Inlet bass blitz fires at sunset as bay water hits 68 degrees

The water's finally talking, and it's saying summer bass season has officially arrived. Bay temperatures spiked to 68 degrees this week — a solid 4-degree jump from the ocean side — and that thermal gradient is stacking bait like cordwood on every tide change. The result? Some of the best inlet fishing I've seen in years.

The real story is happening at sunset around the jetties. Trophy-class stripers are ambushing bunker schools right in the wash, and I'm talking legitimate cows — fish pushing 40-plus pounds on fresh bunker chunks. The key is positioning yourself on the back side of the inlet jetty during the last two hours of outgoing tide. These fish are sitting in 12 to 15 feet, waiting for the current to sweep bait off the structure.

Rig it simple: fishfinder setup with a 6/0 circle hook, 3-ounce pyramid sinker, and chunks of fresh bunker about the size of your palm. The bite window is tight — starts about an hour before sunset and shuts down hard once full darkness hits. But when it's on, it's lights out. I watched three different guys boat keeper bass over 35 inches in a 45-minute span last Tuesday.

The fluke bite is heating up too, especially around the Meadowbrook Bridge area. Water clarity improved dramatically after last week's blow, and the fish are responding. I'm seeing consistent action on the southeast side of the bridge structure during the incoming tide, with most fish running 16 to 19 inches. The occasional keeper is showing up, but you're going to work for them.

White bucktails with smelt strips are absolutely crushing it — 3/4-ounce heads bounced slow along the bottom. The fish want that bait moving just fast enough to flutter but not so fast it looks unnatural. I've been running a high-low rig with a teaser bucktail 18 inches above the bottom jig, and it's been doubling up regularly.

What's really got me excited is the weakfish showing up in the back bay. Nothing huge yet — most are running 14 to 16 inches — but it's the most consistent weakfish action I've seen in Jones Inlet in five years. They're hitting small paddle tails and Gulp shrimp on light jigheads, especially around the channel edges during slack water.

The bait situation is phenomenal right now. Peanut bunker are thick throughout the inlet system, and I'm seeing massive schools of sand eels getting pushed around by the current. The birds have been working overtime — diving gannets and terns are your best bet for finding active fish.

Current conditions are setting up perfectly for the next few days. We're coming off a new moon, so the spring tides are flushing serious water through the inlet. That's moving bait and positioning predators in predictable spots. The southwest winds have been light and variable, keeping the water clean and the drift manageable.

One thing to watch: the inlet has been loaded with grass and debris on the incoming tide. It's making bottom fishing challenging, but if you can deal with the constant cleaning, the fish are there. I've been switching to lighter jigs and working higher in the water column when the weeds get thick.

Looking ahead, this weekend's full moon is going to create some serious tidal movement. I'm expecting the bass bite to shift earlier in the day as the big tides push more bait through the system. The fluke should respond well to the increased current, especially on the deeper edges of the inlet channel.

Water temperature is the key factor right now. That 68-degree bay water is the magic number for summer patterns, and with ocean temps still sitting around 64, we've got the perfect setup for bait concentration. As long as this thermal gradient holds, the fishing should stay hot through the holiday weekend.