Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Eastern Long Island
The Eastern Long Island Fishing Report is compiled and written by writer/blogger and fly-fishing industry professional, Jack Larizadeh (@jack.lariz).
Captain Stu from Northport Charters reports: “We’re still hammering big porgies up to 2-1/2 pounds, with more keeper sea bass as well! Plus, there are still lots of peanuts and spearing in the bays and LI Sound, and the blues are hammering them every morning & evening now with some slot-size stripers mixed in. The water temperature is still very warm at 70 degrees in the Sound—we need some more consistent north winds to cool it down. We are now booking blackfish charters and look forward to the fall run. Call or text 631-707-3266 for reservations or go to northportcharters.com.”
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Fluke fishing is out of control yet again this week. Seems they are heading out, and they’re gorging themselves on food before they do. The bay is stacked with quality fish. Most anglers are reporting 20 to 50 fish a day depending on their time out, and almost always a limit of large fish. Weakfish are scattered around the bay, mixed in with the fluke too. They’re taking smaller jigs right now, finesse is key. Stripers are showing up in their spots along the beach. Nothing monstrous yet, but plenty of slot and undersized fish munching on mullet, peanuts, and whatever else they can find. Pelagics are around the structure and bait schools are on the outside. Spanish mackerel, bonito, and some solid albies have been spotted. Cocktail blues are ripping around the inlet, the flats, and every town dock there is.”
Jeff at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Not much is happening, people can’t get out with these conditions. Bass are moving around and there are tons of blues outside the inlet. The fluking on the inside of the bay is good and there are thousands of peanuts and large spearing. We got a couple showings of albies but they haven’t pushed in yet. There are thresher’s in the inlet chasing blues around. It seems a pretty good fall mix for the start of the fall run. Once the wind dies down and it’s safe to get out, fish should be chewing!”
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Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “The only real fishing available last week was from the shore, and it was glorious. Some people got on fish during the day, but at nighttime, fish were blitzing on spearing and small squid tight to the shore. My best night last week was 26 fish—all of the slot stripers came in on NLBN 3-inch paddletails, and the 3.4-inch Madd Mantis Cherry Popper. A handful of my friends set out under the light at night time and did really well on SP Minnows and diamond jigs with green tube (at night!), they caught much more overs than I did. I had reports of surfcasters chasing false albacore on the sand on the south side near the light. Our first run of bay anchovies have entered the harbor and have been spotted underneath the squid lights.”
Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) in Eastern Long Island reports: “The medium Mag Darter and SC darters in blurple at night have been killing fish. Crawling them slow and using a sweep technique has worked best. The outgoing tide has been key—there are lots of slots around with some overs mixed in as well.”
Steve at Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “We’re waiting for albies to come any day, there are a few bass around in The Race and The Gut to keep us busy, as well as a few fish on the beach in the surf—I’m not seeing so much bait though. Porgies and weakfish are in the bay and around Jessups. Weakfish bite is good in the deeper holes and sea bass fishing is fair but you have to fish deep (100 foot plus), and not a lot of guys are leaving the dock this week.”
Phil at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “Some bigger porgies out in the Sound and a lot of smaller ones in the bay. Smaller bass and blues are in the harbor and bay too. Guys are diamond jigging blues in the Triangle. Most of those blues are ranging from 2 to 8 pounds.. There are also some tog being caught locally. These northeast winds have been crazy for the past week. This weekend’s wind should bring in bait. Hopefully it brings in cold water and pins fish against the beach.”
Welp, this past week was a bit of a wash for me. Strong gusts swept across the Sound kept me off the water and glued to the dock. While I was tempted to go chase some fish in the storm, I know that I’m going to have a long fall so I’m playing the long game! In other news, I decided to move my boat further east to the beautiful waters of Mattituck for the fall season. Last year I was able to find plenty of false albacore and bass from the tip of Orient to the other side of the Sound near Old Lyme, CT. I’m hoping that we don’t get slammed by heavy NE winds so that I’m able to make the most of my time. As we look toward October, I’ll have all of my favorite albie lures ready to go! In my albie box I’ll be carrying plenty of Albie Snax in amber, pearl, and bubblegum. These will all be rigged on an Owner twist-lock 4/0 hook. As for jigs, I’ll be carrying plenty of JoeBaggs resins in pink, chartreuse, and white.
That said, blackfish season is only a few short weeks away. On October 11th, you’ll also find me slinging small jigs in shallow water—my favorite being the S&S lineup of blackfish jigs.
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
In the Eastern Sound the water should be a bit cooler. Orient and Montauk should have a few more albies after this storm, but I predict it’s going to be a wild goose chase— as albie fishing typically goes! Be sure to carry a few tins and plastics in your bag. In terms of bass fishing, your best bet is going to be nighttime when temps are at their lowest. If you’re looking for a good bite, the jetties and inlets around Mattituck, Montauk, and Shinnecock should all have bass at night. When the outgoing tide builds up and the current is strong, try chucking a bucktail, darter, glider, or needlefish. The current should force out all of the rainbait in the area leading to a sick bite. I’d expect fish in the slot- to 20-pound range. That said, resident fish in the boulder fields around Orient and Greenport should be more active as well. Metal lips and slow-moving surface swimmers have the potential to get the attention of some larger fish in the area.
With the fall heating up, you’ll need to bounce around to get on schools of fish, so don’t hesitate to spot hop.
The Eastern Long Island Fishing Report is compiled and written by writer/blogger and fly-fishing industry professional, Jack Larizadeh (@jack.lariz).
