East winds brought acres of blitzing striped bass, bluefish and false albacore within casting range of the Montauk Lighthouse early this week, officially kick-starting fall for many New York anglers. The bass were mostly on the smaller side, between 10 and 20 pounds, but what they lacked in size they make up for in number. The stripers have also continued their slow migration west, and bass can once again be found at least sporadically throughout New York’s coastal waters. The blackfish season has picked up significantly in many places, and some trophy white-chins have been taken off the wrecks around the Island in recent days. We’re getting into an exciting time of the season, so get out there and enjoy the migration while it lasts.
East End
It’s a pretty established fact that the surfcasting in Montauk depends heavily on the wind direction, and the past week has proved to be a classic example. The west wind that had kept the surfcasting slow switched east, turning the bite on almost instantly. The wind remains out of the east as I’m writing this, but it’s forecasted to go west again by Saturday. If you’re itchy to make a run to Montauk, consider calling out of work on Friday. The wind will transition Southeast, and that should be good enough to keep fish within casting range, though likely without the same intensity of early this week. It may also lead to one of those painful situations where the bass are blitzing just out of range. By Saturday, the wind will be out of the west until Monday, making it a crapshoot from the surf. However, this time of year there’s so much bait pushing through the area, anything can happen.
Over the last week, both the bass and the bait have been on the smaller side, so consider this when loading up your surf bag. Out in the rips, the Viking Fleet has continued to have success drifting for bass during their nighttime eeling trips. The highlights from this week’s trips including one 40-pound-class striper which stands as their second largest of the season. The porgy fishing over at Block Island also remains consistent for the Viking, despite the strong full-moon tides this week. The bite should get even better next week as conditions calm down, the Viking will also begin their blackfish and RSA (Research Set Aside) black sea bass season tomorrow, October 14.
At East End Bait & Tackle in Hampton Bays, I talked to Steve to hear the latest from the Shinnecock area. The blackfish bite has been good out on all the local pieces, from the inshore rocks to the offshore reefs, but getting outside the inlet will quickly become a problem by the weekend. Once you can get out to the blackfish grounds once again, bring a pint of clams along with you because the porgy fishing continues to be good out on the wrecks as well. The striped bass fishing, which has been great around Montauk, has yet to reach the Shinnecock area. The local surfcasting crew is hard-pressed to find fish from the local beaches, and many have likely headed out to Montauk chasing the blitzes underneath the Lighthouse.
South Shore
More pods of bunker are showing up in Jamaica Bay and other areas along the western south shore. Bluefish seem largely responsible for corralling the baitfish; however, more bass are showing up as water temperatures retreat into the mid-60s. Either way, it’s definitely time to put the bunker-snagging hooks back in the boat. It’s going to be tough, if not impossible, to get out of the south shore inlets to do some blackfishing during the upcoming weekend. As of right now, Sunday looks like your best bet, but NOAA is still calling for at least a 3-foot chop inshore. If the weather does keep you at the dock this weekend, which looks more-and-more likely, consider putting in a little time on a south-shore ocean beach with a few tins and a surfcasting outfit. The overcast conditions this week should improve your chances of success from the surf both day and night, and the kicked-up surf should draw some fish into the wash. If you’re planning on heading out at night, you can’t go wrong with yellow darters and needlefish. Overall, it’s been a slow start to the Fall Run for most south-shore surfcasters, however, the increase in fish moving around Montauk Point is a good sign of things to come. Hopefully we’ll transition into a similar pattern as last year, where south-shore daytime blitzes were a daily occurrence well into December.
North Shore
Most anglers fishing on Long Island Sound have been targeting blackfish almost exclusively, and after a handful of double-digit blackfish were weighed-in this week, who could blame them. The blackfish bite has been good in the eastern sound since opening day, and it’s starting to heat up in the west as well. I talked to Captain Chris of the Island Current Fleet who told me, “fishing has been pretty good overall,” and also commented that the Fleet has started seeing some keeper blackfish caught on their porgy trips, a good sign of things to come. The bluefish bite has also remained strong, during both the day and night trips, and it shows no sign of letting up. Things should even get better over the next month, as a few striped bass should start mixing-in. Captain Chris noted that the conditions for Saturday don’t look good, even in the western sound, and he still wasn’t sure if they’d be able to sail. Things should be back to normal by the beginning of next week. Over in Huntington Station, Richard at Camp-Site Sports Shop was swamped but he did let me know that both the blackfish and porgy fishing has been “phenomenal” lately. If it’s too rough for you to get out on the boat this weekend, you’ll likely be able to find some porgies inside some of the protected harbors along the north shore. Conditions should be back to normal by Monday, and the blackfish should be waiting and ready to chew all over the Sound.
Upstate
Those fishing up on Lake Ontario continue to enjoy a variety of species making their way inshore. To keep up with the latest movements in the fishery, I made a call to Sharon at Narby’s Superette and Tackle. “Fishing is fantastic,” Sharon said, “There’s fish in all the streams, and the weather’s been so mild I’m really surprised.” Salmon, steelhead and brown trout have all moved in from the lake, and Sharon said that, “it’s the best season we’ve had in many years.” Fishing on the lake itself has also remained productive, catfish, largemouth, northern pike and perch are all being caught in good numbers by shore-bound anglers. The dam was opened this week, which brought a lot of fish in with the increased water flow.
Best Bests
Although there’s a chance you’ll run into a “should’ve been here yesterday” situation, I’d still consider making the trip out to Montauk tonight or tomorrow if you can. Even when the wind switches to the south on Friday, it should still be enough to get some fish feeding along the South Side, Ditch Plains or the town beaches. If you find yourself in the middle of a blitz, just about anything with a small profile will draw strikes, but consider working a 1 ½-ounce while bucktail through the rocks while you’re waiting. The west wind that will take hold on Saturday will likely pull the majority of the fish offshore. The deteriorating conditions across the board on Friday will quickly make Long Island Sound one of the few fishable areas by boat, although by Saturday parts of Sound will have 5-foot waves, making it more-or-less impossible to anchor over a blackfish piece. Surfcasting will probably be one of the few options for most on Saturday. As the conditions improve next week, the blackfish bite should continue to improve from where it left off. There’s been nice fish caught just about everywhere, so it’s a good opportunity to support your local head-boat, especially if the weather on Sunday is a little too snotty to get out on your own rig.