SMITH POINT BRIDGE, NY
The Smith Point Bridge, located between Narrows Bay in Moriches and Bellport Bay, is a prime location that generally plays host to solid action throughout the season. With fast currents and an ample bait supply, anglers can expect to find flounder, stripers, blues, porgies, fluke and even a few blackfish here.
According to Mike at Smith Point Bait and Tackle, “The Smith Point Bridge is hot in the early season from April through mid June. As summer settles in, the action eases a bit, but picks up come fall.” Mike added that the narrow waterway between the two bays creates swift currents and excellent feeding stations for gamefish to ambush baitfish.
For stripers, nothing beats a well-placed bucktail by a shorebound angler or boater. Try and work your bucktail adjacent to the bridge, allowing the current to swing it towards the pilings. If bunker are present, try snagging one and livelining it, especially if there are any big bass or blues in evidence.
Blues will frequent the area by early May most years, and they are not always selective, taking tins, poppers, bucktails, mackerel and bunker chunks. The blues will range in size from 1-pound cocktails to teen-class choppers, so make sure your tackle is up to the task.
From the opening bell of fluke season until it closes, fluke action is good. Although double digit doormats may be a rarity, there will be enough 3 to 6 pounders to keep you happy. For larger fluke, try targeting them with larger baits like whole squid, live snappers, and fillets of other fish. When fluking this deep in the bay, keep your tackle light, with half to three-quarter ounce bucktails and a single spearing and you cannot go wrong.
In the summer months, you’ll have to limit trips here to early mornings or late nights due to boat traffic. Fish the wee hours of the morning and you’ll find fluke, stripers and blues accommodating. Stripers can be taken throughout the summer months under the cover of darkness. I prefer working a 1-ounce bucktail, allowing the current to sweep it towards the bridge pilings and into the shadow line created by the overhead lights. Keep in mind, if you are dong this from shore, make sure after hooking a fish you move away from the bridge to get a good angle on the fish, or your line could get cut by a piling.
For tackle in this area, boaters need go no heavier than a 6-1/2 to 7-foot baitcaster equipped with 20-pound test braid for most of the fishing in this area. For working a bucktail for fluke, drop down to a 6 or 6-1/2 foot light action spinning rod and 10-pound braid. You’ll catch more fish and have more fun doing it. For working the shoreline, a 9 or 10-foot light action stick with 20-pound braid will cover most situations you are likely to encounter. I also like to tie in a shocker of 10 to 15 feet of 30-pound test with a double-uni knot to ease the “finger” cutting when casting.
There is a Suffolk County Launch ramp on the northwest shoreline adjacent to the bridge, making access simple. The ramp is open to all, including non-residents of Suffolk County. The entrance to the ramp is located off the southbound lane of the William Floyd Parkway before the bridge.
The Smith Point Bridge, with its ample shorebound access and easy boating access via the launch ramp is a prime location worth taking the time to learn. For more info, call Smith Point Bait and Tackle at 631-281-3766 or Dick’s Bait and Tackle at 631-281-9070. Both are excellent sources of local info.
SMITH POINT BOAT LAUNCH RAMP
Green Key Required:
Resident – Annual $25
Senior Citizen/Handicap/Volunteer – Annual $15
Non-resident – Annual $50
Launch Ramp Fee:
Resident – Daily $5
Non-resident – Daily $10
