As signs of the Fall Run begin to trickle into my new home waters of Cape Cod, I am reminiscing on past years spent fishing around the west end of Long Island. Come late August and early September, the fishing out west on L.I. was, and still is vastly different than my occasional night outings on the North Fork. If you’re interested in fishing around the North or South Fork you’ll want to read the Eastern Long Island Fishing Report from OTW Contributor and drone pilot-extraordinaire, Tim Regan.
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Looking for Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report? Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and the Forks!
Out west, things were borderline strange this time of year. I once hooked and lost a small jack crevalle on a white paddletail while fishing around a bridge east of Jones Inlet. That’s a sub-tropical species, but there are usually a few of them caught after an influx of warm water from the Gulf Stream.
Other species like spot, a type of croaker, are visiting from the south in greater in numbers, especially around New York City. Members of the Brooklyn Fishing Club have been catching them regularly, and although small, they’re apparently pretty tasty. You can target them with relative ease using a similar high-low rig as you’d use to fish for puffers. A lightweight bank sinker and small bait holder hooks with clam or squid will suffice, but don’t be surprised if you receive a ton of bycatch while trying to locate these little visitors.
Captain Josh of Gypsea Charters in Howard Beach, Queens reports:
“Excellent ocean fluking continues! Loads of action on all trips with quite a few limits being taken everyday. We will only see a few more weeks of hot fishing before this ends, so get on out while its good. Big fish of the week was caught by Jamaal H., Sr. tipping the scales over the double-digit mark.” Reservations are a must, call/text (516)659-3814 to book your trip today!
Robert at Jacks Bait and Tackle in City Island, Bronx reports:
“Bluefish are thrashing bunker pods and when they’re not on top, they’re hitting jigs. Diamond jigs are a great producer when the fishing is slow. The bass have dissipated a bit, but the local stripers are going for poppers and jigs as well. Anglers interested in porgies are crushing them on just about everything from clams to bloodworms and sandworms. Meanwhile, fluke fishing has showed some steady improvement with most of the quality fish coming on stripped squid and spearing. Stop into the shop for your fresh bait and rent a skiff to get on the action yourself!”
Captain Rich of Rockfish Charters in Brooklyn reports:
“No cobia this week, but bluefin tuna have invaded he NY Bight. New Jersey, Long Island, and Brooklyn reefs have been holding giant bluefin tuna. Many boats have been getting in on the action, catching and releasing as well. With the commercial season closed, we have released bluefin to well over 100” on the Rockfish. Truly epic times to be fishing despite adversarial times.”
Sound Bound Charters out of New Rochelle and Mamaroneck reports:
“The Wednesday morning trip found some excellent fluke fishing with a slew of keepers and even more 17- to 18-inch fish. Those fish fall just shy of the minimum size limit but put up a fun fight and some consistent action. Wednesday night’s open boat porgy trip did a number on the scup. Buckets filled quickly and a bunch of new anglers got hooked on the sport thanks to this scup fishery.
Bluefish feeds can be expected on the Sound as they thrash schools of bunker on the surface as well. Fluke and porgies have kept the fleet booked and busy most of the week, but they have availability for Friday morning’s 8 a.m. trip.”
Book online at soundboundcharters.com or call (347)843-5310 to reserve your spot.
Mike at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports:
“Fluking has been good out front with most of the action coming from local wrecks and reefs. Guys are catching keepers using both Gulp and bait, namely squid strips and spearing. The blues have followed schools of silversides into the bay, and fishermen are catching with small plugs and spoons, especially at sundown. The cobia bite is still going on outside our inlet between Jones Beach and Long Beach as well. Anyone interested in catching stripers will mostly find success at night using swimming plugs and soft plastics on jigs.”
Paul McCain of River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin reports:
“On an incoming tide there’s been a really great bluefish bite, with fish anywhere from 2- to 10-pounds. There are tons of spearing in the back bays, so move around to find the bait and you’ll find the fish. I’m hearing the same all around the island on the bluefish front. There are also snappers in, and they have some good size to them which is promising for next year’s bluefish run. They are a blast on the fly. Stripers are around too, but its mostly a night game until the water cools down. The water has been very clean due to a lack of rain, which sometimes makes the bluefish surprisingly finicky, so be selective with your leader and/or tippet choice.
