One of the great pleasures of living on an island surrounded by the ocean and bays is the arrival of the annual spring fishing run, with anglers once again eager to get back on the bite.
Anglers from the South Shore bays to the Atlantic surf are reporting strong action on striped bass, bluefish, weakfish and fluke as warming waters continue to wake up the region’s fisheries. Local bait shops and surfcasters say this year’s season is shaping up to be a good one, despite a stretch of rainy weather around Memorial Day weekend.
According to Hank Kurz over at Hart’s Cove Bait and Tackle in East Moriches, the weakfish have returned right on schedule.
“The old saying is true — when the lilacs are in bloom, the weakfish are in,” Kurz noted.
He said anglers are finding weakfish throughout Moriches Bay from the Smith Point Bridge east toward Westhampton, while larger striped bass continue pushing into local waters after migrating north from their wintering grounds off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Fluke are also beginning to show in increasing numbers in the bays and channels.
Fishing reports across Long Island have echoed the improving conditions, with striped bass being caught in back bays, bridges, surf and inlet areas as baitfish flood local waters for the spring migration.
The famed “Asphalt Angler,” Bryan Hellmer, said fishermen are seeing encouraging signs nearly everywhere.
“There’s plenty of bait in the water and some big ones are cruising the bay between the mainland and Fire Island,” Hellmer said.
Surfcasters working the Atlantic beaches are also seeing increasing action as the cold winter finally loosens its grip and the June summer solstice — the longest day of the year — approaches.
Hellmer also revealed one longtime surfcaster secret: catching freshwater eels to use as bait for large striped bass. Still, he would not reveal which local lakes have been producing the migrating eels.
While the Memorial Day rains briefly slowed the bite, anglers say the fishing is quickly bouncing back as warmer weather settles in for summer.