Although this weeks “storm” was not nearly as powerful as predicted in our area, it was still strong enough to make fishing difficult and kept most boats at the dock. Of course, there are always a few anglers who figure out how to get out and find the action. Most settled for blues, scup and sea bass but a few did manage to find weakfish, stripers and a few fluke.
At Hudson Park Bait & Tackle, John reports some action with weakfish, fluke and big blues. The weakfish haven’t been huge in size but there are plenty to be caught. Fluke fishing has slowed down but there is still a decent mix of shorts and keepers in the deeper waters. Bluefish have made for the best fishing in the New Rochelle area. Big blues are taking everything from bunker to topwater plugs. They are both in the harbors and outside. John says to look for the bait and the fish should be nearby.
In Brooklyn, at Stella Maris, Stretch is still seeing monster scup up to 18-inches around the Marine Park Bridge and Tin Can Grounds. Some 4- to 6-pound bluefish are also around and smacking 007 tins. In the deeper waters off the channel, fluke are still hitting well with a mixed bag of shorts and cooler stuffers. A tuna bite had been going on in the Hudson Canyon for both yellowfin and bigeye before the nasty weather moved in. Hopefully it will continue now that the seas are calming down.
On the South shore at Captree Bait & Tackle, Brendan says that there are blue claw crabs all over the Captree piers for those looking to catch a tasty dinner. The storm didn’t seem to push them off at all and filling a bucket is fun and easy. Big fluke are holding steady in the deeper waters with some up to 6.24 pounds outside the inlet. Along with them are a few schoolie bass that have recently shown up and are hitting bunker chunks and small plugs. Sea bass are all over the place but not big in size. The keepers are just about at the legal limit but there are lots of shorts to keep the lines active. Bait is all over the place including mullet caught by Brendan when using a cast net. They were about 1.5 feet long and should hopefully keep the bass around.
At Cow Harbor, Mark reports that the bite from the surf has gotten hot. Everything from scup to bass and blues have been taken although nothing giant has been landed, there is more than enough fish to go around. Cocktail blues and snappers are patrolling the waters as well with the bluefish weighing 3 to 4 pounds.
Captain Stu from Northport Charters went out today and ran into tons of porgies and blues. The boat had 30 blues up to 8 pounds and saw a mix of peanut and adult bunker all over Northport Harbor. Stu also found a few schoolie bass and some short sea bass. The blues are slamming hard and are for sure the way to go.
Aboard the Celtic Quest bottom-fishing has been the name of the game and plenty of scup and sea bass have come over the rails. They have had lots of keepers on both species and, following the trend, also hauled in a few decent sized bluefish.
Jim from Miller Place Bait & Tackle reports the action off the local piers is good for both snappers and porgies. After dark, bluefish anywhere from 10 to 16 pounds are hitting well on 007 tins both cast from the surf and jigged in deeper waters. Cedar Beach has been particularly productive for the choppers.
Out in Hampton Bays, at White Water Outfitters, Jeff is still seeing some stripers around. There have been some shorts in Montauk but at Shinnicock Inlet there keepers ready to be taken along with some cocktail blues. Bottom-fishing was red hot last week but has slowed down due to the heave on the water. With the way fluke fishing was, it should only be a day or so until the bite resumes.
At Wego Fishing in Southold, Steve has seen a mix of fish hanging around lately. Sea bass and fluke have carried the day but most have been on the short side. The weakfish continue to hold on in the bays and are always worth the short ride out. Cocktail blues are also periodically showing up on the local beaches keeping surf casters on their toes.
In Montauk at Paulie’s, fishing has been tough but a 20-pound striper was beached this week. Under the lighthouse, bluefish are biting well on bucktails and also taking surface poppers on the northern side of the point.
Paul from River Bay Outfitters reports that the best fishing in the Oceanside area has been on the freshwater side. The local beaches are still dirty from the storm but the ponds and lakes cleared up much faster. Largemouth bass and stocked trout have been the prime targets for an easy afternoon of fishing.
Fishing Forecast for Long Island
As waters continue to settle after this week’s wind and rain, it may present the time anglers need to make sure their fall run gear is checked and ready for battle. For those that are already prepared, surf fishing has been picking up steam across the Island and blues and bass are starting to make their way into shallower waters in pursuit of the abundant bait that has been around all year. Keep your eyes on the birds and a pole in the car.
striped bass have been hit or miss. Few schools of albies in by island beach. Albies are finnacy but eating flies. Big blues on topwater by structure. Blues have also been taken on live adult bunker. Blues from 13-18 pounds have been rare.