Long Island Fishing Report - October 1, 2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Captain Mark of the Celtic Quest out of Port Jefferson reported the same story of porgy and black sea bass this past week with good bottom fishing all around. New to the North Shore in great numbers is the false albacore, but it is not feasible for larger boats like the Celtic Quest to target them with the amount of fares they have on board. However, smaller boats such as Northport Charters out of Northport have been able to chase them down. In addition to scup to 2 pounds and sea bass to 2.5 pounds, Captain Stu ran into 10 pound little tunny harassing the hordes of peanut bunker inside Huntington Bay, but you will not find a shortage of them throughout the Sound. Reports of albies came from Port Jefferson Harbor all the way out to the Middle Grounds, inside Northport Bay and the Nissequogue, and from one side of Smithtown Bay to the other. Anglers have been having a blast on fly tackle as well as light spinning setups tipped with Deadly Dicks.

Bass fishing seems to be taking off a bit also with a few more picked up this week than last, according to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park. There are several small fish out there, but decent 20 pound class stripers are in the mix at night for those fishing from the beach or boats using bucktails and swimming plugs. John also added that bluefish, from cocktail size to double digits, can be found wall to wall along many of the beaches.

 South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Heavy winds and seas have made getting out into the ocean pretty tough lately, but Robert at Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport said he did receive reports from a few anglers that took advantage of windows of decent conditions of sea bass and porgy out at many of the Reefs. For those staying inside the bays, the area bridges also produced decent bottom fishing. Unfortunately, however, the albacore that were present a few weeks back outside of Shinnecock seem to have traveled further out east.

Stripers are becoming more on the active side with a handful of quality fish landed on the South Shore this past week. Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside received a report of a nice 50-incher caught just south of Debs Inlet on clam bellies weighing in at a respectable 35.8 pounds. Rich from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays also said that recently the local bass bite has been quite good inside of Shinnecock Inlet. Over the weekend anglers fishing at night caught a few reputable stripers including a 51 inch fish on a bucktail off the jetty. Guys fishing during the day from shore are also throwing bait when they are able to actually keep it steady in the Inlet, usually during the last of the tide.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

The local bottom fishing bite continues to be good when the water is calm enough to get out, according to John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx. The usual western Sound locations, including Execution Lighthouse, the Points, Pea and Huckleberry Island, and Rye are all producing porgy and sea bass action. Boo from Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn also said the Rockaway Reef is generating plenty of bottom fish for those hitting the waters further west. False albacore are keeping anglers occupied, according to John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle, but the greatest concentration of them seems to be up toward Greenwich as opposed to more local waters. Regardless, the numbers of 10-12 pound little tuna are worth riding a bit further than you normally might.

Bluefish can be found chasing the bait along with the albies and are caught on the same lures, including diamond jigs, small bucktails, or fast moving grubs. There are also a few spots with a mixed batch of bass and blues, according to Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn, but their pattern is not readily apparent making the action unpredictable and sporadic.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

Porgy and sea bass continue to be prevalent in the Sound, according to Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck, and Peconic Bay has a mix of scup, cocktail blues, and kingfish. Captain Lou at Star Island Marina in Montauk said the South Fork has a lot of scup and sea bass also, but wanted to remind anglers that sea bass fishing is closed in Federal waters at this time. Albacore were thick on both Forks with the fly guys and light tackle anglers catching plenty with the blues in the Sound and from right outside the Inlet out to the south side of Montauk before the weather really got bad.

The conditions have not allowed fishermen to get out all that much, but the breaks in the weather have allowed for some great bass action. David at Westlake Marina in Montauk said anglers had a banner day on Tuesday drifting eels and trolling in the North Rips, and Paul from Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk said the surf produced quality fish in the high 30 pound to low 40 pound range at night under the Light this week. East End stripers are here and hungry, but weather windows have been far and few between lately keeping boats tied to the docks on many occasions.

Best Bets for the Weekend

This is a weekend to be hunkering down and keeping the boats out of the water. As I am sure most are aware, we have a threat of being affected by Hurricane Joaquin this weekend, either with a direct hit or by the residual winds and storm surges. Either way, a gale warning is in effect through at least Saturday afternoon and we are looking at seas from 12-17 feet. While most will be staying away from the water, there are a select few anglers who will need to get out there and battle the elements. The surf will be the best opportunity to get on some fish for those choosing to head out. Bass numbers on the North and South Shores and out on the East End were climbing before the bad weather started in, and they may decide to make an appearance through the worst of it. Bluefish and false albacore were also plentiful on most shores, and throwing diamond jigs might be one of the few lures able to cut through the wind. If you would rather play it safe and stay indoors, this weekend is a good time to get your blackfish gear together and plans made as the season opens up next week on October 5th. Whatever you choose to do, please be safe out there.