Suffolk County / Eastern L.I. Fishing Report
- Humpback Whale off Northport, in the LI Sound! Crazy albie fishing up there.
- 14 pound fluke out east. Doormats aplenty.
- Incredible bottom fishing continues around the island.
- Striper fishing picking up.
- Nor’easter inbound.
Captree’s Laura Lee reports:
The variety of catches this week was pretty awesome. All sorts of species were caught, and decent numbers of those which were targeted came over the rail. “Yesterday’s 7 a.m. trip caught 169 fluke to 5 pounds, 30 sea bass and 20 sea robins. The Express at 7:01 caught 48 bonito, 44 albies, 6 bluefish, 75 sea bass, 70 mackerel, 79 porgies, and 15 fluke. The 1 p.m. local caught 81 fluke to 5.48 pounds, 18 sea bass, 15 sea robins, 1 triggerfish, 1 weakfish and 1 dogfish. The 6pm local caught 3 stripers, 4 weakfish, and 24 fluke.”
Solid fishing, and that was probably their worst day this week. Tuesday saw the same species with slightly better numbers. It appears the night time trips have been improving. More stripers and weakfish were caught the past two days, versus the rest of the week.
“On Friday, the 7 p.m. trip caught 2 weakfish and a blacktip shark. 2 kingfish were caught the following morning. Sunday saw an awesome morning, with 350 sea bass, 375 big porgies, 27 bonito, 7 albies, 44 mackerel, 5 fluke and 3 cunner coming over the rail.”
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Captree Bait and Tackle reports:
The pier has been producing! The boss took off last week and reeled in a bunch of kingfish and puffers. A young angler named Andrew, picked himself a nice keeper fluke from the pier yesterday. The fish weight 4.11 pounds and measured 22 inches. Frozen bunker flats are 2 for $20 until the end of the season.
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
Pelagic power! Albies are in and everyone is going crazy trying to get to them before they move on. Bonito and Spanish Mackerel have been around crashing bait schools too. Send an epoxy jig or Deadly Dick at them and rip it across the surface of the water. Fly guys will have the best luck on small baitfish imitations. You better have your two-hand strip dialed!
With a few more weeks of fluke fishing ahead of us, the action couldn’t be better. Many anglers are coming home with limits of fat fluke. Bucktails tipped with any sort of soft plastic or jig strip put in work for consistent flatty action. Shop rigs with the classic squid and spearing combo always put fish in the boat too. Weakfish are roaming the tides too, crushing light tackle setups with small bucktails and small jigs.
Striper action up north and out east remains consistent, with some really large fish being caught. There is lots of bait of various sizes and species in our waters, which should provide an excellent fall striped bass run. Sea bass action is non-stop outside, with big knuckleheads reported regularly. They’re all over epoxy jigs, bucktails, and of course our shop rigs. Snappers are getting bigger and bigger and the action at the local docks is insane! Plenty of larger snappers to cocktail sized bluefish are running around destroying bait and tackle. Kingfish and blowfish action is steady too.
Fall turnover has begun and the summer stratification is starting to dissipate. Cooler water coming up will have the fish on the feed. Bass and pickerel are already taking advantage, and are out on the prowl for an easy snack. Hit them with a swimbait, senko, jig, or crankbait to entice a bite. Big presentations will get a lot of attention this time of year. Yellow perch and bluegill are out in droves. They’ll crush inline spinners, small jigs, and the classic worm and bobber. Trout are rising in the mornings and evenings, then taking nymphs all afternoon.
Rosie Fishing of Moriches Bay has been hammering the fluke in the bay this week. Many limits were taken, and some serious fish came over the rail! Give them a call today: 631-905-5829.
Capt. Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly in Northport reports:
It is absolute mayhem on the north shore. The fishing has been off the charts, and the wildlife show may have never been this good. Nick and Will got out with Dave early in the week to tighten some lines. They caught albies galore and got bent on some stripers. The fish didn’t seem to care what you threw at them, and the boys cleaned up.
