Long Island – New York Fishing Report – November 7, 2019

Pictured Above: Jimmy O’Connor with an 11.8 pound tog.

Numerous double-digit tog coming over the rails all over the island.

South Fork blackfish and seabass fishing is world class right now.

The surf from Montauk to Manhattan is inundated with short stripers. Big stripers are still in Nassau in about 50 feet of water.

Tuna and swordfish are still in the canyons.

The second trout stocking in a month is occurring this week. 2-year-old browns are being introduced to many lakes.

Nassau County

Kathy from Freeport Bait & Tackle said there’s a lot of the same reports as weeks’ past: big bass on bunker spoons, schoolies and keepers in the surf, blackfish under the bridges, and even porgies.

Bass are the main game in town. People trolling white bunker spoons in 40-50 feet of water are catching bass up to and over fifty pounds. Captain Jason Fosco of Team Cannonball and Captain Ray of Carolann P have been doing exactly that. There don’t seem to be any more bluefish around to mess with that action.

Guys fishing for stripers on the beach are doing well with jig heads tipped with soft plastics. Bass assassins and Zman plastics are good choices. There is action on the surface as well as on the bottom. Most lures will produce. Lots of anglers, both shorebound and boatmen, are getting keepers. Rockaway, Debs and Jones Beach inlets are all very productive. Bait fishermen have mostly switched from bunker to clams and live eels at night.

Tog fishermen are using jigs like Jonny Jigs and Runoff jigs. Everybody is buying green crabs to use underneath the bridges.

There are still some anglers buying bloodworms to target porgies.

Freeport B&T has everything you need to get into fish over the upcoming weeks.

Some really nice fish were weighed into Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside this past weekend.

On Saturday, Chris from Buddha trolled up a 27.3 pound bass from 55 feet of water straight South of Debs. The fish hit a green mojo 10×6 tandem.

Captain Frank, Lou and Mike of Baby 6 trolled white mojos around 50 feet of water south of Debs on Saturday. Frank reeled in a 44.25 pound striper.

Joey Leggio and the crew of Wildflower trolled the AB Reef in 55 feet of water on Saturday. They scored two bass on green Tony Maja spoons, weighing 20.9 and 36.5 pounds. The following day Joey took his brother Rich back to the AB reef to target blackfish. In 65 feet, they used Magic Tail blackfish jigs with green crabs to catch three togs weighing 9.75, 10.25, and 10.35 pounds! Nice job fellas.

Paul at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin has been trying to keep his waders wet for as long as possible, fishing every day. Gotta get it while the getting’s good, because it’s all going to be over soon. We had some real nice flat days on the ocean and Paul heard that Fire Island produced a lot of stripers for those seeking them with fly gear. There is a mix of bass, blues and shad there. The bass are all small, but all fun.

In the freshwater, the big trout are biting well at the Connetquot. The Mianus River in Connecticut is also fishing very well right now.

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Suffolk County

Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale says the stripers are still running, and the big ones have moved out deep. Bunker spoons and mojos have pulled up some big girls recently. The jig bite is just as hot as ever, with hammered jigs being the local preference. The beaches are still loaded with schoolies, and occasionally you’ll see a big mama hit the sand. Diamond jigs, SP Minnows, mag darters and bucktails have been producing very consistently.

Seabass on the reefs and wrecks are abundant and large, readily eating clams and smacking jigs. Fish in the 3-5 pound range are common.

Big blackfish are hammering crabs out on the rock piles, wrecks and reefs already, with several over ten pounds coming in.

The fall freshwater season is going very well. The big girls are coming in shallow looking for a meal. Throw topwater in the morning and evenings, and stick to moving baits during the day. Swim baits, spinners and jerk baits are great choices. Pickerel are lurking as well, most often willing to eat those same baits.

Trout were recently stocked, and another in is scheduled for this week. Lots of nice 2-year browns are going into the local lakes. They are and will be taking small lures such as Kastmasters, Phoebes, Sidewinders, inline spinners and trout magnets. For the fly slingers, gofer a small red or green nymph. They’ll occasionally hit a dry as well; Bill and co have been getting so lucky when using Stimulators.

