Fluke Bite Fires Up Across Long Island as Bluefin Push Inshore

What's biting

What's next

With both buoys reading a steady 76°F and wind near 11 m/s out of the water, look for seas to stay in the 3 to 4 foot range through the next couple of days, fishable but with some chop offshore, especially for smaller center consoles working the East End bluefin grounds. Inshore, the fluke bite that's "firing on all cylinders" per On The Water should hold through the weekend; South Shore boats like the Fishfinder II and Laura Lee Fleet are finding fish in the 60-70 foot range and in the bay depending on tide, so plan trips around the better stages rather than fighting slack water.

Expect striped bass to stay in their typical August pattern: slow through the heat of the day, then turning on at the margins. White Water Outfitters and River Bay Outfitters both note bass holding tight to bottom during daylight to dodge the warm water, then showing at the inlet and in back channels on live eels and clam chum after dark or in the early morning and late evening. With the moon in a Waning Gibbous phase working toward the last quarter, expect stronger nighttime tidal flow over the next several nights, worth targeting for the eel bite at spots like Manhasset Bay and Northport Harbor.

Offshore, bluefin should keep improving. LI Outdoorsman notes fish holding closer inshore, around 40 miles, while yellowfin remain out at the canyons near 100 miles; troll and jig tactics are producing on both, and Double D Charters' recent uptick in local bluefin suggests that inshore push continues if conditions hold. Watch for the arrival of baby bunker mentioned by Bay Park Fishing Station on the West End; when that bait shows consistently it tends to pull bass and bluefish tight to structure.

On the bottom, sea bass are rounding into shape on the East End's hard bottom south of Montauk Point per the Ebb Tide and Double D Charters, and that action should keep building into mid-August. Porgy fishing is a mixed bag right now, strong on the North Fork per WeGo Bait and Tackle, disappointing on the North Shore per Tyalure Professional Tackle & Gear and Shamrock Charterboat, so pick your spot rather than assuming a blanket bite. Plan weekend trips around the better tide stages at your target species' preferred structure, and keep an eye on wind if the breeze builds beyond what the buoys are currently showing.

Context

Early August on Long Island typically means peak summer flounder season paired with a striped bass lull, and this stretch is running true to that pattern. The NY DEC's Saltwater Fishing and Boating newsletter confirms the recreational summer flounder season is underway alongside recent scup and bluefish regulation updates, which lines up with the strong, widespread fluke reports coming from the South Shore, East End, and West End alike. On The Water's July 23 report already described the bite as "firing on all cylinders," and that momentum has carried into August.

The striped bass slowdown described by White Water Outfitters is standard for this time of year, when water temperatures in the mid-70s push fish to seek cooler water and feed mostly on the margins of daylight. What stands out is the bluefin tuna activity: multiple East End and West End sources describe bluefin holding closer to shore than usual for early August, with LI Outdoorsman placing fish as close as 40 miles compared to yellowfin still sitting out at the canyons, consistent with the broader offshore push OTW Saltwater described in late July across nearly 280 miles of water.

There isn't enough historical comparison data in this feed to say definitively whether this season's fluke or tuna activity is running ahead of or behind a typical year; the sources describe current conditions well but don't offer direct year-over-year benchmarks. What can be said honestly is that the fluke bite's breadth across nearly every LI region right now is notable, and worth taking advantage of while it holds.