Happy Halloween! Blackfish and striped bass are the hot ticket this week.
A 58-pound bass was weighed into Bay Park Fishing Station. Plenty of big fish are still being caught between Fire Island and the Rockaways.
Bass to 46 pounds caught off the beach on the South Fork, with incredible numbers of small bass present.
Montauk blackfishing is awesome; huge tog to almost 20 pounds coming over the rails. North Fork blackfishing is “pretty much incredible.” Lots of keepers, even from shore. Plenty of double-digit tog up there.
Epic numbers of bass and albies (some big ones too) around Montauk Point. North Fork has a similar situation.
Sea bass remain a good target.
Steelhead are biting well in western NY. Trout were stocked on LI recently and they’re chewing hard.
Nassau County
Robert at LI Outdoorsman in Rockville Centre says the stripers have been biting real well when guys can make it out. Weather hasn’t been ideal so there’s only been a few fishable days, but they have been banner days. Just last week a 45 was brought into the shop for a weigh-in. 40-55 feet of water seems to be the hot spot for bass. Trolling with mojos and bunker spoons through the big schools of bunker will produce the biggest bass. There is also a ton of slim bait around, namely sand eels. The bass followed them into the surf, so surfcasters are catching pretty well. They’re also offshore, and the smaller bass are hanging out underneath them, driving them to the surface and attacking. Robert Sr. was present when this happened, and was able to fight a bunch of bass to 28 inches with his fly rod. Deadly dicks, diamond jigs and epoxy jigs are working on those fish also.
There are lots of juvenile weakfish passing through at the moment, so gold-colored jigs are working especially well.
Smart anglers are bringing both striper and blackfish gear out. In the morning, they’ll get their fix of bass, and once the sun is up they’ll head to the reef to jig up some tog. Tog have been weighed to ten pounds at the shop.
There have been scattered reports of albies, but they’re few and far between.
If the weather permits it, you should definitely get out now, because who knows how long this will last.
Paul at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin has been catching them up good this week. Ever since his trip to Truman’s on Monday, he hasn’t been able to go a day without fishing… and catching! On Monday the bite on the North Fork started slow, with only visual action. They watched stripers and albies blitz outside of casting range. A bunch of the guys went home early, but Paul stuck it out until the evening, when lots of stripers came into shore to blitz on small bait. The spin guys didn’t get any of those fish, but Paul and Co. were bailing them on small Lefty’s Deceivers. After that, he vowed to not let his waders get dry for the next two weeks. He’s been hitting up Jones Beach regularly and finding some decent fish down there, until the seals showed up to hinder his effort today.
In the freshwater, he knows guys are getting steelhead in some small streams in western NY. Guys making the shorter trip to Connecticut are also catching. This bodes well for Paul’s next trip to the Farmington, happening this Monday. Give him a call for details.
There’s still a lot of bait in the bays, and with the incoming cold snap on Friday, we’re all anxious to see the fishing opportunities ahead.
Kathy from Freeport Bait & Tackle said it was an exciting week in her area. She told me that a couple of captains trolling big spoons for stripers were picking up threshers instead. Captain Jason Fosco experienced this, as did Captain Ray from Carolann P Charters.
Captain Ray has gotten into some awesome fishing the past two weekends, putting all his clients on limits of big stripers to 50 pounds. They’re trolling the heavy, white Tony Maja bunker spoons in about 50 feet of water.
Mario Rivera caught a 48-pound bass while fishing in the Rockaway Inlet with clams stuck onto his green big mouth bucktail. A bunch of other guys are doing well fishing that inlet with Zman jigheads and bass assassins. Other guys are catching on bunker and clams. Topwater lures and diamond jigs have also been bringing some fish in. A lot of the big bass are being caught on the outgoing.
There aren’t a lot of blackfish reports, but Kathy knows of at least a few guys getting them underneath some bridges in the rocky structure.
Bay Park Fishing Station Oceanside reported more big stripers this week. A wide range of keeper bass were trolled up in 45 to 55 feet of water south and east of Debs, Rockaway Reef and Atlantic Beach. The fish went from 13.5 pounds up to a massive 58.1 pounds, caught by Tim Yaganois and Team Margarita. The fish off Atlantic Beach was jigged up on a 007 diamond jig by Ed Coysh of “Lunch Box,” and weighed 38.9 pounds.
There were much fewer fish caught than in weeks past, and they were mostly smaller as well. It seems a new class of fish is moving into the area, and the remainder of the big girls are about to head Jersey-ways.
