Albies and Bonito Show in the Sound
Montauk Rips Giving up Bass
We’re moving into the final week of August and although there’s another stretch of sunny, 80-degree weather in the forecast, the precursors of a great fall fun are already underway. There’s lots of bait in the western sound, and many are anticipating a hot run of bonito and false albacore in the near future. Everything but the kitchen sink is being caught from the Montauk surf, and the bass fishing out in the rips is primed to go from “consistent” to “full on.” Wreck fishing remains solid everywhere, and the big fluke are still being caught in the deep water.
Long Island East End Fishing Report
Montauk remains the place to be if you’re on the hunt for big linesiders this weekend. The bass fishing has remained consistent and there’s still plenty of 30-pound-class fish hanging in the rips off the Lighthouse to peel off some drag. Fishing from the surf has been very unsocial according to Sue at Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk, with many non-typical fish being caught in the wash this week. Brown sharks, porgies, weakfish and even a 50-pound thresher were landed from the Montauk Rocks this week. The usual duo of bass and blues are also being caught. The bass blitzes have yet to start, but the blues are starting to blitz small bait on the north side. Continuing on the “unusual” trend, pods of bunker moved through the north side last week before quickly deciding to retreat for safer waters.
Long Island South Shore Fishing Report
There are a lot of great late-summer angling options to choose from right now off Long Island’s south shore. The jumbo porgies, black sea bass and even a good amount of triggerfish are being caught on all the artificial reefs in 50 to 70 feet of water. I like using fresh clam bellies for this type of wreck fishing, but cut squid will also draw plenty of strikes as well as products like Berkley Gulp. There’s still a good amount to small weakfish and kingfish around the western south shore beaches to make a day of surfcasting worthwhile. A simple high-low rig with a pyramid sinker baited with sandworms should do the trick. Just consider going with small circle hooks if you’re planning on setting up sand spikes; it’ll improve your hookup-to-bite ratio and significantly reduce the mortality rate of released fish.
Long Island North Shore Fishing Report
The mid-70 degree water in the western Long Island Sound is definitely affecting the fishery, pushing most species to deeper water. A few big stripers are still being caught in the central and western sound. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport weighed in a 35-pound fish this week that was caught in deep water using a fresh bunker chunk. The bass are still few-and-far between to the west, but there’s definitely a few fish out around the structure in the deeper water of the mid sound. The bigger fluke have also retreated to deeper-than-normal depths for this time of year, in the neighborhood of 75 feet, and I’m sure there are a few doormats sitting in closer to 100 feet. Some of Mark’s customers are also targeting stripers in triple-digit depths. Porgy fishing remains consistent in the Northport area, although the keepers have been noticeably smaller this week. The big porgies have also likely moved onto the deeper water structure in the 50- to 60-foot range. If you anchor directly over a nice deep-water rock pile you should find some larger porgies as well as some keeper sea bass.
Metro New York Fishing Report
There’s still some quality fishing options to be found around the city right now according to Frankie down at Bernie’s Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn. There’s still some keeper fluke in the deep water, over 65 feet. Inshore, there’s still flatfish to be caught but the trouble is finding some fish big enough to put in the box. Captain Chris of the Island Current Fleet in Island City reported “another good week of fishing overall.” Porgy fishing remains hot, with the average pool fish going 3 to 3 ½ pounds. There’s also continues to be a decent amount of black sea bass and still the occasional weakfish coming off the mid-sound wrecks.
Upstate New York Fishing Report
Longer nights and popup thunderstorms have started the slow cooling-off process for much of the sweetwater upstate. It’s welcome news for anglers everywhere in the region tired of finesse tactics or hauling around a sloshing pails of shiners. We’re close to the fall trout season, and more catch-and-release trout water should become fishable in the next few weeks. Largemouth fishing should also start improving, especially during mid-day hours. On Lake Ontario, deepwater trolling remains the ticket for large trout and salmon, though the fish will soon begin their annual inshore migration.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The East End of Long Island remains the go-to location for linesiders, although the bass are beginning to nudge west. Chartering one of the 6-pack captains on West Lake Drive in Montauk is definitely the best option to tying into some serious bass unless you’ve got access to a boat and captain who’re familiar with the fishery. Fluke fishing remains steady just about everywhere, as long as you’re fishing in at least 50 feet of water. Wreck fishing has also remained solid through the late-summer heat and there’s been more sea bass in the western sound than captains have seen in a long time. Wreck fishing on the western south shore has also been great, and a big influx of triggerfish has added to the great porgy and sea bass fishing. Upstate, you’re best bet for a trophy-size fish remains Lake Ontario. The trout fishing in the Catskills remains solid, although a little technical, if you can find some cool water. Tight lines.