North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The wind has been a big factor around the Island for fishing this week so reports were a little tough to come by; however the anglers that did get out were able to hook up and bring home some fish. The bass bite is picking up each week and there are some fish tight to the North Shore beaches, according to John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park. Anglers are hitting bass of 10-15 lbs off the beaches at night on eels, pencil poppers, and plugs. There are also a few reports of some fish hanging around Eatons Neck, biting on chunks mostly at night.

Phil from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said blues are in the area with fish of 10-13 lbs inside the harbors and some fish being caught off the beaches on chunks. The bunker pods that were around last week have diminished a bit, so the blues are just chasing around some small groups of bait. He also reported that smaller fish in the 5-9 lb range are still hanging around at the Triangle hitting diamond jigs.

The porgy and sea bass bite is still holding strong, with decent sized fish being caught off Sunken Meadow, in the bays, and off the beaches. The big story this week though is the opening of blackfish season. John at Terminal Tackle said the water temperature is about 68 degrees right now, which is a little warm for October so the better fishing is yet to come. However, he reported that some nice fish of 4 to 8 pounds have been caught on the rocks off Smithtown and Huntington in 20 to 40 feet of water. Robert at Hi Hook Bait & Tackle in Huntington also said fish can be found at Marshall Fields and Buoy 11B. Green crabs and Asian crabs are the best baits, according to Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Bert at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reported that bass can be found in Shinnecock Inlet on bucktails and off the beaches on eels, needlefish, bucktails, and diamond jigs. The sand eels have gotten huge, so anything resembling that should work well, especially at dawn and dusk. On the western South Shore, Mike from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh said the fish have been heavy around the area bridges, and Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported that the stripers up to 20 lbs are on bunker schools south of the Church and at the Round House in 50 feet of water. Anglers using umbrella rigs have done well.

The bluefish are very abundant right now and are popping up all over. Mike at Causeway said a steady group of blues can be found outside of the Inlet on bunker in about 40 feet of water.

The Reefs are a good place to be right now with a nice selection of fish to pick from. Bay Park reported that blackfish of 5 to 6 pounds have been caught regularly, with fish up to 12 pounds mixing in. There are a ton of porgy and sea bass being caught as well. Bert at White Water said it’s the same story over on the Ponquogue Reef with plenty of fish being caught on green crabs. He also said that the albie bite is of “epic proportions”, and probably more fish than there has ever been. They have been travelling through the inlet hitting on deadly dicks and sand eel pattern flies.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

John from Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in New Rochelle reported that the striper bite is getting better, especially in the shallows. Anglers have been doing well using plugs and catching fish off the shores and in the breakwater. Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn also said the boats are hitting fish around Breezy Point while trolling bunker spoons and using clams.

The bunker schools seemed to have moved out of the area, which has slowed the bluefish bite, although fish in the 12- to 14-pound range are popping up here and there.

The blackfish season opened up nicely in the Metro area, although John at Hudson Park said the water is still a bit warm so there aren’t as many keepers in the area as there will be once it gets cooler. Louie from Island Bait and Tackle in the Bronx also said that the New Moon messed up fishing a bit since it had the water ripping, but when the water slowed down green crabs did the trick in 10 to 20 feet of water. Despite the warm water and the moon, John at Jack’s Bait and Tackle in the Bronx reported that anglers have limited out on tog from Pea, Huckleberry, and David’s Island. He also reported that there are a good amount of weakfish off Sands and Prospect Points, and around Buoy 32 being caught on sandworms.

East End Long Island Fishing Report

Captain Lou at Star Island Marina in Montauk said the charter boats are killing stripers with anglers limiting out using diamond jigs and catching fish of almost 50 lbs. There are really no bad spots right now, but the boats have been hitting the Elbow and the south side for a consistent bite. Glen from Paulie’s Bait and Tackle in Montauk said the bass are starting to move west along the beaches. They have pushed the bait to shore and the surf guys have been catching some schoolies on the south side of the Point.

There are still too many blues to count mixing in with the stripers, and Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck said there are big snappers in the Peconic Bay still.

Peconic Bay has been slowing down a bit for porgy and kingfish, but they are definitely still there. Anglers targeting blackfish headed out to the north side of Plum Island in 30-35 feet of water and have had a decent catch, according to Bill from Jamesport. Captain Lou at Star Island also said there are plenty of blackfish at Fisher’s Island, but there are way too many porgy to pick through.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Striper fishing keeps getting better and better each week all over the Island, especially on the boats out at Montauk and off the beaches of the South Shore. Fish are moving in most areas, and with this nasty weather we are about to have, things might get even better. Many shops have said they are just waiting for a storm to make things really heat up, so now would be a good time to get out if you can and find some nice stripers. Bluefish haven’t been shy either, so they can also keep you busy with a bent rod. Keeping some bucktails, diamond jigs, and poppers in your arsenal would be a good idea.

The bottom fishing is doing incredible, and now we can add blackfish to the buckets to change things up a bit. The west South Shore Reefs are blowing up with big fish, and the North Shore has seen anglers limiting out, but all areas have started off the season on a good note. The shops are all stocked with green and Asian crabs, which will do the trick on some big tog.

The Shinnecock Inlet albies are definitely worth a try as well since they are there in large numbers right now.

Getting the boat out might be a little difficult with the winds lately, but the beaches have been doing well. Even though your casts might not look pretty with big wind loops, they may just be good enough to land a decent fish.