Long Island Fishing Report
Western L.I. and NYC
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@li_kayak_fishing).
- Blackfish season opens in the Long Island Sound, NY Bight opens this Sunday, 10/15.
- Striped bass active on both shores, from the back bays and inlets to the surf and open ocean.
- Angry, aggressive bluefish on the move.
- Albies & bonito in the Western Long Island Sound and around South shore inlets and reefs.
Petey Trovato from Lindenhurst Bait and Tackle reports:
“Striped bass fishing has picked up big time and boats are getting after it. Most bass are being caught around the bridges on clams and live eels with circle hooks. The stripers will also take trolled mojos, and flutter spoons either trolled or jigged from the boat at slow speeds around structure.
Blackfish season opens this Sunday for the South shore and it looks like it’s going to be a productive opening day for many on the bridges and near the rock piles. Crabs on hi-lo rigs or blackfish jigs will always be your best bet. We also have fresh live eels in stock, so stop in and get ready to catch cow striped bass!”
Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh told me:
“It’s been a pretty epic fall run so far, the beach bite has been on fire and a lot of schoolies and slot size fish are being caught in the surf on diamond jigs, SP minnows, and Joe Baggs swarters. There hasn’t been much bunker around but boat anglers have bee ncatching on the limited pods either casting lures or live lining the bunker on the edges of the pods where bass can single them out and hit them.
Blackfish season has been off to a great start on the North shore and on Sunday it should be a great opening day for the South shore. Be sure to stock up on tog jigs and crabs!”
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside said:
“Striped bass in the 40-50lb class made an appearance this week, with most fish being caught on trolled mojos and jigged up with flutter spoons. Bunker schools have been active at certain times, and a live-lined bunker is a certain way to hook into a big striper or bluefish. The action has been incredible! We can’t wait for tog season to open on the 15th in the NY Bight area. Bay park has all your striper and blackfish needs!”
Paul McCain from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin said:
“The freshwater rivers and streams on Long Island have been in great shape and there’s an excellent dry fly bite going on right now. While guiding a group from the city on the Connequot, one of them actually caught a clean stream-bred brown trout on a dry fly, which was a unique but not totally unheard of catch from there. If you’ve ever wanted to try fly fishing now is a great time to give it a shot (and potentially get spoiled by the great action) whether its on the Connetquot or at the various ponds and streams across the island. The weather is fantastic this week and you should really get out and make the most of it before the rain turns on and the wind picks up.”
John from Freeport Bait and Tackle reports:
“There’s been big bass all over, from the bridges to the inlets and in the surf. Bass Assassins worked by the bridge pilings can produce fish from schoolie size to overslot size. Boat anglers are having good success trolling mojos. While the bunker have been thin, there’s some pods to be found out west by the Rockaways and outside the inlets. The bass have been mostly on small bait like sandeels and peanut bunker due to the lack of adult bunker. Small soft plastics, metals and minnow imitations are your best bet. “
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports that the fall run is in full swing after they made the shift from fluke fishing to stripers and tautog last week. The skipper reports:
“Striper fishing has been exceptional this past week with the cooler temperatures and north winds. We expect things to bust wide open with the new moon this coming Sunday. We will also shift gears for the blackfish opener on Sunday as well! We expect good fishing right out of the gate and continue to get better with dropping water temperatures. All open boat trips are by reservation only. Call or text (516)659-3814 for information and reservations.”
Rockfish Charters in Queens reports a great week of fishing on all fronts, and their best day of tuna catching all year after going 8 for 12 on bluefin tuna up to 60 inches. Inshore, 40-pound-class stripers are crushing bunker schools right off the local beaches with albies cruising around the smaller bait schools in between. The fishing doesn’t get much better than this. Call them at (347)661-4501 to book a trip while it lasts.
