Peanuts galore! The whole island is primed for a great fall run with lots of juvenile menhaden. Epic tuna bite within sight of NYC. False albacore are the talk of the town, as they invade inlets around most of the island. I’m hearing of big bluefish being caught all over. It sounds sporadic, but there are some gators around. Some good fluke fishing went down this week.
Long Island Fishing Report
Frank from Bernie’s Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn reports:
The overall picture had not changed much prior to yesterday. It’s hard to say what will happen to the fishing after that tremendous amount of rain fell though. Henri didn’t really put a dent on anything, everything seemed to continue as normal, and the fishing was good. Tuna were still being caught, and sharks still being caught. Everything else was still in play. Wind wasn’t much of a factor in this storm, but the insane amount of runoff and freshwater should have an effect. There will be murky water for a couple days, and fish will likely retreat to deeper water. Albies have been showing at Staten Island and Breezy Point. Coney island flats are one of their favorite haunts, where it’s 20-25 feet of water in many areas. They’re often seen there chasing spearing. Snappers came on strong. Crabbing was good. The bluefish situation is still the same – party boats targeting them are doing okay, as they’re hitting the deeper water. Stripers are still a night fishery, although the latest reports show schoolies in the boat basins. Fish from 14-18 inches are being seen and caught in marinas. Porgy fishing was relentless prior to the storm, and that should bounce back pretty good. There is lots of peanut bunker around, and that should make for some great fluking. 12-20 feet of water is typically the prime target for that fishing. Consider an area like Great Kills, and look for bouncing peanut bunker. Fluke will probably be hanging out underneath, picking them off.
Josh at Gypsea Charters in the Rockaways reports:
Fluke fishing remains good when the weather allows for ocean fishing. We’ve seen limits on each trip, with fish to seven pounds. There have also been a lot more sea bass sprinkling in, filling buckets throughout the trips. Striped bass fishing has remained excellent; we’ll continue fishing for them when we’re unable to get into the ocean for fluke. Text 516-659-3814 for info on availability.
Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reports:
Martin of “MJ” caught an 8.4-pound fluke on a Bay Park Peruvian smelt and a KO 2 hook fluke killer. Chris, Seamus, and Brian of “On The Dawn” caught a 95-pound bluefin tuna just offshore near the tankers. Cole Owens-Coney had a nice keeper fluke while fishing aboard the “Fatal Attraction” near the AB reef.
Captain Willie of the Capt Lou Fleet in Freeport reports:
Lots of quality black sea bass are coming over the rail lately. Fluking has been very good too, and they’re running a bunch of fluke trips this week. The whale watching has been spectacular as well. Some awesome photos were sent in by those aboard their most recent trips. The Starstream VIII is sailing two 1/2 day trips daily. Book your trip at www.captloufleet.com.
Point Lookout’s Super Hawk congratulated their long-time client Rich on his doormat fluke, which was caught aboard their boat and weighed in at 12 pounds & 12 ounces. He caught the fish on light tackle, and it’s the biggest fluke they’ve boated this year. Other catches this week consisted of sea bass, porgies, more fluke, some triggerfish, and more. Call Capt. Steve to make a reservation: 516-607-3004.
Captree’s Laura Lee seems to catch more and more mackerel with each passing day. This week had trips resulting in over 200 mackerel. Other fish chewed well, like sea bass and fluke. Nathanial Johnson brought an 8.6-pound flatty over the rail on Monday. Good numbers of porgies were taken, and triggerfish were a regular occurrence. Barrelfish were somewhat common as well, and bluefish showed face on a few occasions. Squid were a mainstay on Friday evening. Rough seas on Saturday necessitated a switch in the gameplan. Instead of targeting the ocean, they hit the bay for stripers, weaks and blues. The trip resulted in 3 weakfish, 1 sea bass, and 1 fluke. Again, the lack of striper reports from the Laura Lee this year is extremely interesting to me. Last but not least, some bonito and false albacore were caught this week. Another note of interest is that there have been way more reports of bonito than false albacore (so far).
Dave Flanagan of “North Island Fly” reports:
The central LI Sound is filled to the brim with bait, and he’s patiently awaiting the grand arrival of bonito and false albacore. Lately, it’s been bluefish blitzes galore, with fish from 2-10 pounds along the beaches feeding upon peanut bunker. A little farther west, the bass are getting in on these blitzes. You can always try targeting the fish in the deeper rips in the late afternoon as they are stacking up and gorging on the peanuts out there as well. Dave says it’s the year of the peanut bunker, and he’s hoping that the hardtails make a slightly early appearance. He’s been covering a lot of ground lately, seeing a few Spanish Mackerel popping up; you need to be quick to get them though. There may have been some bonito in the mix too, but with no consistency. The deepwater bluefish have slowed their role, but Dave and his charter were able to catch a 37 inch, 17-pound gator a few days before the WICC tournament. Dave will be spending the next few weeks targeting water in Smithtown Bay, Mattituck, and even on the south shore areas like Shinnecock and Moriches. He’s on the hunt for early hardtails. Reach out to him and mention that you read this OTW report for a discount on a full-day trip in September. Dave has a lot of openings in August. Book him for a charter now at www.northislandfly.com.
