Long Island, New York Fishing Report - October, 15, 2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

There is not much new in the way of reports on the North Shore scup and sea bass scene as the fish are still there and actively biting as they have for many weeks now. Mark of Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said that the scup are fairly shallow, but can be found just about everywhere, and sea bass and blackfish are located in the same areas in about 20 to 30 feet of water. Anglers looking to get away from the same old thing are going after the tog, and Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station heard of some good reports coming from the Eatons Neck Triangle area on Asian and green crabs. While the majority of the catches consist of small fish, keepers to 6 pounds did come over the rails over the weekend. As usual, clams and worms are the bait of choice for the fisherman targeting porgy and sea bass.

With the vast quantity of bait around, John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported hordes of bluefish on the North Shore beaches with sizes ranging from as small as 1 pound to a few tipping the scales at 16 pounds. False albacore can also be seen harassing the peanut bunker in various locations. The Nissequogue River is holding them during the top of the tide, but once the water runs about halfway out, the little tunny spread out along several beaches, including Sunken Meadow, Short Beach, Asharoken, and Eatons Neck. Stripers are definitely harder to come by, but anglers putting in the time have sporadically landed fish to 20 pounds from shore at night.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

We saw much better conditions this past weekend compared to the one prior enabling boats to get out to the bottom fishing grounds. The eastern South Shore was productive for tog on the rocks inside Shinnecock Inlet as well as in shallow structure on the outside, according to Jeff at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays. Although many of the fish are still on the smaller side, Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reported limits of keeper blackfish caught at the Atlantic Beach Reef with some of the larger ones weighing in at 8.4 pounds and 9.4 pounds. Anglers fishing in 45 to 55 feet of water were rewarded with consistent action of both small and large fish on green crabs and a handful of sea bass and porgy in the mix.

Robert of Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport said the bass fishing is getting really good locally with both a day and night bite. Anglers are trolling and jigging outside of Jones Inlet, but clams are working better inside the bay around the bridges and marshes. Jeff at White Water also reported an uptick in striper numbers, although most of the fish are on the small side with only a handful of larger ones in the mix. Surfcasters fishing Shinnecock Inlet and the surrounding beaches are catching some bass, and the boats are also able to get at them drifting and trolling. The higher quality fish appear to be more concentrated to the west as Bay Park Fishing Station received reports of stripers to almost 40 pounds caught south of Debs Inlet with many other sizable 20 pounders also hitting the decks from that area. Trolling bunker spoons is key outside of the Inlet, but clams were also responsible for nice fish around the AB Bridge.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Blackfishing is off to a good start in western Long Island as John at Hudson Park Bait & Tackle in New Rochelle said it is as easy as finding a hump and fishing it. Anglers are pulling up a lot of shorts, but the shop did weigh in an 11 pound fish proving that persistence does pay off. Josh from Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx also said he saw big tog to 10 pounds hitting the scales from very shallow rock piles of only 8 to 10 feet. However, I did hear from more than one shop that there is a shortage of green crabs in the area so anglers are having a hard time finding their preferred bait. Porgy are still plentiful in most of their usual spots, but things seem to be slowing down a bit.

While John at Hudson Park reported that bass and bluefish are a no-show as of now off New Rochelle, just a bit to the south Josh at Jack’s Bait said anglers ran into a few of both species at the Throgs Neck Bridge. There is also a nighttime bite on eels at the edges of the Ambrose Channel for stripers, and blues were jigged up this week at the Tin Can Grounds and Breezy Point Jetty, according to Joe at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn. While Frank from Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn hopes the South Shore bass he has been hearing about make their way to his local area, he did receive an interesting report this week from an angler who caught a 70 pound black drum off Fort Tilden on a 3 ounce Hopkins he was dragging on the bottom.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

Peconic Bay is still holding plenty of porgy around Buoy 17 and on the southwest side of Robins Island with a few blowfish also making an appearance, according to Bill at Jamesport Bait & Tackle in Mattituck, and bottom fishing is doing well off Horton’s Point on the Sound side. On the South Fork, Captain Lou at Star Island Marina in Montauk said the sea bass are still around but they are beginning to move into deeper water. While there are a number of spots anglers are finding fish in 85 to 90 foot depths, many of the population is moving to Federal waters making them off limits. Captain Tony of the Fox Sea Lady out of Montauk got lucky on the sea bass on Sunday afternoon out at Frisbees before the winds and waves started to make conditions uncomfortable. As for tog fishing, Chase at Montauk Marine Basin in Montauk said that Cerberus is a good place to try for them as anglers have caught their limits with fish over 9 pounds this week.

East End bass fishing was on the slower side this week, but Bob at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk did say there were a number of blitzes off the south side accessible from the beaches. Tom from Gone Fishing Marina in Montauk also said the shop weighed in some decent fish taken at the southwest ledge. While Captain Tony worked the Rips with eels and parachutes for monster bluefish, the boat did manage a nice striper on the north side for one of its fares. For those fishing on the North Fork, Horton’s has been a good spot for stripers and blues, and the false albies were running up and down the shore from Kenney’s Beach east to Horton’s. Anglers also found little tunny bubbling at the surface off the Point as well, and a few boats ventured further for a good cod bite out at Coxes Ledge.

Best Bets for the Weekend

With gusty winds forecasted for the weekend, we are looking at what will be the norm for the upcoming fall fishing season. However, that should not discourage guys from hitting the water as the opportunities are numerous and widespread. You can find good bottom fishing on every shore as long as you know where the structure is. By this point in the season, most anglers have a good idea of where the scup and sea bass are, and the tautog will not be far from those same areas. There are many smaller fish out there, but putting in the time may score you a quality blackfish. As often is the case, shallow structure will win out over deeper spots, and green crabs or Asian crabs as always are the preferred food choices of tog. If a whole crab is not getting you the results you are looking for, try fishing a halved bait as there are times where that is what the fish prefer.

Stripers are on the move, but not quite in huge numbers just yet. Schoolies can be found out on the East End and along the South Shore with a few larger fish on the front side of the migration. If you prefer to fish the ocean side trolling and drifting eels will be your best bet, while bouncing bucktails and clam baits will produce better inside the inlets and around the bridges. Pods of bait are seemingly endless around the Island making for good bluefish and false albacore action. Gorillas are getting pretty common, especially around the East End, and albies are abundant off the Point and in the Sound. With the multitude of options in the upcoming weeks, this is a great time of year to be a fisherman.