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Here’s what anglers have been posting on social media:
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Striped bass activity has really taken off. Whether it’s schoolies in the back bays, slots off the jetty rocks and beaches, or huge cows pulled from bridge pilings. Anglers are finding success fishing live eels, imitation eels, plugs, poppers, spoons, and swim shads for morone saxatilis. I’ve seen a lot more fish getting caught on topwater in shallow back bay waters, where peanut bunker get cornered and blitzed on.
Last weekend my buddy Rob and I went out in the early afternoon hoping to get on some of the big fall stripers that have been around on the North Shore. We spent the first two hours jigging, working top water poppers and spook lures, and ultimately fell back on the tube and worm with limited success. One dropped bluefish and just one schoolie on topwater was all we had to show for our first three hours of fishing. To make things worse, the wind had picked up suddenly and we were getting thrashed around by an East wind for about an hour or so before it finally laid down.
Almost around the same time the tide flipped to outgoing, the wind calmed down, and not long after we started hitting big, gator bluefish on trolling tubes. As we caught them we recognized the spot – a boulder pile with a depth change that produce ripping current. We started running through that spot and getting bit every single time by large, chopper bluefish.
We changed lures to throw poppers hoping to attract some big blowups, but ultimately went back to the tubes, as we couldn’t get the fish to rise. We had gator bluefish until our arms fell off, and after 4 to 5 bluefish a piece, both of us hooked into beautiful 30-inch class stripers.
Western L.I. and NYC Fishing Forecast
Another beautiful week, and a weekend with rain. Hopefully, you’ve been able to get out and appreciate the cool mornings and warm afternoons this weak on or near the water. We have a new moon phase starting this Saturday, the 14th. So now is an excellent time to be going out in the early mornings before sunrise or late at night for striped bass. These will be the darkest nights of the month, and an awesome window for catching fish. High tide will be around 6:00-7:00PM on the South shore and 10:00-11:00PM on the North shore.
For North shore anglers, blackfish season has started in the Long Island Sound and the James Joseph II out of Huntington had an excellent opening day with many quality tog landed and happy patrons sent home with meat. They sail daily open boat trips from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anglers from shore have found success as well on hi-lo rigs tipped with asian crabs or cut green crab, but porgy are still around en masse and you’ll have to contend with a lot of porgy bycatch between blackfish. If you’re vessel-bound, its imperative that you anchor accurately over a rock or wreck to give you the best chance at hitting blackfish and not scup or sea bass.
When it comes to tog bait, I’m a fan of Asian shore crabs for both their size and their availability. Visit any rocky shoreline (the entire North shore of Long Island) at low tide and start flipping rocks for free bait. Being an invasive species, there’s no limit to how many Asian crabs you can keep and you can easily fill a bucket in a half-hour of flipping. Look for flat rocks with seaweed growing on them and a gap underneath.
While Asian crabs are convenient, green crabs may arguably be the better bait for those seeking a trophy tog. Naturally, being much larger and meatier and juicier than Asian crabs, a whole green crab with It’s legs removed and shell cracked is a quality presentation for large blackfish. I like to hook them through a leg socket and out the back of the shell. Sometimes I cut the crab in half, but most times I just trim the legs off and crack the middle of the shell to disperse the juice. I find that the whole crab with the legs removed just stays on the hook better and gives you more of a window to set the hook vs. a half crab, which can also be more easily pulled off or picked clean by swarms of bergall or scup. With Asian crabs, I just skewer one, two, or even three like a shish kebab right down the middle of the hook, or sometimes through their sides, depending on the size of the crab.
While not as effective as crab, there are options for artificial bait that will successfully catch tog. I’ve experimented with artificial cut bait and even slow pitch jigs and had blackfish on both. If you’re looking for a unique way to land some tog this season, consider working micro slow-pitch jigs or epoxy jigs on the bottom, giving shorter lifts than you normally would and letting the jig sit flat on the bottom for a bit longer. A tog might just pick it up. Alternatively, artificial cut bait like fish bites clam or crab flavor will certainly catch tog (as well as porgies) and are more durable through the nibbling bites than a natural crab bait. I like to keep a bag or two of Fish Bites with me every season to fall back on when I run out of crabs.
