Pictured above: Billy from Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle caught this nice keeper on a diamond jig in the ocean.
It is almost December, but you wouldn’t know it by the weather the last couple of days. This warm fall is one of the reasons that striped bass action continues to be going strong along the south shore of Long Island. On the north shore and out east, the blackfish might have moved to deeper water but the bite still remains hot. Even the anglers targeting the freshwater lakes and ponds are getting into the action with nice trout.
Metro NY Fishing Report
Stella Maris Bait And Tackle reports anglers are still doing well jigging for striped bass in the area. There have been a lot of small fish, but still a good amount of keepers mixed in as well. Stretch also told me that the blackfishing has been hit or miss lately. He thinks the water temperatures still need to drop to really get the action going. Hopefully, that happens soon with only two weeks left in the blackfish season for New York.
In Manhattan, Capitol Tackle reports that their party boat the Capitol Princess sailed last night and though there was good action it was a lot of short striped bass coming to the rail. They will be out this weekend targeting blackfish. The trips on Saturday and Sunday are both all-inclusive and come with a catered lunch included. Make sure you order your tickets online first before heading out.
Long Island South Shore Fishing Report
Causeway Bait And Tackle, reports that there are plenty of bass around in the area. The boat anglers this week, from the needle all the way to Long Beach, got into these striped bass with diamond jigs and bucktails. They also told me that the blackfish bite has good on the local reefs.
At Bay Park Fishing Station, reported great action with both blackfish and striped bass over the weekend. Anglers jigging for bass in about 45 feet of water off of Jones beach saw not just non stop action with bass but also some gorilla bluefish mixed in as well. Many anglers heading out for blackfish have been having success at the AB reef with the bait of choice being white crabs.
At Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle, Billy said there are a ton of school bass in the bays and inlets. These fish are being caught on both poppers and swim shads. If you want to target the bigger bass you have to head out into the ocean. He said there has been a ton of bait on the beach; from sand eels to peanut bunker and still some adult bunker around as well. Billy himself got into the action as well over the weekend catching a nice 25-pound bass on a diamond jig. Blackfish as big as 8 pounds, have been weighed in this week at the shop as well. On the freshwater side of things, the local ponds that were stocked with trout this fall are still doing very well. The largemouth back action is starting to slow down but in the back of the rivers, the white perch have started to show up.
Paul at River Bay Outfitters, reports that there has been a lot of action in the surf with all the sand eels around but all of the striped bass are very small. They can be a lot of fun though on light tackle. He also reports, that if you are looking to target trout to head to the Connetquot River which is open all year and is still fishing very well. The local ponds have slowed a bit, not because of the lack of fish but the lack of anglers targeting them and the winds have not helped.
Long Island North Shore Fishing Report
Miller Place Bait and Tackle said they are still hearing very good reports of blackfish in their area. Areas such as the middle grounds are still holding keeper-size fish. On the local beaches, anglers are sizing it down and having fun with schoolie size striped bass. Also, they have seen an invasion of herring in the Mount Sinai area. That over the weekend they sold out of sabiki rigs with so many anglers going after them.
I was able to get out this past weekend on the Celtic Quest to target some blackfish. The conditions were perfect to start the day and the action was great. Even though the current picked for the second half of the trip we still picked away at the fish. Overall it was a great time and almost everyone brought home fish for the dinner table including myself.
In Huntington at the Camp-Site, Carmine told me today that anglers are also still catching blackfish even though the fish have moved to deeper water. He said that he has also heard that the bass bite on the south shore has been doing very well with anglers using mostly jigs.
Long Island East End Fishing Report
At White Water Outfitters, Jeff said that there has been a ton of small fish from the surf right now. These fish are being caught on teasers and small plugs. The boat anglers as in most of the south shore are finding the best luck with larger striped bass in the 40 feet range of water. The blackfishing the area has also been decent as well in the area.
In Montauk at the Westlake Marina, Tanya told me over the weekend they had a huge 16.25-pound blackfish weighed in. The fish was caught by Jack Krug on one of his buddy’s boat. Tanya said that white crabs have been the most popular bait for blackfish this fall. The shop has green, white, and hermit crabs currently in stock but if you are looking to head out this weekend make sure you call first because white and hermits do sell fast.
Long Island Fishing Forecast
The weather forecast for this weekend looks to be a good one. There are a ton of options for whatever type of angler you might be. From the surf you can have fun with some schoolie-sized striped bass. If you have a boat on the north or south shore from blackfish to striped bass and in some areas big bluefish there is definitely something to target. I would suggest keeping an open plan for heading out this weekend. If you have a boat, grab some jigs and a few dozen white or green crabs. You can start the day jigging for bass and end it by catching some nice blackfish before the season is over. The party boats are still going out for a variety of fish so pick the one you want and head out there. Before you know it the winter will really arrive and the fishing will end for most anglers. So the time is now to get in that late-season trip and catch something to remember for the whole winter.