Long Island Fishing Report
Western L.I. and NYC
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by OTW’s Audience Development Coordinator and NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@li_kayak_fishing).
- Striped bass on the feed! Hot bite on both shores from anglers working topwater, bouncing jigs, live-lining bait, or trolling.
- Bluefish still mixed in with the stripers making for reliable topwater action.
- Blackfish bite is very hot, with many keeper-sized tautog being found in shallow water, giving kayak and shore anglers opportunities to catch limits.
- False albacore still popping off on the South shore and in the Sound – will the Albies hang around into November?
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reports:
“The striped bass fishing has been incredible! Topwater, live-lined eels or bunker, and bottom jigging have all produced whether its in the back bays or outside the inlets. If you’re fishing inside, the bridges and wrecks have been producing quality bass and blackfish. If fishing for one is slow, try the other!
The blackfish bite has been hot and with the fish still in shallow, you don’t have to go far to find them. We have pre-tied blackfish rigs and fresh green crabs ready to go. Albies have been around in force, and are biting on metal jigs and thin soft plastics around first light. They move fast and the bite window is short so spending as much time on the water as you can will improve your odds of finding them. Bay Park is open 7 days a week for all your boating needs!”
Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh told me:
“The bass fishing has been lights out. On a morning trip this week we crushed it with tons of huge bass taking mostly top water, but also flutter spoons and live-lined bunker. It was one of those days where the fish were active and willing to bite anything that worked. Striped bass are definitely on the feed right now in preparation for their migration, so you better get out there and catch ‘em up before they’re gone!”
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Paul McCain from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin said:
“Let me tell you about something other than stripers: If you’re interested in the sweetwater, the Connetquot river is fishing at its best right now. It’s been heavily stocked, as have all the trout ponds across the islands. Bubbles Falls and McDonald Pond are terrific right now as well. This is one of the best times of the year for freshwater on Long Island and all these places will look gorgeous with the leaves changing. If you’re interested in a guided fly fishing trip visit riverbayoutfitters.com.”
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Petey Trovato from Lindenhurst Bait and Tackle told me:
“It’s striped bass season! On a recent trip to the beach my friend Darwin had a fish pushing 30 pounds off the beach, Bruce had a handful of big stripers until his arms fell off, and I had a nice fish and lost it – I just can’t catch a break this year, but oh well. That makes the slow days better. Shout to Sean Gargiulo, Patric Reilly, and Joe Sciuti who participated in the Nassau BSO Striped Bass Tournament. The heaviest slot bass were 9.9 pounds and 9.8 pounds at 31 inches each. The bay bridges have been producing a steady pick of blackfish.”
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John from Freeport Bait and Tackle reports:
“The bridge bite has been sick for striped bass and blackfish (also called tautog). Whether you’re dropping green crabs, Asian shore crabs, mudcrabs, or stone crabs next to the pilings you’re guaranteed to get bit as the fish are in shallow and feeding aggressively. This week seems to have been even better than opening week.
Outside the inlets, the striped bass bite has been on fire and a lot of our customers are having success trolling mojos and live lining bunker. The bass are also hitting topwater at certain times of the day when you can see them blitzing on bunker pods.
You might also run into Albies! They’ve been around but only in brief windows so if you want to catch one make sure you have a rod with an epoxy or metal jig tied on and ready to go for when they pop up.”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens reports:
“Bass fishing has been as good as it gets on the Rockfish this week. Dozens and dozens of bass per trip hitting everything your throw at them, with personal bests being crushed daily! We’re mostly live bunker fishing but in the mornings the fish are hitting poppers and swim shads as well. We’re also seeing a ton of other life out there. Big thresher sharks are ripping through the bunker schools and whales are inhaling bait by the hundreds just feet from the boat. Also, smaller slot fish are now mixed in with the cows, giving our charters the option of bringing some fillets home. On the way back to the dock, we’ve been detouring to the albie grounds catching a lot of nice fish in the feeds. The season will be over before you know it and we have some prime November dates left. Give us a call at (347)661-4501 to book a trip.”
