August 31, 2026 - 10:59:41
Phil from Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle reported that peanut bunker and spearing are plentiful throughout the area, helping to fuel the early signs of the fall bite. Small bluefish have been showing along the beaches during the morning hours, along with schoolie striped bass. After dark, he has heard of stripers to around 15 pounds being caught on plugs throughout the Huntington area. Farther east toward Smithtown, live eels have been accounting for some better-quality striped bass to around 20 pounds, making nighttime fishing increasingly worthwhile as water temperatures begin to ease.
August 31, 2026 - 10:59:34
Phil of Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports good porgy fishing from the beaches and on the boats with worms and clams doing the trick wherever there are porgies while anchoring and chumming sets it up perfectly for boatmen. A few sea bass are also mixing in with the scup. The porgies are anywhere from in front of the Coast Guard Station to the Brush Pile and buoy 11 B. Striped bass can still be had very early in the morning before sunrise with live spot producing best. The stripers are at buoy 15 and the Obstruction Buoy. There are still a few big fluke around along the deeper ledges with fresh caught dogfish belly or fluke ribbons nailing the bigger fluke. Bluefish, strangely with so much bait in the water, are absent from the scene most days. Snappers on the other hand are at the docks.
August 24, 2026 - 10:21:24
Phil from Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle reported cocktail bluefish along the beaches at Sunken Meadow and Crab Meadow. Some small striped bass are beginning to make an appearance inside Northport Harbor, where soft plastics have been getting attention. Porgy fishing remains solid throughout the Sound stretch in their area, with sandworms and clam both producing. Spearing have been showing along the front beaches, while good numbers of peanut bunker are beginning to stage inside the harbor. With all that small bait around, things are setting up nicely as we head toward the fall run.
August 24, 2026 - 10:21:20
Shawn of Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports that some quality fluke between 7 and 8 pounds have been hitting the shop scale this week. Shawn said most of these fluke have been taken in the same areas where the shorts are but perseverance is proving there are some quality fluke among the ridiculous amount of small fluke. The fluke are still along Crab Meadow Beach and south of buoy 13. Gulp, squid and spearing are all producing on traditional rigs and bucktail jigs. Porgy fishing remains good at the Brush Pile and buoy 11 B on worms and clams. Anchoring and chumming has been key. Striped bass are still available at the start of an ebb tide on live porgy and spot by buoy 15. Snappers are all over the place.
