Long Island and NYC Fishing Report- October 24, 2024

Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “The fall run is here, and it means business. Large schools of stripers are hanging out in the ocean, demolishing schools of bait. Diamond jigs, bucktails, popping plugs, and shallow divers are getting bit. Thirty- to 40-pound fish are out there getting fatter before they migrate on and the next wave moves in. In the surf, anglers are getting just as lucky with days and nights of great action. Darters, needlefish, diamond jigs, shallow divers, and bucktails should be ready in everyone’s bag. In the bay, schools of bass are starting to pop up. Bring some binoculars—to look for birds working bait—and a good tackle arsenal, from poppers and shallow divers to bucktails and swim shads. They get very keyed-in on specific baits and feeding patterns. My father and I fished the evening bite the other day and found solid fish in the middle of the bay under some birds. The 4-inch Super Strike Little Neck Popper was the ticket for me, pulling fish well over slot-size off of the bait schools. Pops had some good ones come up on a Yo-Zuri spook. Bait fishermen are having great luck with live eels and fresh clam. The local stripers are gorging themselves on whole clam bellies and slurping eels like it’s pasta night. Tog are out heavy, doing their thing at the local structure. Heavy white chins are lurking in the rocks and crunching crabs. Jigs, rigs, crabs, tackle, and the angler, need to be on point for these tricky fish. Catching your first one will have you hooked for life. They require some skill and fight like hell for the size they are. We like using long fluorocarbon leaders and jigging rods with a sensitive enough tip section to feel every crunch, but plenty of backbone to pull the tog back out of the rocks they desperately want to get back to where they get hooked.”

Jeff at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Striper fishing has been really good on the beaches near the inlet. I’d recommend carrying diamond jigs, bucktails, needlefish, and darters. The bluefin are airing out inshore off the beaches as well, which is quite a sight. Other than that, blackfishing has been good in shallow, and the fish are chewing heavy.”

Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “This week brought even better bass fishing around the point and even west of the Inlet. I was fortunate enough to go outside the inlet to find acres of striped bass feeding on a variety of bait including snappers, juvenile weakfish, some type of herring I’ve never seen before, bay anchovies, and bunker. The most reliable tool is still the diamond jig, but I threw a Nomad Riptide 155 with a fast retrieve and a sudden stop to trigger bites. It’s a light-tackle fisherman’s dream out there. The only thing missing from the equation is the false albacore. In other news, bottom fishing for porgies and sea bass is still producing. The EbbTide is doing 3/4-day trips for striped bass and bottom fish. Get on it! Blackfishing from shore seems to be slowing down, the fish may be moving into deeper water. There was a great bite happening at the east jetty all week long. Surfcasting on the north side is producing striped bass when the bait gets pushed in. Offshore, in the canyons, yellowfin tuna up to 90 pounds are readily available. It’s a long run for tuna, but the only bluefin around the point right now are giants, and they are closed as of Thursday.”

Phil at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “There are a lot of tog available right now and they are biting everywhere, both shallow and deep. Anywhere there are rocks, you’re likely gonna crush. That said, these warmer temperatures have made the porgies much more active; the surf togging guys will likely find schools of porgies in the mix. Inside the harbor, there are schools of decent blues grubbing up bait. Out front, there are bass chewing the tube and worm and live eels. The fishing is looking pretty decent. Most bass are in the schoolie to 20-pound range.”

Brendan (@rhodyonthefly) in Montauk reports: “When the weather finally cooperated, I was able to make the run across the pond from Watch Hill to Montauk. Shagwong Point and the traditional Montauk rips at the lighthouse were holding plenty of blitzing stripers and hundreds of birds working above them. This is the typical fall fishing we’ve been waiting for. The October Supermoon did not disappoint. Cranking currents from the full moon got bass raging on peanuts and smaller sand eels. Most bass were around the slot size with the occasional 15- to 20-pound fish in the mix. For light spin tackle, we used diamond jigs and heavy bucktails to get down to the bass. When the tide wasn’t as strong, we took the fly rods out. We used 10 weights paired with a fast-sinking line and heavy Clousers to get the flies down to the bass. Chartreuse and pink Clousers were the ticket. Cast out as far as you can and wait a few seconds to get that fly down, and within three strips, we were always tight.”

Freddie Torres (@ny_frankii_fiish) in Montauk reports: “The striped bass seemed elusive unless you physically saw them feeding. Once you found the birds, chances were you would find the bass. Most times, fish were way too far to cast to, but with a diamond jig, you’d be pretty close to the blitz if you gave it all you had. With the full moon and ripping tides, Super Strike darters and 9-inch soft plastics seemed to work best for me. The Super Strike darter has become a go-to; I prefer to work it very slow, letting the current do most of the work with a twitch once in a while. Soft plastics on a 1-ounce jighead worked like a bucktail were also killer, especially in light colors such as yellow, white, and chartreuse. I’ve seen many fish from 26 to 34 inches mostly feeding on peanut bunker and sand eels. I’ve also heard of several over-slots, but luck wasn’t on my side. If you cant find the birds, a deep pocket on the beach is almost guaranteed to hold a few fish.”

