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).
Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Could this fall run of striped bass get any better? The beaches are loaded with fish, boat guys are crushing them all day out front, and the bay is scattered with fish from schoolie size to the 30-pound range. The ocean is loaded with plus-sized fish, so much so that you can have your fill and leave ‘em biting. We are also starting to see a good amount of bass push into the bay and start chasing some schools of bait around. Keep your binoculars handy this time of year, you’re gonna need them to find some birds. ‘Finicky’ is the word we have been hearing a lot when it comes to bay bass. Some days the fish get really keyed in on specific sizes and colors. Bring the arsenal! Have white and yellow poppers? Make sure you have green and pink too, and various sizes. Finesse presentations have been key to success for us here at the shop. We are selling lots of Super Strike PP40’s and finesse shads. If you’re taking the boat out, you might as well load up on crabs and tog gear, too—the fishing is just crazy. Local spots are chock full of solid white chins and the outside wrecks and reefs are littered with them. They love stealing bait, and terminal tackle, so bring plenty with you. This fall is stacking up to be one of the best in recent years.”
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Nick at Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports: “There are schoolies and slot fish in the surf, but blackfish is hit or miss on the rocks. The popular rig for tog is a snafu and white legger crabs. As for the bass, sand eel imitations like diamond jigs are working best—that said, mackerel and squid are starting to show up, so try throwing some larger profiles. In other news, white perch are showing up in creeks heavy right now, so if you’re a fly fisherman it’s the perfect time to throw Clousers, half & halfs, and any small peanut bunker imitations.”
Brendan Gomez (@rhodyonthefly) in Montauk reports: “There’s definitely more of a consistent bite now of smaller slot-size fish with a few bigger ones in the mix. Small sand eels seem to be the primary bait, but the fish don’t seem to care about what you throw at them. Diamond jigs, poppers, bucktails, hollow fleyes, or Clousers should do the trick.”
Kyle Ellis (@kyle_lsx) on Eastern Long Island reports: “This week, all nights seem to be productive even in the face of gnarly wind. The fish still seem to be chewing sand eels. On the calmer nights I’m throwing slim-profile lures like the bullet SP Minnow and Hydro Minnow. A faster retrieve has been getting more fish compared to a slower retrieve. In rougher conditions, bottle plugs have been doing good work as well. Each night was packed with schoolies and slots with a few over-slot fish in the mix. The biggest for me was just about 20 pounds—I’m still happy to see the fish hanging around. Finding adult sand eels washing up on the shore each night is an indicator that it’s still going strong.”
Captain Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “It was another interesting week of fishing in Montauk with striped bass again being the highlight. The stripers could be found from the lighthouse all the way to outside the inlet, with batches of bass blitzing on the surface. Outside the inlet seems to be an ebb tide bite. Bottom fishing has been on and off with the blackfish. The most dependable fisheries seems to be the black sea bass as well as porgies. Off at Cox’s Ledge, jumbo black sea bass and codfish have been caught regularly. The bluefin bite that was very close to home seems to have moved on—the only tuna still available are giants.”
Jeff Lomonaco at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “The bass fishing out front is really good in the surf on sand eels, and there are tons of fish on top up on the beach. Montauk is still on fire. In the bay, the bass fishing has been slow; some days it’s solid on live bait. Blackfish has been pretty good in the inlet, in the canal, and over by Orient. Offshore, there have been plenty of giants and tons of bluefin inshore cruising the beach.”
Phil at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “It’s petty much lights out fishing for blackfish in shallow water and deeper water. Green crabs and jigs are working best. There are a fair amount of sea bass on the bottom as well. Jigs in the half-ounce to 1-ounce range have been the key—just crack the shell in half and slap a big ol’ bait on the hook! There are lots of schoolies and teen-size fish around, too. We’re starting to see a lot of peanut bunker and some blitzing fish along the beaches, and there aren’t as many blues.”