Our freshwater streams are very low because we depend on ground water on Long Island. The Connetquot River is fishing okay, but it’s best in the mornings when the water is coolest. I ran up to the Farmington River in Connecticut where the water is very cool so the fish are biting well, but on small flies. If you can trick them, you’ll be rewarded with plenty of 14- to 17-inch trout.”
Stop by Paul’s shop for a chat, and pick up some flies with a side of local fly-fishing knowledge that you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
Freeport Bait and Tackle reports steady fluke fishing on the south shore, especially by the wrecks and reefs, but also in the surf! Bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp or a jig strip have been getting the job done. In deeper water, it helps to have both bait and artificial lures ready for the flatties, as they can be picky. Snapper blues are in the harbors and marinas, and can be targeted with ease using Kastmasters and small spoons. Swing by the shop on your way down to the beach!
For anglers looking to meet in the middle, Captree State Park is a great place to do it.
Captree’s Laura Lee reports:
“Yesterday’s 7 a.m. caught 38 fluke to 5.2 pounds, 111 sea bass, 32 scup, 5 mackerel, 3 ling and 7 sea robins. The 8 a.m. trip caught 139 fluke, 6 triggerfish, 123 sea bass, 49 scup, and 16 sea robins. The 1 p.m. Express caught 75 sea bass, 185 porgies, 11 fluke, 1 trigger and 23 robins. The 2 p.m. Local bay trip caught 116 fluke, 33 sea robins and 11 sea bass. At 6 p.m. the Express caught 214 sea bass, 302 porgies, 87 mackerel, 1 ling and 1 squid.
One weakfish was caught Tuesday, plus more of the aforementioned species. Monday and Tuesday morning’s trips were cancelled. Sunday went similarly to yesterday’s trips, with the addition of a cow nose ray and a stargazer on the afternoon trip. A cod came up on Saturday, plus fluke to 7.2 pounds. A sun dial and 4 rays were caught on the afternoon trip. Friday also picked fluke to over 7 pounds; the 8 a.m. trip picked 443 big ocean fluke.”
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Looking for Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report? Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and the Forks!
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island or NYC!
Western Long Island/NYC Fishing Forecast
This is the best time of year for fishing on Long Island. I said it in last week’s report and I’m saying it again this week!
Freshwater fishing, although generally slow, is still productive. Take a few topwaters or wake baits to your local bass pond and watch the magic happen after dusk falls. You’d be surprised at the size of some of these Long Island largemouth. Some of my favorite ponds in Nassau County fished poorly during the day, but great at night. Fish with a friend if it makes you more comfortable, because it will only increase your odds in catching some biggins.
Fishing from a kayak this time of year is perhaps the best way to fish. You now have access to deeper water, and new, unexplored territory if you plan to fish around the back bays and channel of the West End. Right around late August, I began finding bluefish with ease, just like Paul McCain and others reported this week. But mixed in with the bluefish are some surprises!
Dropping a diamond jig to the bottom in deep channels this time of year can yield some surprises, like a midday striper or a keeper sea bass inside the inlet. Hickory shad don’t surprise me, as I often found them as early as May in our back bays each spring; but hickory shad do excite me, because when they show up en masse again, it’s an early indicator of the fall run kicking off.
You don’t have to wait until the Fall Run to catch stripers though, you just have to work much harder for them. Jigging bucktails and soft plastics late at night in the back bay channels on the south shore will be your best bet, as moving water brings the bait to these already lazy bass. On the north shore, low light hours at sunrise and sunset seem in the bays and harbors seem to be the key producers. OTW Contributor Sean Conway found gator bluefish and slot bass using topwater spooks just past the Suffolk/Nassau County divide the other night. It took some wading, but the fish were feeding on the surface and that is hard to pass up.
Spanish mackerel are around on the south shore, and even in the Long Island Sound (closer to the Connecticut side). They can be targeted with small tins and casting jigs, and they’re usually the first hardtails to show up each year; keep an eye out for bonito and albies as they move in from offshore. With rumblings of bonito in Montauk, it’s only a matter of time before the speedsters pick up any late-summer slack that exists.