As spring arrives, one of the best spots to begin whether you are a shorebound angler or boater is the West Bay Bridge/Quantuck Canal area. I have fished this area virtually every spring for as long as I can remember. When I first moved to Manorville back in the early 80s, Gary Grunseich from Silly Lily Fishing Station told me to head up there on St Paddy’s Day for flounder. I grabbed some red dyed clams, bloodworms and mussels and probably had 100 flounder on the day! It was one of the best days I ever had flounder fishing. In addition, if you are wondering, no I did not keep them all, but I did keep about 20 for friends and family. Years later during the fall run I had heard from several anglers there were 30-plus pound stripers moving through Shinnecock and I knew at that point they would continue west through the canals. I found bunker the previous night, and knew the early a.m. tide would produce. Using pencil poppers at daybreak I had several bass over 25, with one tipping the scale over 30 pounds.
Back to the fishing, first up was always a few flounder…yes I said flounder. If you give it a shot, the warm, dark mud always produces a few flatties. Small stripers can be caught year round at the West Bay Bridge, but they get active by the end of May. Early season racer bluefish invade in May, with the latter portion the best timeframe. Trust me; this area is a true hot spot that most anglers overlook.
Quantuck Canal is the first canal after the West Bay Bridge heading east. The Quantuck Canal is smaller than its big sister, the Quogue Canal a bit farther to the east, but a solid producer in the early portion of the spring season. The Quantuck leads you into what I call Little Quantuck Bay, which has small feeder creeks for an ample supply of baitfish. The entire west shoreline of the bay offers slightly deeper water, which always attracts bass and blues. For flounder, stay in the channel and fish the edges of the deep spots. I like the middle of the tide as smaller baitfish are moving back up into the shallows, and the sun has had a chance to warm the water a bit. Various deeper holes can be found throughout the canal between the West Bay Bridge and Beach Lane Bridge.
As April/May rolls in, bunker begin their trek into the bays and harbors, and every year, they can be found at the West Bay Bridge and just west of it. Large bluefish will begin marauding bunker, while bass are best on the night tides, with soft plastics and bucktails accounting for some larger fish. If you look at a map of the area, you will notice a point that juts out about 300 yards west of the bridge. Creative parking or walking from the West Bay Bridge lot will get you to a nice “rip” and deeper water. I have had bountiful nights with blues in the teens and bass pushing the 30-pound mark over the years.
Moving back into the Quantuck Canal, this area will hold blues, and some really big bass throughout the early spring months. As the bunker begins filtering in, more and more bass will arrive. On either tide stage when bunker are present, live lining bunker with a circle hook can be deadly. This fishery will remain steady until the end of June, and slack off until the fall. In the fall, the action returns as bait, including bunker, begins filtering out of the back bays through the canals to the inlets. Another real good spot is the end of the Quantuck Canal where it enters Quantuck Bay. Just past the bridge and the first green can, is an area with depths up to 21 feet deep. This area plays host to early season weakfish with grass shrimp, small jigs or pink Bass Assassins fished along the deeper portion and edges that always produces a few weakfish – some over 10 pounds.
During the summer months, snapper blues will keep the kids smiling, and if you drop down a baited hook with clam or squid, small sea bass, porgies, kingfish, blowfish and the likes will be in any deep hole throughout the Quantuck Canal, and especially just west of the West Bay Bridge. Do you like crabbing? The West Bay and Beach Lane bridges are top spots in August. I have seen guys netting crabs at night that are pushing 6 plus inches and larger, and a lot of them. A simple chunk of bunker or chicken ion a string and let the fun begin. With a long handled net, you can also just position yourself on top of the bridge and scoop them up!
Although this area is rock solid in the spring, it also shines throughout the year. Boat traffic can get crazy in the Memorial Day to Labor Day periods, but if you fish early in the a.m. or after 9 p.m., the area is quiet, peaceful, and loaded with great action.
The canal is easily accessible through the town of Westhampton via Jessup Lane or Beach Lane. Upon arriving at the canal, there is limited parking on Beach, but at the West Bay, although it is technically private, the large parking area is available. Park close to the bridge, but beware, as the summer beach season kicks into high gear, parking before 9 p.m. or after 8 a.m. may become an issue.
This year, add the West Bay and Quantuck Canal area to your bucket list, milk run, or whatever you call spots you want to hit, then gear up and catch a few.
