At the mid-point in October the fishing across Long Island remains strong. Scup and sea bass continue to linger around but the fall fishing is taking over. Big bass and blues have been churning the waters off most local beaches and blackfish are showing decent numbers with bigger fish coming in each day.
John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle reports that the blackfishing has really picked up this week. It’s still early and there have been a lot of shorts but anglers have still managed a couple 7-to 8-pounders mixed in. Bluefish have slowed down, allowing anglers to more easily target bass. The result has been more stripers hooked on artificial baits. Scup are holding fast and are huge in size making them great for a quick hit between chasing schools of predator fish.
In Brooklyn, at Stella Maris, the bottom fishing is hot on Rockaway Reef for blackfish and scup on green crabs and squid. There are still plenty of bunker schools in the local waters and these are still being trailed by big stripers and the occasional roaming school of false albacore. The birds are working the action hard and serve as your prompt to grab a pole and race to the water.
At The Campsite, Carmine has seen some truly giant blues out of the Northport, Centerport and Huntington waters chasing the large adult bunker schools. Also impressive in size have been the porgies, which were hot all summer and haven’t shown any signs of letting up. Blackfish are holding in the shallow waters and are leaning heavily on the short side, but some colder weather should spark more keepers into becoming active. Striper fishing hasn’t been great but during the early morning and late evening hours there are still some schoolies and a couple keepers turning out on the local beaches.
Aboard Northport Charters, Captain Stu reports 15-pound blues in the triangle crushing live-lined bunker and bunker chunks. Mixed in with these fish have been some albies weighing up to 8 pounds, mostly caught using Deadly Dicks. Porgies remain hot and the bunker schools are almost thick enough to walk across, setting up for a phenomenal fall.
Mark from Cow Harbor has also been seeing false albacore in Northport near Target Rock. The striper fishing has picked up this week inside the harbor, off the beaches and in the triangle. Bluefish have been popping up all over, boiling on the schools of bait on the surface. There are plenty of blackfish around, too. You’ll have to weed through the shorts to find the picture-worthy fish, but they are in there.
At Captree, Brendan from Captree Bait & Tackle reports excellent bass fishing as a 58 pounder was landed this week. The best results have come from live-lining eels and soaking bunker chunks. Weakfish, seabass, porgies and false albacore have also been hitting hard, and shad have begun to hit Sabiki rigs right off the pier.
At Miller Place Bait & Tackle, Jim has had gorilla blues in Mt. Saini Harbor busting on the surface and smashing pencil poppers, Daiwa SP Minnows and snagged bunker. The bass fishing has been decent with a few keepers around but the blackfishing has really begun to heat up as this week gave way to brutes weighing 5.9, 5.2 and 5 pounds even. The shop’s season long blackfish tournament is off to a great start.
Out on the East End at Warrens Bait & Tackle, Ed has seen the surf fishing really heat up as everything from bass, blues, albies and blackfish are pushing within casting distance from the shoreline. Bait, Deadly Dicks and surface poppers are all productive tactics off the local beaches.
Steve from Wego Fishing also reports great action from the shore. Bass and blues have been running from Kenny’s Beach in Southold out through Orient. There have been bonita and false albacore popping up here as well. Big stripers and blues are all over the Gut and the Race. Blackfish are off to a decent start off Horton’s Point and Rocky Point. Fish are trending small at the moment but should get bigger as the temperature drops.
In Hampton Bays, at White Water Outfitters, Jake reports that there are decent numbers of keeper bass in Shinnecock Inlet and some smaller ones in the ocean surf. Blackfish in the area have followed the trend of being mostly short for now but the action here always picks up once the season is in full swing. Offshore has been very hit or miss as a few longfin albacore and yellowtails have been found but the action is not reliable.
At Montauk Marine Basin, there are bass around taking live bunker. The bite hasn’t been hot but the fish are still there. Blackfish have also been slow but on the other hand, blues and albies are popping on the surface and make for great fishing.
TJ from Gone Fishing Marina hasn’t seen terrific fishing this week either. Stripers have been slow and bluefish are slowing down but there are still some false albacore on the move if you can time them right. The ‘tog bite is picking up but as has been the case in most areas, the throw-backs are more aggressive at this point in time.
At Westlake Marina, the bass fishing has been great with schoolies but the keepers seem to be elusive. Monster blues are on patrol in the Montauk waters and a few big blackfish are already showing up as bulldogs weighing 10.5 and 8.5 pounds were brought to the dock this week. Also mixed in was a 4.5-pound weakfish, and a couple smaller weaks.
Joe from Staten Island Tuna Club reports that the blackfishing has heated up on green crabs this week. Bluefish are getting bigger and are hitting on the schools of bunker all around Raritan Bay. Anglers from the surf have seen major bird activity just outside of casting distance. As the water is cooling down for the past few weeks the stripers have been making a show, with catches around the Verrazano Bridge up to 30 inches. Boat fishermen have been jigging the fish and finding similar results.
Paul from River Bay Outfitters reports that the fall stocking on local rivers and ponds will be taking place this week. There is a DEC fall festival taking place at Hempstead Lake State Park where they will be stocking 1,700 trout. Although water levels are still low, freshwater fishing picked up due to the dropping temperatures this week. It is now prime time for tempting panfish and trout on the fly rod and bass and pickerel on spinners and Rapalas.
Over in Jamaica Bay, action is red hot for shad and small blues. Jones Beach is great for stripers from the surf, ranging 20-25 inches with huge blues and bass in the back bays.
Fishing Forecast for Long Island
Fall species seem to be stacking-up along Long Island’s coast and are waiting for the water to cool down so they can unleash their full fury. While the surf is continues to build, keep an eye on the water (or birds) for passing schools of blues, bass and albies. Also, be sure to get in on the blackfish early as the fish are getting bigger each day.