Long Island – New York Fishing Report – October 22, 2020

• The south shore striped bass bite is all-time to the west of Shinnecock.
• Blackfish is stellar for those fishing along the north shore and out of Montauk.
• Some bigger cod to thirty pounds are starting to hit the scales.
• Albies and bonito are hitting north fork waters.
• Big threshers this week, and a solid swordfish bite.
• Sea bass and porgy bites still going strong, but beginning to fade.
• Sandeel bites along the south shore, with bigger bass hanging on bunker schools.

Long Island Fishing Report

Frank from Bernie’s Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn says the porgies are still holding, but they are starting to fade out. It is getting spotty inside the bay, and the fish are probably moving towards deeper water. Guys are still getting them on the reefs outside the bay. There’s a mix of small and large ones. The sea bass have been coming up in those areas as well, but nothing to write home about.
Because there’s been no major storms, it has been a slow fade for those fish.
A huge number of whales and dolphins showed up the other day. In Frank’s experience, the competition they pose to other predators can sometimes move the predators we target out of the area. Consider how the presence of seals can signify the exodus of stripers.
The occasional bluefish has been showing up, but nobody has encountered any major schools of them. It’s usually just 1 or 2 fish, and done.
Blackfish started out very strong, with lots of action. The one problem is the size. Guys are getting keepers, and even some double digits. But it takes about 20-30 fish to cull a limit. You’re maybe catching 1 keeper every 10-15 fish.
Guys are trolling mojos around the Breezy area to target those large stripers that appeared last week. Other guys are up in the Hudson, by 69t street pier and the Verrazano, targeting schoolie bass from 3-5 pounds. There’s plenty of action but nothing large.
Frank’s been in this racket for quite some time, and he says the mess of bunker that appeared this week is the most menhaden that he’s seen in his lifetime.
Frank says everything is in flux right now, and it is a great time to be out fishing. They’re still waiting for stripers and blues to really take their position in the area, but the fishing is good.

Josh at Gypsea Charters in the Rockaways says blackfishing is off to a great start. They caught several boat limits this past week, with one fish topping the ten pound mark and one nearing nine pounds. Short fish keep the rods consistently bent throughout the day.
Josh saw the first wave of large stripers move into his waters, with many 40-50 pound fish being landed and released aboard the 35 foot Gypsea. Bass fishing should only continue to improve as the fish invade the area. Blackfishing should improve daily as well while water temps drop.
The 35 foot Gypsea is available for private charters up to 6 passengers for stripers and blackfish. The 55 foot Star is only doing blackfish, and only by reservation.

Paul at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin went out to Trumans Beach this Monday in Southold. He and a few other guys were targeting stripers on the fly. Only one angler had a striper, but the guys ended up catching a number of sea bass on the fly. The sea bass were about 12 inches or so, and willing to eat deceivers and clousers. A lot of other guys were up there getting bent on some blackfish.

The LI Flyrodders hit up the Connetquot on Monday, and did very well. I asked Paul about a claim I heard that there are no more big trout in the Connetquot. Paul just recently caught big fish there, so he put my mind at ease. One thing that DID change, though, is the “keeper range.” You used to only be able to harvest fish within a slot limit…. It was about 9-12 inches, or 12-14 inches, something in that range. Now there is a 9-inch (I believe) MINIMUM size limit for harvesting fish. So guys are taking these huge trout home. Naturally, some guys are going to think it’s the end of the world. I personally hate to hear it, as that management method has allowed me to hook many very large trout there, but it is what it is, and I’m still going to go fish the river.

The Capt Lou Fleet in Freeport had some excellent whale watching opportunities this week. The tog bite has picked up substantially, and trips are getting sold out. Striper fishing was good this week, and anglers were able to take some slot fish home for the table.

Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside saw some serious sharks and offshore fish weighed in this week. Captain Nick Savene of “No Time Charters” brought a giant thresher back to the docks. He caught the 224 pounder on a mojo while fishing south of Debs.

Tim and Mike of the “Margarita” crew brought another big thresher to the docks just two days ago. It was caught in 65 feet of water southwest of Debs. The shark was 228 pounds and took a yellow/white TGT bunker spoon.

Chris, Leon, Joe, Roy and John of “Michael J” fished an overnighter last Thursday to the Hudson Canyon. They had three bigeye tuna, with the largest weighing 240 pounds. The big one took a bait in the night, and the other two were trolled up. They also had a nice swordfish.

Surfcasting guide Bernie Bass says this week in the surf was great. The striped bass bite has been on fire. There have been large numbers of fish, with some quality fish mixed in. The bait continues to be all over the place. The fish have once again been chewing during the day and night. Bernie urges everyone to get out while the getting’s good! Bucktails have been putting in work during the day, and he switches over to darters at night.

Captain Stu Paterson of “Northport Charters” says the blackfish bite was excellent this week, with fish to six pounds. He jigged up blues too, from 6-8 pounds. The porgies are still hanging around, and they’re pushing to 2 pounds, but their numbers seem to be thinning out a bit. There’s a lot of adult bunker in the bay and LI Sound. There’s also a ton of small bait like spearing, bay anchovies and peanut bunker.

Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport says the action this week was nonstop. Blackfish, sea bass, striped bass and bluefish were all active, all over the island. The North Fork was very productive the past few days, especially on the tog rocks. 15-30 feet of water is holding some quality fish. A number of double digits were brought to the scales this week.
The daytime bite is on fire, and Mark expects it to last for a long time this fall, possibly til Thanksgiving. There’s tons of bait, of all shapes and sizes, and they’re keeping healthy stocks of a variety of species here. 
The surf is especially productive, both at night and during the day. Guys were even getting into some bonito this week!

Dave Flanagan of “North Island Fly” finally found the hardtails he’s been so eagerly awaiting. Some big bonito came in last Thursday, and they fed all day long. Some chopper blues were mixed in with the bones, and a few albies made it to the boat as well.
Blackfishing has been hot, and Dave keeps that option open for his charters. You never know when the striped bass are gonna pop up and start blitzing either. These days, Dave is regularly running into multiple species with his charters.

Celtic Quest Fishing Fleet of Port Jefferson is currently crushing the sea bass out in Mattituck. The bite has been very hot, and some of the fish are pretty big. The tog are also biting well. It’s not limits every trip, but they’re getting a good amount of keepers. The porgy bite is still on, but it appears to be tapering off as other species take the helm.

Tyler at Wego Fishing Bait & Tackle in Southold says there’s not much in the bay but there are still some porgies kicking around. You stand a chance at pulling some bass out of the creeks, or even Jessups. There’s not a lot of reports from there, though, because people are mainly focusing on the Sound. The bite in the Sound has been insane for the past week. There have been big albies and lots of schools of bass. There are some schools of bigger bass around. The stripers tend to be closer to shore than the albies do. Shots at albies are few and far between, but guys are picking at them. Even some bonito were caught this week.
Blackfishing has been excellent. Theres a lot of fish around the North Fork, and some bigger ones are starting to get caught. Tyler had some nice tog by Fishers Island. He heard of a 10-12 pounder coming from one of the charter boats, the Nancy Ann maybe. Everybody who goes is basically getting a full limit. Farther east is better, but the local bite is good.
The shallow water bite is great for blackfish. Work some rocky structure along the Sound beaches, and you should be able to find some decent fish.
The north side of Plum is producing blackfish too, as well as porgies.

Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
The fall run of bass has begun! Lots and lots of solid striper action started blowing up this week. They’re biting all over the beaches, back bays, inlets, and the ocean. The jig bite is hot as ever, and when they’re blitzing on top they are smashing popping plugs and swim shads. There are lots of 30+ pound fish being caught. Off the beach, needlefish, poppers, darters, diamond jigs, SP Minnows, and bucktails have been putting in work. Solid slot-sized fish are being caught on the regular. 
Blackfish action is incredible right now too. Opening day was a success for Jake Farino, with a solid 6.25 pound tog caught from shore on light tackle. Hit some structure, a reef or wreck, and get at them. The shop is loaded with all of the gear you need for targeting the tog. The jig bite is on fire! 
Sea Bass action on the outside wrecks and reefs is still going well. The bigger fish are hitting the jigs. Weakfish are still here and there inside the bay, smacking pink soft plastics and small bucktails. 

Captree’s Laura Lee has been putting some good fish on the boat. It’s not those crazy summer numbers, where they get 1,000 porgies, but now they’re catching cod into the 30 pound range, some big ocean blues and nice stripers. Lots of the bass are shorts, but there is usually a good number of slots and a handful of overs. Big porgies are still biting, as are seabass. Bonito are present as well, and the occasional weakfish graces the deck.

Surf guide Bill Wetzel of the Surf Rats Ball started his week off with some charters in Montauk. He encountered a bite fueled by good sized baits, maybe snappers and/or juvenile weakfish. One tide from midnight til 4am produced about 100 fish for him and his client.
The next night showed completely different conditions, with small bait reigning supreme. It was a tough bite, but they managed a few hits on SP minnows.
On Tuesday, Bill and his daughter hit up the Shirley beaches for some schoolie bass feeding on sandeels. Fish were hitting diamond jigs right along the beach lip.
Bill got back to Shirley this morning with a charter to catch those same schoolie bass. Fish were right up front again, feeding along the lip. They observed some larger bass outside feeding on bunker.

Jeff at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays fished the North Fork for blackfish this week. The fishing up there was awesome. He caught a bunch of tog and the bass wouldn’t quit. They were popping up everywhere. Albies even popped up twice, but Jeff’s fly line cursed his attempts.

There’s nothing really crazy going on close to home, unfortunately. There are bass around, but nothing huge. 
Guys are doing well with blackfish from the jetty at least. Some keeper tog are being taken using jigs.
We should be seeing another wave of big fish move through the area soon, as they were just encountered in Montauk this week.
Porgies are starting to slide out of the bays, and sea bass are in deeper water, about 125-150 feet.
Out in the canyons, the bite remains strong. Tunas (bigeye and yellowfin) are on the menu, and the sword fishing has been very good.