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport reports:
The WICC tournament finished up with a majority of the biggest fish coming from Connecticut. The winning fish was just over 17 pounds. The biggest fish that came to Cow Harbor was around 10 pounds. It’s been super rainy due to Ida, but that hasn’t dampened Mark’s spirits. Fall is in the air! There are acres and acres of peanuts on the north shore, but that doesn’t even begin to describe the actual amount of bait. It is ridiculous how many peanut bunker are up there. This bait tends to provide some amazing fuel for the fall run. The cocktail bluefish that like to feed on them tend to bring in some huge striped bass. Mark says it’s not uncommon for a 50 pounder to be landed when the peanuts are in. False albacore should show up soon to start munching on them, as their cousin the bonito showed up last week. Big fluke love peanuts, and you’ll even see some monsters inside the harbor. Expect some weakfish to be feeding on them too. All these predators should be well dialed on the peanuts. That, plus the cooling weather and water, and the incoming fall run are all great reasons to get excited for some stellar fishing on the horizon!
The Celtic Quest Fishing Fleet of Port Jefferson continued their porgy smackdown this week, with a couple of sea bass to boot. The porgy fishing has been great this year. They’ll be sailing regularly, weather permitting. Go to celticquestfishing.com to buy a ticket.
The Shinnecock Star in Hampton Bays has finally finished their engine maintenance and will be sailing on Friday. They are excited to take you out! There should be some good fish waiting.
Ethan at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports:
Striped bass fishing has been okay. There’s not a lot of big fish around yet. Those in the area are school-sized for the most part. A couple guys are getting some into the teens, but the population of large is pretty thin right now. The bluefish on the beach and in the inlet are small. Fluking is pretty decent lately. Guys getting some pretty good fish. And there are weakfish and triggerfish kicking around still. All the normal early September stuff is simmering. There’s been an inshore yellowfin bite around 40 fathoms, where guys are finding fish between 40-60 pounds. Offshore, they’re finding some larger yellows and bigeyes. West Atlantis and the canyons have been the places to be. Bryce from the shop kicked around inshore the other day looking for some inshore bluefin, to no avail. He did see some schools of halfbeaks being tossed, but that could’ve been anything.
Surf guide Bill Wetzel of the Surf Rats Ball reports:
Steven fished the western LI Sound this Sunday morning before sunrise, finding a few short stripers on a Gibbs metal lip. Word on the street is there are some big bluefish in the area.
Montauk’s Viking Fleet came across some tough fishing after this Monday. Monday’s trips were pretty awesome, with a half dozen triggerfish and a nice mix of porgies and sea bass. I’ll also mention some pool winners from Sunday: Gabryella Vasquez from Bay Shore caught a 5.75-pound fluke Wyatt Kulp from Springs caught a 4.75-pound triggerfish; John DeBenedreth from Selden caught a 5-pound fluke. Back to Monday, when Alex Leiter of Larchmont caught a 4.5-pound sea bass. Tuesday wasn’t half bad, with some big porgies and sea bass hanging on a rock pile. Yesterday was tough though. They caught some bottom fish, but the bite was slow.
Chris Albronda gave me the goods on Montauk:
The striped bass are still here! The large ones that were around all summer are still kicking, which is very surprising for this time of year; normally these fish are long gone by this point. The smaller “fall run” variety of stripers have arrived, with false albacore in tow, feeding on bay anchovies, juvenile herring and squid. There’s a ton of surface activity on the north side. Bottom fishing is still producing a wide variety of fish. Black sea bass fishing has been phenomenal, and fluke fishing has been just as good. Dan on the Double D has been doing some cod fishing trips. It’s been a beatdown, and a good reminder that you don’t need to freeze your fingers off to catch them. Offshore, the shark fishery is still producing. Some very large female mako sharks were released last week. The tuna grounds are still productive as well, with some awesome yellowfin, bigeye and bluefin available. Mahi mahi fishing is as good as it gets out here. Chris is doing open boat trips with Tailwrapped Sportfishing charters. Check them out on social media, and/or give Chris a call to book a trip at 631-830-3881.
