Noreast.com Western Sound

The striper bite is really kicking into gear in the Western Sound! The water temperature has finally crossed the 50-degree mark in most areas, and there is plenty of bunker scattered around the bays and harbors. There were also some reports of some very big bass being caught around the Tappan Zee Bridge, and it won’t be long before those fish start hunting in Long Island Sound.

Captain John Marino from American Sportfishing Charters has been out scouting the fishing scene in the Western Sound. The outcome has been very favorable with plenty of schoolie action on artificials.

• John also marked plenty of bait and some bigger fish lying in deeper water, unfortunately they weren’t willing to feed. John also reported on some decent flounder action, along with some blackfish, which are starting to invade the shallow water reefs.
  
• John Knight at Hudson Park B&T was happy to report that there are plenty of stripers from LNB to Manhasset! “We finally saw some nice fish that weighed in the high teens,” John said. This is a great time of year to get out the bucktails and have a blast jigging up these hungry stripers. There is also plenty of bunker around for those who prefer chunking for some bigger fish. Mark Driscoll and Ray Scott did the latter and were rewarded with a 27-pound bass! John also reported that the blackfish are starting to show in shallow water. The bite has been fair, with soft baits doing the trick.
  
• Captain Joe from Moontide Charters is in the water and was very encouraged with the amount of fish holding behind Execution Light. “There is a ton of life in the Sound right now,” Joe said. Joe was referring to the massive amounts of bunker that have taken over the Western Sound. Hopefully the bass will catch on soon and be right on their tales!
  
• John at Jack’s B&T reported on some nice stripers filtering into western Long Island Sound. “We are finally seeing fish that are crossing the 20 pound mark,” John said. The bass have been holding around the bait inside Hempstead Harbor. There was also a good body of fish in Eastchester Bay and LNB. The flounder and blackfish have been actively feeding in 12 to 15 feet of water. Clams, worms and mussels have been doing a number on these bottom feeders.
  
• Captain Steve from the Molly Roze is hoping for some warmer weather this week. “We need this water to warm up,” Steve said. Steve is marking fish all over the western Sound, but they still seem to be “frozen”. Steve fished from Hempstead to Mamaroneck and had surface temperatures in the high 40’s, which means in the deeper water where he is marking the fish it is much cooler! Steve did manage a few shorts and he is very optimistic that the bite in the Western Sound will bust open sooner rather than later. The good news is that the stage is set right now with plenty of bait, some good bodies of fish moving down the Hudson and hopefully some warmer weather!
  
• Diane at Duffy’s B&T reported plenty of striper action in the Glen Cove area; the only problem is that most of them are schoolies. “We know the bigger fish are here, we are just waiting for them to start eating,” Diane joked. The bunker are starting to ball up in some spots which usually means there are some bigger fish on the hunt! Some anglers are still doing well with the flounder, especially in Bayville. There were also a few sharpies starting to work over the blackfish in some shallow water spots. Clams, worms and a healthy dose of chum brought a few togs boatside.
  
• Captain Chris from the Island Current Fleet reported some very good local flounder fishing around Bayville, Oyster Bay and Matinecock. Chris was also happy to report that the night bite is starting to pick up considerably! Big Jay chunked up a beautiful 34-inch striper on a fresh chunk during Friday night’s trip. Chris also took a group from Rockland County down to Raritan Bay for some slamming bass and bluefish action! Chris also reported plenty of bunker to support all those bass that will be here any day now. (Craig Koproski, Nor'east Saltwater, week of May 7 through May 13).