Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
North Shore
The Angler Fleet (@anglerfleet) out of Port Washington reports: “The porgy fishing has continued to be productive, with only a handful of slow days over the past few weeks. Some cocktail blues remain, while bass are beginning to trickle in. Our scouting for blackfish has been excellent, with some surprise bass mixed in. Blackfish trips are now available on our website, so be sure to book soon—especially for private charters.”
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “Bass fishing has slowed down, but bluefish have moved in on the outside of the harbor. A ton of 16- to 17-inch sea bass are being caught, and boats with spot-lock are hitting them pretty good. Blackfish are also being caught by the sea bass guys. On the inside of the harbor, there are a ton of snappers going bananas. The bays are loaded with large and small spearing and thousands of peanut bunker have moved into the back of the harbor. Weakfish are still around the Triangle, but they can be finicky. Visit cowharbortackle.com or call 631-239-1631.”
Captain Stu Paterson of Northport Charters reports: “The water temperature is still around 70 degrees in the Sound and there are massive schools of bay anchovies, peanuts, and spearing in our fishery. The last couple of trips we have targeted porgy and sea bass with young anglers on board. On Tuesday, an 11-year-old girl had a tremendous 3-pound porgy on the rod and is now hooked for life! Keeper sea bass are coming over the rail; the last couple trips have been especially productive. With all this bait around, it is setting up to be a great fall run. Don’t forget blackfish season is around the corner, starting October 11! Call or text 631-707-3266 and book a trip today or go to northportcharters.com.”
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC
Captain Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly (@northislandfly) in Smithtown Bay reports: “The fall run in my area is slightly different than last year. We have been catching bonito and Spanish mackerel since the second week of August, with the most recent weeks being excellent for bonito. The albies moved in a couple weeks ago, but have been very sparse and hard to locate, especially with all the bonito distracting us. In the bays, harbors, and along the beaches, I’m happy to see a good amount of bass and blues doing their thing. Small bluefish have been crushing the rain bait all day long and you can find some larger specimens out in deep water and in the rip lines. Bass have been focused on the peanut bunker that we are seeing. Water temps are still pretty warm (70 to 72 degrees), but once we get some actual fall weather, it will really start to pick up. Albies will (hopefully) filter in a bit more and start feasting on the tremendous amount of bait. The bonito are spread as far west as the Nassau/Suffolk border and they are also seeing good numbers along the CT shoreline, especially the Norwalk Islands. I will be fishing through November this year and traveling to the South Shore in hopes of catching another great late fall run.”
Captain Skippy Charters reports: “This week out of Mount Sinai Harbor, we are happy to announce that fall fishing is in full swing in central Long Island Sound! Hardtails have arrived in the area, with the best showing of bonito in years. Have your epoxy jigs and Deadly Dicks ready when you see birds. Bottom fishing for big porgies is phenomenal right now with sea bass and weakfish in the mix, as well. Big sea bass have moved into deep rock piles and wrecks. The striped bass bite remains strong with fish up to 20 pounds caught trolling, jigging, and on topwater plugs; however, the gator bluefish bite we are accustomed to this time of the year has been absent over the past week. We have been working with GrayFish Tag, tagging over-slot striped bass for their research, giving customers the unique opportunity to catch, tag, name, and release large striped bass all in the name of science. Shout out to DJ, who braved some rough seas and caught, tagged, and released two over-slot bass named “Moose” and “Capybara”.
Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) reports: “The back of the bays have plenty of life early in the morning, and the bass seem to love chomping on all these peanut bunker schools. The fish range in size from 12 to 20 pounds. The lure of choice has been a small Super Strike Little Neck Popper in black/purple and yellow/white. Apparently there are weakfish around eating soft plastics; I haven’t caught any, but I keep seeing photos. The fluke bite is pretty much at a halt on the North Shore. I’ve been catching blackfish as porgy bycatch. There are also a ton of mullet around in the back bays on shallow flats.”