Western Long Island & NYC
Paul from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin reports: “In my area, for saltwater, it’s all bluefish. It was all bonito for two weeks and then they up and disappeared. There are a ton of mullet around; the storm should get them moving out of the bay to fuel a good bite. On the freshwater side, the Connetquot River is very clear and loaded with fish. My clients crushed some trout, it was great.”
Brandon from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports: “Fluking in the bay on live peanuts is killer. Bluefish are everywhere around the Meadowbrook and are showing up in the bays. There are a few schoolie bass around as well. The wind is making things tough, but at least the bay bite is solid. The bass should start moving any day now.”
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside reports: “I haven’t been fishing much this week—the eastern wind has made it tough, but fluke fishing remains good in the bay. There are a ton of bluefish blowing up left and right too. The blues run from 6 to 8 pounds and are light-tackle busters— it looks like they’re chewing on peanut bunker. If you can’t get out in the ocean there’s plenty of fishing going on in the back. Stripers haven’t shown up yet, but the bait is here, so we’re just waiting on the fall run to start. Blackfish season starts on October 11th and the die-hard toggers are beginning to prep!”
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters in Brooklyn reports: “Striped bass fishing has been off to a good start with an abundance of fish in the area. We have seen mostly over-slot fish to 45 inches released this past week, with a few slot-sized keepers in the mix. We also spent a day jigging up as many blues as you could want! It’s definitely shaping up to be a good fall run.” Give them a shout to inquire about upcoming availability.
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Captain Joe Mattioli out of New York City reports: “This week is a blow out. Before the wind kicked in things were shaping up nicely. We had bluefish chewing plugs, bucktails, and jigs. Stripers are starting to do their thing and get active up by the Statue of Liberty on live bait. We had a lot of bonito around, but this weather disrupted all of that. We’re waiting for the albies to move in and begin feeding. Once this weather passes it should get good. Offshore—relatively close, within 20 miles—there are still big bluefin tuna moving around.”
Captain Arthur Cortes out of New York City reports: “The weakfish bite is still going strong in the bay. With these cooler nights, shallow-water marsh bass are active and feeding well. During the day, stripers and blues have come alive feeding on peanut bunker.”
Aaron Diener out of Rockaway reports: “Mullet, mullet, and more mullet! The bluefish bite is strong with weakfish in the mix. Stripers still haven’t made a showing yet in any numbers, but I know they are chewing in the East River—it’s only a matter of time before things pick up here.”
Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) in Manhasset Bay reports: “Water temperatures are in the high 60s, and as a result, small schoolie bass and bluefish are feeding in shallow water. We have ton of small bait making its way into the bay. I’ve also been able to find 10- to 20-pound bass in 25 to 40 feet of water. The key is to slow jig 4- to 5-inch soft baits, slim-profile metal jigs, and even small bucktails.”
Capitol Fishing Tackle Company in Freeport reports: “The wind is brutal, the only thing people are doing is fishing the bridges for bass, fluke, and sheepshead. A guy came in the other day with a sheepshead that was 8.5 pounds. Hopefully this wind brings in some more bait and happy fish!”
Duffy’s Bait and Tackle in Glenwood Landing reports: “The east wind is killing the fishing all over the island, everything has really slowed down. People are catching porgies, snappers, and fluke but it’s been tough. Some 5-pound bluefish are moving in as well. I look forward to the start of blackfish season on the 11th.”
Kenny Schmidt from the Angler Fleet in Manhasset Bay reports: “The bluefish are definitely the best thing going, there’s some decent action around them. There are fluke around as well but the fish seem to be moving out. The porgies are also in shallow, with a ton of spot in the mix. Water temperatures are starting to drop a degree or two. Fall is around the corner. There are bass west of us in the East River, ready to make their way into the bay. A stretch of cold nights could push large schools of fish through our area.”
Captain Patrick Hilbert in Hempstead Harbor reports: “Fishing is tough, but there is so much bait. From Oyster Bay to Cold Spring Harbor, there were clouds and clouds of bait consisting of peanut bunker, large bunker, and sand eels. It was blowing 15 out of the east, so there were only so many spots to fish. That said, once the water clears up and the east wind stops, it will flip the switch.”
Western Long Island Fishing Forecast
This week, fishing in Nassau County looks juicy—it looks like the wind will be primarily out of the east and south. Additionally, we’ll see plenty of cloudy days in the upper 60s to low 70s, which should help the water temperatures drop. With the big wind now subsiding, it may hit the reset button on our local waters and bring in some happy, hungry fish. This time of year you’ll be able to find big bluefish blitzes in the back bays of Manhasset, Hempstead, and Huntington. With an influx of small peanut bunker, I’d recommend chucking some small spooks and poppers. You can’t go wrong with a 4.5- to 6-inch Cotton Cordell pencil popper, Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow, or a Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil.
My favorite times to fish these areas is during the outgoing tide, when the bait begins to get flushed out. As for rod choice, a light 7- to 9-foot rod should do the trick. In regards to the south shore, Jones Inlet should have plenty of bass, blues, bonito, and possibly even albies. However, the bite is going to be a feast or famine situation. You’ll either find fish blitzing for hours or nothing at all. As we know, that’s sort of the way the fall can go sometimes. Be sure to make a few trips to find those schools of fish! In the surf, it’s about that time for the first push of bass. The open beach around Robert Moses should have a few fish at night. Be sure to carry some Super Strike darters, needlefish, and large paddletails. My favorite colors for nighttime plugs and plastics have always been bone white, blurple, and yellow.