Moriches Inlet fires with trophy bass as June thermocline locks in

The inlet's been absolutely electric this week, with the kind of consistent striper action that makes you forget about sleep. We're seeing trophy-class bass — fish pushing 30 to 35 inches — hammering live spot and fresh bunker chunks from sunset through the early morning hours. The pattern's been locked in since mid-June, and it's showing no signs of slowing down.

What's driving this bite is the thermal structure that's finally stabilized in the bay system. Bay water's running a solid 4 to 5 degrees warmer than the ocean side of the inlet, creating that temperature gradient that stacks bait on the flood tide and holds bass on the ebb. The thermocline's set up beautifully at around 20 feet, pushing schools of peanut bunker and spot tight against the inlet's eastern wall where the current creates that perfect ambush zone.

For tactics, live spot on a fishfinder rig is absolutely crushing it. I'm running a 6/0 circle hook on 30-pound fluorocarbon, with just enough weight to hold bottom in the current — usually a 3 to 4-ounce pyramid sinker depending on the tide stage. The key is positioning tight to the inlet's structure on the outgoing water when those bass are feeding aggressively in the current seams.

Fresh bunker chunks are equally deadly, especially the oily belly sections. I'm cutting them into palm-sized pieces and fishing them on the same fishfinder setup, but bumping up to a 7/0 circle to handle the bigger baits. The scent trail in this moving water is what triggers those explosive strikes you feel right through the rod blank.

The fluke bite in the bay's skinny water has been surprisingly consistent too. We're working the 6 to 10-foot zones with ultra-light setups — 1/4 to 3/8-ounce bucktails tipped with 4-inch white Gulp Swimming Mullets. The technique here is critical: you need to drag these jigs painfully slow across the sandy bottom, letting them tick and bounce to mimic wounded baitfish. I've been seeing keepers in the 20 to 24-inch range, with a few pushing that magical 5-pound mark.

What's interesting is how the lunar cycle's affecting both species. We're coming off a new moon, which means those spring tides are really flushing bait out of the back bay systems. That's why the inlet's been so productive — all that forage gets concentrated in the moving water where predators can corner it effectively.

The water clarity's been excellent despite some recent weather. That southwest wind pattern we've had has actually helped, keeping the water clean and oxygenated while not stirring up too much sediment from the shallows. Visibility's running 4 to 6 feet in most areas, which is perfect for both the bass and fluke we're targeting.

Timing's everything with this bite. For the stripers, that magic window starts about an hour before sunset and runs through midnight, then picks up again just before dawn. The bass seem to key on that changing light, using the shadows along the inlet walls to stage their ambushes. For fluke, the early morning hours on the incoming tide have been most productive, when those flatfish are actively feeding after the overnight fast.

Looking ahead, this full moon Friday should really amp up the action. Those big spring tides will create even stronger current flows, which should concentrate bait even more effectively. I'm particularly watching for weakfish to show up in the mix — the water temperature and bait concentrations are right where they need to be for those first real runs of the season. The inlet's eastern channel, where it drops from 12 to 25 feet, should be prime real estate for both species as we head into the weekend.