Matt Krant got out the next day to catch his first (and second) albie ever on the fly rod. The wind was ripping but the fish cooperated. Jerry Pascucci got his first fly rod albie the next day! Then he picked three more!
The next day produced some excellent albie fishing, but the real treat was watching a humpback whale breach clear out of the LI Sound water! It’s cool enough to see one anywhere, even a video of one, but to see one in your home waters is next level!
Check out Dave’s website to book him for a charter at www.northislandfly.com.
Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports:
There is still some great bottom fishing in our area, with big porgies and nice sea bass. The entire Northport harbor is chock full of adult bunker. At my marina, you can walk across the water’s surface on the backs of bunker.
Outside, we’re still jigging big blues and slot stripers under the right conditions. The fall run is here, and there are now reports of albies and bonito to the east. We’re booking blackfish trips now, which opens October 11 on the north shore. Call/text Stu at 631-707-3266 or check out Stu’s website to book a trip: northportcharters.com.
Surfcasting guide Bernie Bass found the surf bite rather inconsistent this week. The week began on a high note, with a steady pick of smaller stripers. There were some nicer bass in the mix too. That mid-week storm muddied up the water though, slowing the bite down. The bait situation remains the same: thick as ever. There’s a ton of bait and a good variety of it in the bays, inlets and ocean. The fishing should only improve this week.
The Celtic Quest Fishing Fleet of Mattituck reports:
As of ten minutes ago, the fish are biting in Mattituck! It’s blowing onshore pretty good up on the north shore, but we’ve got buckets filled with huge scup, nice sea bass and bluefish. Most anglers were hooked up as the camera rolled. This kind of action was pretty much par for the course this week. As one angler put it, “it’s off the hook… once in a lifetime fishing.” A few trips had to be cancelled this week due to weather, but the great pre-storm fishing has rebounded tremendously! Celtic Quest is on the meat. Call them at 631-928-3926 for booking info.
Capt. Phil of Fishy Business in Orient reports:
Sea bass have been keeping all our clients busy as of late. There’s some sizable fish up there, and they’re biting furiously. We’ve been catching a few blues and a few bass to mix it up as well. We’re booking blackfish trips now. They sail out of Duryea’s in Orient. Give Phil a call to book a trip: 516-316-6967.
The Shinnecock Star in Hampton Bays reports:
Gary picked a 14 pound fluke from only 8 feet of water the other day. Fishing wasn’t as good this week as it has been the past few weeks, but we did have a couple nice keepers right away. We fished the outgoing until the tide bottomed out. The water was dirty and lines were getting weeded up, but the bite maintained momentum. Gary picked his doormat on the bottom of the tide, when we thought all went quiet. It’s the biggest fluke we’ve ever boated on the Star.
“Gary’s kids and father were with him, but you would’ve thought the entire cockpit was family when the fish came up. Seeing a fish like this stays with you; but mores the joyous pandemonium that ensued on the deck and the excitement of everyone aboard… it was noisy and it was something.”
Incredible. They are on the meat as I write. Fluke are spitting up spearing and peanut bunker. Call Capt. John for trip info and reservations: 631-728-4563.
Montauk’s Viking Fleet reports:
“Yesterday we sailed off to Block Island first to target porgies. Most of the fish we found there were jumbos, and there were plenty of ‘em. We moved off the island after getting our fill, to target sea bass. Most of the fish were keepers between 4-5 pounds. We found about a half dozen keeper cod in the deep, chillin’ with the mackerel. Will Deal picked a 9 pound cod for the edible pool, and Noel Morris got a 3.25 pound porgy for the fist place pool.
Tuesday’s fishing went similarly, with a few bonus fishes in the mix. We picked a few bluefish, some triggerfish, mackerel, and a 40 pound striped bass which we released.
Sunday and Monday were about the same, but Sunday’s fluking session is worthy of mention. The fluke fishing was the best we’ve seen in weeks. First place pool went to John Bowden from Massapequa who caught a 6.5 pounder. There were lots of keepers along with that fish. That morning, John A. from Freeport won both pools, with a 3 pound porgy and an 8 pound cod.
