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 Chris at the Montauk Anglers Club reports: “It was a tough week of fishing conditions out of Montauk. Towards the beginning of the week, the striper fishing was still producing slot-sized fish and unders, and a handful of over-slot bass were caught as well. In the surf, you could find small schoolies from Ditch Plains to IGA with a few reports of slots caught. Pretty phenomenal for mid November. The false albacore have spread out—some days they were at the lighthouse, some days they passed Gurneys. They are still here! Just need some good weather. Bottom fishing has really impressed me. The amount of jumbo black sea bass is insane! If the weather cooperates, I recommend you go. Blackfishing is also as good as it gets with a handful of double-digit fish being caught this week. Large codfish have shown up and anglers are catching them on jigs. Additionally, at the beginning of last week, the bluefin were still here.”
Bill Falco at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “The late-November bass bite continues strong! This has been an incredible fall run, bass are still loaded up in the bay, along the beach, and running the ocean as they migrate south. They’re inhaling schools of sand eels and bunker. Bring the arsenal with you so you can be dialed in. Diamond jigs, needlefish, SP minnows, bucktails, darters, and a popper or two. The store is loaded up with plenty of gear from rods and reels to lures, to get on these bass while they’re still around. We still have another full moon coming, so we’ll see how it impacts the bite—they could stick around for a while. Tautog fishing is still going strong. Lots of solid white chins are coming up over the rails. Anglers are finding plenty of keepers and a good amount of bigger fish in the 6- to 8-pound range. The tuna action seems just as good—they’re hanging pretty close as of right now. Get on ‘em before that cold snaps.”
Hilton at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “There are giants still swimming around off the south shore, and the bite is hot if you can brave the elements. Running and gunning with giant live baits has been the key; if you can find some bunker to live line, you’ll improve your chances of connecting with a monster. As for tackle, the name of the game is 130 wide reels. Last week we had 3 giants and a huge thresher reported by customers at the shop. In the surf, the bass are getting smaller, but they’re still chewing.”
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This week I mixed it up and hit a night bite toward the Western Sound. The name of the game was working shads and plastic eels against bridge pilings. As we drifted around the pilings you could see fish lining the bottom. That said, the bass were tough to cooperate, it took quite a few drifts to tempt one into eating. The hits were super light, as colder water temperatures have the fish acting lazy. If you didn’t set the hook within a split second of coming tight, you weren’t going to keep the fish pinned. As for presentation, the best method was swinging and lightly jigging plastics along the bottom. The bite is certainly slowing down. It seems like were getting closer and closer to the 9th inning. It might be time to break out the trout gear!
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
Happy Thanksgiving, folks! It’s safe to say that the cold weather is upon us—over the next several days we’re going to experience temperatures in the 20s and upper 30s. If you’re brave enough to fish, your best bet is tog and sea bass. That said, several charter boats on the North Fork and in Montauk are picking up cod and pollock, so if you’re into deep water wreck fishing, now is the time. Heavy jigs and standard bait rigs should do the trick. Make sure you have a conventional setup with plenty of line. As far as the surf bite, you can still pick away at bass near Shinnecock. While the size of the fish is getting smaller, you can still have fun by breaking out a lighter setup. Either way, it seems the end is near for this season. However, with one season ending, another begins! It’s a great time to fish for white perch and trout, break out the ultralight or fly rod, and get to work!
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).
- Blackfish stay biting inshore on the wrecks and bridge pilings.
- Stripers continue to blitz beyond the beaches and inlets on the South Shore
- North Shore harbors loaded with squid, good action off the piers.
- Bluefin tuna can be found as shallow as 30 feet and within 10 miles of shore on bunker pods.
Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh told me: “The boat action continues to be crazy close to shore. Anglers are having a lot of success on flutter spoons and diamond jigs. Topwater has been effective too, but only in short windows and made obvious by the birds. I wouldn’t blind cast a popper expecting fast action. The beaches are producing but its either ON or totally lifeless. Choose your tides and times well, and expect to have to move around to find the fish. Blackfish continue to chew inshore and we’re still selling crabs. The tuna bite is still going on and you don’t have to go too far to find them. I think we’ll have a lot of great fishing for the rest of the month into December! Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!”
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside said: “Bass are blitzing right outside the inlet as I write this! They’re getting smaller, but there’s still a few big ones mixed in, and plenty of slots. Peanut bunker, adult bunker and sand eels are all in the mix. A few of our customers went tuna fishing and that action has remained steady, in most of the same spots within 10 miles of shore. We’re also still selling bushels of crabs. The tog bite has been solid inside for the most part, and I’ve even seen commercial boats inshore rather than offshore. The bridges have continued to hold plenty of keeper tog and the action is fast. It’s been an awesome season for them.”