Whether you’re togging or bassing this fall, I hope you get out and catch your personal best. Thanks for reading, and tight lines.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@li_kayak_fishing).
Eastern Long Island Fishing Report
The Eastern L.I. Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYS surf/fly fishing guide and drone pilot, Tim Regan (@southforksalt).
- Good start to blackfish season on the north shore.
- Big bass getting caught on the south shore beaches, from Montauk to Captree. First signs of real blitzes.
- Solid albie bite along the north shore continues.
- Awesome offshore fishing slowed down by the end of this week.
- Baitfish bonanza is materializing. Bunker, spearing, anchovies, needlefish, mullet, you name it.
The Captree Pride reports:
“Yesterday’s pelagic trip was wild, with 100 bonito, 30 albies, a limit of bluefish and 150 scup coming over the rail. Anglers were killing it with diamond jigs. We’re running another trip on Friday. Yellowfin fishing has been on fire lately too, and we’ve been picking at the sea bass and scup no problem when we can’t get offshore.”
Capt. Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly in Northport reports:
“There’s been some great fishing on the north shore. We picked stripers all week, of all sizes. Albies were on the menu too; Ryan put a few hardtails on the boat using fly gear over the weekend. Jerry had some bass early in the week, and Adam joined me on Sunday to catch his first topwater fly striper.” Check out Dave’s website to book him for a charter at northislandfly.com.
The Celtic Quest Fishing Fleet of Port Jefferson reports:
“We fished out of Mattituck yesterday to try for some tautog. The blackfish weren’t biting great, but we managed a handful of keepers and a couple dozen shorts. We did have some nice sea bass and lots of scup though. John Gryn caught our first keeper tog of the season! The tog have been taking clams when we’ve been targeting scup and sea bass. We had a couple stripers our of Mattituck the other day; one was over the slot and the other was short.” Call them at 631-928-3926 for booking info, or check the website/Facebook for more info.
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
“The fall run of striped bass is off to a great start. Lots of big fish are roaming around our waters, eating all sorts of bait. The ocean is lit up with fish in the 40-50 pound class. Head out early, and bring an arsenal of jigs, poppers, swimmers, and bucktails and get to casting! There is plenty of bait in the bay; hopefully the bass find out and follow them in. The tautog season opener on the north shore has been going extremely well. There are plenty of fish on the rock piles, eagerly eating bushels of crab. South shore opening day is this Sunday, the 15th. A shop favorite fish, we are stacked with jigs, rigs, hooks, bait, and gear to pull the tog you’ve been after! Weakfish are peppered all over the bay, holding out in structure and chewing on jigs and soft plastics. Light tackle is the key to success for these unicorns.
Bass and pickerel are doing their thing and getting fat for the winter. Get their attention with swimbaits, senkos, jigs, and shiny spoons. Topwater lures are also a possibility; the early morning and evening hours are your best shots there. If you’re after trout, dry flies are very effective for rising fish during the entire fall. Late morning and mid day, the trout will drop down to feed… hang a dropper nymph under your dry fly, or set up a proper nymphing rig to take full advantage. Aggressive trout will take down streamers too. Sunfish and yellow perch are out and just as hungry for a meal. They’ll eat worms all day long, so try hanging one under a bobber or send it to the bottom with a split shot.”
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The Peconic Star 3 of Greenport reports:
“Yesterday was a great opening day for blackfish. We had a lot of fun c&r fishing, with 12- to 15-inch shorts, plus plenty of keepers with fish to 8 pounds. They’re pretty much our main target from here on out. The day prior, we had an excellent end to our porgy/seabass program. We poked around earlier in the week, and found fish scattered everywhere. We pulled up some bluefish along with the usual suspects.”