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This past week I was in Louisiana chasing redfish, so I’ve been off the bite lately. That said, last night, I snuck out for a few hours in search of some docklight fish. Armed with a white jiggy clouser, OTW’s Nick Cancelliere and I crushed a few willing schoolie bass. Nick even caught his first bass on the fly! Nick said, “I could do this all the time!” In terms of bait, I’m seeing more and more peanut bunker, which makes me think we should see some epic blitzes in the Sound in the near future!
Looking toward November, I’m excited to do some deep water tog fishing and hammer some happy blitzing schoolies. It seems like this season could go well into December; it’s certainly a slow burn of fish at the moment. It’s only a matter of time before the peak fall fishing sets in.
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
Happy halloween! November is a stones throw away, and cooler air and water temperatures have the fish riled up. Historically, this is the best time to fish the North Fork. That first week of November is the perfect time to hit the tip of Orient Point. In terms of conditions, you’re looking for snotty, gnarly weather for shore fishing. A northeast blow at 20 to 30 knots could find the fish slamming sand eels, peanuts, and even herring at your feet. The bite can last anywhere from an hour to a full day. Usually, these fish range in size from schoolies to over slots. If you’re chucking plugs, you can’t go wrong with a Yo-Zuri twitch bait, 1-ounce S&S bucktail, or Joe Baggs resin jig. Conversely, if you’re brave enough to fly fish in those conditions, be prepared with a super fast-action rod capable of casting into the wind. I typically use a Sage Salt as it has immense backbone and line shooting capabilities. In regards to fly choice, you can’t go wrong with a Surf Candy, Clouser, or small Deceiver. Keep in mind you’ll need a stripping basket in order to manage your fly line. In your search for fish be sure to look for large splashes, bird activity, and bait in the wash.
If you’re looking for blackfish, continue hitting the boulder fields and rock piles on the North Fork. You’ll likely be surprised with a few big sea bass in the mix of chewing tog. Also, be aware that the North Fork tends to get a late-season run of albies, so be ready to throw a jig at any boils or feeds you may find.
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
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).
- If someone tells you there’s ghosts out there, it isn’t a Halloween joke.
- Biblical amounts of bunker, with whales and porpoises galore.
- Striped bass and bluefish feeding at all hours of the day in the North Shore bays and Long Island Sound
- Inshore blackfish bite shows no signs of slowing down.
John from Freeport Bait and Tackle reports: “Happy Halloween! We’re seeing amazing action off of the beach with bunker everywhere and whales, dolphins, and striped bass feeding on them! Keep your eyes out for ghosts as well, the bluefin-type. Blackfishing has been very good inshore lately and it’s likely to stay that way with this warm weather keeping the water temperature stable. If you want to catch large bass, diamond jigs and flutter spoons are the key depending on what they’re eating; diamond jigs for sand eels and flutter spoons for bunker. Of course you can also live line the bunker and that’s likely going to catch you a large bass. We’ve heard of bass in the slot range and also over 40 inches. Stop by the shop to get geared up for some cow fishing!”
Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh told me: “Fishing is epic right now! It’s pure fall run insanity out there. Huge amounts of bunker and sand eels off of the beach are causing crazy bass blitzes, and there’s a ton of whales and dolphins around feeding on them as well. You may also spot a few tuna while you’re out there, so keep your eyes peeled. Blackfishing has been very good inshore still, but I haven’t heard much from anyone fishing the outside wrecks or reefs, likely because it’s hard to ignore all the bunker and bass action happening out there.”
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside said: “Striped bass have been feeding well under the bunker pods and crashing sand eels on top. You can find them right outside the inlet or just a half of a mile off the beach. Just watch out for whales! Tuna have been seen regularly feeding on the bunker and sand eels as well. There’s plenty of tog around, but with all this action close to shore, it’s hard to pass up striped bass and ghost hunting! We have diamond jigs, plugs, and fresh bait to keep you rocking and rolling all throughout the fall run, which has been firing on all cylinders lately. Get out there!”