Rick from Harbor Marina of East Hampton reports:
The Blackfish season is off to a great start. Clearly, there is a nice body of fish in 15 to 30 feet of water off eastern Long Island. The more protected and easy anchorage spots are starting to get picked over and you may have to make a few drops in order to get into keeper sized fish. Crabs are the ticket.
Sea Bass and Porgies are starting to move into deeper water. As the waters cool it is time to start researching and seeking out deeper structure. Reports of decent cod fishing at some near shore wrecks shouldn’t be overlooked.
Albies are still making sporadic showings, but the main event on the light tackle front has been the strong showing of Striped Bass schooling on white bait from Culloden Point to around the south side. By most accounts it has been the best in a few years. Surfcasting has been a bit of hit or miss with some nice fish when you least expect it and tried and true spots and times are not working.
The clock is ticking but there is still plenty of life in this season.

David at Westlake Marina in Montauk says the blackfish bite was terrific over by Fishers island this week. He weighed in one double digit fish, at about 10.5 pounds. The rest of the fish that came in were fatties with big shoulders. Tog anglers have been getting some really nice sea bass as bycatch.
Nobody from Westlake has been heading offshore, but David heard rumors of some nice yellowfin being brought in. Word is the boat travelled some ways to find them.
Striped bass are still all around the point. There are plenty of slot sized fish being taken. They’re still hitting the umbrella rigs, eels and diamond jigs. Really, any way you want to catch them, you can.
Charter boats are coming back in from every trip with limits of blackfish and sea bass. David even saw some nice porgies come in yesterday. He hasn’t seen them for a while now. They were caught by an angler who had an excellent mixed bag of cod, sea bass and two blackfish. He was jigging without bait.

Chris from Double D Charters in Montauk says striped bass fishing is red hot. There’s a lot of smaller fish around, with some slot-sized bass in the mix. There are acres of fish on the surface every day.
Black Sea bass fishing is still phenomenal, with mostly jumbos taking the bait. Porgies are also in the mix.
The tog bite is about as good as it gets. He’s excited to see what kind of monsters they’ll pull up in the next month.
Chris saw the best albie action of the year today, and there are some very large sharks around.

Long Island Fishing Report

The bass bite is ridiculous to the west of me. I’ve been hearing regular reports of stripers 45 inches and up. Big bass abound on the south shore! I’ve seen those trophy fish every single day in my area too (South Fork), but the problem is THEY’RE ALL DEAD! Gill nets have completely strangled the South Fork surf fishery (besides the Montauk rocks). East of Shinnecock, the big fish bite stops abruptly where the gill nets start. I’ve observed the commercial boats reeling in their gill nets almost every morning for the past few weeks, and they are filled to capacity with trophy striped bass. 

My small surfcasting crew amasses an absurd amount of time on the water. We’re extremely in tune with our beaches, and scour the structure daily and nightly. The biggest fish any of us took on rod and reel this fall was 17 pounds, an upper-slot fish. That is absolutely pathetic, considering the potential that was in store for this season. 

I can go on and on about how bad for the environment these gill nets are, and how they mercilessly kill all sorts of wildlife, including marine mammals and unintended fish bycatch…. but harping on how unfair this is to me, other surfcasters, the wildlife, and beachgoers in general, has made me depressed. For the past month, I’ve been down in the dumps. I am an eternal optimist, so to bring my mood down requires a colossal effort. Try catching dinks while you watch wasted trophy bass with rigor mortis get tossed overboard after having struggled all night to break free from a net placed right on shore to block their ancient migratory route. Then you will understand where I’m coming from. I don’t THINK that was a run-on sentence, but I am sorry if it was a tough one to swallow. I’m fuming.

The fact that this archaic fishing method is allowed, even revered as a glorious American pastime makes me want to move away. So I made some moves this week.

I did some blackfishing along the north shore, and discovered the hype is well-warranted. Tog are fun and hard-fighting. I’ve still yet to catch a keeper, so I’ll do some more of that this week. It’s an especially good option since we have a mean ground swell coming in as I type. The waves should get pretty big the next couple days. It’s an east swell, so I’m hoping for some very clear water, to maybe do some droning.

Then, when the wind goes N/NE on Sunday morning, I’m looking for some nice waves to ride.

We’ll see how all that plays out. It’s just kind of how I’m planning my week. I gotta take advantage of all the gifts nature’s offering since my favorite gift was just annihilated by nets.

Hey, for the rest of you NOT on the south fork, fishing potential this week is looking really awesome. So don’t let me take you down with me. Get out there and bend the rod! Enjoy yourself. If the saltwater isn’t cooperating, head to the sweetwater, because those fish are chewing aplenty. I hit some carp, bass, perch and eels this week when I realized my beach was basically barren. That was some darn good therapy.

To the anglers getting on the big bass: enjoy! Take good care of those girls. Try to use single hooks, and keep the fish wet! 

Tight lines everybody.