We’re less than a week away from November, and there’s snow in the forecast for some counties upstate. Even on Long Island, the nighttime temperatures will fall into the mid-30s this week, helping accelerate the falling water temperatures. Tog fishing remains a good option for many New York anglers, and the bite continues to get better in many places. The extended porgy season will continue right on through Christmas, and the black sea bass season reopens November 1. Surfcasting has remained a hit-or-miss endeavor for the most part, but starting tonight there’s a good wind in the forecast that should bring some fish into the wash under the Montauk Lighthouse. A few more stripers have shown up along the south shore this week, and upstate there’s still salmon and steelhead being caught in the small streams around Lake Ontario. It’s time to don the foul-weather gear and get the most out of the late-season fishing, because we all know it’s going to be a long winter.
East End
There’s no doubt Montauk is considered a “shining city on a hill” by most New York anglers, and this year’s been a particularly bright example. Even through the tough conditions this week, big bass continued to be caught in the churned-up water. The Viking Fleet landed three more stripers in the 40-pound class on their last two nighttime eeling trips, including one cow which tipped the scales at 45.3 pounds. Bottom fishing has also been somewhat hampered by the poor water conditions, but anglers are still catching big porgies and the occasional market cod in the waters southeast of Block Island. A change in the weather pattern will also likely bring the surfcasters back into mix starting early tonight, as the wind is forecasted to go northeast. Combined with the big new-moon tides, this is a pretty classic setup for getting big linesiders into the wash under the Montauk Lighthouse. I talked to Ray from Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk to hear how the local surf-fishing crew has been doing, and to hear his expectations for the upcoming week. Ray told me that, “they started gettin’ them yesterday” and that there was “a few daytime blitzes” that got within casting range of the Lighthouse. Although the fishing from the surf had been inconsistent, “one tide they’re there, the next tide they’re not” was the way Ray put it, he agreed the northeast wind in the forecast should help draw more fish in close. For me, Option A would be getting out there tonight and bailing on work tomorrow, however, if you don’t mind fishing in a crowd, the wind will also be northeast winds on Saturday.
South Shore
The striped bass continue their slow migration west in a much more subtle pattern than last year, but quality fish are popping-up along the entire south shore. Although the occasional surfcaster is connecting with a quality linesider from the sand beaches, the action has been much more consistent by boat, either diamond-jigging over working fish, live-lining bunker or drifting eels through one of the south-shore inlets. If you’re determined to fish the wash, the north winds will likely make it another tough week so consider soaking bait if you’re having trouble finding fish. Tog fishing also remains great, and on Tuesday black sea bass is back on the menu. The north winds this week should keep conditions fishable for most along the south shore, and the sea bass should be thick on the artificial reefs and ready to chew. November should give us at least a few weeks of quality bottom fishing before the weather begins to turn and the boats start coming out of the water.
North Shore
Although many anglers continue to be focused on the tog fishing, more striped bass are starting to make their way through Long Island Sound. Water temperatures are falling through the low 60s, making the Sound a bit more of an attracting option for migrating bass. The rocky outcroppings along the north shore are still holding good numbers of blackfish, providing some fast action for anglers fishing with spinning outfits and blackfish jigs. The north winds this week should also get a few bluefish and stripers feeding along the shoreline, especially after dark. After tonight, the north winds should still be mild enough to get decent cast off with small swimming plugs like a Yo-Zuri or Bomber. If you’re heading out tonight, don’t forget to throw a few loaded needlefish in the bag.
Metro New York
Blackfish continue to be caught in good numbers from a variety of locations around the City, as well as bluefish, porgies and even the occasional keeper bass. In the Bronx, the Island Current Fleet continues to see good fishing in the local waters. Captain Chris told me today that, “the blackfishing has really tuned-on in the western sound,” also mentioning that “limits were the norm for just about every angler this week.” Green and asian crabs were responsible for most of the damage, and the Fleet has landed blackfish up to 9 pounds on recent trips. The nighttime bass/bluefish trips are also still producing, although Captain Chris commented that, “the fish are biting toward the end of the tide” due to the strength of the new moon tides. Overall, things have been pretty good because more bass are now feeding at night alongside the bluefish.
Upstate
Despite the fact that it may be snowing as you read this, there’s still time to fish the sweetwater before you need to think about tip-ups and augers. The salmon and steelhead are still hanging out in tributaries of Lake Ontario, and although the general trout season is closed, you can still fish catch-and-release for big holdover rainbow trout in some parts of the the Upper Delaware River System that remain open. To hear the latest on the salmon and steelhead, I talked to Sharon at Narby’s Superette and Tackle in Ken who reports that, “fishing is still really good” and “there’s fish in all the streams,” despite some of them being a little muddied up. Finding some cleaner water is your best bet, then drifting egg sacs on spinning gear. Sharon also mentioned that the action has picked up for those fly fishing and that black nymphs, stone flies and black wooly buggers were working best right now.
Best Bets
Although it’s never a sure thing, I’d consider gassing up the truck and heading out to Montauk with the surfcasting gear this weekend, even as early as tonight if you can work it out logistically. The wind will be gusting 35 to 40 knots northeast tonight, and if you can sling a darter or needlefish through the wind, there’s a good chance you’ll find some fish in the wash in front of you. However, if you’re not planning on battling the waves and crowds in Montauk this weekend, I’d suggest getting out in your home waters to do some local togging. The blackfish are on the chew just about everywhere, and whether you’re planning on heading out on your own rig or on the local headboat, most anglers haven’t had much of a problem icing their 4-fish limit. Even the western sound, which had been a little on the slow side, has a good bite going and should be relatively sheltered from the north winds this week. Another thing worth mentioning is that the sea bass season reopens Tuesday, and reports from this month’s RSA trips suggest there’s some big knuckleheads out east and holding on the south-shore reefs with the blackfish. We’re coming into the homestretch of the 2011 season, you might as well get out there and enjoy it while it lasts.
Please get a Nook version of ON the Water!!!