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Josh Rogers from Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Blackfishing has been solid for the most part with plenty of action and enough keepers to keep things interesting. Quite a few limits are taken each trip by the more advanced anglers with fish up to 8 pounds. Fishing should continue to improve as the water cools! There’s a ton of striped bass out there as well, including some occasional tuna blitzes, which are just a wild sight. Dropping diamond jigs has been deadly at catching bass, but you can also get them on topwater when the sand eels show up.”
Doug Tobeck of Corazon Charters in Freeport said: “Bass, threshers, tuna, and blackfish, oh my! The fall run is on and exceeding our expectations. We had another 50-pound fish this week and many slots, along with plenty of fish to 40 pounds. We also hooked and fought a very large thresher for over 1.5 hours! The reel finally failed on one of its blistering runs. The bluefin tuna are in our area—we are keeping a close eye on them and will fish for them when the opportunities arise. The blackfish are also starting to show on the local pieces of structure, but fishing has still been pretty good inshore!”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens said: “This week was more of the same great fall run fishing, just with bigger bass and more of them! We’ve been chasing the whales tuna style, but instead of sand eels & yellowfin it’s bunker & 40-pound bass mixed into the feeds (with the occasional giant tuna crashing the party). Depending on the wind direction on any given day, we’ve been fishing open ocean bunker schools, smaller schools tight to the beach, or a sand eel jig bite a little further south. Just to put the amount of bass around in perspective on our last 3 trips, weve gotten a 30- to 40-pound bass in the cast net mixed in with the bunker each time. Pretty wild! We’re almost done for the season and just have a few dates left, call (347) 661-4501 or rockfishcharters.com to book a trip.”
Al Rotunno from the Staten Island Fishing Club told me: “Blackfish and striped bass continue to improve and dominate inshore action with “ghost” bluefin tuna also being caught inshore this past week. Raritan Bay has started to turn up with striped bass—casting swim shads and metal lures have worked well. Find the birds and beneath them you should find the bass. A range of sizes from shorts to overs have been caught in the bay along the channels as well. Out front off of Sandy Hook and Long Branch held larger models with many fish over 40 pounds. The bass are either on large sand eels or bunker, so match the hatch and you should do well. Keith McGrath along with his dad Joe did well catching bass to 30 pounds by casting diamond jigs.
Blackfishing has been red hot in the Bay as well as the ocean reef sites. Phil DeLorenzo and I did really well this week catching close to 100 tog with many keepers up to 8 pounds. Phil also caught an 11-pound tog on a solo mission this week. Joe Flip and Joe Barchitta also reported catching many keeper-sized tog up to 9 pounds in South Jersey. Bluefin continue to be seen airing out between Sandy Hook and Barnegat with Joe shute/ballyhoo getting it done, as well as run-and-gun action with NLBN and other soft plastic lures doing the trick. Now is the time so get out there and fish. Tight lines all.”
Paul McCain from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin reports: “Man, what is up with this weather? I went out on the South Shore recently and it was absolutely beautiful. There wasn’t a ton of action in the surf, most of it being a mile or so offshore from what I saw. Still, there are sand eels around and if you show up at the right time, you’ll get treated to a blitz!
The Connetquot River has been fishing very well, but it’s full of leaves. Likewise the rivers upstate are fishing well, however, the flows are very low—you may or may not have noticed we haven’t had much rain, if any, this month! Still, there’s great fishing to be had if you want a change of pace from the madness taking place off the South Shore.”
Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
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Happy Halloween, its nutty out there! The Great Wall of Bunker has formed off the South Shore and there are a lot of whales feeding just off the beach. I went out with my buddy Frank Pugliese (@frank_pugliese) and hoped to get in on the striped bass feeds that have been happening out there. We found ourselves in a fleet of maybe 50 to 100 boats, give or take. Most were live lining, a few were trolling, and others were whale watching. We didn’t expect much to happen on top of those bunker pods that were filled with boaters and whales, so we scanned the horizon for bird action and steamed toward the first flock we saw close to the surface.
