In the world of an angler on Long Island, the month of May signifies the official welcoming of a cherished season. When spring bursts forth, the terrestrial world comes alive with blossoming trees, signaling a surge of life happening simultaneously in our local aquatic world, although in a more subtle fashion that only saltwater anglers seem to notice. The blooming plants on land are nature’s telltale sign for the arrival of some of the fish species we live to chase. Many of these, as you may already know, made their presence known throughout a good portion of the island’s bays during April. With water temperatures rising in our backwaters, these areas come to life with baitfish, inevitably drawing in predators on their tails that inevitably become prey to anglers like us.
For most of the month, the majority of fishing takes place in the bays, regardless of which species you’re after. Most fish, like striped bass, weakfish, and fluke, prefer to stay within a certain range of suitable temperatures, and the coastal oceanic waters don’t quite offer that yet. The ocean does have its moments, but the bite is usually inconsistent this time of year. Our bays and backwater areas, with their smaller volumes of water, shallow depths, and muddy bottoms, warm up much faster than the ocean. Not only are these places more comfortable for bigger fish, they are also a nursery for spearing, grass shrimp, bunker, squid, and many other types of baitfish. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.
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Striped Bass
On the western reaches of the island, stripers have already been caught regularly since the beginning of April. May is when this action really becomes widespread, along with some nicer fish starting to make their move into the waters of eastern Long Island. Hot schoolie action is a blast, especially after a long winter of unbent rods. As fun as it is, many of us are still looking for a greater challenge and eventually seek out some fish that actually pull drag. The western half of the island usually has the larger stripers throughout most of May, but they also move through some areas out east relatively early, if you know where to look. Concentrate your efforts on the night tides to improve your odds of finding a big school staging between moves.
By the end of the month, larger fish should be readily available throughout Long Island’s waters. Considering the areas that we fish this time of year—back bays, marshes, and estuaries—and the types of forage species present in them, light tackle is king. Personally, I love fishing fly rods with small baitfish patterns. Spinning tackle can also be fun if you keep your setup on the lighter end of the spectrum. When throwing small soft plastics and topwaters during the day, a 7-foot medium-power rod with a 3000-size spinning reel is ideal. This also works great at night for throwing small swimming plugs.
Weakfish
In May of 2023, several parts of the island were lucky to have excellent weakfish action. They can be a little inconsistent in their return from year to year, but I think we’re in for a good run of them this month. A few weakfish may already be around as you read this, and during the first week of May, they should be moving through the bays. Though some of the lures we use for weakfish are the same as for stripers, the methods employed are different, especially during the daytime. Fishing for weakfish during the day has more in common with fluke fishing than it does with striped bass fishing. Unlike their speckled southern cousins, weakfish tend to stay deep during daylight hours. You can often find them in deep holes in the bays, in anywhere from 20- to 40-foot depths. At night, however, they may be feeding in shallower marshy areas. Small soft plastics like 5” Lunker City Fin-S Fish or Berkley Gulp Jerk Shads are my favorites for weakies.
A light spinning rod with 10- to 15 braid and a 3/8- to ¾-ounce jighead is all you’ll need. When fishing deeper holes, I like to cast up-current, and let the lure swing down near the bottom on a slow retrieve with some twitches and “hops” up from the bottom. Be prepared as the bait settles because the strike will certainly not be “weak.”
If you’re fishing for stripers in the marshes at night, there is always a chance that you’ll run into weakfish as bycatch. They will hit plugs, but when they get mixed in, to avoid pulled hooks, it’s a good idea to switch to soft plastics and go a little easier during the fight than you would with bass.
Bluefish
As May rolls on, the second week of the month usually brings big “racer” bluefish charging into our bays. The western South Shore inlets generally get them first, though not long after their initial arrival, inlets to the east see them as well. These fish come into the bays long, skinny, and voraciously hungry. Love them or hate them, they are the baddest fish in our waters and will try to kill just about any smaller fish that cross their path.
The only downside to bluefish is that they tend to scare off many of the weakfish when they arrive. Their sheer aggression not only provides a good fight (much harder than most bass), but also brings amazing topwater action. You can also do some early-season sight-fishing for blues, too, which makes them even more awesome, in my opinion. As you move through the bay, keep an eye out for fins slowly cruising on the surface. Place a topwater lure or fly anywhere ahead of them, and they will likely crush it.
Make the most of bluefish while you can because the majority of the big ones move out of the bays at the end of the month to continue their northward migration, leaving mostly smaller ones behind.
Fluke
While they may not be as “sporty” as other species, fluke sure are tasty and their season also opens this month. Fluke fishing is super fun when they are in the bays, especially with light tackle and bucktails. This is definitely one of the more “family friendly” types of fishing in May. South Shore bays and the Peconics near Shelter Island usually see the first wave of action early in the month. If sand eels take up residence, the eastern stretch of Long Island Sound from Port Jeff to Mattituck may have some absolutely wild action, which should build as the month progresses. I almost always prefer jigging for fluke in shallow water in the bays, but drifting cut bait like squid strips with a sinker rig is a good way to bend the rod for beginners.
With inshore waters coming to life this month, there are a lot of options to choose from. You can bail on morning schoolies to crush big blues, fish for fluke in the afternoon, and go on the hunt for big bass at night, all in a day’s fishing. That’s one of the greatest things about fishing in May on Long Island, so don’t let it pass you by. Get out there and put the time in. May is the month!
Spring Bluefish on Long Island’s South Shore
