Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
North Shore
The Angler Fleet (@anglerfleet) out of Port Washington reports: “Action on the tog grounds has remained steady, with no shortage of fish and plenty of solid keepers mixed in. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is rearing her ugly head this week, keeping us sidelined for a bit. On the bright side, water temps are now below 60, so the tautog bite is only going to get better once we’re back out there.”
Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) reports: “Blackfish are moving out into deeper water, and there are tons of schoolie bass in the back bays blitzing on top. There are also a few monster blues in the mix eating pencil poppers. As for the south shore, the nighttime bite has been solid, and while I haven’t landed a monster surf fish, I’m finding plenty of schoolies.”
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Captain Skippy Charters out of Mount Sinai Harbor reports: “Another great week of fall fishing in the central Long Island Sound! The best bonito run in years continues. There have been cocktail blues in the mix as well, although we have not run into many albies. Striped bass are starting to thin out, but the topwater bite remains strong with fish ranging from schoolies to 33 inches hammering spooks and pencil poppers, mainly in the harbors at sunrise and sunset. The tog bite really picked up this week; colder weather has the fish chewing! It has been nonstop action with fish to 6 pounds. The porgies and small sea bass are starting to move out, saving our crabs for the blackfish! The shallow water bite is still productive, but the fish are starting to move deeper. We are currently running private 1-4 passenger bottom fishing trips targeting blackfish and sea bass for the rest of the season.”
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “The blackfish bite is decent, big stripers are chewing at night, and there are tons of schoolies out there during the day. Eels and plugs seem to be producing best. The albies are all but gone; they seem to be way east of us. The South Shore is obviously the place to be! Bottle plugs have been the hot lures for bass on the open beach. Visit cowharbortackle.com or call 631-239-1631.”
Marc Achtzinger (@salty_ax) reports: “Central Long Island Sound has been very quiet for me, so we ran east to find blitzing schoolie striped bass gorging on bay anchovies. It was the ideal fly fishing experience. Word is that bite is still on, so find an east end guide and get out there while you can.”
Captain Scott Worth of North Fork Light Tackle Charters reports: “The albie bite on the east end has continued to be sparse following the last nor’easter. However, the bass bite picked up and has kept us busy. Between big fish singling out and crashing on larger bait, to some great shoreline blitzes on anchovies, we’ve landed bass of all sizes on fly and spin. Excited for the wind to lay down this week and focus on the ocean bass bite!”
South Shore
Captain Arthur Cortes of Cortes Outfitters (@cortes.outfitters) in NYC reports: “The fall season is always a special time for us fly guides, and this year has been no exception. The first schools of migrating fish arrived in our area during the beginning of October. Breezy Point was abuzz with bass blitzing on bunker, followed by the birds, creating a chaotic scene beneath the surface. A week later, the sand eels arrived with bass ranging from 15 to 35 pounds, transforming the landscape and requiring us to adapt and persevere. Fast forward to the last week of October, and large pods of bunker flooded our local waters, accompanied by XXL bass. While the fishing hasn’t been particularly fantastic, we’ve been presented with opportunities to catch the fish of a lifetime. We’re excited to see what November has in store and we are confident that we’ll be prepared for whatever challenges come our way. Call 347-326-4750 or visit cortesoutfitters.com.”
Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Striped bass are the talk of the town this week! Boat and surf guys are crushing it with big catches and some great numbers. In the surf, the night bite holds tried and true, with most of the best catches happening when the night shift crew are out lurking. Bucktails, needlefish, bottle plugs, and darters have been pulling the big ones. Justin Marcisak fished Thursday evening and landed his PB, an absolute beast, while fishing a bucktail tipped with a Fat Cow strip he grabbed here at the shop. His first time ever grabbing a bass on a bucktail, and he smashes his personal best by strides! The fellas on the boats are smashing big pods of fish in the ocean. SP Minnows, bucktails, swim shads, and jigs are the must-haves for every trip. Find what bait they’re on and keep following them. Tog reports are still rather good locally and even better out on the wrecks. Rigs, jigs, and crabs are the essentials, and be sure to bring extras! You’ll want a rod with a light enough tip to feel the crunch, but enough backbone to yank them out of their rocky fortresses. Be strategic with your setups, and you will win. There are some mondo white chins coming up over the rails this season.”