Gary Huang (@gh_fishing26) reports: “I started the day fishing from shore with no luck. Birds started popping up, but just out of reach. A guy I met earlier in the morning was considering taking out his kayak, which just so happened to have another seat! We paddled out to the birds and chased them around for a bit. He got his first albie ever, but I broke a rod, lost 3 jigs, and snagged a bird. We paddled back to shore and I got my spare rod. Birds were still working like crazy, so we got into a nice feed just as the blitzes were starting to slow down. Seeing that his albie choked up a bunch of spearing, I tied a gold, 1-ounce Game On Exo Jig direct to 10-pound braid and sent it out into the feed. The fish hit like a truck and I fought it for a solid 7 or 8 minutes. At the end of the fight on my ill-equipped 10-foot surf rod, I angled the fish toward him so he could tail grab it. Soon after, there were no more blitzes to be seen. Talk about a buzzer-beater for my first time kayak fishing!”
Marc Achtziger (@salty_ax) reports: “This week we chased bonito, but they were picky and only a few came over the rail. The real surprise came at low slack in the boulders… stripers smashing topwater plugs until dark. Fish are here… you just have to find the time and trust those old, reliable spots.”
Luke Fritz (@fritzluc) and his son Jake went out with Captain Bobby Tambascio (@tambasss) of TamBASS Charters and reported: “Tuesday morning we hit the North Shore and conditions were perfect… overcast skies, with some light wind to start. The bonito loved the weather. However, once the wind picked up, it became harder to find the bones on the surface. Overall, we had a steady 45 mins of good, consistent feeding action. The telltale signs of fish were birds flying low to the surface, and as soon as they started dive-bombing, bonito erupted on the surface. The fish seemed to be moving up and down super fast. A 3/4-ounce jig (in silver, blue, or pink) with medium/fast retrieve got the job done. Both Jake and I crushed fish!”
Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) in Smithtown reports: “Bait continues to be thick in my area. Not many good fish around yet, but I have found some bass blowing up on bait in the back bays at first light. Schoolie- to teen-size bass are feeding on bay anchovies, spearing, and peanuts. Bonito and Spanish macks are still making a good showing—they’re chowing down on peanuts and bay anchovies, too. Porgies are also aggressively feeding on spearing and bay anchovies in the back bays. The other night I even watched porgies beach themselves trying to chase all the bait that’s around.”
South Shore
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Over the past week, we have been treated to some nice fall mixed bags on both boats! We are primarily targeting weakfish, of which we have seen plenty to 26 inches, with fluke, stripers, and loads of blues in the mix. These are exciting trips and are usually action-packed. We will continue to run these trips and striped bass specific trips until the blackfish opener in a few weeks.”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters (@rockfishcharters) in Queens reports: “It’s dragger time! We look forward to this bite all season and our fall dragger bite has started off with a bang. It’s nice to have a closer option for yellowfin, and these fish are aggressively feeding behind the commercial boats and eating anything you throw at them; our buddy even found 2 chicken wings in one of their stomachs the other day! The trick is to bring lots of live peanut bunker to peel them off the draggers, and once you have them to yourself, it’s just lock and load, hand feeding them off the transom.”
Captain Arthur Cortes of Cortes Outfitters (@cortes.outfitters) in NYC reports: “The pre-fall run has begun, with plenty of bait in the bay attracting weakfish, bluefish, and striped bass, which can be seen blitzing in the mornings. As the water slowly but surely cools, quality striped bass have begun to feed more aggressively and are willing to eat flies. This week, our fly choice is a white popper, and our lure choice is a Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow. Call 347-326-4750 or visit cortesoutfitters.com for info on trips and rates.”
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC
The Captree Fleet reports: “Ocean trips have seen steady action with a nice fluke to 7.4 pounds, along with stripers, porgy, sea robins, stargazer, blowfish, bonito, false albacore, and sea bass. We’ve been keeping a full boat limit on most trips. The bay fluke fishing remains solid! Pool fish are coming in around 6 pounds plus. Our fleet is currently running the fall schedule, so please check our members’ website for new sailing times. Everything you need to fish is right on the boat, included in the fare at no extra cost. Get your gift certificates! Available to purchase in our office or online. They can be used on any of our Members Boats. The Fleet Charter Boats are now booking trips for the 2026 season.”