John from Freeport Bait and Tackle reports: “Not much has changed as far as the striped bass action goes! There are still a ton of fish to be caught from the beach and within a mile of shore. Birds have been chasing sand eels and bunker blitzes, and the whales and tuna are still around feasting on them as well. Blackfish are still biting well off the bridges and wrecks; the action continues to be great both outside the inlets and inside the bays. We have white crabs available by pre-order only. Call us if you want these trophy-tog baits! Thanks and have a happy Thanksgiving!”
Josh Rogers from Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Good fishing continues! We have been bouncing around the wrecks in all different depths, with all producing quality keepers and enough short life to keep things interesting. Lots of 4- to 5-pound fish in the mix with the big fish of week being 8 pounds, 2 ounces. As a bonus, we have been jigging for bass on the way home. We will continue targeting blackfish until the end of season on December 22nd. Happy Thanksgiving!”
Rich from Lindenhurst Bait and Tackle told me: “Blackfish have still been mainly inshore. Some recent customers who went out in the ocean blanked on keepers while those fishing inside the inlets are still limiting out consistently, with plenty of shorts to keep rods bent. The beaches have seen good numbers of striped bass feeding on sand eels and bunker, as well as a couple miles out in the ocean where big blitzes are forming. White perch have also started to bite, and we have some monster specimens in our neck of the woods! We have some end-of-season discounts to take advantage of, including 20% off Penn reels, bulk discounts for green crabs, and more. Happy Thanksgiving to all our customers!”
Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters in Queens said: “Bassing around NYC continues to be really good with lots of bait and bass everywhere you look. Adult bunker are thick off the Western LI & Northern NJ beaches with big stripers and much bigger bluefin feasting on them. We made a local tuna run yesterday and found miles of birds feasting on sand eels getting pushed up by bass to the south. Fishing is likely going to stay good through December. We have two more trips this week and then we’re done until April 15th. It’s been a great year, thank you for fishing with us and reading our weekly reports. See you in 2025!”
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This morning I did a rare morning pier trip with my buddy Shawn and we got into some short blackfish below the pilings. The action was slow, and our fingers were numb. It was a classic late-fall/early-winter tog trip, with all the suffering one can expect. The pier was frosty and slippery, and there were ink stains everywhere from a squid beatdown the night before. There’s been a pretty epic squid bite going on up here, and local boats like the James Joseph have been doing special night trips after togging.
Meanwhile, the sentiment among most is that the action remains great along the South Shore. Bass blitzes, tuna blitzes, and tog bites have all been consistent with the usual suspects—sand eels and bunker—fueling the bass and bluefin, and green or white-legger crabs for tog bait.
Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
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Western Long Island Fishing Forecast
The blackfish bite continues to be one for the books. Inshore togging has consistently produced keepers and it seems like the fishing is better close to shore versus outside the inlets. Ocean reefs are holding tog, but the bridges and bay wrecks have been producing limits.
On the North Shore, things have slowed down to a degree. There are still tog around, though they’re mostly shorts. The squid bite has been one to remember, with tons of jumbo-sized squid getting hauled up not just from boats, but the piers, too. One bass angler I know harvested a slot striper recently and found a jumbo-sized squid in its belly.
An angler with a sabiki-rig was casting for herring while we were out tog fishing. We didn’t see him catch anything and he left after 30 minutes or so. I had to leave for work but Shawn stayed behind for a bit. He texted me an hour later saying that some herring did move in while he was there, which is awesome to hear. A good herring run this winter would likely contribute to some great holdover fishing.
Meanwhile, I’ve heard the white perch have been chewing, and there have been some large ones around the bays and estuaries. If you’re looking for a light-tackle change of pace, they’re a great winter option with somewhat steadier action than the usual holdover fishing. Likewise, although we lost a great freshwater option with the emptying of Blydenburgh Lake (Stump Pond), there are still lakes and ponds across the island holding quality largemouth, yellow perch, bluegill, crappie, and pickerel. Too many to list in this report for now, but the DEC keeps a comprehensive list on their website.
Of course, it’s not even winter yet, but the stretch of pleasant weather we had has made these past few days of cold feel like winter has arrived. There’s still a lot of great action to be had in the salt. Whether you’re looking for fresh fish for tomorrow’s feast, or just some memories to cap off the season, I hope you have a great time on the water this week. Thank you for reading, and have a happy Thanksgiving!
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).