It paid off—we found striped bass feeding on sand eels a few hundred yards outside of the fleet. We had about 4 to 5 other boats following the bass with us, including one boat who opted to troll two lines directly through the feed as we casted topwater lures into it. It’s always a circus when you have that many boats in one place, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. However, Frank was able to hook his first of the day.
The sand eel blitzes didn’t last long, and attempts at jigging stripers on the bottom only lead to a dozen dogfish on our lines. We moved around, chasing more birds and finding a few decent feeds that had us doubling up on 30-inch-class striped bass at times. Eventually, we shut the motor and waited beside a quiet stretch where there were no boats, but plenty of parked birds and more bunker flipping on the surface.
As Frank and I made small talk, some white water caught my eye in the distance. “Dude, do you see that?” I interrupted. “Maybe just another whale breaching.” Frank responded. But then, the whitewater grew wider, and before I could blurt out what I was thinking Frank had already started the engine and turned and burned after it. We both started screaming to each other as we saw the unmistakable sight of a huge striped bass blitz forming, and we had it pretty much all to ourselves, with only two other boats in the distance beelining for it.
We arrived at the blitz and I yelled “Just throw that thing over the side!” as Frank drew his lure from the hook keeper on his rod. We both immediately came tight on 30-inch fish in less than a few seconds of our lures hitting the water. As we fought the fish, laughing and fist-bumping along the way, more bass and sand eels began to fly out of the water, and in less than 30 seconds, it was over and the water settled down completely.
We stuck around for a bit and chased a few more flocks of birds, but I had to catch a ferry that afternoon to fish for blackfish in Rhode Island the next day, and Frank had work. So we headed back toward the inlet, with permanent grins tattooed to our faces.
Western Long Island Fishing Forecast
I think we’ll be fishing long into November. Between the warm weather and the absolute biblical amounts of bait off the South Shore, and inside the bays of the North Shore. Tog fishing has been great too, and it’s not a bad idea to bring some crab with you in case the striped bass fishing leaves something to be desired. Likewise, you should bring some paddletails and topwater plugs with you on any tog trips in case the bass and bluefish show up.
With sand eels still prevalent, along with some big bunker, you can’t go wrong with soft plastics. I did the most damage on an Al Gag’s Whip-it Eel while fishing with Frank, but on the North Shore, I was catching non-stop schoolies on a peanut-bunker sized Storm WildEye shad.
From the surf, the most deadly lure right now is the classic fall-run-favorite—a diamond jig and tube. You could throw a teaser on there, but it’s really not necessary. Minnow plugs have been landing fish as well, and so have pencils.
There’s so much bait around that it can be a detriment; fishing one of the North Shore bays on Sunday required me to put on a heavy jighead to get underneath the peanut bunker, which were so abundant that I found myself constantly snagging them and feeling them bump into my line.
This time of year, I think of what my co-worker Robbie Tartaglia says about your eyes being an important tool for fishing; you need to always be watching for birds and white water. On the North Shore, I was fishing alongside several boats in my kayak, but paying close attention to what the peanut bunker were doing was what helped me come tight while others continued to blind cast.
I spotted the textbook sight of peanut bunker ‘volcanoes’ erupting out of the water, and casting directly into them almost always netted a bass. Eventually, the action picked up so that it didn’t matter where you casted, so long as your jig went underneath the peanut bunker where the bass were. We have beautiful warm weather the rest of the week, with the only factor to watch out for being the wind if you’re vessel-bound. Otherwise, surfcasters should be having an absolute ball this week whether they’re fishing the North or South Shores.
And on a final note, if you have access to some dock lights – head down there at night with a fly rod or a light-tackle setup and toss some lures into it for some fun with the ‘rat’ bass that are probably chasing some small bait around. Just remember to take good care of those small bass. It’s more important now than ever.
Get out there and make some memories! It’s far from over, and you can find some of the very best fishing of the year off both shores right now, whether you’re fishing the bays, the surf, or the open ocean. Thanks for reading, have a happy and safe Halloween, and tight lines!
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).