Bay bass bite fires as water hits 69 degrees, weakfish crash the party

The bay is alive right now, and I mean really alive. Water temps hit 69 degrees this week, and that magic number has flipped the switch on everything from the Cross Bay to the Marine Parkway Bridge. I've been fishing these waters for thirty years, and this is the kind of week that reminds you why Jamaica Bay is special.

The big story is the striped bass bite at the Marine Parkway Bridge. Slot fish — beautiful 32-inch bass — are staging on the outgoing tide, and they're not being shy about it. I watched one angler land three keepers in an hour yesterday evening, all on bunker chunks fished tight to the pilings. The key is getting your fishfinder rig positioned right in the current seam where the bridge creates that eddy. Use a 6/0 circle hook, keep your bunker chunks fresh, and fish the last two hours of the outgoing. These fish are feeding hard as the tide pulls bait out of the bay.

But here's what has me really excited — the weakfish are back. I'm talking keeper-sized weakfish, some pushing 19 inches, mixed right in with the fluke action. This is the first time in years I've seen a legitimate weakfish bite in the bay. They're hitting white bucktails with Gulp teasers in 20 to 30 feet of water, especially around the deeper holes near the North Channel. The incoming tide has been the ticket, particularly that first hour when the water starts moving.

The fluke fishing has been steady but not spectacular. Most of the action is coming from the deeper channels, with fish to 25 inches showing up on the drift. White Gulp Swimming Mullets on 3/4-ounce bucktails are producing, but you need to work them slow. The fish aren't aggressive — they're picking up the bait and dropping it if you're not paying attention. I've been using a lighter drag and giving them a few seconds before setting the hook.

What's driving all this activity is that 69-degree water temp. It's pulled bait into the bay — I'm seeing schools of peanut bunker, spearing, and sand eels everywhere. The gradient between the bay and ocean water is creating a perfect feeding zone at the inlet, and the fish know it. The new moon we had earlier this week stirred up the bottom and flushed fresh bait through the system.

From the kayak, I've been working the edges of the channels where the current creates those natural ambush points. The bass are sitting in 15 to 20 feet, waiting for bait to get swept over them. Live eels have been deadly when you can get them, but fresh bunker chunks are just as effective and a lot easier to manage.

The Rockaway surf has been quiet — too much weed in the water from the recent southwest winds. But the back bay action more than makes up for it. I'm seeing more consistent fishing now than we've had all spring.

Looking ahead, we're coming into the full moon this Friday, which means big tides and serious water movement. That's when the weakfish bite could really explode — they love that strong current flow. The weather looks stable, and with water temps holding in the upper 60s, I expect this pattern to continue through the weekend. If you've been waiting for the right time to hit Jamaica Bay, this is it. The fish are here, they're feeding, and the conditions are as good as they get.