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Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports:
“Blackfishing remains strong with many quality fish hitting the deck each trip. Lots of shorts at time keeping everyone busy and rods bent throughout the trip. The big fish of the week went a hair over 6 pounds. We were also able to mix in a couple of striper charters and that was excellent as well. We’re running open boat blackfish trips by reservation only, as well as private charters for your desired species. Call/text (516)659-3814 for info and reservations!”
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Stripers, blackfish, and albies. It’s plain to see why many anglers say Fall is the most exciting time of year for fishing. Myself included.
In last week’s report, I talked about how my buddy Rob and I visited a new rocky area just a few hundred feet from shore. I caught a keeper-sized blackfish on FishBites, and he caught a keeper on more traditional green crabs. Not necessarily a lights-out session, but a successful one. This week, Rob took a sick day and went back to that same area. This time, he limited out in just an hour and a half of dropping crabs on a different rock only a few feet from where we were previously. When blackfish sharpies stress the importance of accurate anchoring while fishing for tautog, these kinds of sessions really prove it.
His biggest of the day was an 18-inch female which he quicky photographed and released – a thoughtful practice among dedicated blackfish anglers is to always release females, to promote spawning and keep the fishery going strong.
When he got home, he set to work whipping up warm and savory tautog chowder, following a recipe by On The Water’s Andy Nabreski.
As for me, I’ve been cruising the back bays taking in the changing leaves, crisp autumn breeze, and the frenzied sight of bluefish, stripers, and peanut bunker flying out of the water all together. My local back bay has turned into a fish-minefield of sorts. Sit in any spot long enough and you’re sure to witness the water explode with peanut bunker and striped bass or bluefish. It’s peak fall fishing right now, with the stripers and blues aggressively feeding in preparation for their migrations. Peanut bunker sit piled-up against the shore, and in an instant, they erupt from the water surface along with the striped bass that stormed in to feed on them. I haven’t seen any larger fish yet in this bay, mostly schoolies and slot-size fish, but I know the best is yet to come in that regard.
Western L.I. and NYC Fishing Forecast
North Shore
Blackfish are on fire right now. Keeper-sized fish are still sitting on shallow rocks close to shore. Do your research and check out rockpiles you’ve never visited before, and you might just find a pile of keeper-sized tog willing to chew like my buddy Rob did earlier this week. Porgy are still around, and they’re massive ‘hubcap’ porgy in the 14 to 16 inch range that can pull drag. They’ll be a bycatch while fishing for blackfish but at that size, you probably won’t mind as much.
In the back bays, schoolie and slot-size striped bass continue to blitz on peanut bunker close to shore. This bite has been ongoing for the past couple of weeks and began with mostly gator-sized bluefish, but is now skewing more towards striped bass. Big blues are still around, however, so mind your leaders and soft plastics. Swim shads, small profile sinking plugs, and bucktails are a good bet for imitating peanut bunker. Olive green, gold, yellow, or classic pearl white are good colors to shoot for. Work these lures slowly and close to the bottom. If you think you’re reeling slow enough – go even slower.
South Shore
South shore forage has been a mix of adult bunker, peanut bunker, and sand eels depending on your location. The back bays have been producing bass around the bridges and in the corners where baitfish can easily be pinned and blitzed on. Anglers in the surf have been catching bass on needlefish, minnow plugs, and spoons while those fishing from boats have had plenty of success drifting live bunker or eels, jigging flutter spoons, and trolling mojo lures.
The blackfish bite on the south shore is terrific and those venturing outside of the inlets can still be treated to awesome mixed bags of false albacore, stripers, blackfish, and sea bass around the reefs. The bay bite is going strong as well with blackfish being caught under bridges, on wrecks, and along rocky boulder piles, so shore-bound anglers will have just as much opportunity as the boaters.