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
Get on that hardtail bite before they’re gone! Albies, Spanish mackerel, and frigate mackerel are all here harassing all sorts of bait. Hit them with diamond jigs, epoxy jigs, or small baitfish flies like Surf Candy and Albie Snax. The shop is loaded with jigs, rods, and reels ready to go. Fluking inside the bay is still very hot! Light tackle and finesse presentations is the name of the game for the big ones. Bucktails tipped with Fat Cow strips, and Gulp! mullets and grubs are getting smashed to bits. The classic squid and spearing combo will always do the trick too of course. The ocean bite is going well on the reef and local wrecks. Just size up your bucktails or sinkers to get down to the action. Sea Bass action at the wrecks is great, with lots of big fish coming up over the rails. 4-pound fish are not uncommon. Clams on the shop chicken rigs always do the trick. The Sea Bass also love big diamond jigs, epoxy jigs, and bucktails sent straight down to them. For bigger fish, head to the wrecks a bit farther off. Stripers still require a bit of local knowledge to find right now, especially anything of good size. The back bays and skinny water seem to be the best places to find a solid summer bass. Some really solid fish are starting to show face in the local waters. Stripers in the 12-15 pound range have been caught this week. Weakfish have started to show up again for a solid late summer run. They seem to be all over from Montauk to Jones Beach. Bright colors and light tackle are the best way to target and catch these fish. Freshwater action remains with the same summer advice: stick with swimbaits, lipless cranks, jigs, soft plastics, and topwater lures for bass and pickerel. Throw topwater lures for the morning and evenings for the best luck, and everything else mid-day since the water is still pretty warm. Work the grass lines, lily pads, stumps, logs, and any other structure you can find for the lurking bigger fish. For the sunfish and perch, all you need is some worms and bobbers and you’re set to fish all day, or you can throw an inline spinner, small soft plastic, or marabou jig for some really fun active fishing! These little fish are tons of fun for any angler no matter the skill level or age, especially on an ultralight setup.
Long Island Forecast
This year just keeps getting crazier. The first thing I saw on Instagram this morning was from @longislandwiseguy, reposting a video of the Long Island Expressway flooded with what looked like 2+ feet of water. Some of you might have to take a jetski to work today. Then I see News12 LI repost some insane images of a fat tornado at a New Jersey toll booth, and more videos of flooding in NY and NJ. The local effects of this storm (Ida) seem way more devastating than the previous storm (Henri) we were all freaking out about.
Then, my friend Matt sends me this video from Fisherman’s Headquarters’ Instagram. Two weeks ago I wrote about “blitzes,” specifically regarding sharks. I referenced an experience I had in 2017, where sharks breached a dozen at a time, ripping through bunker schools on the surface. The video Matt sent me was on par with that experience, an all-out shark blitz, just off the beach. You have to check it out. It’s one of those situations where you can toss any kind of lure out there and get a ferocious eat, especially if you present something on the surface. It’s awesome that somebody filmed it. I get the feeling that this kind of thing is becoming more common, and we’ll all have plenty more opportunities in the near future to witness something so radical, perhaps in person. Make sure you have a look at that video from Fisherman’s Headquarters.
You should also have a look at BlackTipH’s new video, which shows him and the guys from Brooklyn Fishing Club catching monster bluefin within sight of the NYC skyline. I’ve only heard about that bite, and now I’ve seen it… the ease with which these guys are catching such enormous tuna so close to shore definitely qualifies it as “epic.”
Coming out of this heavy rainfall, it’s tough to say what’s going to happen. The amount of runoff that will be entering local waters could potentially be devastating to all the bait. I’ve already heard of one peanut bunker die-off on the island; the amount of crud running into the water right now could potentially cause some serious toxic algae blooms, lowering the oxygen levels and suffocating fish. Look out for fish kills in the near future.
Also, look out for the albies and bonito; unless you’re running off for tuna, I feel like nothing else is as important right now. I think we can count on all those other species that were doing so well prior to the storms to continue the feed. Now, I’m looking for what’s next. The south shore is still inundated with bunker, and there are some tuna on them. I was watching bluefin explode on them just 150 yards from the beach yesterday; nothing gets me more amped than that. There were definitely some bass and blues participating in the feed as well.
Although I haven’t been doing so much fishing this week (instead I’m working), I’ve been getting up and watching the water and seeing the blitzes. If that didn’t make it feel like Autumn, the cooler temps definitely did. The only thing that’s keeping it feeling like summer is the fluke bite, and my ridiculous workload. When I have gotten out, I’ve demoralized myself by casting a fly into the surf. It’s rough stuff, but when I’m getting bites, it’s pretty much always a fluke eating a Clouser minnow. I’ve got nothing big yet, but at least I’m catching [sometimes].
After Labor Day, I’m diving into fishing and filming hardcore. I cannot wait. This summer was brutal for me, and probably anybody else who had to work in an understaffed business. I know that’s a lot of us. People just didn’t want to work this year. Those of us who did are better off for it. I’m sick of it at this point though, and ready for some rod bending action. Expect some cool stuff in the near future. Tight lines everyone. Have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend.
