Long Island Flats Fishing

After a long winter for anglers in the Northeast, the arrival of striped bass signifies a new season. There are few better feelings than an early April clean slate with lessons and experiences from last season fresh in mind. While some anglers will take their first casts of the season out front, hoping to find those silvery colored 15-inch “fresh ones,” I always start in the creeks. Brackish water, dark bottom, and sunny early April days have yielded impressive catches in years past.

However, once the bay temperature begins to approach 62 degrees, I pivot my land-based efforts to wading the flats, where hungry, travel-fatigued stripers provide the first real action of the season.

(Note: On The Water is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.)

The flats of eastern Long Island, namely Shinnecock Bay, are my stomping grounds as an angler. It is where I feel most comfortable and connected to the fish I am pursuing. Whether it is the mating pairs of ospreys hunting and building their homes, the clouds of bait swimming by, or the gator blues pushing giant V-wakes much like big jacks down south, it is truly magical.

Once the second half of May rolls around and the creeks begin to get warmer and murkier, this is my first indication to head to the flats. That first step into the cold, high water at the start of a mid-May ebb tide tells me the season has entered its next chapter. Larger striped bass have begun to show, not too far behind gator blues that stymie April’s hot schoolie action. The progression of each season is wonderful to see.

I find three presentations to be paramount to success on the flats, though they work in any similar environment.

3 Lures for Long Island Flats Fishing

Spooks/Walking Plugs

If conditions are right, this is what I am tying on before I even get in the truck. It is hard to beat the spook’s click, click, click across the glassy surface interrupted by an explosion from a hungry bass. This method is also a good way to start the day because the fish won’t always eat a surface plug, but you should draw some follows and swirls, giving away the presence of stripers. In the fall, a slightly larger spook can be used to imitate mullet that are prevalent in the back bays at that time of year. The fall mullet migration is among the best time to score a true stud on the flats.

It’s tough to beat the click-click-clack of a walking topwater spook for bringing bluefish to the surface an into fly-casting range. *(Photo by Sergio Diaz)*

Weightless Soft Plastics

A Slug-Go or Fin-S Fish by Lunker City are good options, but my favorite is a straight-tailed Bass Assassin in white or dark shad color. Any of these lures can be paired with a swimbait hook. I use the Owner Beast, from 4/0 to 10/0, depending on the size of the plastic. On many flats, particularly those around choke points and inlets, there is substantial current sweep. For these situations, a swimbait hook with a light weight on the shank, 1/16- to 1/8-ounce, is suitable for keeping the lure in the strike zone. Or, use a light jighead with a strong, large hook. This presentation is versatile as it represents different forage thanks to the wide array of plastics available on the market.

Shallow Swimmers

During the low-light hours of dusk and dawn, I primarily fish the previous two presentations. Once darkness falls, I use a shallow swimming plug, my favorite being the Cotton Cordell Red Fin. My tactic here is to slowly roll the plug in, causing it to create a wake as it swims just millimeters beneath the surface. This drives fish, particularly those feeding on spearing, absolutely bonkers. This technique becomes particularly important a bit further into the season, when nighttime becomes king and bluefish reign supreme during daylight hours.

Wading for Fluke

The stripers of the flats will be present to varying degrees right through the summer, with schoolie-sized fish typically willing to fall for the aforementioned presentations pretty readily in evenings and early mornings. However, in June, summer patterns begin and, with that, one of the more unique fisheries that Long Island has to offer: skinny water fluking.

Most hear about skinny-water fluke and think of the well-marketed, early-season trips aboard party boats in search of summer flounder, but to me, the phrase indicates the opportunity to score some pretty large fluke without turning a boat key or launching a kayak. By this point in the summer, I’ve ditched the waders for swim trunks, which makes the idea of wading more pleasant. Sea robins, fluke, and cownose rays can all be seen by the trained eye walking the flats in the summer.

A downside to summer flats fishing is the prevalence of boat traffic, particularly shallow-water sports like tubing and jet skiing. To most efficiently share space, consider early mornings or weekday evenings during a summer weekend.

By association, flats fishing is paired with warm weather and crystal-clear water. In the Northeast, however, these can cause some pretty difficult fishing. For stripers, focus on cooler, unremarkable days with weather like a light drizzle or overcast skies to coax the more lethargic, warm-water fish. During those long, bright weeks of high sun when the striped-bass fishing of the previous months feels like a distant memory, consider the following presentations and techniques to bring some shallow water fluke to hand.

Light Jigs

How light is light? In a boat, I fish use a ¼-ounce bucktail when bottom-bouncing for fluke. On the flats, I have had far more success with jigs around ⅛ to 3/16 ounces paired with a small, scented strip or plastic. Anything heavier will appear unnatural as it sinks like a rock.

Weightless Plastics

I had an outing a couple years ago where I caught several fluke on the flats one morning using weightless soft plastics on a slack tide, fished very slowly, almost akin to dragging a Texas rig for freshwater largemouth bass. It was super effective.

Find a Drop-Off

Many flats are positioned adjacent to channels. With some extra care, you can walk right to the edge of a channel while still standing atop the flat, then cast into the channel. For this, jigs in the ¼- to 3/4-ounce range are appropriate. This technique will yield the largest fluke on average, but expect a lot of shorts in any bay environment in the summer.

The Gear

A medium to medium-heavy, seven to seven-and-a-half foot spinning rod with a 3000- to 4000-series reel spooled with 15-pound braid secured to a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader will get the job done on the flats from April right through October. However, when fishing a topwater, use mono for its buoyancy.

The flats of eastern Long Island, whether in Shinnecock, Peconic, or Moriches bay, all yield fishing that is not only pleasant and accessible, but darn effective.

Long Island Flats Fishing