Suffolk County
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle Oakdale says the fall bass run is still going strong. There are tons of bass in the schoolie-keeper sized range running along the beaches. The surf fish are taking SP Minnows, mag darters, diamond jigs, bucktails and poppers. Bill landed his first twenty pound class striper from the surf on Saturday night on an SP Minnow. The bigger ones seem to be hiding out a bit deeper. The boat guys are crushing bass in the 20-30 pound class, and are getting lucky with some mid-high 40 pounders as well. Diamond jigs, trolling mojos and bunker spoons are doing a number on them.
Blackfish and sea bass trips are consistent with quality fish of both size and quantity. Jigs and rigs with crabs will take the tog, and clams will entice the seabass. Very straightforward, and lots of fun!
On the freshwater side, trout have been stocked and are anxious for a meal. Kastmasters and Phoebes will work, as will the old worm and bobber. Fly guys are crushing them on big dries and small nymphs.
Fall bass season is going well, with lots of big bass on the feed. Bigger baitfish profiles like swim baits, crank baits, and spinners will get the big ones’ attention this time of year. In the morning and evening hours, throw poppers, frogs and buzz baits for some awesome topwater action. Gills and perch are schooled up heavy, and are all over small jigs, worms, inline spinners and streamers.
Give the shop a follow on social media (@ChasingTailsBait) to see pics and updates during the week.
Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle says the Fall season continues to give anglers some reasons to fish hard. Blackfish and striped bass are here in very good numbers, making it a tough decision to target just one or both. On Thursday Charlie Hofer and Diane chose blackfish and anchored near the Robert Moses Bridge pilings. They used live green crabs to catch seven keepers to 18.5 inches, including Charlie’s double header of one keeper and one short. Charlie noted that the bite happened during the first hour of the tide change.
Meanwhile Andy Fillipone and Greg Fitzpatrick trolled mojos and bunker spoons West of Jones Inlet. The white Tony Maja spoons produced several bass to 44 pounds. On Friday the “Lana Ann” crew trolled Mojos East of Fire Island Inlet in 50-60 foot depths. They had five keepers before noon, including Joe Tyminski’s 23.44 pounder and a 17 pounder caught by Jack Cyril.
Also on Friday Eric Kopf along with Mack, Tom, and John reported solid action while aboard Mike Miller’s boat “Apus.” They caught several decent stripers to 39 inches with white spoons and mojos off the “Pink Hotel,” trolling in 33-39 foot depths.
Hans reported several decent catches this week of stripers to 30 pounds. Most were trolled up on mojos but his best was on Saturday on Joe’s boat. He nailed the 30 pounder on a jig after several unsuccessful hours of trolling East of Fire Island Inlet.
The shop is fully stocked with green crabs, blackfish jigs, Mojos, spoons, gold/silver hammered and regular diamond jigs, and everything else you need.
Steven at Wego Fishing Bait & Tackle Southold says the fishing is on fire on the North Fork. The fish are all over the beaches. Albies and bass are getting caught regularly, and some of the bass are keepers.
Blackfish is the number one target lately though. Steven called that fishery “pretty much incredible.” He had just tossed the list of weigh-ins, but he said there were plenty of double digit fish that came in this week. Most fish went 4-6 pounds and graced many an angler’s dinner table this week. Even the boys hucking crabs from the beach are catching their limits. Green and white crabs are available in the shop.
Black seabass are providing some solid action still. Some nice ones are being caught.
In the gut, guys are going for bass, and they’re getting ‘em. A typical play these days is to go to the north side of Plum, or along the Sound, and catch a bunch of blackfish. When you get your limit, header to the Gut for a few drifts and catch some bass. Heading into the bay isn’t even a bad option right now. Some guys are killing it there, catching lots of keepers.
Get in while the getting’s good!
Kenny at Tight Lines Tackle Sag Harbor says there was a very significant bite in the Hamptons this week. A bunch of big bass up to 46 pounds were taken to the east by the jetties.
Further west, the cuts produced some seriously awesome fishing. There were tons of bass in all shapes and sizes(and not a single bluefish to our dismay). I fished the cuts a bunch and only had one or two keepers out of a couple hundred fish. Some anglers, like Stephen Lobosco, ditched the googan carnival near the outflow and found some bigger bass into the twenties.
Kenny says a huge variety of bait was present. Therefore, just about any lure you threw would work.
Out in Montauk, one customer declared the present school of albies to be the most widespread he’s ever seen, and with the largest fish at 10+ pounds. Some boats did really well on them; unfortunately the customer of Kenny’s just couldn’t connect.