Captain Jake Diamond of Murder Inc. Sportfishing Charters (@murderinc.sportfishing) out of Freeport reports: “Chasing the right temperatures yields the right bite! That was the name of the game on the last trip Friday. Bigeyes and wahoo on the cold 67 to 68 degree side of the break, with yellowfins mixed in on the warm side of the break. Fishing is epic right now. We’ve also seen a big mahi presence on pots and floating debris. The yellowfin seem to love small lures with a heavy splashing action, while bigeyes wanted the opposite—large lures fished quietly and far back. The wahoo fishing has been fantastic; skirted ballyhoo rigs and lipped, diving lures have been crushing fish.”
Brandon Weitz (@bweitz1) of Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports: “Fluke fishing is pretty good right now as they push out of Fire Island Inlet. Jones is also producing a ton of fish. The surf has been pretty good for fluke fishing this week. There are still some bluefish in the bays too. Obviously, there are some bass around as well. The tuna chunk bite has been absolutely insane. Fishing the draggers with live peanuts and chunks is the way to go. Now’s the time to get out for yellowfin!”
Max Fineman (@finemanfishes) reports: “Fishing has been good as of late, with steady action on fluke, triggerfish, and albies. Weakfish and spot are around in numbers if you know where to look. If you put in some time you can also be rewarded with some nice bass. Offshore has been steady with the yellowfin chunk bite.”
Scott Monahan (@bonesyfishing) reports: “Work the inlets for fluke by snap jigging 3/8-ounce JoeBaggs Back Bay jigheads and jerk shads. 3/8-ounce is key because you’re sweeping off the bottom, not dragging. That’s what the fluke want: over their head, not dragging in the sand next to them. I’ve caught over 500 fluke this season from shore using this method. There are plenty of open beach fish also. This method gets them chewing everywhere—places you would never catch a fluke dragging a bucktail. I’m getting 10 to 15 fish on average. Any open South Shore beach should hold some fluke. You just need a light setup with 15-pound braid at most. I use a 6’10″St. Croix Legend Tournament rated for 1/4- to 1/2-ounce lures with a 2500 reel. This week I crushed a monster 29.5-inch fluke, a fish I’ve been grinding for the whole season! Persistence and technical fishing always pays off.”
Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Fluke are on the move, and customer reports indicate there are really great fish being caught. The shallows, flats, and bars have been loaded up with big stacks of fluke. If you’re getting shorts, make your presentation bigger. We’re doing well on 5- to 7-inch soft plastics hanging off plain jigheads, or a skirted, screwy head jighead from Stack Tackle. Weakfish are in the mix, and they’re getting bigger with every report we receive. Fish finesse presentations and bright colors for your best chance; light rods are a necessity, too. Hardtails are running amok, all over the local inlets. Bonito, Spanish mackerel, and false albacore are crashing through bait schools, smashing epoxy jigs and tins. Striped bass reports are starting to come in here and there, even some good ones inside the bay already. Poppers, swim shads, SPs and bucktails, and a few sand eel imitations stay in the fall run pack ready to go. Nothing super big yet, but they are coming.”
White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “The yellowfin bite has been hit or miss on the draggers, but the bass bite is getting better by the day. Lots of short fluke are around, and bigger fish are being pulled out on live bait. The albies have sort of dissapeared. People are still throwing bucktails and topwater for bass, and live bait on the boat has been killer. A 3-way rig with a 6-foot leader and an inline circle hook works wonders.”
Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports: “It was a good weekend in the inlet for fluke on spearing and live peanuts. False albacore has been hit or miss; they are chewing in the morning though. Big bass showed in the inlet this weekend. It’s been good with live spot, bunker, or eels. The weakfish showed up again; you’ll find mostly juvenile weakfish on the open beaches.”