The shop is loaded with everything you’ll need for your fall and winter fishing needs. Give them a follow on social media (@ChasingTailsBait) to see pics and updates during the week.

Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle reports that mixed-size striped bass and small weakfish have been moving along the coast feeding on small sand eels at the surface. Larger fish are sticking under bunker pods West of Jones Inlet and have been falling for tandem Mojos and white bunker spoons. Jigging has been producing lots of dogfish lately so it’s suggested to keep them higher up in the water column.

There have been solid reports of blackfish at the Robert Moses Bridge, Kismet Reef, “Senior Citizens Rocks” and Democrat Point. On Wednesday, Ken Whittier and Chris Donaldson anchored up on slack tide and slid close to a piling for the first hour of the tide change. Live green crabs hooked on shop-tied hi-Lo rigs helped the guys catch six keepers, including Chris’ 21-inch tog.

Rich from the shop and Jeremy Kurtz trolled between J.I. and Debs Inlet on Wednesday. The only action was a 34 inch bass that Jeremy caught on a white Mojo.
Sean Ack has been fishing for bass at R.M. fields 3, 4, and 5. He has found mostly schoolies, but he’s caught a few 30-32 inch fish as well.

Squaw Island Fishing Club member Eric Kopf trolled West of Debs Inlet along with Mike Miller and Tom D’Angelo on Saturday. The crew had over 25 short bass on umbrella rigs, spoons, and Mojos. Later they had a thresher shark and a green bonito jump on a chrome bunker spoon.

Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters is still jigging blues and bass in the LI Sound. There’s lots of bait hanging around too, with adult bunker in the mix.

Blackfishing has been good, but he’s had to pick through many shorts to get the keepers. He’s getting seabass mixed in with them, while using crabs and clams for bait.

The porgies’ numbers are thinning out as the water temperature drops.

Stu will be sailing until the end of November, so call him today at 631-707-3266 for reservations.

Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly guide service in Smithtown tells me there’s loads of bass around right now packing on the protein for the migration. Peanut bunker and spearing are prevalent inside, and adult bunker can be found a little farther out in deeper water. We should see these fish for the next few weeks. Fish should remain local with this bait until early December.

Dave’s been taking a bunch of his clients black fishing, which has provided for some great action. Some parts of the tide are slower than others, but it’s awesome when the bite is on.

He’s banking on a late run of large bonito, which are usually of the larger variety. The boat comes out of the water in a few weeks, so book him while you can!

Contact him to arrange a trip via his website www.northislandfly.com.

Bryce at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays tells me the black fish and black seabass reports have been incredible this year. The blackfishing to the east and north of us is as good as it gets. Offshore on the wrecks from about 120-200 feet of water, you can find piles of huge seabass, the biggest ones that exist. There are cod and pollock out there as well, but seabass steal the show. If you drop seven times, you’re going to pull up seven enormous seabass.

Bass fishing locally has been good for quantity, mediocre for quality. If you want a keeper bass, you should check out the bay. Head to the ocean if you just want some action, because there is an incredibly huge population of shorts that have inundated the surf from Montauk to Manhattan. Bryce appropriately called the South Fork “shorty central.”

You can put in work, seeking out bunker pods and trolling through them for a chance at a better quality bass. Some schools will have a big bass or two hanging out underneath.

Surprisingly, the canyons still have tuna and swordfish. Giant bluefin tend to show up in the Hudson around this time as well. Usually Thanksgiving to Christmas is the best stretch for a huge bluefin, but sometimes they’ll show up early.

Last but not least, there are a few albies that are still lingering out here. Somebody caught one in Shinnecock yesterday, and another angler saw a group of them around Shagwong on their way in from a blackfish trip.

