Fishing is still good, however the schools of Bunker along the beaches seemed to have thinned out. It’s been pretty quiet in the ocean but there is still plenty of action in the bays. Clam chumming remains the most consistent and the plugging has been improving, especially at first light and in the dark. We’ve even heard of a few fish caught on Bunker chunks around the bridges as well.

The West Bar is always a good bet for clam chumming, any of the bridges are a good bet too. As far as the bridges go, they can get very crowded, so try to stay away from the crowds… less competition always means a better shot at the fish.

If you’re going to give the plugging a whirl, try and fish around high tide… either tide should produce but high water in this area is a great bet. Any of the marsh banks with 4 to 12 feet of water, mosquito ditches, drains and edges of sandbars of mussel beds can ALL hold fish this time of year. The one thing that will kill this style of fishing though is boat traffic. Now that the kids are out of school the bays become much busier, so first light and in the dark are the quieter times of the day around here. The lures we seem to be selling the most of lately are the Smack-It poppers, A-Salt Bomber’s (my personal favorite is the Chicken Scratch color which is actually the “pearl/Yellow”), Bass Assasin’s, Slug-Go’s and the always faithful Bucktail… pretty hard to go wrong with a white one, tipped with pork trailer of some kind.

For the Clam Chumming, it’s kind of “meat and potatoes” fishing. A simple fish finder rig like the Fin Strike 753B rig will do the job nicely. Tie it on, bait it up and get it in the chum slick… it’s THAT simple. If you’re chunking we would recommend a much bigger hook like on the Fin Strike 747 rig. A Chunk is a bigger bait and requires a bigger hook!

By the way… we weighed in a 52lb 8oz Bass this week, caught in Orient Point… check out the picture on our Fishing Blog!

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Still some REALLY good Bass fishing going on right now! The Bunker schools in the ocean are providing the biggest fish around but there are still a ton of fish in the bay as well.

Sounds like the Bunker are still East of Jones Inlet, between the needle and Tobay, in around 20 to 30 feet of water. This has been a FIRST LIGHT BITE ONLY though. The guys that have been doing this consistently are saying that you need to be out there in the dark, find the schools of Bunker, get a few live ones and get them in the water. Once that sun gets up a bit and the boat traffic starts…. it’s done, the Bass disappear and the Bluefish move in. So get while the getting is good!

In the Bays, there are still plenty of fish throughout the bay. All the bridges have been holding fish and every other Bass spot in the area. Clam Chumming has been good, Chunking has been good, Live Bunker have been working and there are fish being caught plugging now too. Typical of our area, the start of the outgoing seems to be best but as long as you have current, there are fish to be caught!

For rigs… the Clam Chumming crowds seem to prefer the Fin Strike 753B rig and for those fishing the Bunker Chunks the Fin Strike 747 is a best seller. Live Bunker fisherman are buying the Gamakatsu Octopus hooks in mostly 6/0, 7/0 and  8/0 sizes and the Fin Strike Adjustable Hook Rigs.

If you want to try plugging, we would suggest some of the staple lures right now. Smack It Poppers, Tsunami Swim Shads and Bomber’s are hard to beat in this area!

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For the boat fisherman… the big ones are here! Live lining Bunker, either in the bays or in the ocean has been producing some big Bass in this area! For example, we weighed in a 49 plus pounder, a 32 plus, a 22 and change and we’ve had reports of MANY fish in the mid twenties and thirties. THIS IS THE WAY TO GO right now!

If you can find the schools of Bunker, there are likely to be Bass around them. Sounds like there are plenty of Bunker scattered around the bay and in the ocean it sounds like they are concentrated a little east of Jones inlet. Most of the reports we’re getting are from between the Jones Beach tower and the Tobay Beach. Snag a bunker and either leave it right on the snag hook or rig it and drift in and around the school… that’s the deal!