We finally have some great weekend weather. The rest of this week is going to be warm and sunny, but the unofficial last day of summer seems to be this Saturday, blessing us with one last sunny day in the high-70’s before it goes back to being cold and rainy. With a favorable West wind (more of a breeze really) it should be a fantastic day to spend on the water.
Now get out there and enjoy this blessed weather, I hope you catch your personal best. And if you don’t – Well, keep fishing. Thanks for reading, and tight lines.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by OTW’s Audience Development Coordinator and NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@li_kayak_fishing).
Eastern Long Island Fishing Report
The Eastern L.I. Fishing Report is written and compiled by OTW Field Editor, drone pilot and NYSDEC surf/fly fishing guide, Tim Regan (@southforksalt).
- Giant tuna and big bass on bunker schools.
- Blitzes in the back bays.
- Quality blackfishing in the ocean and in the bays. Still some triggerfish around. Sea bass and porgies are large.
- Great squid bite.
The Captree Pride reports:
“We’ve been on the bass blitzes lately! Anglers pulled up over a hundred stripers yesterday. The fish ranged from slot-size up to 42 pounds. We’ve been picking them on both bunker and diamond jigs. Thresher sharks, whales. dolphins and giant tuna have been putting a show on for us as we fish. We’re still aiming to target some bonito and albies while they’re around.”
The Fishfinder of Captree reports:
“We’ve been pulling up easy boat limits of slot-size stripers lately. There are plenty of C&R opportunities as well, with over-sized bass to thirty pounds. We’ve been catching on jigs, shads, live bunker and eels. Steve nailed a 37 pounder the other night. A lot of the fish are in about 16 to 30 feet of water a couple miles outside the inlet; earlier in the week we were trying 35 to 50 feet of water.” Give them a call at 516-287-3704 for trip info.
Capt. Dave Flanagan of “North Island Fly” in Northport reports:
“Tom and Avery got out with me yesterday and put some backbay schoolie bass on the boat. Jerry joined me earlier in the week, and we stopped counting after the first 40 minutes. The blitzing bass were perfect targets for the fly rod, and we even saw a bald eagle out there!” Check out Dave’s website to book him for a charter at www.northislandfly.com.
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
The Celtic Quest Fishing Fleet of Port Jefferson reports:
“There is still a lot of nice scup around for those who want them. There are some huge sea bass coming over the rail alongside quality tog. The bite in Mattituck has been on! Two days ago we had a full boat limit of sea bass along with good numbers and quality fish of the other two species. It’s pretty much been the same story all week.” Call them at 631-928-3926 for booking info, or check the website/Facebook for more info.
The Peconic Star 3 of Greenport reports:
“The recent fishing has been solid! We have been catching a lot of short blackfish (12-15 inches), but there have been enough keepers coming over the rail to reach some limits. One angler had 59 short tog, keeping the rod bent most of the trip. The pool fish was 7 pounds two days ago, and there were a a bunch of sea bass and porgies in the mix. We’re targeting tautog daily from 7:30-3:30.” For booking info, call Captain Paul at 631-522-2002.
Brooklyn Girl in Orient reports:
“We took out 15 anglers the other day to target blackfish, and most of them acquired their limit. Mr. Lee had 8 keepers, and Dave B. had 5 keepers. We pulled up a good amount of sea bass to take home as well. Our biggest tog was 6 pounds. A couple days earlier, the Great Gun Club trip saw similar action, with 53 keepers to eight pounds. Dennis ld the way with 14 keepers and the pool fish.”
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
“The fall run of striped bass continues with another amazing week of fishing. Big fish are roaming around outside, and there are plenty of them. Trolling bunker spoons and umbrella rigs is very popular, and popping plugs and swim shads are putting in work for those who like to cast lures. Live bait, as always, is the easiest way to catch. Eels, mullet, and bunker should get smacked quickly. Surfcasters are doing very well with diamond jigs, bottle plugs, and darters. Inside, we are finding plenty of nice bass ripping around the bait schools. Poppers, shads, shallow swimmers, and bucktails are the way to go. Tog season is going very well. The local structure is loaded with fish, and the outside wrecks and reefs are starting to see quality fish.