Last week we returned from a three day trip on Thursday. We steamed off to the western tilefish grounds for day 1, and picked away and golds and grays. It was difficult, but everyone managed a fish. We headed off from there to dabble on the crazy fishing reports we’ve been receiving. Day 2’s sunrise brought epic yellowfin action. Big YFT from 50-60 pounds were coming over the rail regularly. It was an absolute bail job. Bob Greyson won the tuna pool with a 72 pound yellowfin. Bill Beacher took the mahi pool with a 14 pounder. AJ Coleman from Point Lookout took the tilefish pool with a 15 pounder.”
Call the office to book at 631-668-5700, or book online at vikingfleet.com.
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Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
If you’re having a tough time catching fish lately, you’re not alone. I feel like I’ve skunked every day I fished this week. There’s a plethora of blitzing hickory shad prepared to break the skunk, but that hardly concerns me. It’s the fall run and I want striped bass.
Give me a weakfish, a bluefish, or an albie even. I’ll take any one of them. I just can’t seem to pick any lately though. The opportunity is there, and I’m fishing at what feels like the right times. It just hasn’t been panning out for me.
For instance, yesterday evening I fly fished the surf. There were a huge amount of hickory shad blitzing, and some slot stripers were getting picked here and there, on my left and on my right. To me, the pattern was obvious, and I tried to match it with my fly tackle. I didn’t get a single tap though.
The guy next to me reeled in a bass that had hit an SP minnow, or a redfin… something long and skinny. I didn’t see what the other guys got the fish to eat, but I can imagine it being an array of lures. I feel certain that the common denominator between those lures was the color blue. Every September I repeat my folly of not throwing enough blue. I did the rounds this week, fishing the back bays, outflows, ocean beaches and creeks; I got a couple hits in a couple places, but I connected with nothing. Black, for once, was my strongest producer (at 2 hits, 0 fish). I think if I was throwing blue exclusively, I’d have performed better.
So that’s mistake number one from this week. I gotta throw blue.
Mistake number two is ignoring the reports. I’m a regular sucker for this one. Kind of ironic, and comically tragic for me, being a report writer.
I’m a little lazy and a little proud, so I don’t like to make moves to wherever the fish are known to be biting. I have one friend who ALWAYS knows where they are. He always gets on them too. He’s probably the most productive angler I know, never failing to make reports. He’s very generous too, and always fills me in on where the chew is occurring…. But you know that old saying “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink?” I’m that dumb horse.
The general consensus is “it’s slow,” but I know where the fish are. I’ve been here before, ignoring the reports and attempting to make my own. The reports I end up making are typically skunks, especially when I’m not showcasing any consistency. I’m bouncing all over the place, at all sorts of hours. I’m choosing my tides, but I’m choosing the wrong ones and the wrong places. Different obligations have kept my potential for a consistent effort down, and my productivity is suffering as a result.
It’s also tough to maintain momentum when there’s no reward for your effort. We haven’t had consistent weather, and the fish haven’t been chewing very consistently. If I should run into a bite, I’m definitely going to be there the same tide/time the next day; my lucky friends who found the fish are doing just that, but they’re finding no signs of life the next night. I intend to return to the same beach I mentioned earlier, to throw blue at sunset. I have a feeling the situation is going to be completely different though. I reckon I’d be better off chasing those aforementioned reports I was given.
Decisions, decisions.
The good news is, there’s still a ton of life out there. I’m still waiting for the whole thing to burst wide open. Where I’m looking, I’m seeing tons and tons of bunker. It’s at least the same quantity that’s been here all summer, but possibly more. I saw my first whale in two weeks, just yesterday morning. That was a beautiful thing. That humpback being so deep in the LI Sound is just insane too. As cool as it is, I can’t help but wonder if it was back there searching for a lost relative. If those tail slaps and giant body slams on the water’s surface are indeed means of communication, that may unfortunately be the case. I hope it was just back there having a good time though. Who knows! Check out the videos on Dave Flanagan’s instagram page: @northislandfly.
