Bluefin jig bite stays red-hot as fluke fishing peaks off LI

What's biting

What's next

With the moon waxing toward full and late-August temperatures still elevated, look for the bluefin bite to hold over the next few days — Tight Lines Tackle and Trophy Hunter Montauk Charters both have jig-caught fish running 35 to 60 inches within a few miles of shore, and that pattern typically persists until water temps start to drop in September. Fluke fishing should stay productive on the South Shore reefs and around Shinnecock, per multiple East End and South Shore shops, though anglers should expect to keep sorting through shorts for the occasional keeper as summer winds down.

Farther north, Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) is already reporting the start of the fall run, with bonito and Spanish mackerel showing and albies expected within a couple weeks — a leading indicator for what should filter into Long Island waters as baitfish push south along the coast in the coming weeks. Local shops are already seeing early signs: Spanish mackerel and bonito are showing at Jones Inlet and on the North Fork's Sound side, per The Fisherman — Long Island West End and The Fisherman — Long Island Surf, and bonito are thick in the South Shore inlets on small Deadly Dicks, per The Fisherman — Long Island South Shore.

Striped bass should remain the weak link through the rest of August. Warm water typically pushes bass activity to the margins of the day, and that's exactly what shops are describing — holdover fish on live eels and darters after dark on the North Shore and North Fork, and a mostly quiet surf on the South Fork. Expect that to start turning as nights cool into September, historically the trigger for the fall striper migration through the region.

For weekend planning, the porgy bite in the Sound is a reliable, weather-tolerant option right now, with Shamrock Charterboat and Rip Tide III both reporting steady scup over 9 to 12 inches on worms and clams. Offshore, the tuna picture out of Montauk and Shinnecock remains strong per The Fisherman — Long Island North Shore, with yellowfin and bigeye joining the bluefin at the canyon walls, so boats with the range should find consistent action through the week. Anglers chasing bottom variety can also expect black sea bass and triggerfish to keep producing around structure, per Tight Lines Tackle and White Water Outfitters.

Context

Late August on Long Island typically sits in a transitional window: summer species like fluke and porgy are still productive, inshore tuna push closer to shore as bait concentrates, and striped bass activity dips before the fall migration kicks off in September. This year's pattern looks broadly on-schedule. The bluefin bite described as "close and excellent" by Trophy Hunter Montauk Charters and the jig-over-troll pattern noted by Tight Lines Tackle are consistent with a typical late-summer inshore tuna push, and the fluke fishery — still producing keepers on the reefs but with a high ratio of shorts — matches the usual late-season pattern of fish thinning out after a strong midsummer run.

The striped bass slowdown reported on the South Fork surf and North Shore ("fishing has slowed" per Tyalure Professional Tackle & Gear) is typical for the warmest weeks of August, when bass activity shifts to nighttime and early-morning windows rather than disappearing outright.

One earlier-than-typical signal worth flagging: Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) is already describing the start of the fall run to the north, with bonito, Spanish mackerel, and early albie sightings appearing before the next full-moon forecast cycle. If that bait push continues south on schedule, Long Island and Montauk should see similar fall-run activity — bonito, false albacore, and improving striper action — arrive within the next few weeks, roughly on time for a typical Northeast fall run. There isn't enough comparative season-over-season data in this feed set to say definitively whether 2026 is running early or late overall; the intel here reflects current conditions rather than a historical comparison.