However, there are still plent of Bass being caught through out the bay using clams and clam bellies. Although they aren’t as big as the fish eating the live ones, there is no shortage of action. We still have reports coming from the West Bar and all the bridges. Lots of places in the bay are holding Bass now and with any luck it should continue until we get that steady, hot, sticky summer weather.

For the Surf crowd, things continue to be a little hit and miss. There doesn’t seem to be any steady action anywhere… more of a one here and one there type deal. If we had to pick one area that seems to be out-producing any other I guess we would have to say Robert Moses Field 5. We weighed in two nice fish the past few days from there, one on Clam and one on Bunker. There have been a few reports of some small Bass and Blues at West End 2 at sunrise and we’ve heard of a few Bass taken from Jones Beach Pier (Field 10) as well.

Check out some of the recent pictures we posted in the “fishing pictures” section of the Blog!

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PLENTY of action this weekend, with the boat fisherman putting the hurt on the Bass! Clam Chumming, Line-Lining Bunker and even fishing with fresh cut bunker all seem to produce pretty well these past couple of days.

For the surf crowds though, sad to say that things appear to be a bit slow.

The back bay is where the action is and for those with boats they had little trouble finding them. Clam chumming is consistently good just about anywhere you want to go in the bay. There have been fish caught at all the bridges and just about any spot that has some kind of structure, a decent amount of current and some depth… like 4 to 20 feet of water. The West Bar is also producing fish, although it seems best on the outgoing.

Take a look at some of the pictures we have from this past week… There have been some REAL nice fish around the area lately!

The surf fisherman have been picking a few fish here and there with no real consistency to it. It does sound like the few that are being taken have been on bait though… Chunks, Clams and even a few smaller fish on Sandworms. Wish we had better news for the surf poeple but it’s just plain slow. Maybe with this significant change in weather we’ll see some kind of improvement. Other than that, plugging the backsides of some of the beaches may be a good bet for now. West End 2, Tobay and Gilgo all have access to back bay areas and might be a good place to start. Some of the piers might not be a bad bet right now too… Like the Jones Beach Pier and the Point Lookout piers for example. Considering how many Bunker are around we would probably suggest lures like the Tsunami Swim Shads and Metal Lip Surface Swimmers…. Big profile baits!

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Things are looking up!! There are some bigger fish lurking around now and they’re being caught Clam Chumming and with Bunker… both live and chunks. The boat fisherman have been reporting some fish in the 20 to 30 pound range, from all over the bay.

Terrence Doyle, fishing with his partner John (of Boswells Deli in Merrick) aboard their boat, “T-Bone” had some spectacular fishing Friday evening. They had a bunch of Bass including a 25lb and 20 pound fish that they weighed in at the shop. They were clam chumming in the inlet on the outgoing tide and had non-stop action!

We also had a report and weigh in from another customer (picture coming soon in the pictures section here on the Blog), who weighed a huge Bass he caught on a live Bunker at the third Wantagh bridge.

These types of reports were pretty common from those who fished in the bay. There have also been alot of Bunker in the ocean, along the beach to the West… between our inlet and the center of town in Long Beach. There were fish caught on these schools of Bunker too, fish into the 30 pound range as well!

From the surf, we had reports of some great fishing the past few days at Demo… on sandworms. Sounds like some smaller fish on the worms though. Bunker chunks have definately accounted for most of the bigger fish we’ve heard about though.

Jeff Keegan (a.k.a. “Shoe Bottom”) caught a SLAMMER 44.8 pound fish Sunday morning (6-1-08) that he caught on a South Shore beach on a Bunker head. Picture will be up as soon as we get a copy of it. We posted a picture in the pictures section here on the Blog!

Still hearing of scattered fish on all the beaches, although the best action seems to be on fresh Bunker… haven’t heard too much from the people that are plugging.

Now is the time to go folks!!!

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Things seem to be about the same, maybe slightly better. The weather has been making things difficult, with WAY too much east wind, but for those fishing through it, they’re being rewarded.

