Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Report- August 3, 2023

Ocean reefs give up double-digit fluke, cobia and mahi relieve missed shots at tuna, and bluefish and fluke blitz on peanut bunker in the back bays.

by Nick Cancelliere

Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Report

  • Piles of spearing line the channels and back bays, tempting blitzes from schools predatory fish in the early mornings and late evenings. 
  • Cobiafest continues closer and closer to shore, with some being caught in the channels and further east of Rockaway. 
  • Sharks & rays in the surf make for heavy rod-bending action. 
  • Tuna anglers continue to put meat on the table, despite adverse conditions. 

Petey Trovato from Lindenhurst Bait and Tackle reports: 

“The fluking is still great and the cobia bite too. Tons of keepers from shore be it on the bays or the beaches. Bunker pods have been yielding cobia for boat and shore anglers so keep your eyes peeled for bunker if you’re hunting for your first cobia.” 


Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh told me:  

“Anglers continue to catch up cobia regularly. I tried for an hour Monday but didn’t have enough time. If you put in the time around the bunker pods you’ll definitely catch one. On Tuesday I caught two yellowfin on my first tuna trip after resolving some boat issues which had been keeping me from going at the beginning of the season. It was a bit slow but I was glad to call my first trip a success!” 

Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station reports: 

“Cobia have been all over the bunker pods. If you can keep your bait away from the sharks you have a solid chance at catching one! The fluke bite stays hot in the ocean, most keepers are being taken on whole squid and gulp. Bluefin are moving in closer and busting on the bunker pods off the rockaways. The bays have seen an influx of peanut bunker, with mostly bluefish blitzing on them and fluke feeding from below.”  

Paul Mccain from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin said: 

“Freshwater’s been blown out so for the last two days I’ve been out in the boat fishing the local back bays for fluke and bluefish. Seeing a ton of big rays in the back bays and so much bait. Tons of spearing around 2 inches long. Not a tremendous amounts of keepers but still plenty of fun, especially the blues. The currents were huge with the super moon. The early morning striper bite should be very good with these cooler mornings we’ve had.” 

John from Freeport Bait and Tackle reports: 

“Cobia are moving in closer, fluking is still hot inside the bays, and sharks are everywhere. It’s a wild time to fish and with beautiful and cooler weather this week, there’s no excuse not to get out fishing if you have time! With snappers starting to show there’s plenty of action for anglers of all ages. We have everything you need from snapper rigs to chunking set ups for catching small and big fish alike.” 

Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports:

“Some of the best fluke fishing of the year is upon us! Countless shorts keeping rods bent all day, with quality keepers in the mix on every drift. Many limits were taken this past week, with quite a few fish in the 5- to 7-pound range. Highlight of the week was Rene nailing a 10.3-pound flat tie, which was her first fluke ever! We will continue to sail open boat by reservation only when not chartered. Call or text (516) 659-3814 for information and reservations.”

Rene landed her first-ever fluke—a 10.3-pound doormat—while fishing aboard the Gypsea earlier this week. (@gypseacharters)

Rockfish Charters in Queens reports:

“This week we’ve been doing striped bass trips in the city for our regular customers getting an easy limit and lots of releases in front of all the Manhattan landmarks. We also did a couple tuna trips where we managed to save the day with cobra or mahi when the tuna didn’t cooperate. There’s an incredible amount of bait and life around and the next two months should make for a great offshore season. Give us a call to book a trip (347) 661-4501.”

 

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Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media: 

 

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After a grueling heat wave we had some beautiful, crisp mornings in the 60’s. The striper bite has to have benefited, though I’ve been busy moving into a new place and haven’t had the chance to get on the water. Regardless, the water is loaded with bait though, and – birds aside – there isn’t much predation taking place during midday when temperatures are at their highest. At dawn and dusk however, its pandemonium.  

Last night, two of my kayak buddies and I formed up off Point Lookout. The super moon’s ripping currents kept us from venturing out past the inlet, but even in the channels we were working against drifts up to 3mph. We tallied dozens of short fluke; a few keepers here and there, and a noteworthy northern kingfish, as well as a few cocktail bluefish that began blitzing in all directions once the sun dipped into the horizon. It was a fantastic sunset, with just the right amount of cloud density to make for a dramatic backdrop as we watched birds like oystercatchers skim the water with their beaks open, scooping up spearing. 

Seems everybody I talk to out on the water has cobia on their mind, and who could blame them? Plenty of anglers are chasing them out in the ocean on the bunker pods, looking for their first. The cobia bite does not seem to show any signs of slowing down yet. 

There is, however, another ‘exotic’ fish that have been getting caught up and are easily reachable without venturing past the inlets: Sheepshead. If you follow him on instagram or youtube, @the_south_shore_angler_fishing has been consistently targeting and staying on the sheepies from his kayak and demonstrating the advantages of fishing from one, particularly when it comes to nosing up to sketchy structure.  

Sheepshead fishing isn’t a far cry from tog fishing; they can be found on heavy structure and love eating shellfish on the bottom. The sheepshead in our neck of the woods tend to favor specific areas though, and while I won’t be disclosing those here, I will say that its likely your favorite blackfish hole holds a sheep or two. Fish through the porgies, and you’ll know when you hook one. Your drag will tell you. 

What’s Biting?

We’ve got a few cool mornings ahead, which combined with the enhanced tides should make for good striper bites at dawn and dusk, as had been the pattern in July. Spearing remains the predominant inshore bait, while bunker pods outside the inlets are harassed by sharks, cobia, and other big angry predators that will put your heavy tackle to use. Large rays continue to be abundant close to shore; be careful of snagging one on a lighter outfit as they’ll surely break a tip and/or spool your reel. 

Now is a great time to be casting an epoxy jig into the surf and off the jetties for whatever bites. Cocktail and snapper-size bluefish blitz on the spearing schools among other bait, most easily spotted by denser-than-usual bird action in a particular spot. Most obviously by a bluefish jumping a foot or two out of the water behind a handful of spearing boiling up on the surface. 

Consider using snappers or bluefish strips as doormat bait, but remember that the 3-fish possession limit applies to bluefish of all size, 5 if you’re on a charter boat. Unfortunately I still see people filling buckets full of snappers every year, most likely out of ignorance to the current limits. Whether you agree with the current regulations or not, poaching is not the way to fight them. Yes, you can argue 3 snapper bluefish isn’t exactly a meal, but consider catching a few dozen porgy instead if you’re after ocean groceries. There’s plenty of other species to target that are delicious, (and most would argue more delicious) than bluefish. 

Get out there and make some memories. Thanks for reading. Tight lines.

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