Derek Monfort (@derek_sucks_at_fishing) reports: “Weakfish in the back creeks are showing up nicely and bass are beginning to show around the inlets. Albies have pretty much disappeared from shore view. Traditional weakfish methods are doing the trick!”
Captain Peter Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters in Montauk reports: “Another week of good albie fishing here in Montauk. At the tail end of last week, it seemed like the bigger mass of fish had moved out. We still had fish, but it was smaller groups and they were very spooky. Fishing the flood tide and blind casting splashy flies and Albie Snax slowly seemed to be the best method to hook up. By the weekend and into this week, we started to see those big groups of fish fill in again like they were earlier this month. Staying away from crowds and slow drifting with well-placed bay anchovy flies, jigs, or Albie Snax is sure to get a hit. We also have some large bluefish starting to come back in. Maybe not as glamorous as albies, but they’re certainly worth carrying a rod with a heavier leader. I’ve started to see some small bass blitzes too. Water’s still a little warm, but any day we could start to see more bass.”
Captain Scott Worth of North Fork Light Tackle Charters reports: “I finally got a window to go by the draggers for yellowfin on Monday afternoon. While everyone seems to be slaying, I of course showed up for the slow period. We fished just about every dragger! Our fishfinder was barren… but I’m sure I’ll find them soon.”
Tom Truehart (@northshoretommy) reports: “Late September and early October are my favorite time of year to be fishing. Water temps are just right, the fish are usually close enough for me to get on them, and this year has been great. The secret is out: the dragger bite south of Long Island has taken off. I got out last Friday, leaving the dock at 11 a.m. and crushed ’em, bringing home 6 yellowfin. Most fish came in on butterfish but I saw a few taken on the jig as well. Still a lot of sharks out there; we had some massive makos circling the boat a few times. Get those fish in quick before ya get taxed. Weather looks great again for this weekend; I’m looking forward to getting back out there. Get on ’em while this lasts!”
Captain Adam Ross of Tuna Cartel (@tunacartelofficial) reports: “With the commercial bluefin tuna season coming to a close, we decided to look for one last giant… to say the least, that’s what we found. Not only did we land a giant but we landed a personal-best tuna on my boat. These giants require top-notch gear. Our preferred setup is a Joey’s Custom 130 rod, 130 Alutecnos Gorilla reel, 150-pound Blue Action fluoro, and a 9/0 Owner Mutu hook. As for bait, large, live bluefish is the move! While this fish was massive, we had it tied off to the cleat in 30 minutes. It actually took longer to try and get the fish in the boat than it did to battle it. All said and done, this beast went 105” and 556 pounds dressed.”
Tim O’Rourke of Montauk Point Fly Fishing (@mtkpointflyfishing) reports: “The Montauk bite remains strong. Inshore fishing only continues to heat up with consistent albie fishing. The bite can some days be fickle and others it’s solid non-stop action with fish eating mostly small epoxy flies. The bass fishing is continuing to improve with regular catches of fish up to 50 pounds. Offshore is definitely worth the trip; there are a lot of options from bigeye to yellowfin tuna. The swordfishing is becoming more consistent as well. Pick a canyon and let the games begin. The lack of hurricanes has definitely helped the bite to remain solid. Get out to the edge before that changes.”
The Author’s Experience
Welp, it’s my last day on Nantucket… Last Saturday, I went out with a bang. On The Water’s own Johnny McIntyre took the ferry over from Cape Cod and fished a 10-hour session with me on the 17-foot Whaler. While the day started with some hefty swell and nasty waves, we were able to trudge through the gauntlet and get from Nantucket Harbor to Great Point. While we were in search of albies, we quickly marked piles of 4- to 6-pound blues. These little shredders crush the jig with no hesitation. After womping on a few blues we began circling Nantucket sound in hopes of finding a feed. We couldn’t find a single bird or splash in sight. Things seem to be awfully quiet for peak albie season!
