Long Island - New York Fishing Report - November 3, 2016

This week, anglers found success with big fish across the board. From bass and blues to blackfish and seabass. Although there is still the continued struggle of working through the shorts, many found it difficult to keep a hook baited as we worked with a mix of seasonal and unusually warm weather.

John from Hudson Park Bait & Tackle reports that the stripers are back in and fishing well. Fish up to 34 inches were caught this week using mainly bucktails. Bluefish are still all over and Manhasset Bay was recently lit up with a nice mix of big bass and blues working the bunker pods under diving birds. Scup continue to hang around making for easy pickings and the keeper ratio of blackfish has improved greatly making all levels of the local waters great target areas.

In Brooklyn at Stella Maris, Stretch has seen plenty of bass around from schoolie sized to 30 to 40 pounders. Rockaway Jetty and Raritan Bay have been the hot spots with bucktails and diamond jigs. Night-time eels have also been working well for large bass and the blues are at an impressive size of 15 to 19 pounds. The local wrecks are producing some impressive blackfish of which there seem to be plenty to go around.

Ashley from Bay Park Fishing Station has had some noteworthy bass hitting the docks this week. Multiple fish of over 30 pounds were weighed in and were caught mostly on Tony Maja Trolling Spoons. Green, white, yellow and chartreuse seemed to be the most effective. Blackfish and seabass are still putting up big numbers both in numbers and size so keep it in mind when the bass become tough to find.

At Cow Harbor, Mark says the fishing has been fantastic for bass off the boats and has been showing signs of life in the surf as well. Gator blues are all over both inside and outside the harbor mixed in with tons of schoolie bass. Blackfish and seabass alike have been getting better and better each day and can still be found on most rocky bottoms. Squid are also being sighted in the Northport waters lately as they begin to make a fall run and should help ignite the bite even more.

Aboard the Jib VI, Captain Joe reports that they are limiting out or coming close on nearly every trip, both day and night. The striper action has been excellent out of Captree on jigs and clam chum. Most keepers are topping out around 30 pounds.

In Southold at Wego Fishing, Steve has seen the most action coming from the sound side of the North Fork and has been best for blackfish and seabass. Rocky Point, Hortan’s Point and just off of Plum Island is producing the best this week. Scup are scattered around but have largely fallen off. On the south side in Peconic Bay, there has been a recent blitz of monster blues running through. So keep your eyes open and a heavy pole ready.

Bryce from White Water Outfitters reports that the surf fishing has improved. In Shinnecock inlet there have been bass but seem to be more schoolies than keepers. Off the beaches though, the bigger stripers are patrolling the shorelines and have been giving surfcasters all they can handle. Some blues are popping up but for the moment, bass are the favorites in the local waters.

Out in Montauk, at West Lake Marina, Tonya has been seeing solid action with bottom fishing for blackfish and seabass lately. The stripers have been small this week but are still willing to take a line and keep anglers entertained. Bluefish seem to have become scarce but continue to pop up from time to time.

At Montauk Marine Basin, Courtney also has had lots of schoolie bass around. There have been plenty of fish but the keepers are far and few between; same can be said for the blues. Fishers and Gardeners Islands have been decent for blackfish there are still some seabass mixed in as well.

Paul from River Bay Outfitters reports that the action in the surf has been great on the North Shore as well as in the back bays. Lots of bass are around in the at about 25 inches and big blues are running through Breezy Point along with the bass.

On the freshwater side, all local ponds and streams are fully stocked with trout and if the weather allows it, has been great for throwing some flies. Ponds and lakes are also fishing well on flies, golden spinners and at night, jitterbugs.

Fishing Forecast for Long Island

The fall species seem to be found all over the Island and as we know, can make a hard run on a beach at anytime. With a decent weekend forecast this week, look to patrol the local shorelines and soak some bait while you’re waiting for the always accepting blackfish and seabass. On the sweetwater side, cooler temperatures ignite big pickerel, bass and panfish so when the saltwater action is slow, it is always worth a cast at your local pond.