The schools of bass surrounding Montauk Point were reportedly epic. They started a half-mile off the beach at Shagwong and wrapped all the way around the point. Few came into shore, but the boats had a blast. Savio Mizzi was on those schools, and he remarked that they were truly amazing.
Blackfishing was spectacular this past week. The fish moved into deeper water, at about 30-50 feet. One customer, Zeb, stopped in after a Montauk trip to show Kenny a picture of the 17-pound tog he caught.
All in all, a stellar week on the east end.
Jeff at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays says the scene hasn’t changed much in the past week or two, with plenty of small bass around. Some guys are catching some bigger fish at night though. There are a lot of anglers purchasing and catching on Bill Hurley sandal patterns.
There were a couple of shots of albies out in deeper water, about 70-80 feet. Montauk lit up with some great action a few days ago. The albies on the North Fork have been blitzing along with the bass up there.
The blackfish bite has also been good on the North Fork. Guys are getting some good fish off the beach. Down here, Shinnecock Reef has been producing some quality tog. There are a few fish being taken from the jetty, but that always gets cleaned out pretty quickly. By now, jetty jocks are basically just picking up the scraps.
Offshore there is a really good swordfish bite around the canyon. Some guys are seeing bluefin in 80-100 feet of water, but nobody is really hooking up on them. It’s a very sporadic bite.
Dave Flanagan of “North Island Fly” guide service in Smithtown said there’s been a LOT of bass around. You’ll get different sizes on different baits: fish to 32 inches are on spearing, and 15-20 pounders are on some bunker pods. A few big bluefish have been hanging around, as have the cocktails.
Dave is still discovering bonito within a short boat ride. The albie bite further east has been excellent, so he’s been trailering out there to get in on the action.
He’s also doing blackfish trips this time of year, and the shallow jig bite is insane right now.
Contact Dave to arrange a trip via his website www.northislandfly.com.
Rick from Harbor Marina of East Hampton says the schoolie bass are abundant off Montauk Point and the ocean beaches as the migration moves forward into its last chapter. He’s heard a few reports of some keepers caught at night on bigger plugs and lures.
The main even has been the solid black fishing. If you are savvy at anchoring on structure, or want to learn, this is the time to do so. The tog have been fairly shallow to date, but don’t be afraid to go a little deeper as we get into November. Sea bass remains solid on the near/offshore reefs and ledges. It’s a great time to put up some tasty fillets for the winter season ahead.
Watch the weather and take advantage of these last days of the 2019 season.
Surf fishing guide Bernie Bass had a great week in the surf once again, with lots of stripers and a few nicer ones in the mix. This week also resulted in successful guided trips as well with his clients putting up some nice numbers. Joe C, Benny M, Kin N, and Daniel K all got into some good fishing on their chartered trips. All fish were safely released to fight another day!
Captain Chris Albronda, first mate of Double D Charters in Montauk, says the tautog bite is red hot. With fish tipping the scales at sixteen pounds, they are off to a tremendous start! Easy boat limits are to be had.
The striped bass are still blitzing, with some larger fish in the mix.
The false albacore are back as well, swimming alongside some jumbo bonito.
Black seabass are thick and plentiful as well!
Long Island Fishing Forecast
The past week of fishing from the beach was solid. It sounds like Saturday night, just before the new moon, was the best time to be out. Some rats I know got into some real nice bass. The fish must’ve heard I had to work late that night….. they seem to always know my schedule, and chew accordingly.
I’m catching a plethora of short bass. Even the death rats (the tiny bass you see in early December) made an appearance. That freaked me out a little; my faith was restored when I heard about the big fish. Those have been extremely rare on the soft structure this year.
I’ve been scouring the shoreline, hitting the best spots on the beach for miles and miles. In years past, this effort would have provided me with a lot more than just a few barely-keepers.
I’ve been doing it wrong though. If you haven’t been hitting the bays at all, you’ll probably understand my plight. If you have been hitting the bays, then good for you. I’m afraid it’s a bit late for me to switch gears, but I’ll give it a go back there.
I expect big bass to hit the beach in good numbers this week. I’ve been hoping for that every week, and pursuing that dream. Finally I’ve heard of some big ones though, and there’s gotta be more, and there’s sand eels around, so it feels like the perfect situation. We shall see.
I think this blow tonight could be the one that gets the bay-bait really moving. There were blitzes this past week (even at nighttime) and I’m sure there will be more this week. Look for snotty weather to produce blitz conditions.
Enjoy, and tight lines.
If you’d like to be included in this report, please email me at tkregan12@gmail.com.