Eventually, we settled on blind casting. While the fishing was slow, we were able to pick away at some bonito and more blues. On a few occasions we even had large brown sharks slash and chase our fish. On a small boat, these sharks look tremendous.
Nevertheless, we resorted to spending the afternoon fishing Great Point rip. Navigating this area can be funky—the currents are dynamic and strong. That said, we bombed cast after cast hooking bluefish and bonito. As we puttered parallel on the rip edge, I noticed two albies swim down a wave. Within seconds the sun hit another albie on it’s side, illuminating the water with a green hue. I quickly picked up my rod and shot out a cast, leading the fish. Within three cranks of the reel it wacked my jig. The fish had to be in the double digits, because as soon as it ate, it smoked my drag and started whizzing around the rip. As I fought it, I couldn’t help but scream in excitement.
As I controlled the fish, it slowly lost its spunk. The albie eventually came up boatside flashing its bright green colors. And as Johnny reached down to grab the feisty albie, it took one final run. It shot down 20 feet and unfortunately, was immediately sharked.
While I was grateful to battle with an albie, I can’t say it didn’t hurt to lose a coveted albie to a shark! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose!
I’m excited to be back on the island next week!
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
The water is cooling down, and as one season ends another begins. Fluke season closes on October 15. Get your last licks in while it’s still good. Live spot in deep water should pull up some big fish! Don’t be afraid to drop a big bait down, but keep the staple spearing and squid or Gulp rig handy.
With September coming to a close, blackfish season is right around the corner. The season officially starts on October 11 in Long Island Sound and October 15 on the South Shore. I’m hearing rumblings that guys are already picking up bushels of green crabs. It’s safe to say everyone is jonesing to slay some tog.
Blackfish love shallow water at the beginning of the season. It’s common to find plenty of fish in depths ranging from 5 feet to 20 feet. When these fish are shallow, using a blackfish jig is a great way to keep it technical and fun. I prefer to fish jigs with a medium-fast 7-foot rod paired with a 5000-size spinning reel, 20-pound braid, and 30-pound leader. As for jigs, I prefer the JoeBaggs Lay Perfect in the glow white legger pattern. The dark jig color looks natural underwater while the hook is beefy and holds up against snags and big fish. Typically, I carry ½ to 1-ounce jigs. As for leader, my favorite is Cortland XTR fluorocarbon. When it comes to baiting the hook, I always cut the crab in half, rip the shell/legs off, and thread the jig hook through the leg socket.
In regards to bass, I’m hearing that Long Island Sound has fish in boulder fields to the east. The name of the game is throwing big plugs on rocky points. The bass haven’t quite started moving around the Sound yet, but as October kicks in, schoolies should be blitzing on bait in the middle of the Sound. On the south shore, October is the peak of the striper migration. It’s almost time to pack your bags with needlefish, darters, poppers, and diamond jigs.
This Saturday, from 12 to 5 p.m. is On The Water’s StriperFest in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Here’s a coupon for $5 off entry into the event—just show it at the gate! There will be food from The Black Dog Cafe, demo rides with Yamaha Outboards on Vineyard Sound, raffles to benefit local charities, vendors, artists, live music, games, and more (including beer). Come celebrate another year of striped bass fishing with us and if you’re a Striper Cup member, be sure to bring your golden ticket! That’s your ticket to free entry AND your entry into the boat drawing lottery. Who knows? You just might walk away from the event the owner of a brand new Robalo R200. Plus, the albie fishing has been pretty great over there on Cape Cod. I hope to see some of you in attendance.
On a separate note, an important member of our community needs support. Alberto Knie is recovering from a heart attack and he has imparted a ton of fishing wisdom on the surfcasting community through his seminars and videos, so let’s give back to him. A surfcasting tournament has been created to benefit him and help him get back on his feet. The tournament is from October 10 to the 12 and is catch-and-release only! Signups are $25. Visit the following link to learn more: https://www.crazyalbertobenefit.site.