A “Narrow” option with a wide degree of success.
It was a good day of fluke fishing while concentrating most of our efforts around the Smith Point Bridge. The timeframe was the beginning of May and as is usually the case each year, we would start our fluke season inside Narrows Bay which is adjacent to Moriches Bay. On our way back to where I kept my Parker at a marina in Center Moriches, we made a stop just short of Moriches Bay in the buoy 9 vicinity where several boats were tossing metal jigs and poppers underneath at least a hundred sea gulls wheeling overhead and crashing the water as thousands of 4 to 6-pound bluefish were mercilessly terrorizing a massive school of spearing to the surface gorging them down to no end. Without hesitation we joined in with the fleet of boats and fired away with 007 diamond jigs. Almost instantaneous of our jigs hitting the water, it was game on as my three buddies and I were battling and releasing all the 4 to 6-pound choppers we cared to catch before we decided to call it quits roughly a half hour later.
During the entire month of May and lasting well into June, Narrows Bay is alive with several species but none better than blues ranging between cocktail to 15-pound gators. Best of all, a boat or kayak is not required as surf and pier fishermen are just as much in the game as those anglers fishing from floating tins and fiberglass. All this excitement in the calm sheltered waters of Narrows Bay.
Narrow It Down
As part of the Moriches Bay estuary, Narrows Bay is lined just outside the Forge River starting at Forge Point (buoy 11) and extending west to the Smith Point Bridge. While the east side of the Smith Point Bridge ends Narrows Bay, the west side of the bridge is where Bellport Bay begins. Water depth and bottom contour varies along this body of water. The tidal currents going through Narrows are moderate with incoming tide flowing into Narrows Bay from Moriches Bay and the outgoing flow coming from Bellport Bay. Although Bellport Bay gets very little recognition, this body of water that leads into Patchogue Bay has come back to life since 2012 when Super Storm Sandy blasted off a piece of the barrier beach along the southeast end of Bellport Bay allowing the stagnant bay water to eventually filter clean bring the bay back to life with stripers, blues, weakfish, fluke and a host of bottom dwellers including blowfish and porgies. Unfortunately the breakaway has filled in, however there was still enough good done to keep Bellport Bay hopping with life. We’ll cover this bay in another feature in the near future, but for now Narrows Bay has a lot to offer for such a small body of water.
Hot Spots Within
For starters, the Smith Point State Park offers a huge parking lot where fishing from the beach is only a hop, skip and a jump away from the lot. Most surfers opt for both sides of the bridge however the entire shoreline can be productive during a bluefish invasion. Anglers willing to walk in front of the campgrounds will find the deepest water of the park which drops to 30 feet. Although I never fished this area from the beach, I fished many times during the month of May over the years from my boat successfully catching blues, stripers and weakfish. This hole is easily reached from the beach directly across from the campsite. If wading out into the surf is not your forte, the John Fritz Pier is located in the park and extends out 150 feet into the Narrows where the fishing is fantastic for anglers casting into Narrows during May and June. Not only bluefish are taken from this pier – striped bass and fluke also resides during the early part of the season.
The north side of the bay offers ample opportunities with the relatively newly renovated Cranberry Dock and the south end of Riviera Drive in Mastic Beach are solid producers. Actually there are many countless places where you can park hassle free and fish a few yards from your vehicle and be part in a bluefish blitz. As for boatmen it’s a matter of finding the birds or know the areas where the choppers menace the most.
May Maddness
Narrows Bay has always been a bay for early starters. Whether floundering in March, weakfish and striped bass in April or fluke and bluefish in the beginning of May, Narrows Bay is where local and veteran anglers aim for. The reason is simple: water temperature and habitat. Throughout the year constant flow of fresh and brackish water from underground springs spill into the numerous creeks and canals that spill off into the bay at a steady 57 degrees, always keeping water temperatures at least 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding bays year round.