Kenny at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor is hearing fewer reports every day as we approach the end of the fall run. There are still many anglers putting in the time though, catching the seemingly endless schoolies and shorts. A number of lucky anglers did get into some twenty pound class fish in East Hampton the other night. Monday and Tuesday were particularly productive.

The blackfish scene is still productive as well. Dan Levine got out yesterday and managed a few really solid tog from 6-9 pounds.

Kenny is going to be carrying crabs right up until Thanksgiving.

One more report, unrelated to fin fish, comes from accomplished bayman George Pharaoh, who says the scallop season got off to a dismal start. He did a 3.5 hour tow and got six individual scallops. For someone who’s done this his whole life, that length of time spent dragging should produce at least 6-8 bushels. I’ve seen some recreational scallopers acquiring decent harvests this week, so it was very interesting to hear of the contrasting perspective. Check out Mike Wright’s article on 27East, “Mysterious Die-Off of Scallops Seen in Peconics,” if you want to learn more about this.

Surf fishing guide Bernie Bass saw a ton of short bass in the surf this week. There weren’t any big fish that showed up in the spots he targeted, but a few small keepers came to hand. The stripers could be found on the dropping tides during the day and night. He had to switch up his plans a few times throughout the week, as the storm made the water dirty and weedy in spots. He was able to get Kenny D in on the action though. Bernie is hoping for another great week ahead with the dropping temps…. and who knows, maybe some bigger bass will find their way here!

Tanya at Westlake Marina in Montauk says the primary target in Montauk is blackfish right now. That fishery has been awesome. Lots of anglers are getting their boat limits, and there are plenty of big ones in the mix. Most anglers are going over by Fishers Island. Jimmy O’Connor had an 11.8 pound whitechin just the other day.

There are still some good seabass in the mix as well, with plenty of keepers for the taking.
The striper scene is dwindling, but not for a lack of fish. The amount of shorts around the east end this year is astounding.

Captain Chris Albronda, first mate of Double D Charters in Montauk, says striper and albie fishing remains hot; there are tons of smaller fish to be caught on light tackle with a 60:1 keeper ratio on the stripes.

Tautog fishing is red hot, the best Chris has seen in many years…. Same goes for the black seabass.

Keep your eyes peeled for open boat trips, listed on their social media @doubledmtk and @montauk_fishing.

Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Long Island!

Long Island Fishing Forecast

Mother nature has gone relatively easy on us this year, so this week’s frigid nights and strong north winds will seem harsh. These freezing conditions may also cultivate the most beautiful sunrise of the year though. I’ve got high hopes for Saturday morning after a night in the 20’s. A cold, glassy ocean, a light north wind, and a hot rising sun is a combo worth waking up for. Don’t miss it!

Lots of cool north and west winds are imminent; they are my two favorites for fishing. The north will flatten the ocean water and the west will move it over and around soft structure. This westward sweep creates current for the rips without the bloated swell associated with an east gale.

There have been lots of gannets around for the past week or two, mostly out of casting range. It’s about time they come right into shore, put on a show and put me on some fish. That would be a beautiful thing, because there’s supposed to be some bigger bass under that bait.

I have been fishing for the striped bass’ cousin, the White Perch, unsuccessfully so far. I found some brackish baby stripers in my pursuit. I think after the first freezing night, those bass may depart and the perch will start chewing. Carp fly fishing might slow down as well; it seems to have already begun tapering off a bit (for me at least). Those are two of my main winter pursuits, so I’ve got them on the mind.

I still haven’t found my big striper. I slung live eels last night on the beach for a couple almost-keepers, but no biggins. There is still hope, and I’m clinging to it with a death grip. I’m seeing the same thing as most though: just a tremendous amount of shorts and a few small keepers.

I even have hope for some big friggin blues still; I’m that much of an optimist. I had my first real bluefish this fall just the other day, so there COULD be more! I’ve got my eyes open and my hopes up.

Best of luck to you in YOUR pursuit this week! Tight Lines.

If you’d like to contact the author, email him at tkregan12@gmail.com