Stripers Blow Up Across Long Island as Fluke Season Opens

What's Biting

What's Next

The next two to three days look favorable for continued striper action, especially as the Last Quarter moon moderates the big tidal swings that defined last week's full-moon period. More moderate tides tend to concentrate bass in predictable staging areas — inlet mouths, harbor channels, and rip lines — giving boat and shore anglers defined windows to fish rather than chasing fish scattered across a wide range.

Water temps in the low 50s (NOAA buoys 44025 and 44065) are cool enough to keep stripers feeding aggressively rather than moving into summer holding behavior. River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin flagged that cooler-than-normal temperatures have slowed the typical west-to-east staging progression this season, meaning fish that might ordinarily have pushed further east by mid-May are still accessible in central zones around Moriches and Patchogue. As temps gradually tick upward, expect that migratory wave to continue rolling east toward Montauk.

The South Shore surf bite should remain strong through the weekend if wind cooperates. Just One Bite Charters' Capt. Paul Nilsson found bass hammering everything on Saturday's incoming tide at Moriches — though a wind shift Sunday suppressed the boat bite. Plan your outing around wind direction: on calm mornings we're seeing boat anglers hold the edge; when conditions stiffen, surfcasters along open beaches from Smith Point to Ditch Plains tend to capitalize. Topwater action is building in the back bays per The Fisherman's Long Island May 7 video forecast — surface plugs should reward anglers working the hour around first light.

The fluke opener deserves serious attention this weekend. Sea Rogue Charters' early runs out of Freeport logged good numbers including keepers to 5 pounds, and J&J Sports in Patchogue cites Shinnecock Inlet and Moriches Narrow Bay as productive starting points for the early season. A spearing-and-squid combo on a standard fluke rig is the go-to setup right now. Calmer weather windows will be critical — rough conditions kept some of the fleet dockside for the May 4 opening day, and settled seas will allow for proper drifting.

Porgies are the patient angler's species right now. Both Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle and Hi-Hook Bait and Tackle on the North Shore report slow but developing action, with both shops expecting the bite to open up within the next one to two weeks as water temperatures continue to climb.

Context

Mid-May is historically when Long Island's saltwater season shifts into full gear, and 2026 is largely delivering on schedule — with one meaningful modifier. Water temperatures at 50–51°F are running cooler than the mid-50s that typically prevail by the first full week of May in western Long Island Sound and the South Shore bays. River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin explicitly noted that cooler-than-normal temperatures have lingered into the season, slowing the typical west-to-east staging progression and keeping fish in central zones longer than expected. In a more typical May, the main migratory push through Moriches and Patchogue might already be tapering by now; this year it is still peaking — a meaningful silver lining for anglers who have not yet made their first striper run.

On The Water's May 8 striper migration map confirms the broader regional picture: post-spawn bass are pouring out of the Chesapeake and spreading across the Northeast coast, with Long Island sitting squarely in the middle of the active corridor. The April 30 On The Water report had already noted schools of bunker in Long Island Sound and the South Shore surf as the primary fuel for the bite — that baitfish-driven dynamic is intensifying heading into mid-May, consistent with what local shops across the island are reporting.

For fluke, the May 4 opener is consistent with New York's typical late-spring schedule, and early Sea Rogue Charters returns suggest the population is in solid shape heading into the season. Slow porgy action in the first two weeks of May is entirely normal for Long Island — multiple North Shore shops describe conditions as typical for this time of year, with the real scup bite expected to develop as water temperatures push higher in late May. Tautog season also opened this spring per NY DEC, though blackfish reports were not prominent across this week's Long Island intel.