North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said that shallow water is still yielding a number of blackfish, but the majority of the action is in 50 feet of water. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson has been fishing a little deeper in 75 to 90 feet of water this week with an unbelievable sea bass bite and pool tog to 7.5 pounds. Once off the full moon and with the lighter tides earlier this week, the fishing seems to have definitely improved. John from Terminal Tackle in Kings Park agreed saying keepers of 6 to 9 pounds are being caught very consistently, and limits are not hard to come by. The sea bass do not seem to want to leave, so once anglers limit out on tog they can go home fat and happy with plenty sea bass in the buckets as well.
The local Northport areas have been quiet on the bass front, according to Mark at Cow Harbor, but anglers across the Sound from Norwalk to Stratford have seen bass action feeding on bait for anyone willing to travel. Closer to home, John from Terminal Tackle said there are a few blues to be jigged at the Eatons Neck Triangle, Cranes Neck, and Buoy 15. It is not red hot and definitely not what it should be for this time of year, but there are a few bass in the mix. For those that really know where to fish in the Nissequogue, stripers of barely keeper size were caught at night on live eels and soft plastics. A few bass were also trolled off Long Beach, but guys are not hammering the fish there.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
For those bottom fishing on the South Shore, blackfishing has been great on the eastern reefs off Shinnecock and Moriches with quality sea bass in the mix, according to Mike at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays. Mark from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon said guys fishing out at the 20- and 30-mile wrecks are having similar results.
Captain Joe of the Jib VI out of Captree is exclusively fishing for bass at this time with decent hauls. The bite is not consistent, but when conditions are right they can put together a nice trip with stripers to 30 pounds. The boat has been doing a little bit of jigging, but clam chumming Fire Island Inlet is yielding the best results. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported a number of bluefish and stripers to 25 pounds for anglers trolling bunker spoons or working topwater plugs and jigs underneath the birds from the Roundhouse to Debs Inlet. Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale also reported bass over 22 pounds from the beach around Fire Island Inlet. The bite on the eastern South Shore is not the same as last year with the run of sand eels, but Mike at White Water said the fishing is pretty good off the beaches and in Shinnecock Inlet with bunker pods just outside.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
John from Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx reported nice blackfish in the areas from Rye Playland up through the Stamford Reef. John at Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle added that the Execution Lighthouse is producing nice tog as the water temperatures continue to cool down.
Vinny from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn said that both the surf and boat guys are having luck with small stripers from the Breezy Point Jetty east to Rockaway on bucktails and diamond jigs. Big blues are beginning to make an appearance with the bass as well. Schoolies are now showing up in the New Rochelle area also being caught on bucktails and jigs, according to John at Hudson Park.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
Steve at Wego Bait & Tackle in Southold said the blackfishing is red hot from Hortons and Rocky Points out to Orient and at Fishers and north of Plum Island. Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 out of Orient has been fishing the islands for daily pools of 9 pound tog and plenty of nice sea bass in the mix.
Bill from Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck reported small bass and blues off Hortons Point and Kenny’s and McCabe’s beaches. He also said those heading out to the Plum Gut are only catching very small stripers at the moment. There is a lot of bait in the water off Montauk, but the fishing was a bit quiet this week, according to Paul at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk. A few stripers were caught off the sand beaches during the day on bucktails, poppers, and plugs, but the night bite is slow. He said there are still some nice bass out in the Rips, and he is hoping for a northeast wind that might push them to the beach.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Despite the cold really starting to set in, it is definitely a good weekend to take advantage of decent weather. Blackfishing seems to be the hot ticket right now with all sides of the Island doing well. Any of the well-known locations are holding nice tog, and the showing of sea bass in the same areas is pretty awesome. The bottom fish are heading to deeper water where it is now more productive, but you can still find fish in most depths for now. The Triangle on the North Shore, the reefs on the South Shore, and the East End islands are really fantastic fishing spots right now. Pick any of these or other structure that you may like, and drop down some green crabs for easy limits.
The bass fishing is very hit or miss. You can find barely keepers on the North Shore and western Long Island, and even Montauk doesn’t have the big quality fish right now. The South Shore is your best shot at a sizable striper with 20 pounders being fairly common. Trolling around the lingering bunker schools will work well, but throwing jigs and top-water lures if you find some birds may result in some good action as well.