Kyle Ellis (@kyle_lsx) and friend Dennis McKee on the Eastern Long Island beaches report: “Striper fishing has been very productive towards the end of the out-going tide. Fish are hitting on slim-profile baits. The majority of the fish are coming up on Tsunami sand eels, bullet SP Minnows, and Hydro Minnows. Most of the fish are teen- to low-20 pound class with a few high 20s and a couple of low 30s in the mix. All were taken on the same lures. I also happened to snag an adult sand eel, which explains why they’re taking slim-profile baits. We fished the weekend at night during the full moon which presented heavy rip tides and crazy currents from the storm out in the ocean. These nights produced dozens of bass for a few hours. The full moon was so bright I was able to see the bass in the wash.”

Andrew Bernat and buddy Joe Giunta (@tactical_bassin26) in Eastern Long Island Sound report: “With a lot of rain bait and other small bait in the area, the 4-inch Cotton Cordell in bone white, or white with redhead, has been the trick to fool monster bluefish in the middle of the channel. When rigging the plug, a belly treble and BKK lone-diablo single hook provide perfect side-to-side action and allow the plug to cast further. As for blackfish, if you’re not into fishing a jig, a standoff rig with a 3/0 to 4/0 Mustad ultra-point octopus hook tied with 40-pound Yo-Zuri super fluoro works perfect. We’ve been on a killer tog bite!”

Joe Vukas (@joevukas) on the North Fork reports: “Fishing was pretty slow up until last week on the North Fork; when it opened up, massive schools of peanut bunker and small schools of spot were the predominant bait. Darters worked the best, but it was more quantity than quality. The biggest fish were in the 35-inch range. Incoming and outgoing were both good, even with a bright moon (I prefer the new moon). Daytime was also productive on spooks and 9-inch white Slug-gos, but the bigger fish seem to be chewing at night. On the Sound side, the anchovies brought many small bass. A fly rod with epoxy minnows worked best. I’m still not seeing any false albacore from the surf, yet. It’s time to try some late-night sessions this weekend with needlefish…let’s hope that some big bass show!”

Sergio Diaz (@sergiodiazfishing) in Fire Island reports: “Striped bass action along the south shore of Fire Island has picked up significantly over the past week. Anglers, both from shore and boats, are catching striped bass during the early morning and late afternoon hours. Additionally, albies have arrived, adding some excitement to the mix. Overall, it’s shaping up to be a promising fall season for the South Shore.”

Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) in Eastern Long Island reports: “I’m still getting some bass and blues at the home beach. Slots and schoolies are chewing the ol’ Mag Darter. I hit a marina near me as well and was able to jig up some bass on a bucktail I tied. Blackfish action from shore was good for me the other day, too; a lot of small ones, but a couple of fish from 13 to 14 inches at a new spot I’ve been scoping out.”

Arek (@thebrooklynfisherman) in Montauk reports: “It’s still slow at home on the North Fork, but Montauk lit up with tons of bass from schoolies into the mid 30-inch range. The north side and the point have been harboring the most productive blitzes. The primary bait is giant sand eels, but some smaller herring have been in the mix too. The elusive albies are still missing from the picture.”

This weekend, I was delighted to find some calm weather; with the wind speed low and air temperatures favorable, I figured I would go out and slay some hardtails, bass, or blues. However, I was sorely mistaken. Leaving from Mattituck, I cruised up to Orient Point before crossing to Connecticut. While there was plenty of bait available, I couldn’t find a single fish attempting to eat. Then I managed to buzz over to the Fishers Island. While it looked extremely fishy, the bass refused to cooperate. After a few hours, I returned to the Orient area, where I jigged up a few sea bass and porgies.

Although the fish refused to cooperate, at least the weather was favorable! Looking toward the future, I think I’m ready to switch over to blackfish. Driving up the coast, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out as I watched boats slam tog! That said, I’ll be breaking out the light 5000-size reel and some green crabs next week. I’m excited to rip some blackfish lips and dial into a Sound tautog bite.

The fishing remains hot—Eastern Long Island’s beaches are filled with bass, and despite the presence of sand eels, these fish have been “here today and gone tomorrow”! When the bite is hot, it’s on fire, and when it’s not, it’s a grind. You’ll need to cover water to get on the biomass. Needlefish, diamond jigs, pencil poppers, and darters remain hot plugs. The northeast wind seems to get fish fired up, but it can push the bass and bait off the beaches a bit. If you’re looking for a fall cow, the night bite is the right bite! Regarding hardtails, it looks like this season might be a dud. While we had a quick start, the fish are skittish and remain offshore, eating giant sand eels.

Blackfishing is hot right now as the fish are in shallow water eating crab-tipped jigs and traditional rigs. Tons and tons of keeper blackfish are being caught off boulder fields, rock piles, and wrecks. If you’re looking for crabs, hit the beach for the day and flip some rocks, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see a ton of free bait! Cut your crab in half, take a claw off, and thread your hook through the leg socket!

Looking toward November, the tog bite should remain hot, and the snotty fall weather should cause the striper fishing to heat up.