuna reports are popping up again after a lull, and the jig-and-pop bite has been going strong. Plus, hardtail season is upon us! Albies and Spanish mackerel have been ripping around the North Shore and through the South Shore inlets. Fat Cow epoxy jigs and the classic Deadly Dick always work. At the docks, we still have tons of blue claw crabs and snappers around. Some fluke and kingfish have been around, too.” 

At Saltwaters Bait and Tackle in West Islip I heard fluke action is still good. Sea bass action remained good on the farther wrecks and pieces, but the FI Reef is holding a lot of smaller fish. The tuna bite remained the same with larger yellowfin at the Hudson. Back inshore, weakfish are sporadically showing in the bay. Blues – snapper size and larger are throughout the bay and on all the docks. After dark, school bass are at the Moses Bridge.

On the Capt. Gillen, we heard Shane is still in the lead in the adult division of the heaviest fluke caught this season aboard the Captain Gillen (all customers automatically entered) with a 5-pound, 9-ounce flattie, and young Sean still holds the lead in the kids division with a 3-pound, 14-ounce beauty.  Some of those who caught keeper fluke this week include Jill and Red, and gray triggerfish made an appearance on Thursday sending several fares home with a nice dinner.  They are now sailing at 11 a.m. during the week and at 6 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. on weekends (the 4 p.m. trips on weekends run until the end of September). Reservations highly recommended for all trips. Rod, reel, bait, tackle included in fare. Reduced fares for seniors, veterans, active military, first responders, groups, and children.  Family friendly.  No surcharge for using credit cards.  Gift certificates available all year ‘round for birthdays, holidays, and special events. For more information call 631-586-5511 or visit their website.

At Captree Bait and Tackle, I heard there is a lot fluke in the bay, with some fish to 26 inches reported near the Moses Bridge. The blowfish action is good at the Babylon Dock, Captree Pier. Blues is red hot, with snappers turning into small 2 to 5-pound blues. Striper action has not yet gotten started.

Capt. Walter on the Fishfinder II reported fluking was good on some days while others were slower. Saturday saw good action inside the inlet with loads of fish and fish to 5 pounds. Some triggerfish also mixed in. During the week, the action was pretty good, with better action in the bay than the ocean, which is typical for this time of year. The afternoon trips this past weekend saw blues from 3 to 5 pounds, with the occasional 6 to 7-pounder. All the blues were on Diamond Jigs.

On the Jib VI, Capt. Joe reported anglers had good action this past week. Saturday morning was very active with a lot of fish coming over the rail with just a few keepers. However, during the week, the two largest were Joanne’s 6.93-pounder and Mr. Lee had a 4.5.

On the King Cod VII out of Captree I heard from Capt. Joe who reported that ocean fluke fishing was still viable throughout the week. Thursday saw the best trip of the week with a light crowd of 11 anglers landing close to 20 keeper fluke to 6 pounds. They also had a ton of shorts, plus a few nice keeper sea bass and scup also made it over the rail. There is still a good amount of fluke inside Fire Island Inlet and back in the Great South Bay that will be spilling out over the coming days for their fall migration offshore. With the unsettled sea conditions forecast this coming week, the boat plans to fish inside and around the inlet for those fall run fish. Starting Monday, September 21st, they will be bay/inlet fluke fishing every day at 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. until at least Friday, September 25th. To get the latest updates or to reserve space at the rail, text Capt. Joe at 631-605-1404, or you can give Capt. Kris a call at 631-742-1963. The boat sails every day, weather and interest permitting from the far right side of the dock. They plan to fluke fish as long as it holds up, switching over to blackfish on October 15th.

On Taylor Renee Charters out of Babylon I heard from Capt. Mike who said good fluke action can be had in the bay on live peanuts. After the sun sets, weakfish and school bass are around. Cocktail blues and some bigger ones are around too. For info or to book a trip call Capt. Mike at 631-855-2751.

Bob Rose at Bob's Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor reported fluking in the bay was better this week, with peanut bunker, Gulp and spearing all producing keepers with a lot of shorts. There is a lot of blues in Jones and Fire Island, with metal jigs accounting for action. There is a mix of bottom fish - blowfish, small weakfish and sea bass in the bay. Clams or squid will do the trick if you want to have some fun. Add in a chum pot and you could be reeling all day. On the local docks, crabs and blowfish remained steady.