North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
The fall weather has not been kind to fisherman lately, this past week included. Reports were hard to come by as the winds made conditions pretty unbearable. However, sporadic weather breaks allowed anglers to get out and catch a few fish. John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said that blackfish are basically the only game in town right now on the North Shore. The new moon and cold snap turned off the bigger tog, but small guys are still biting. Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson reported the best blackfishing he has seen in years before the moon and temperature drop. Conditions became difficult as the hard tides started running and water temperatures dropped 5 degrees in only 5 days. He did say though that the tides look good for this weekend, and fishing should turn back on for what is likely to be the boat’s last week on the water. The Eatons Neck Triangle is a good place to try as decent tog have been coming in on green and Asian crabs, according to Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station.
John from Terminal Tackle reported a halfway decent bass bite at the mouth of the Nissequogue feeding on what he thinks are alewives, mostly on an outgoing tide. Herring also showed up at the drop offs and rips around Eatons Neck, and the big bass still lingering will find them if the schools stick around for a little while. Bunker schools are present in Oyster Bay, according to Carmine at Campsite, and plugs and chunks are catching a number of stripers on them.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Bryce at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said the tog and sea bass are still biting strong when boats are able to make it out. Shinnecock Reef is a good spot for blackfish, and sea bass are plentiful on the 150-180 foot wrecks with cod starting to show up. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported an 11.45 lb tog weighed in this week from west of Debs Inlet with limits of other fish in the 6-9 lb range. The AB Reef saw similarly sized fish in 45 feet of water on clams and white crabs with KO rigs.
A few bass are still kicking around in Shinnecock for the boat guys, according to Bryce at White Water, but things look to be winding down. Bill from Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said shorts in the 20-25 inch range are hitting bucktails, jigs, and trolling setups off the pink hotel and Lido Beach. There are no blues around to be bothered by, but the bigger bass don’t seem to be around much either.
Bryce from White Water said that those able to get offshore should definitely do so. The Hudson Canyon has all the right signs for great tuna action. He also mentioned that the shop will be open on Thanksgiving for those able to sneak away for a few minutes, and they have a great Black Friday sale the following day.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
John from Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx said that the wind killed it for party boats this week, and December 1st will most likely be the last sailing day. When they were able to get out, Rye Playland and east of there gave up a lot of short blackfish. Frank at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn reported better bottom fishing at New Bottom.
Not many guys are trying for bass right now so the report numbers are very low, but Frank at Bernie’s said 23 inch schoolies were caught on small bucktails between piers and structure at Greenpoint in Brooklyn. Joe from Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said good bird action off the Breezy Point Jetty and Tin Can Grounds produced decent bass catches this week. There was also an influx of herring at the 69th St Pier, Cross Bay, the Canarsie Pier, and Coney Island Pier, which were able to be caught on herring and sabiki rigs.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
There were virtually no noteworthy reports from the East End this week as the wind was blowing too hard for any boats to go out. However, before the weather stalled fishing, Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck reported good blackfishing in the Sound out to Orient Point. Tom from Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk said sea bass off the Lighthouse were biting pretty well also.
No news of bass came back to the shops this week, but Paul at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said herring showed up this week and guys were able to jig them.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Most water temperatures around the Island are in the 50’s so there is plenty of time for nice blackfish action before the temperatures drop lower to where they will not be active. We just need the weather to cooperate a little bit, and it looks like we might catch a break with the wind for at least a short time on Saturday. If conditions allow, head out to the structure that was active before the cold snap to see if the big ones have woken up. This is the last week of sailing for many party boats, so if you haven’t been out and would like to, now is the time. Cod activity is picking up also so you can start adding that to your buckets.
Striper action is beginning to get pretty hard to find. Bunker pods are sparse on the South Shore now, but they are around so chasing them is definitely an option. Other baits, such as herring and shad, showed up this week, and the bass might just find another reason to stick around for a little while longer. If you can find the food, stripers shouldn’t be far behind.
If none of that is exciting enough for you, head out to the Canyon for the shot at some nice tuna action. Whatever it is you choose to do this week, be safe and enjoy. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and remember to support your local tackle shops and businesses this holiday season!