Bass push through Plum Gut as Sound water hits 68 degrees

Water's finally warming up proper out here on the North Fork sound shore, and the bass are starting to move like they mean it. Hit 68 degrees this week according to the buoys, and that's the magic number that gets these fish thinking about summer patterns instead of just wandering around looking confused.

Been working the Orient Point area pretty steady, and the incoming tide is where you want to be. Not the flood — the incoming. There's a difference, and it matters more than most people think. That push of cooler water coming through Plum Gut carries bait, and the bass know it. They're setting up along the drop-off about a quarter mile west of the point, waiting for whatever the current brings them.

Chunked bunker is producing the most consistent action. Fresh stuff, not the frozen bricks from last fall. Cut your chunks palm-sized, hook them through the back, and fish them on a fishfinder rig with enough weight to hold bottom in the current. I've been using 6-ounce pyramids, sometimes 8 when the water really starts moving. The fish aren't huge — mostly schoolies in the 24 to 28-inch range — but there's been a few keepers mixed in, including one that went close to 35 inches on Tuesday morning.

Eels are working too, especially after dark. Live ones if you can get them, but the rigged eels from the tackle shop will do. Fish them the same way as the bunker chunks, but use a lighter weight. These bass are eating the eels on the drop, not picking them up off the bottom, so you want that bait to move natural in the current.

The porgy bite has been steady but not spectacular. Rocky Point area, anywhere you can find structure in 25 to 35 feet of water. Small hooks, size 6 or 8, with pieces of clam or sandworm. Nothing fancy about it — just drop down, feel for bottom, and wait for the tug. The fish are running small this year, mostly shorts, but there's enough keepers to make it worthwhile if you're looking to put something in the cooler.

Bluefish showed up in numbers this past weekend, which surprised me a little. Usually don't see them this thick until July, but the warm water must have pulled them up from wherever they spend the early season. They're hitting everything — spoons, poppers, chunks, doesn't matter. The problem is they're mixed in with the bass, so if you're targeting stripers, you're going to catch blues whether you want them or not.

Mattituck Inlet has been quiet for fluke, which is disappointing but not unexpected. The water in there is still a little cool, and the bait hasn't really moved in yet. Give it another week or two of this weather, and things should pick up. The few fluke that are around are small — nothing worth keeping.

Weakfish have been showing sporadically in the deeper water off Horton Point. Not a steady bite, but when they're there, they're there in numbers. Pink and white bucktails with a strip of squid, bounced along the bottom in 40 to 50 feet. The trick is finding them — they move around a lot, and what worked yesterday might not work today.

Looking ahead, we've got a new moon coming this weekend, which should really get the water moving through Plum Gut. That's when I expect to see the best bass fishing of the season so far. The spring tides will flush a lot of bait out of the bays and harbors, and the bass will be waiting for it. Plan on fishing the incoming tide, especially the last two hours before high water.

Water temperature should hold steady or maybe climb another degree or two if this weather pattern continues. That's good news for everything except maybe the blackfish, which seem to disappear when the water gets much over 70. But for bass, blues, and weakfish, we're right in the sweet spot now.

One thing to watch — the wind has been light all week, which makes for easy fishing but not necessarily the best fishing. A little chop on the water helps break up the light and makes the fish less spooky. If we get some southwest wind this weekend, that could really turn things on.