Strong winds will continue to be the major issue for most anglers until at least Saturday, as was the case for the much of this week. However, by the weekend conditions should return to a seasonal norm. Those who were able to find a weather window this week, or made their own, were treated to a blackfish bite that continues to get better. Whether using jigs and light-tackle gear on shallow-water boulder fields along the north shore, or bouncing 8-ounces of lead off a south-shore reef, most are finding nice tog on just about every drop. Another species starting to show up on some of the deepwater south-shore pieces with more regularity is the resurgent codfish, another good sign of things to come this winter. We’re getting close to the October new moon tides, something I’ve been looking forward to since last year. As I’ve mentioned before, ProTides.com is a great (and free) resource for planning any upcoming fishing excursions. Montauk continues to be king of the striper scene, although the strong and persistent west wind has kept most of the action out in the rips and away from the beach. Weather is always going to be a factor this time of year, but with only a 5- to 10-northwest wind in the forecast for Sunday, that should be good enough for just about everyone to get off the dock.
East End
Even though poor-weather conditions proved tough for most this week, the Viking Fleet continued to have success on just about every front. The nighttime eeling trips are producing some bigger fish, with another 40-pound-class striper taken this week. Bottom fishing for porgies south of Block Island remained solid this week, and was only hampered by the tough conditions. Captain Dave also reported an increase in the amount of keeper cod and blackfish being caught alongside the jumbo porgies. The false albacore continue popping up in the rips, sometimes in big numbers. Surfcasters should focus on the sand beaches and the big surf brought on by this southwest gale. Areas like Hither Hills State Park might be holding some fish near the beach. If you can’t get your plugs working through the rolling surf, consider soaking some bait attached to a big chunk of lead.
South Shore
The 11- to 12-foot seas off the south shore today will give way to 1-foot seas by Sunday, and a nice weather window to get out on the blackfish grounds. The tog should be hungry and waiting by the time the fleet gets back out there this weekend. The porgies will be out there waiting with them, so bring a pint of clams if you’re interested in fishing the extended season. Saturday may be a go for some of the larger boats, with 2- to 3-foot seas in the forecast, but some of the eastern south-shore inlets will likely still be a mess. The water remains relatively warm in the New York Bite compared to the Montauk area, but some keeper-size bass have made their way to the western edge of Long Island.The bunker holding in parts of the western south shore has attracted bluefish, and their mess has attracted some small keeper-size bass. If you find some pods of bunker, only to get your livies chopped in half, send a bunker head down to the bottom on a fish-finder rig and you might be able to scratch-out a bass or two. Drifting eels in the inlets at night has also been producing a few decent linesiders over the past few weeks.
North Shore
Tog is still the name of the game throughout most of Long Island Sound, and some nice bulldogs have been caught under less-than-ideal conditions. One-foot seas this weekend should make tog fishing much easier, especially for those looking to investigate some smaller, deepwater pieces in the mid-sound. A lot of people fishing in the Sound right now are having the best luck with ½-ounce blackfish bucktails sweetened with Asian shore crabs in relatively shallow water, although green and fiddler crabs will also do the trick. Porgy fishing also remains a good option for those anglers for some table-fare along on the north shore. Bluefish remain a heavy presence in the western Sound, and some are likely feeding within casting range under the cover of darkness. Although water temperatures remain warm, a few keeper stripers have also been caught at night in the western Sound this week.
Metro New York
It’s getting to be the time of year when fish once again start moving through the Five Boroughs, this time heading south. “Fisherman are still catching porgies and bluefish,” says Jonathan from Fisherman’s Depot in College Point, Queens. The warm weather has kept many fish in the area longer than usual, keeping a lot of anglers from focusing exclusively on blackfish. “We’re not even fishing in sweaters and boots yet,” Jon mentioned, “and it’s getting near the end of October.” Several of the crew from Fisherman’s Depot that have been getting out for blackfish, are doing well working jigs in the western sound aboard the Never Enough. Conditions should be good for the upcoming weekend, and the fishing in general should improve in the area as water temperatures slowly retreat. On the surfcasting front, Jon said the local crew is doing well with porgies and bluefish, and also mentioned some small bass are starting to mix in, but he added that, “many are traveling a little to fish the south-shore,” where finding a keeper bass is a little more feasible.
Up in the Bronx, I talked to Captain Chris of the Island Current Fleet who told me that, “fishing was great on Monday and Tuesday on the bottom fish.” The Island Current Fleet is running combo porgy/blackfish trips right now that are focusing exclusively on wrecks and significant structure. Those fishing with crabs are doing increasingly well on the blackfish, and the porgy fishing has been great just about straight through since May. The Current has also gotten out at night a few times this week with light crowds for bluefish. Chumming and fishing with fresh chunks of bunker produced non-stop action with the blues this week, and Captain Chris mentioned more stripers are mixing in as well, “enough to keep it interesting,” he said.
Upstate
Fall angling is in full swing upstate, just about wherever you’re fishing. There’s salmon and steelhead in the skinny-waters of Lake Ontario, big trout in the Upper Delaware Basin and good bass and panfishing just about everywhere in between. At Narby’s Superette and Tackle in Kent, Sharon told me that fishing remains, “Fantastic” and that, “it’s unbelievable how many fish are in” the local streams. Even the smallest streams are loaded with big fish right now. Browns, steelhead and salmon are all in the skinny water, and anglers are having a blast fighting these large fish. “This is one of the best seasons we’ve had in years,” Sharon told me. Fish are biting on “predominantly egg sacs,” she said, but noted that “no specific color” was working better than any other. Through the big waves on the Lake have mostly shut down the trolling bite, casting stickbaits like Rapalas or small spoons like those made by Little Cleo will still produce strikes from the steelhead, browns and salmon moving inshore.
Best Bets
Improving sea conditions will open-up many possibilities for boat anglers this weekend. A mixed-bag of west winds will likely keep things on the sporadic side for surfcasters, although the new-moon tides beginning early next week do offer some new hope. Getting out for blackfish this weekend would be a good idea, and it’s definitely the most accessible option for anglers on Long Island. Although the bite hasn’t completely turned-on in the western Long Island Sound, it’s right on the edge and some anglers have scored big as the blackfish begin setting-up on the local structure. The western Sound has also been relatively protected from the west winds which have churned up the south shore.
Montauk remains the most consistent place for striped bass if you have access to a boat, and the general trend has been toward bigger fish. False albacore are still in the area, and, interestingly enough, finding a bluefish might be the toughest part of scoring a grand-slam right now in Montauk. Weather will remain an issue until Saturday south of the Lighthouse, maybe Sunday for smaller boats, but then there will be a nice weather window stretching out until at least Monday. Surfcasting along the south shore is improving at a slow (some would say frustrating) rate, but each week shows new signs of improvement. I heard from several people this week who found fish in the sloppy conditions, which always tend to draw at least a few fish into the wash. The wind will be hard southwest today and tomorrow, so it’s not a bad opportunity to throw some tins or needlefish before the wind goes back due west on Friday night.