Brooklyn Girl in Orient reports:
“Saturday’s charter hosted 15 anglers who absolutely hammered the sea bass. We limited out the whole boat, with over 100 fish landed. Some scup came up as well, as did a few stripers. We had two slot bass and a bunch of bluefish to round out the catch. Monday’s trip was also productive, despite the nautical conditions. Freddie and Frankie decked a dozen sea bass each. Everybody on the boat caught his limit. We finished it off with a bunch of bluefish and a few stripers. After last week’s blow, it took the scup some time to recover their appetite, but they eventually got biting again. From here on out, it’s toggin’ time. The trips fill up quickly, but we have room on our November trips still.”
Nick from Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports:
“It was a slower week in comparison to the couple prior. Striped bass fishing is still going pretty well in the bay. Some quality fish are feeding on the night tides, working the peanut bunker and spearing schools. Black Sea bass fishing has picked up on the deeper inshore reefs. There have been some good surf reports coming from out east, and some slot bass are being caught near the inlets.”
The Shinnecock Star in Hampton Bays reports:
“We pulled some solid fish over the rail to close out the fluke season this week. Austin’s fish took the pool, at six pounds. It came from 11 feet of water. It was some awesome fishing and conditions, considering the rough waters last week. From here on out, we’re working the sea bass and blackfish grounds primarily.”
Chris Albronda from Montauk reports:
“It was a great week for anglers in Montauk. The tuna bite continued to impress, but has since died off. Cooler water moved in, pushing the yellowfin and mahi further offshore. The bluefish pulled a disappearing act midweek. Inshore fishing is as good as it gets. There were multiple reports of blitzing bass in the surf and out in the rips. Stripers of all sizes were available.
The false albacore were thick, with a bunch of bonito in the mix. The last week of fluke did not disappoint. That final week of fluking is usually always stellar when you get the right conditions. Black Sea bass and porgies have moved inside, with some very large ones for the picking.” Shoot Chris a text at 631-830-3881 to book a trip.
Bill Wetzel of the Surf Rats Ball reports:
“Lawrence and his twin from NJ joined me on Monday to target the north side. It was a rough start, but we battled the elements and had some fun, although we found no fish.
On Wednesday, Jack V. joined me on the north side where we immediately found fish. The chartreuse darter was getting it done for Jack. The fish weren’t large, but they hit like freight trains. We were thinking they might be targeting juvy weaks. We moved east and found fish boiling on spearing; they were not easy to catch though! They were small anyway. Bill picked a low 30 pound bass on a needle when they made a move to the sand beaches. We both managed a few more fish on green needlefish plugs.
Dave and his buddy ran to Montauk’s north side early in the week, but found nothing there. The sand beaches did not produce either. We worked the full incoming, but managed only one fish on the walk home. Sunday’s afternoon session was a bit more productive. He caught 3 slot stripers on A17’s deep in the trough, and 5 more on bucktails and rubber shads. The fish were fat and fought hard.” Subscribe today at longislandsurffishing.com.
Eastern L.I. Fishing Forecast
Reports are picking up immensely as the fall season really begins to settle in. Bunker has mostly moved on to New Jersey, and the whales are hot on their tails. We’ll be seeing fewer whales as time trudges on, and they will likely be much farther from the beach. The shark situation seems to have ceased as well. I haven’t filmed any sharks since before the storm, and I don’t expect to see any more spinners as the season progresses. There’s always the hope for a great white though.
Fish-wise, things are just beginning to heat up. The blackfish bite started off pretty strong on the North Fork, with plenty of anglers taking home keepers. The shorebound folks are also finding success. The south shore crowd must wait until Sunday to begin harvesting tautog. I personally cannot wait. I’ve been looking forward to doing some bait fishing in my usual haunts. I intend to try some blackfishing from a boat this season too, so I’m stoked for that; it’ll offer me more access to spots that I just cannot fish from shore. I have really high hopes for this! Still, the shorebound stuff is my cup of tea, so I’ll be targeting tog quite a bit this season.