This talk of whale communication got me thinking about an article I read this week:
It was extremely interesting. My eyes were glued to it. Hope you enjoy.
Back to the fishing…
We’ve got some MEAN weather coming at us. Perfect.
Betting anglers should venture to Montauk with a wetsuit. My biggest Montauk fish came during an October Nor’easter 7 years ago.
It was shoulder to shoulder on the north side, with a plethora of bent rods. There was a whole line of anglers who showed up late and didn’t have a rock to cast from. I was there very early, and so was on the front line. One idiot casted over my shoulder and tangled up. I threw his bucktail at him, and he quit casting over me. I was going on my third hour of casting, without a hit, when there was a momentary break in the wind. I beasted my bucktail out there at that perfect moment, achieving my longest cast of the day. I wouldn’t waste this opportunity; I let the bucktail sink, and sink, and sink. I reeled fast to come tight, somewhere near the sea floor. Shortly after coming tight, a firm thump occurred. I set the hell out of that hook.
Folks to my right and left had remained fishless for the past half hour, and I’m sure they noticed that this was the first time my rod was bending. I did stand out, after all, amongst the hardcore StormR black and Aquaseal blue jackets; I was wearing a dark green, PVC, rain-proof work jacket and pants. The brand was Tingley, look it up. I was the goofiest dude those rocks have seen in a generation, and the show I ended up putting on was equally goofy.
Luckily, my rockhopping neighbors didn’t hold my googanesque attire against me. They all stopped casting to watch my fight. I acknowledged their etiquette with loud exclamations of gratitude and apologies. None of them minded pausing for a bit though, which was super cool.
The fish made two insane runs. One was straight out, away from land, and slightly upcurrent. Once it got to the end of that sprint, I tried collecting line, but couldn’t. It quickly took another, much longer run downcurrent (northward towards Shagwong). At this point, all the guys to my left (maybe 25 anglers) stopped casting to watch. I collected line like a madman at this point. I had the fish within 50 yards of me again, when it made one more run for the money. The fish straight up overpowered me on this run. My rod bent and bent, and I could hardly hold on. The fish pulled me straight forward off my rock, and I nosedived straight into the water.
Blinded by whitewater, I fumbled around for a grip with my free left hand, as my right hand maintained a kung fu grip on my rod. I found a rock and did a one hand push-up to get my face out of the water. I threw my right hand as high as I could while I got to my knees, to prevent the braid from finding any of the rocks’ broken barnacles. I could hear guys saying “ohh that thing’s gone.” I got to my feet and bent the hell out of the rod to show them it wasn’t!
The fish came in quickly after that, completely spent. It was the biggest bass of the day. I got off my rock in my stupid green suit and trudged to the beach. I’d dispatch it and drive straight to Tight Lines Tackle to weigh it. This would be my first and last tournament entry, at 31.25 pounds. It came in second place a few days later to a fish that was 31.5 pounds. Close call.
That was the first week of October in 2015. We’ve got a similar storm inbound for the first week of October 2022.
I’m betting on it.
See you out there. Stay safe. Don’t do stuff you can’t handle, putting yourself and potentially others in harm’s way. Tight lines.
Please add reports for N Fork and Peconic. Call Wego in Southold and Kenny at Tight Lines in Sag H. Thanks.
Great story,I enjoyed every word down to reeling in striper. Nice fish and I hope this weekend paysoff for everyone
seeking a striper. Good luck to all and have patience,and it usually pays off!
Remember Bow and Set the hook, I always give the set a heavy lift.
Tim,
I love your reports and your drone footage! You allow us older folks to see things we knew were occurring but in much better detail. I will give you some inspiration. We have a ton of bait and bass up in Cape Cod bay, and even north of Gloucester. They will all be down there shortly. With water temps up, maybe we will even see a November herring bite in Montauk!