Despite a slight chance of a snow in parts of the State this afternoon, the unseasonably warm weather will keep things interesting for New York anglers this week. The striped bass are still hanging out in good numbers along the western south shore, the blackfish bite is strong all around the Island and the sea bass fishing is getting even better south of Block Island and on the south-shore wrecks. Up on Lake Ontario, many of the streams are still holding “grand slam” potential, with salmon, steelhead and brown trout all available in the same stretches of water. Fisheries around the State are slowly on the rebound, and one of the benefits will be a more robust year-round fishery — it’s time to enjoy the benefits of proper management.
East End
The fishing south of Block Island continues to impress East End anglers with a true mixed-bag being caught daily. After returning from his full-day trip yesterday, Captain Dave reports that fishing has returned to “absolutely great.” In addition to the daily catch of 4-pound porgies, on recent trips almost every angler has limited out on big knot-head sea bass. Keeper cod have also become just about a daily occurrence, which makes me think we’re in store for another great season of wintertime cod fishing. The blackfish bite south of Block has also heated up significantly in the past week, Captain Steven Jr. reports that they’ve seen a “big improvement in fishing” over the past few days. The latest blackfish/local cod trip boated four blackfish over 10 pounds – that says it all right there. The trip also landed cod to 15 pounds and sea bass to 6 pounds. For me, that’s about as good as mixed-bag fishing can get this time of year.
Things are starting to look-up for the surfcasters in Montauk. I just talked to Sue from Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk who told me it looks like things are about to take-off. There’s a new batch of big fish out in the rips right now, in the 30- to 40-pound class, and a lot of bait in the area including herring. Sue told me the wind’s just gone northeast, and there’s a lot of talk in the shop about tonight being a big night on the north side of the lighthouse. Some of the local sharpies have already found some big bass in the wash. White darters and needlefish should do the trick if you’re planning on making the run out there tonight. It’s pretty exciting news to hear that there’s some bigger fish in the area. I’d say it’s definitely worth a go, especially when you consider that it’s getting near the end of a lackluster season.
South Shore
I got in touch with Ed from Jones Beach Fishing Station this morning, and although the shop is closed for the season and prepared for renovations, he still has his “ear to the ground” on the late-season action and let me know what’s been going on in the area. They’re still catching the occasional bass on chunk bait and clams from the fishing piers. Nothing spectacular in weight or volume, but Ed heard about several keepers taken this week including one 15-pound bass which fell to a fresh clam. Generally, bait has been the ticket unless you can find some fish working on the surface. There is bait in the area, and Ed has seen sand eels and shad himself this week. Ed got out blackfishing twice this week, and he’s continued to find plenty of life on the shallow-water pieces in the 15- to 20-foot range. I asked Ed if he’d been doing any fishing with blackfish jigs, and although he acknowledged the appeal of that style of fishing, he told me he sticks with conventional gear exclusively when out for tog. The reason being that he doesn’t want to be cut off by a big double-digit tog that’s peeling drag off a light-tackle spinning setup. I can understand that. He did mention that he paints his sinkers orange, which I though was an interesting tip and something worth trying out.
If you’re planning on heading out for striped bass this week, consider using bait or at least bringing something along with you. It’s been tough for a lot of anglers heading out with only artificials at times, although if you’re in the right place at the right time small poppers and other top water artificials will draw strikes from actively-feeding fish. The daytime eel bite has been good at times, and eels are a good option if you’re unable to find bunker or shad to liveline. I’d always believed that live eels were a nighttime-only bait option, but I’ve seen enough this season and last fall to change my opinion. Setting up on the anchor and doing some clam-chumming has also produced a lot of keeper-size bass this week. There have been a lot of shorts in the mix, however, so I’d definitely recommend going with circle hooks.
North Shore
Tog fishing remains at the top of the list for most anglers on the Sound, and it continues to impress even the most seasoned blackfish anglers. It’s a mixed-bag as far as depth is concerned, there’s some big tog are still holding in the shallow-water boulder fields, but most of the real trophy white-chins have moved into deeper water. If you’re still on the hunt for blackfish, consider setting on some deeper mid-sound pieces this week. In the 50- to 75-foot range. It’s also a good season to try out some more obscure rock piles, the blackfish have been thick this year and any piece that hasn’t been worked-over is likely to give up a few slobs. Both green crabs and Asian shore crabs have been working well, but if you’re after one of those double-digit tog in deep water, I suggest baiting-up with a large, freshly-halved green crab.
Metro New York
Aside from a few diehards still throwing swim shads into bulkhead eddies or soaking bait, most anglers are fishing for blackfish around the City right now. The Island Current fleet has been blackfishing daily, and they’ve continued to find good numbers of keeper blackfish in a variety of depths. “We’re finding them anywhere from 25 to 60 feet of water right now,” says Captain Chris. Yesterday, the pool fish topped out at 9 pounds, and was caught by Billy Byron from Merrick. “There still a lot of fish inshore,” Captain Chris mentioned, “and that’s a good sign for extending the season.” Captain Chris told me they’ve been fishing with green and asian crabs and both have been working equally well. The Island Current will also begin there cod season during the second week of December, and all signs are pointing toward a strong opening week.
Upstate
A lot of big brown trout have moved into the skinny waters around Lake Ontario, keeping anglers busy and enjoying a mild late-fall run. I talked to Dennis at Narby’s Superette and Tackle this week who told me the browns are still thick in the streams around the shop. Egg sacs and egg-sac patterns are producing most of the fish, though Dennis did mention that some anglers are cashing-in with small jigs sweetened with wax worms. Dennis also mentioned that there’s still a good amount of salmon holding in the local steams. In recent days, Coho, Atlantic and King Salmon have been caught. The steelhead fishing is just getting started and Dennis told me, “the fish are still running in and out of the streams,” but increased water-flow in the streams over the coming weeks will increase their abundance. The yellow perch fishing has been hit-or-miss in some places, but Dennis told me the bite in Rochester has been great. The go-to bait right now is fathead minnows, and they’ve been landing a lot of nice fish over 12 inches.
Best Bets
Getting out east to fish on the Viking Fleet is a tempting possibility for the weekend, especially for those who enjoy filling up the cooler when heading out on an open boat. Sea bass, cod, porgies and blackfish are all being caught right now, and there’s no question a sharpie could scratch-out a big day. Local tog fishing remains a good option for many Long Islanders looking to stay close to home this weekend. The western south shore has finally seen the push of bass they’ve been waiting for, sort of. The bite isn’t anything like the sand-eel bite which kept so many surfcasters entertained last year, but those who’ve kept the boat in the water are finally getting rewarded. Clam chumming is the way to go right now, unless you’re lucky enough to track down some live baits or a school of busting fish. The other option would be heading up north to tangle with brown, steelhead or one of the leftover salmon still hanging out in the streams around Lake Ontario. No matter where you live in the State, there still world-class fishing within your reach – get out and enjoy it.