Stripers Running Hot off Montauk as South Shore Fluke Bite Builds

What's Biting

What's Next

The next 72 hours look favorable for eastern Long Island anglers. The waning crescent moon gives way to new moon conditions right about now, and On The Water's June 12 striper migration map notes that "new moon and big tides this weekend should continue to move bass and bait toward summer haunts." For Montauk and the North Fork, those stronger tidal swings should fire up the rips — concentrating baitfish and holding striped bass in predictable ambush positions along points and current seams.

Dawn and dusk windows around the biggest tidal moves are the prime targeting periods. The striper bite off the North Fork and Montauk has been excellent across consecutive weeks per On The Water, and new moon tidal energy historically supercharges these spots. Plan your tide window first, then set the alarm — the fish don't punch in on the clock.

On the South Shore, the fluke bite has been building steadily. The increased tidal movement expected through inlets and along sandy structure should push flatfish onto productive edges with more authority. Standard drift tactics — bucktail jigs tipped with squid or natural baits — remain the go-to approach. Clean sandy bottom transitions near inlet mouths are worth prioritizing as water movement picks up.

Bluefish remain the wild card. Action has been spotty across the island in recent reports from On The Water, but bait movement driven by new moon tides often fires up scattered schools of blues, particularly near inlets and along the western bays. Keep a wire-leader setup at the ready; when they do show, the action can turn fast.

Scup (porgy) season is now open per NY DEC Saltwater Fishing and Boating, adding another consistent option for anglers targeting mid-depth structure around the North Fork and Sound. Light bottom rigs and cut clam are reliable producers, and numbers tend to build through the summer as water warms. Worth dropping a second rod if you are anchored up for stripers on the Sound side.

Context

Mid-June is historically a prime striper window for Long Island and Montauk. The spring migration that originates in the Chesapeake Bay typically reaches its furthest eastern push through late June, and right now bass are distributed along the island's north and south shores before many fish slide east into open water or settle into summer holding territory. The current reports from On The Water — describing excellent striper fishing off the North Fork and Montauk with migratory fish pressing east and north — align squarely with that seasonal expectation. This is not an early or late anomaly; it reads as a normal, healthy June striper push, possibly running a bit strong given the consistency of positive reports across multiple consecutive weeks.

Fluke follow a similar seasonal script. The summer flounder season typically hits its stride by mid-to-late June as water temperatures climb into the preferred flatfish range. The slowly-building characterization On The Water used for the South Shore bite in its June 11 report is not unusual for early June — the first weeks often function as a warmup before the bite matures fully in late June and July.

Bluefish are inherently more variable from year to year. The spotty action reported across Long Island is not atypical for early summer; the spring-run gorge-and-scatter pattern often leaves blues dispersed and inconsistent until late summer, when concentrated bait schools pull them back into a more predictable feeding rhythm.

OTW Surfcasting has been running coverage on the broader management debate surrounding striped bass, reflecting the species' conservation pressures. While on-water reports from Long Island feel encouraging right now, NY DEC Saltwater Fishing and Boating newsletters are tracking ongoing regulatory updates — anglers should verify current size and slot limits before keeping fish. No buoy or gauge data was available for this report, so direct water-temperature comparisons with prior seasons cannot be made.