It is striper time. We’re on the moon tides again; I believe the new moon occurs on Saturday. My dude Justin Friedman caught himself a good one last night, at around thirty pounds. He’s been getting it done from the kayak as well, picking many a slot striper feeding on peanut bunker in the back bays. Some days the fish are taking topwater presentations like spooks, and other days they don’t want anything but a swim shad.
The surf bite has been sporadic location-wise, but a consistent effort should yield some fish, and likely some quality ones to boot. More bait seems to be showing up every day along the beaches. I filmed some peanut bunker and some big needlefish yesterday. There was some remaining adult bunker schools, but I saw nothing on them. I’m sure some predators will find them soon enough, and it’ll turn into mayhem on the beaches. I am very excited for some visual topwater eats to become a reasonable expectation.
Sandeels have been seen, and those presentations have been working along the south shore beaches. I had to release a big keeper fluke yesterday evening after it took my paddletail sandeel. I asked the fish why it couldn’t have showed up just a few days earlier, but it would not answer me, so I just threw it back. I did appreciate the tug though. With my medium tackle, it kind of felt like a wet blanket with an attitude.
I feel like my word is just about shot, given my assertions that “it’s going to turn on this week,” for the past couple weeks. I hesitate to even say it again, because there’s a good chance I’m just jinxing it… but I’m feeling pretty darn good about this week. The ocean is incredibly beautiful today. Clear water, a nearly glassy surface, and lots of bait within a cast from shore. The south shore is primed for some blitz action, although I haven’t really witnessed any just yet.
I’m hoping it goes down before Sunday so I can spend some time getting bent on the beach before I get all twitchy and annoyed by the short-strikes from rock-hugging blackfish. I have some vivid memories of big tog running me into the rocks and cutting me off, but even more vivid is the feeling of constant frustration as I set the hook on thin air over and over and over. I’m getting carpal tunnel right now just thinking about it. Fuhgeddaboutit, I can’t wait.
I think the only thing that’s standing in the way of a stellar beach bite right now is the gill nets. They are plastered all over the south fork. I saw one of the boats setting up in Montauk near the point this morning. They are all over my beaches, and I’ve been seeing soem good bass wind up in them. I’ve also been seeing a bunch of dead cow bass on the beaches, no doubt bycatch from the nets. Word is there was a netload of dead fish tossed back into the water after a gill net harvest. A boat guy found a large number of dead cow bass floating out in the ocean by the inlet. So, that’s still happening. I fully expect them to hinder yet another open beach bite, but maybe we’ll manage some between the carnage. That being the case, you might want to stick to the bays and inlet for the meantime. I tell you, those nets being in the water decreases your chances of catching quite a bit. We shall see though.
Even if you’re not catching, it’s a pleasure to be on the beach. There are many migrations underway. My personal favorite is the Swallows, those little birds that fly around like tiny fighter jets. You’ll see them by thousands, darting here and there to snatch bugs out of the air. There are a TON of cormorants moving through as well. I just heard that they are a protected species, which kind of blows my mind. I’ve heard that they have quite a drastic effect on fish species, especially when their numbers are high. For the past three years (or more, even), I’ve been filming them every fall. I would say their population is quite healthy; there are always groups of hundreds working the bay waters. I see them constantly passing through the area daily, in flocks of at least a few dozen. There are still some ospreys around, hunting for bunker in the surf. They are succeeding, but I can’t imagine it’s easy. They’ll be gone soon. Monarch butterflies are another migratory creature making their way along our coast, and they’re always a sight for sore eyes.
This is the most dynamic time of year, and there’s much to see and experience in nature. The leaves are changing colors, but there are still some days that feel like summer. Today, for example, is pristine. The weather is perfect! Just get out there and enjoy it… and catch ‘em up!
The Eastern L.I. Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYS surf/fly fishing guide and drone pilot, Tim Regan (@southforksalt).