Clam chumming is still the most productive way of getting the Bass around here. Both the East and West Bar, in the Jones Inlet has been very consistent although it sounds like the Blues are still pretty thick and making it tough to get to the Bass. Sounds like 6 to 12 feet of water is the ticket… outgoing tide on the West Bar and incoming tide on the East Bar! There are fish being caught at just about EVERY bridge as well, which would lead us to believe that the Bass are throughout the bay too.

The plugging has been steadily improving as well, with most reports coming from the back bays. The start of the outgoing has been the best and typical of this type of fishing… high water will be the deal!

We’ve also been hearing of some larger fish being caught on the live Bunker! The Bunker have been pretty abundant in the back bays and mouths of the canals and many people have been cast netting them or snagging them and fishing them live. This is the way to catch a big one!!!

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We had a great report first thing this morning, weighing in a 28 pound Striper first thing! Mac Franklin, weighed a 28 pounder this morning, that he caught here on the south shore using a 6″ rubber shad body and lead head… similar to the Tsunami Swim Shad! Click here to see the picture!

Other than that, now that the weather is a little nicer, we had a couple reports from the West Bar this morning, stating that the fishing was RED HOT, clam chumming on the outgoing tide. Sounds like the clam chumming has been the ticket around here, especially on the West Bar but it sounds like there are plenty of fish around the bridges too.

We’ll keep you posted if we hear anything new!

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Mother Nature was LESS than cooperative the past few days and reports were few and far between. However, a few people braved the weather conditions and a few people managed to catch a FEW Bass. Sounds like the surf fishing was just about impossible, with the east wind bringing strong currents along the beaches, and TONS of weed, it made fishing extremely difficult. We heard of a few Blues caught on the back side of West End 2…. and that’s about it from the surf.

The boaters had a little more success though, with a few fish coming from the West Bar and the local bridges. Clam Chumming is definitely the way to go, especially with the crazy wind we’ve had. The “Big Meadowbrook” and the Third Wantagh gave up a few fish as well, clam chumming on the outgoing tide.

W e’re expecting some nicer weather for the next few days, so we should hear some better news… we’ll keep you posted!

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All we can say is that IT’S HAPPENING! For the boaters, there are fish throughout the bay now and they’re being caught clam chumming, plugging, live lining and even chunking. The most reliable way to catch them right now would probably be the clam chumming, especially on the West Bar and any of the bridges. However, there is a rediculous amount of Bluefish around and in many cases you’ll have to fight your way through the Blues to catch a Bass… but they ARE THERE!

Pete, from the shop did some plugging on Saturday morning and managed a bunch of school sized fish in the back bay. They didn’t have any keepers, but him and his partner Vinny (a.k.a. “MCV”, my cousin Vinny) said there was plenty of action between the Bass and the Blues. They were using mostly plastics like Bass Assasins, Bombers and Fin-S Fish. They also had some top-water action on the Smack-It poppers too!

Glenn, from the shop, also fished Saturday morning. Glenn fished with his crew aboard his boat, the “Kerri Lee”. They tackled the West Bar, clam chumming, and knocked the socks off em’! They had 16 Bass, 12 Blues with one Keeper Bass… he said they were mostly school sized fish but again… plenty of action.

From the surf, there have been a handfull of Bass here and there but similar to the boat reports… you have to fight your way through the Blues! Sounds like the Bass are being caught mostly on bait though, Clams and Fresh Bunker seem to be the baits of choice these days! There are Bluefish on just about every beach in our area, but we would have to say that West End 2 has been the most consistent. Charlie Graves Tins, Kastmaster’s, Hopkins Spoons habe been the deal as well as any kinds of poppers! A good popper to try would be the Super Strike Little Neck style popper or the Gibbs Pencil Poppers!

If you’re just looking for action…. NOW IS THE TIME! This should only get better as the weather get’s nicer by the day!

