Trophy bass crash Moriches Inlet as night bite explodes on live spot

The inlet's been absolutely on fire this past week, with trophy striped bass stacking up in the channel like I haven't seen in years. Night fishing with live spot has been producing bass in the 30-plus-pound class consistently, with the best action coming on the last two hours of the outgoing tide when the current really starts ripping through the cut.

What's driving this bite is the perfect storm of conditions we've got right now. The inlet's been stable since the spring storms reshaped the channel, creating that deep hole on the east side that's become a bass highway. Water temps have settled into that sweet spot — bay side running about 4 degrees warmer than the ocean, creating a thermal gradient that's funneling bait through the inlet like a conveyor belt.

The technique that's been money is simple but precise: live spot on a fishfinder rig, 6/0 circle hook, 30-pound fluorocarbon leader. Key is getting that bait down into the channel where it sweeps along the bottom edge. I've been anchoring uptide of the deep water and letting the current do the work. The bass are sitting in that 25-to-30-foot zone where the channel drops off, ambushing spot as they get swept through.

Timing is everything here. You want to be set up and fishing by sunset, but the real magic happens after dark when the big girls move up to feed. I'm talking about bass that haven't seen a scale in years — thick, heavy fish that fight like freight trains in that current. The bite window is narrow though, maybe two hours max before the tide slacks off and the fish scatter.

Meanwhile, the bay's been producing some quality fluke fishing, especially in the skinny water along the eastern shoreline. The pattern's been consistent: work the 3-to-8-foot depths with ultra-light jigs, quarter-ounce bucktails tipped with white Gulp Swimming Mullets. The key is reading the bottom structure — those subtle drop-offs and channel edges that most guys blow right over.

I've been finding the best fluke action on the incoming tide when cleaner water pushes into the bay. The fish are relating to those sandy pockets between the grass beds, especially around Tuthill Point where the channel makes that sharp bend. Presentation is critical in this shallow water — you need to keep that jig moving but not too fast, just enough to stay off the bottom and trigger strikes.

The size quality has been impressive, with keepers running from 19 inches up to some legitimate doormat-class fish pushing 6 pounds. What's interesting is how these bay fluke are feeding — they're not the typical bottom-huggers you'd expect. I'm seeing them suspended in the water column, chasing bait, which explains why a slow retrieve with occasional pops of the rod tip has been so effective.

Weakfish have started showing up in decent numbers too, mostly on the flood tide when they push up from the inlet. Small Deadly Dick lures worked along the channel edges have been producing fish in the 2-to-4-pound range. Nothing spectacular, but a welcome addition to the mix after a few lean years.

The bait situation is what's really driving everything right now. Massive schools of peanut bunker have been staging in the bay, with adult bunker moving through the inlet on every tide change. The spot population is thick too, which explains why the live bait approach has been so deadly on the bass. Spearing are everywhere in the shallows, keeping the fluke active and aggressive.

Looking ahead, we're moving into the new moon phase, which should amp up the tidal flow and really get things moving. I'm expecting the bass bite to stay strong through the weekend, especially if we get some cloud cover to extend that feeding window. The fluke fishing should only get better as more fish move into the bay to take advantage of all this bait.

One thing to watch is the water temperature. Bay temps have been climbing steadily, and if we hit that 75-degree mark, the fluke might start moving to deeper, cooler water. But for now, everything's lining up perfectly — stable inlet, good bait, and fish that are feeding aggressively. This is what Moriches Bay fishing is all about.