The transition into the cooler months makes for some excellent freshwater fishing. Largemouth bass and pickerel will be out roaming the banks, searching for a quick meal in hopes of getting fatter for winter. Slow and low will pull the most fish. Hit ‘em with jigs or Senkos. Swim baits and cranks are always great too. Trout action is getting better and better as the temperatures cool down. They are on the nymph bite hard, and chasing streamers like mad. Yellow perch and bluegill are still plentiful this time of year and just as easy to catch.”
Rosie Fishing of Moriches Bay reports:
“Yesterday afternoon’s tog bite was solid, with fish to six pounds and plenty of short life. The day prior was a little more difficult, with lots of throwbacks hindering the keeper bite. We’ve got striped bass on the mind, as a big school of them showed up near our inlet over the weekend. Come on out and catch ‘em up! Keep an eye on our website for sailing times, reports, and trip openings, or give us a call for booking info!”
Nick from Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports:
“From the boats, anglers are still picking some good bass around the inlets. Bunker schools are hanging just outside, and along the beaches; there are some quality fish on them. Livelined bunker and topwater plugs are working the best. Blackfish are still going strong along the rocks in the inlets. There was a good run of triggerfish on the mile reef, along with some hammer blackfish. Wyatt Jensen got in on the solid bigeye bite cookin’ in the Hudson; he ended up landing a 235 pounder that he hooked while chunking.
In the surf, the peanut bunker and the final run of mullet are sparking bites as bass make their way through the inlets out onto the beach. Outgoing tides at both inlets are best for action. There are some good reports of solid fish to the east as well. Word is there was some action at the cuts this past week, with fish to 40 inches.”
Bill Wetzel of the Surf Rats Ball reports:
“Some blitz reports got me out two nights ago to fish the sunset session. We arrived a bit too late to see any blitzes, so we geared up for the night bite. The north side produced bass after bass, taken on darters and bucktails. The three of us caught a ton of stripers, most of which were just under keeper-size. Juvenile weakfish seem to be on their menu. This kind of bite tends to produce small fish one night, and then big fish out of nowhere.
Ryan and Tom joined me the night prior, and we banged a bunch of schoolies on the north side, away from the crowd. White and chartreuse darters were the main tool to get the job done.
On Friday, Philip joined me on the sand beaches, where we picked about 7 bass to legal size. There was a good amount of bait there. I ran into Brandon Sausele the next morning, who had just won the Mr. Poseidon Montauk surf fishing tournament with a 48 inch fish. That night, Sean B. and his bud joined me, and we picked a couple bass on the south side and the north side. The following morning, Freddie and his friend joined me on the south side, where we picked a few schoolies on bucktails.
Dave went to The End to participate in the Mr. Poseidorn Surf challenge. He picked 8 fish the first night, all under 26 inches. Saturday’s shifts resulted in a bunch of stripers who were feeding well. He and his buddy caught fish to 35 inches.” Subscribe today at www.longislandsurffishing.com.
Montauk’s Viking Fleet reports:
“We did some squid jigging last night, and the bite was on! Everyone brought some home, and some guys did really well. The daytime was spent targeting big sea bass off Block Island. We found some porgies offshore, and they were biting alongside 4 pound sea bass. There was also a handful of cod and triggerfish. Blackfishing was off on the earlier trip, but we managed to find a few keepers. We made up for it with some nice sea bass and a few cod. The day prior was spent doing the same kind of fishing, and the action was awesome all around. Cod to 16 pounds were caught, and there was a mix of scup, monkfish, sea bass, cunner and bonito. Call the office to book or book online.”
Eastern L.I. Fishing Forecast
I was just chatting with a new friend about the lackluster fall run on the open beaches. The obvious culprit is the gill nets, which destroy surf fishing’s potential. We have been missing out on what should have been some epic feeds in the past month, and that same story repeats itself annually. Surfcasting is dead when gillnets are in the water. You have to travel to beaches where there are no gill nets in order to find a decent bite. I’ve fished my beach religiously this season, to my catch-rate’s detriment. All I can say is, it is what it is.
