North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
We got lucky with a little bit of a weather break this past week with a few fishable days. The weather seems to be the only thing slowing down the blackfishing, according to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park. The bite is improving and has become more dependable, and the tog are sure to be biting on the days where the conditions are favorable enough to get out. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson said the boat started sailing for blackfish this week and the catches were good, but not great. They were able to land a few limits, and the sea bass mixing in helped fill the day out. Fishing from 20 to 70 feet of water has produced pool fish in the 5 to 6 pound range. Phil from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport added that anglers have caught limits of tog out at the Triangle off Eatons Neck, but there have been good results on structure in 10 to 20 feet of water as well. Everyone seems to agree that the porgy bite has seen a decline recently with fewer fish coming aboard.
It looks like the bunker schools have finally thinned from the harbors making the bluefish action a bit quiet this week, according to Phil at Cow Harbor. John from Terminal Tackle said there were a few bass reports coming from the eastern half of Smithtown Bay close to the beaches. Unfortunately, the fish are not close enough for the surf guys to catch them, but the boats had luck landing small keepers while trolling umbrella rigs and tubes. For those who would rather jig, a number of blues and a few stripers can be pulled up at the Triangle. Anglers fishing a moving tide had better action than those fishing during slack tide.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
It seems like a good portion of South Shore anglers focused on striped bass this week, but there was a bit of blackfish activity for those that targeted them. Robert at Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport said the reefs, such as Fire Island, Hempstead, and Atlantic Beach, produced a good amount of tog and sea bass. Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale also reported big blackfish to 6.4 pounds on jigs tipped with green crabs at Sore Thumb, Fisherman’s Reef, the bridge, and at the construction dock.
Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported stripers to 40 pounds caught on bunker and bunker spoons around the bait pods outside of Debs Inlet and off the Roundhouse. Robert at Sea Isle said anglers have been fishing clams, eels, and are starting to troll for the bass inside and outside of Jones Inlet. Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree has been fishing mainly at the west bar using clam and chum with a few people on the boat being able to limit out on decent fish averaging about 20 pounds. They also kept their eyes open outside the inlet to see if the birds were working where they could head out for some different action. Bill at Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said the bunker pods now extend from Fire Island and Jones Beach all the way out to the Rockaway Reef, and stripers to 40 pounds can be found harassing them. Snagging bunker and leaving it in the pod seems to be the most effective way to catch a bass, but chunks and green spoons are also accounting for their fair share. Big blues and bass can be found off the eastern South Shore open beaches, according to Vinny from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays. Shinnecock Inlet is also producing fish on spot during the day and eels at night. The occasional weakfish were mixed in in the Inlet on soft plastics. Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle also reported that schools of shad are outside of the Inlets right now, and although there are no bass on them, they are great fun on light tackle and sabiki rigs.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
The blackfishing seems to be taking off at all of the wrecks and rough bottom areas of western Long Island, according to Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn. Josh from Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx said Execution Lighthouse, Rye Playland, Matinecock, and the Connecticut Reef have all been productive spots. The shorts are still abundant, but the larger fish are being caught more regularly now. The party boats are targeting porgy and did fairly well this week, but it seems most anglers are searching for tog instead.
Execution Lighthouse and Manhasset Bay are holding bunker pods with big blues on the them, and the bass are not far behind picking up the leftovers, according to John at Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle. Stretch from Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said there is plenty of bird action going on from Kingsborough to the Breezy Point Jetty, the Marine Parkway Bridge to the Verrazano, and out into the Ambrose Channel for those that want to troll or throw jigs for stripers and blues. Anglers also had some luck at night with eels at the Jetty and Marine Parkway Bridge.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
The tog bite in the Sound is going strong in shallow water up to 18 feet from Horton’s to Orient, according to Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck. For those that want to run a bit further, Steve from Wego Bait & Tackle in Southold reported good numbers of tog north of Plum Island. Paul at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said the blackfish seem to be thinning out around Fisher’s and are now more concentrated at Cerberus. There are also a number of porgy still hanging around in the Peconic at Buoys 16, 17, and 18.
The boats have been striking out with slow bass action, but the surf guys picked up some quality fish this week, according to Paul at Paulie’s. Stripers in the high 30’s were hit off the open beaches by the Point with plenty of big blues mixed in. There is a ton of big and small bait in the area keeping the predator fish around. Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle reported small bass, bluefish, and albies off of Kenny’s and McCabe’s Beaches this week, and Hopkins and other metal lures did the trick for them.
Best Bets for the Weekend
I hate to sound like a broken record during the past few weeks, but the ocean conditions are going to make it very tough for the boats to get out. Winds are looking like 25 to 30 knots with gusts up to 45 knots and seas for Saturday are 7 to 10 feet, building to 13 feet. Things calm down a bit by Sunday, but probably not enough to leave the docks. The Sound is the safer option, but at times it might even be rough on the North Shore. However you decide to fish this weekend, do it safely. Good reports of tog should continue this weekend as the fish are biting pretty nice on all sides. Although porgy are thinning out, a mix of sea bass and blackfish will keep things interesting and entertaining. Most structure is holding fish, and deeper areas are starting to become more active.
There is plenty of bait in the water to keep the bass around, but I am afraid the north winds might push everything off the beaches. However, with few boating options, the shore might be your only chance to catching anything. This is fall fishing after all, and you won’t catch bass on the couch. You can either battle the surf and wind off the beach, or find a sheltered area where you can take the boat and try to jig them up.