Most relevant is that the warmer water attracts the baitfish for their annual spawning season. Large pregnant spearing are the first to arrive and will settle well in the salty marshland along Forge Point which runs from the southern end of the Forge River and extending well into Narrows Bay. While for the most part the salty marshes along Forge Point provides safe refuge for spawning baitfish such as spearing, vicious predator species such as bluefish and fluke waste no time coming from chilly ocean waters to feast on the feeble baitfish in their comfort zone. Actually striped bass can withstand a lot cooler water temperature than bluefish, but they are nowhere as aggressive as bluefish when it comes to feeding behavior and will not creep into the marshes as the bluefish so early in the season. Your best chance at the stripers is to fish around the abutments of the Smith Point Bride by either tossing poppers at sunrise or sunset or working swim shads slowly along the bottom.
Birds And Spearing
The old novel remains true inside Narrows Bay throughout the month of May which is find the birds and you found the bluefish. Indeed this is so, but what if there isn’t a bird in sight. Does it mean the choppers have moved out of the Narrows and in Moriches or Bellport Bay? I strongly doubt it. In fact I am certain they have not left the Narrows as most often you will find them as far as they can go up the marshes before hitting stalks from plant life. Instincts and nature tell the spearing to guard their eggs as far back in the marshland where they will lay submerged in the water during mean low tide and will not flow away in a swift current. Unfortunately, however, once the female spearing drop their eggs and the males finish up fertilization, the forage spearing become just that as they wander away from the eggs and in between the razor sharp teeth of the insatiable bluefish. This hunt and kill tactic caused by the choppers occur right up in the marshes in 2 to 4 feet of water. Talk about fun, if it wasn’t for the chilly air temperatures of late April early May, I swear I in in the back bays of Louisiana working the grass for redfish. Therefore when all is quiet and there isn’t a gull or tern to be found, tossing half to 3/4-ounce Rat-L-Traps in silver/blue has always been my favorite as it has always produce well for me. My second choice would be a Yo-Zuri 3D Crystal Minnow floater, however most times bluefish are not choosy and I would hate to see you toss a $15 to $20 plug or popper only to be bitten off by a bluefish trying to take the plug from a blue that is already hooked. It is so common when 5 or 6 bluefish attack your lure at the same time often finding their razor sharp teeth shearing the leader resulting in the loss of expensive plug. I would suggest employing a wire leader to the lure, however a wire leader in extremely shallow water can actually cause the choppers to shy away. Then again at times they will attack the bait regardless. With that said it may be best to add a wire leader to your plug and should they shy away, you may want to switch to a less costly plug.
Pedal To The Metal
| NARROWS ACCESS |
| Smith Point Marina County Boat Ramp (permit required)
The entrance to the ramp is located off the southbound lane of the William Floyd Parkway before the bridge. Learn more by visiting suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Marinas/Smith-Point-Boat-Ramp Forge River Broovhaven Town Boat Ramp (permit required) To access the town ramp at head eastbound on Montauk Highway, turn right on Mastic Rd, and then make a left on Shinnecock Ave. Learn more by visiting brookhavenny.gov/226/Boat-Launching-Ramps. |
Let’s face it, there is no easier fishing for bluefish than when the blues do the finding for you. It can occur just about anywhere at any time. The only time this style of fishing becomes difficult is when the activity is out of reach, such as the fish feeding in extremely shallow water. Thankfully, that rarely occurs in Narrows Bay.
When the activity is taking place around the birds, metal jigs continue to keep things simple and nowhere as costly as tossing plugs. My first choice is a 007 diamond jig bare hook. If you desire a tube on the hook, I don’t think color is of importance, however if I had to choose, I say a green or white tube stands above the rest. During a frenzy it wouldn’t matter what you throw at them. Be sure to include a steel leader to you line. Speaking of line, a 7-foot rod and a matching reel in the 10 to 15-pound class is ideal to handle most bluefish situations. As for line, a 15-pound braid is fine providing you have an 8 to 10-foot length of monofilament attached to the braid end via a Blood Knot while a steel leader is tied on the terminal end.
Well there you have it. As a side note, there is excellent fluking to be had throughout May around the bridge, and on east to buoy 11. The usual recipe of Spro Prime Bucktails tipped with Gulp or Fishbites are ideal. But it’s usually the gators the rule the roost in this stretch. Stock on tins, poppers and plenty of terminal tackle because when the roll through they will be unforgiving.