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Again, things are slowly improving. We haven’t heard of anyone beating on them, but there are a few fish to be had. Clam Chumming on the West Bar is producing a few fish and plugging with small swimming plugs (Bombers for example), bucktails, Fin_S and Slug-Go’s are getting a few as well. Pete, from the shop, fished between the Meadowbrook and Wantagh bridges yesterday afternoon and had a few small bass on Fin-S fish. High outgoing tide would be the best conditions for this type of fishing!

In the surf, we’re getting reports of a couple fish here and there. No one particular area has been out-producing another though. We’ve heard from Long Beach, Robert Moses, Jones Beach Field 6 and West End 2. This is still just starting, but should improve every day.

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Bass fishing is slowly… but surely… improving. We are hearing about more and more fish every day now, however, it’s still a little slow… but it’s still early. Things seem to be coming along in a typical spring pattern and we should continue to see improved fishing from here out.

For the boaters, Clam Chumming will probably be a good bet right now, especially closest to the inlet. The East and West bar’s in the inlet, the Big Meadowbrook, Loop Parkway and Swift Creek bridges would also be worth a shot. We’ve heard of a few fish in the inlet and a few in the back bays, but again… this is only just beginning. Stay with it, because IT WILL GET BETTER FROM HERE!

From the surf, we’ve heard of a few fish here and there… mostly on clams. We had one customer report a few fish in Long Beach, on clams another customer had a few fish from Jones Beach Field 6 on clams and a few fish from Robert Moses on clams as well. Like we mentioned… a few here and a few there. Not much on any plugging, except for Little Neck Bay where a few people are still catching the schoolie sized fish on high water.

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We’re off to a slow start, BUT, there are some fish around! We’ve heard of a few small fish caught way up in the back on artificials and we had one report from the West Bar on clams. To the west of us, in Jamaica Bay, it sounds like things are a little better with fish being caught on lures AND on live bunker! As we’ve mentioned, this is typical for early spring and with this STELLAR weather coming for this week, we should see some improvement in our area any day. People are reporting a ton of spearing, even some sandeels and bunker around the beaches as well as the bay.

We would say that clam chumming is a really good bet this time of year, especially closer to the inlet area. The West Bar, East Bar, Big Meadowbrook and Swift Creek bridges would all be good places to try.

As far as artificials go… considering the type of bait around, we would suggest the thin profile type baits such as the Bass Assasins, Slug-Go’s, Fin-S Fish and Tsunami’s. Bucktails and small tins like the Charlie Graves J8 are ALWAYS a good bet too.

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Things are FINALLY LOOKING UP! Things are improving, except for the Flounder fishing in our area. Flounder action in these bays is still VERY slow… we’re telling people that if you spend the day targeting Flounder, and you get one… you had a GOOD DAY! We would still recommend looking in the creeks and canals on the North side of the bay, concentrating on the sticky mud bottoms and using LOTS of chum.

To the West, however, in Jamaica Bay and Raritan Bay, there has been some pretty consistent fishing. We don’t have many customers fishing those areas on their own, instead they’re hitting the party boats and catching their share!

Striped Bass haven’t made much of a showing in this bay yet, but we would expect to see this change ANY day now, especially with the nice weather we’re expecting this week. There are fish being caught in Jamaica Bay, Raritan Bay and in around Staten Island… typical of early spring. Sounds like mostly schoolie sized fish being caught on lures like the Tsunami Shads, small Bombers, Bucktails and assorted plastics. We have Fresh Bunker, Fresh / Frozen Clams and Live Eels in stock too!

Blackfish action seems to be improving nicely! We had a number of reports from the past weekend of fish being caught on the in-shore pieces in 40 to 60 feet of water. Spots like the Atlantic Beach Reef and the Hempstead Reef have been producing steady action using Clams. We have fresh clams in stock and a wide variety of Blackfish rigs as well.

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