50-pound bass crash Western Sound as water hits prime feeding temps

The Western Sound has exploded into what I can only call lights-out striper fishing, and after 30 years working these waters from Throgs Neck to Oyster Bay, I'm telling you this is the kind of bite that makes legends. We're talking 50-pound bass — real 50-pound bass — coming over the rails, and it's not just one lucky angler. This is a full-blown feeding frenzy that's been building for two weeks.

The star of the show has been Execution Rocks, where the ledge structure is holding bass like a magnet. The pattern is crystal clear: big Mojo rigs trolled over the drop-off during moving water, particularly the outgoing tide from mid-ebb to bottom. I watched boats struggle all morning in the slack, then watched the same boats double up when that water started moving. The bass are staging on the ledge waiting for the current to push bait over the edge, and when it happens, it's game on.

What's driving this bite is the mackerel. Forget everything else you've heard about bait — mackerel is the key right now. These bass are absolutely gorging on them, and I'm seeing fish so fat they look like footballs. Many are carrying sea lice, which tells me these are fresh migrants that just moved in from the ocean. The water temperature has finally hit that sweet spot around 68-70 degrees, and after that cold, delayed spring, the fish are making up for lost time.

The tackle that's producing is specific: large umbrella rigs, Mojo rigs, and topwater plugs during the tide changes. Super Strike bunker-profile plugs are getting crushed when fish blow up on the surface at the turns. I've seen tandem hookups — two fish on one umbrella rig — which tells you just how thick these bass are stacked. Flutter spoons are also deadly when you mark fish but they won't take the bigger presentations.

Stepping Stones has been another hot zone, particularly for the light tackle crowd. The current breaks around the light structure create perfect ambush points, and I'm seeing 39-42 inch fish taken on topwater during the dawn and dusk bite. The key is positioning — you want to be downcurrent of the structure, casting uptide, and working your lure with the flow.

Matinecock Point has been holding good numbers of slot fish, with the occasional oversize mixed in. The bunker schools that usually stack up here in June are thinner than normal — we're still about 10-14 days behind last year's schedule thanks to that brutal May — but there are enough peanuts around to keep the bass interested. Live eels fished tight to the structure on the flood tide have been producing consistent action after dark.

The Throgs Neck Bridge pilings are fishing well on the big tides. We've got a new moon Friday, which means spring tides and serious current. When that water really starts ripping through the bridge, the bass position on the downcurrent side of the pilings and ambush anything that gets swept past. Bucktails with pork rind or Gulp trailers, bounced along the bottom on the drift, have been the most consistent producers.

What's interesting is the feeding behavior. These bass are in full gorge mode — I'm seeing fish with their bellies distended from feeding, and when you clean them, they're packed with mackerel. This is classic spring feeding behavior, where the fish are trying to put on weight after the spawn and before the summer heat sets in.

The fluke bite has been spotty but improving. Oyster Bay Harbor has been producing shorts with the occasional keeper, mostly on white Gulp Swimming Mullets and chartreuse bucktails in 15-25 feet. The grass beds are holding some fish, but you've got to work for them. The better fluke action has been on the deeper edges — 30-35 feet — where the channel drops off.

Porgies have started showing around the rocky structure, particularly off the north shore harbors. Standard porgy rigs with clam have been producing decent numbers, though most are on the smaller side. The better fish seem to be in slightly deeper water, 25-30 feet, around the hard bottom.

Bluefish have been mixed in with the bass action, mostly cocktail-size fish that are great fun on light tackle. They're hitting the same presentations as the bass — metals, topwater, and small bucktails. The bigger gator blues that usually show up this time of year have been scarce, but I expect that to change as we move into July.

Looking ahead, this new moon Friday is going to create some serious tidal movement. Spring tides mean big water movement, and that's when the Western Sound really comes alive. I'm expecting the bass bite to intensify, particularly around the major structure like Execution Rocks and the bridge pilings. The key will be timing your trips with the moving water — slack tide has been dead, but when that current starts flowing, it's lights out.

The water temperature is perfect right now, but as we move into the heat of summer, these fish are going to start going deeper during the day. Early morning and late evening will become even more critical, and night fishing with live eels is going to be the ticket for the biggest fish. Get out there now while the bite is wide open — this is the kind of fishing we wait all year for.