The blitz season seems to occur later now, once the gill nets are pulled from our waters. I don’t know when the gill net season ends, exactly, but I’m sure they will be pulling their nets for good in the near future. Once that happens, I expect blitzes to occur almost immediately. There is a crazy amount of bait around right now. Stripers are swimming along the coast. The stage is set. It’s just, the action is way less than it really should be.
Another reason for the lackluster action on the open beach would be the warm temperatures. It seems that ever year, we’re looking at a longer delay. The “season” runs a week later than it did the year prior. Which, right now, means that there are still mullet running the beach (which is late in my mind); stripers are still blitzing on small bait that has not yet left the back bays (which should’ve happened already, in my mind). With 70 degree temps forecasted for this weekend, I think we still have some time for open beach blitzes to materialize. It’s gotten frustrating that the fishing is so much worse than it has been in years past, but I’m not disheartened yet because I think the warm-temp-delay is playing a pretty significant role.
North Fork beaches continue to produce awesome bites, in both the back bays and out on the Sound beaches. There are still albies biting up there, and small striper blitzes are a pretty regular occurrence. Soon enough, all those baits and predators will make their way around Montauk and show up on my beach. The same can be said for the peconic and south shore bay systems. There are still a good amount of bass feeding on peanut bunker and silversides in that warm water out back. My approach tonight is to target that water.
I did see some decent fish get caught this week, to like 20 pounds tops. The cuts were flowing, which typically creates a wayyyy better bite than what just went down. Talk about lackluster. Fish were caught though, and at times (for an hour or two out of 24), there was a bite occurring. That is kind of how the fall run goes… it’s hot and heavy during specific windows, most of which are impossible to predict. You just have to be there at the right place and time. I feel as if the fall run has gotten progressively worse in the past 6 years though. There are way fewer blitzes, way fewer quality fish caught, way more gill nets hindering the bite, and way less stripers in the water. That is my experience, and how unfortunate.
I’ve been targeting tautog a lot more as a result. At least I know they’re there and willing to chew; and mannnn do they pull hard. I caught a couple keepers this week, and chowed down on some damn good meals.
I don’t mean to sound all pessimistic and hopeless about the bass, although I reckon that perspective is entirely warranted. I think exciting topwater feeds are in our near future. There will be all sorts of birds (especially gannets) putting on a show as they feed on the migrating bait. Striper fishing will get stupid easy, and we’ll scale down the tackle to make it more fun. Blitzes in calm water are always a beautiful thing. I’m hoping that that kind of action will even bleed into December this year. I always hope for that, and once every 4 or 5 years that plays out.
For the week ahead, I’d poke around the back waters while the temps stay high. It’s supposed to be in the 70s this weekend. There should be some awesome fly fishing opportunities.
I feel like I should’ve mentioned that I’m giving a strictly surf perspective. The boat anglers seem to be having some fun out there. I saw a ton of boats out by me this week, playing around in the bunker schools. The stripers were causing a ruckus out there. Bluefin tuna were also coming around a good bit, exploding the surface of the water as they ran through the bunker. Big ones. I’m not sure if anyone is strictly targeting the tuna, but no doubt one of those boat guys is going to tie into a giant if the situation continues like this.
Some blitzes in Montauk have been making headlines, so I’d like to get out there and see what’s up. Hopefully I come across some action when I take a look this weekend. I’m sure I’m missing out by not frequenting the North Fork, but that’s a bit of a trip for me. I’d rather stay local and whine about the gill nets. If you’re near the NoFo, get there as often as possible. If you’re near the south shore, stay tight to hard structure. That seems to be the ticket.
I hope we all see some awesome action this week. Godspeed.
The Eastern L.I. Fishing Report is written and compiled by OTW Field Editor, drone pilot and NYSDEC surf/fly fishing guide, Tim Regan (@southforksalt).