Moriches Inlet bass bite stays red-hot as live spot produces trophy fish at night

The inlet's been absolutely on fire for striped bass, and I'm talking consistent trophy-class fish coming over the rails after sunset. This isn't your typical summer doldrums fishing — we're seeing legitimate cows pushing 30-plus pounds hitting live spot presentations in the deeper cuts around the inlet mouth.

The pattern's been locked in for over a week now. Best action starts about an hour before sunset and runs through the first two hours of darkness. The key is positioning yourself in 15 to 25 feet of water along the eastern edge of the inlet channel, where the current sweeps bait out of the bay on the outgoing tide. I'm running live spot on fishfinder rigs — 6/0 circle hooks with just enough weight to hold bottom in the current. The bass are staging in that transition zone where bay water meets ocean water, and they're absolutely crushing anything that looks like it's getting swept out with the tide.

What's driving this bite is the thermal gradient setting up at the inlet. Bay water's running a solid 4 to 5 degrees warmer than the ocean side, creating a perfect feeding lane where baitfish get concentrated. The spot are thick in the back bay right now, and every outgoing tide is flushing them through that narrow throat. It's like a dinner bell for these big bass.

The fluke bite in the skinny water continues to improve as we move deeper into summer. I'm seeing consistent keepers in the 3 to 8-foot range, with fish pushing 5 to 6 pounds becoming more common. The technique that's been money is ultra-light presentations — 1/4 to 3/8-ounce bucktails tipped with 4-inch white Gulp Swimming Mullets, worked slow on the drift. The key is reading the bottom structure. These shallow flats have subtle contours that hold fish, and you need to feel every bump and depression with your jig.

Tuthill Point's been particularly productive on the incoming tide, especially that 6 to 10-foot edge that runs parallel to the shoreline. The fish are relating to the slight depth change, and they're aggressive. I'm seeing a lot of quality fish in that 20 to 24-inch range, with the occasional doormat mixed in. The bite window is typically the first two hours of the flood, when cooler water pushes in from the inlet and activates the fluke.

Porgy fishing remains solid throughout the bay, with the deeper holes around the marina channels producing steady action. Standard bottom rigs with clam or squid strips are doing the job, but I've been having better luck with small bucktails tipped with Gulp! sandworms. The porgies are hitting anything that moves, and you can load the cooler pretty quickly if you find a good school.

Weakfish are starting to show in better numbers, particularly around the inlet on the night tides. I'm picking up fish in the 2 to 4-pound range on the same live spot rigs I'm using for bass, just in slightly shallower water. The weakies are hitting about an hour after the bass bite peaks, usually in that 8 to 15-foot range where the current isn't quite as strong.

Looking ahead, this full moon cycle should really fire things up. The big tides are going to flush even more bait through the inlet system, and I expect the bass bite to get even more consistent. The key will be timing your trips with the tide — you want to be fishing that inlet drain right at sunset for the best shot at a trophy. Water temps are stabilizing in the mid-70s, which is perfect for keeping fish active through the evening hours.

The weekend should be prime time if you can handle the boat traffic. Get out early for the fluke bite, then position yourself for the evening bass run. This is some of the best inlet fishing I've seen in years.