Stripers Running Hard From Jamaica Bay to Montauk as Fluke Season Opens

What's Biting

What's Next

With water at 53°F and the season's momentum firmly established, the next several days look productive for multiple species — provided seas settle after the persistent wind-and-rain stretch that kept some boats dockside per The Fisherman — Long Island East End and The Fisherman — Long Island North Shore.

**Striped bass** should remain the dominant story. The North Shore trolling bite — bunker spoons, umbrella rigs, and parachutes from Huntington Bay through Cold Spring Harbor — has been consistently producing fish to 40–45 inches per The Fisherman — Long Island North Shore. On the surf side, early morning and evening windows around Shinnecock Inlet and east along the South Fork on swimming plugs and darters continue to put fish on the sand per The Fisherman — Long Island Surf. Anglers using Mag Darters and SP Minnows after dark in the Peconic Bay creeks have been landing bass to 20 pounds per The Fisherman — Long Island Surf. Once conditions calm, the morning tide in South Shore bays and inlets looks like the prime window for boat anglers — Just One Bite Charters in Center Moriches is pointing to that window as the consistent producer.

**Fluke** season is young but showing real promise. Water temps in the low-to-mid 50s are at the leading edge of productive fluke territory — expect keeper counts to build as temps climb into the upper 50s later in May. Shinnecock Bay, Shinnecock Canal, and the Great South Bay Narrows have already produced keepers. Light tackle presentations with Gulp on bucktails and simple spearing-on-a-hook rigs are the early-season favorites per The Fisherman — Long Island East End and The Fisherman — Long Island Surf. Calmer weather windows this week should allow more consistent access to the productive bay flats.

**Bluefish** are the species to watch most closely over the next week. First confirmed reports are arriving from Shinnecock Inlet, Breezy Point, and the Narrows per The Fisherman — Long Island Surf, with additional blue activity noted inside Great South Bay at Smith Point per The Fisherman — Long Island South Shore. Diamond jigs worked under bunker pods are the go-to approach; as water temps tick upward and nearshore bunker schools thicken, bluefish action should build fast.

**Porgy** fishing in the Peconic system is yielding some jumbo fish, though action remains inconsistent. Clam and sandworm baits at North Fork spots including Cedar Beach in Southold have been the ticket per The Fisherman — Long Island Surf. NY DEC confirms the recreational scup season is open — check current regulations for bag and size limits before keeping fish.

Context

Mid-May is historically one of Long Island's most productive windows for migratory striped bass, and 2026 is running on or slightly ahead of the typical schedule. On The Water — New York / Long Island noted as early as April 30 that the striper bite had taken off with bunker already present in Long Island Sound and the South Shore surf — a meaningful early-season signal. By May 7, that same source confirmed a wave of big bass hitting the South Shore surf, with fish to 25 pounds-plus chasing bunker east along the North Shore in the Sound.

Water at 53°F is right in the range where bass feed actively and bait migrations accelerate. In a typical Long Island spring, this stretch sees the largest fish of the season moving in behind bunker pods — and that pattern appears to be unfolding in 2026. The Fisherman (Northeast) reported fish to 47 inches out of Narragansett Bay and low-40-pound-class fish at the Canal as of the week of May 7, indicating strong-quality fish on the migration's leading edge as the push continues northeast.

The fluke opener coinciding with rough weather is not unusual for Long Island in early May, and the early keeper reports from Shinnecock Bay and Great South Bay suggest the fishery is in solid shape heading into the season. The Fisherman (Northeast) noted that rough weather and stiff winds kept many anglers dockside for opening day, framing this as a weather story rather than a fish-population story.

Bluefish showing in early-to-mid May at Shinnecock Inlet and the Narrows is right on seasonal schedule. On The Water's May 8 migration update describes post-spawn bass — and the bait schools that accompany them — spreading broadly from New Jersey to Rhode Island; that same bait movement typically drives the bluefish push northward as well. If the current pattern holds, expect bluefish to become a consistent South Shore presence through the balance of May.