Nick Cherkas (@surfcasting_the_island) reports: “As expected for my area, the number of quality fish dropped off as the October new moon peaked. This past week, many fish in the schoolie to slot-size range have infested our south shore beaches, with the occasional 20-pound-plus fish in the mix. As far as the day shift goes, action has become more steady in terms of numbers and predictability. Many fish have been taken on a variety of bucktails, tins, swimming plugs and plastics. Being limited to the night shift, things have softened up on my end as bigger fish have become sparse. Darters have produced for me, culling out the smaller fish and picking up bass in the 12- to 15-pound class at most. Leading up to the November full moon, I expect to find more blitzing fish during the day and large waves of fish to pass us by with more consistency.”
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From the South Shore surf, Scott Monahan (@bonesyfishing) reports: “The beginning of the week saw a slower pick with some smaller fish in the slot and under coming through. Those anglers grinding at night saw better action with bigger fish in the 32- to 42-inch range. Sand eel-style paddletails such as Joe Baggs Miracle Minnows, along with darters and Swarters, were the ticket to good fish in the dark, with some fish coming up on sand bars on needlefish. As the week progressed and the barometer dropped as the storm approached, the beaches exploded with fish coming in on the bars and feeding aggressively. We will have to see what this storm brings, but hopefully, those who brave the conditions are able to land some good quality fish. Now’s the time to hit those beaches. Put in the work and get the reward. Catch ’em up.”
Captain Peter Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters in Montauk reports: “This was the first week that I haven’t seen an albie locally, but there still have been plenty of bass. We finally saw good, prolonged blitzing bass here in Montauk last week. Unfortunately, aside from a few small blitzes since, that only lasted a day. Still a bunch of fish to find pushing around bay anchovies once you get past the shad and mackerel. I’ve been working tight to shore with sinking lines for fly, and soft plastics on jigheads for spin, getting under the bait and finding some good fish. Where I see a lack in quantity, quality has made up for it with bass up to 30 pounds. If I’m looking for quantity, heading north and west into the bay has been a good way to get a lot of fish, albeit small ones. There’s acres of bait in Montauk now, and water temps in the 60s still. If the weather cooperates, we should have a great finish to the year for bass and hopefully, more albies.”
The Author’s Experience
Last weekend I fished 30 hours total. On Saturday, I hit the South Shore and on Sunday, I hit the Raritan in New Jersey. Saturday, running out of Jones Inlet, I found an immense amount of bait including bunker, sand eels and mackerel. Not only that, but there were tons of birds circling, diving, and chowing down. Although the area looked so fishy, the bite never really materialized. That said, we were able to locate and catch five albies—one on fly and four on spin. Once the sun started creeping lower around 4 PM, we pulled up to a bunker school and immediately saw them getting hit by one or two fish. I live-lined a bunker and waited for the right thump. Minutes later, I was holding my largest striped bass to date—a 45 pounder. With just a few minutes left in the day I was able to pull it together and catch an absolute giant. The only thing better than fighting that fish was watching it swim away.
On Sunday, we left Raritan bright and early, and veering into the ocean we once again found bunker, sand eels, and mackerel. While the day started off slow, we eventually turned our heads to find 30- to 40-pound striped bass ripping through bunker on the surface. Luckily, I was first to see it, rifled off of good cast, and hooked up to a large fish on a topwater plug. With a nearly locked drag, I was able to winch the fish in pretty quickly. By the time I got it in the boat, however, other fishermen had swarmed the school. For the next 20 minutes, the fish were up and down as boats ran over them. Watching them move on the screen, I launched a fly cast and let it sit after a few quick strips. I picked up a 20-pound-class fish. Although I wasn’t able to find any others the rest of the day, I enjoyed some calm seas and nice fall conditions.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
It’s just about November, and the fishing has been good, but the main biomass of fish still haven’t really moved through yet. With the full moon on November 5, the fish should fire up. The three days before and after the full moon are the best time to fish because, as I’ve said in the past, tides are exacerbated and baitfish like sand eels are at the mercy of the tide. There will be stronger currents, higher flood tides, and lower ebb tides. If you’re fishing in the South Shore surf, you’re in the right spot. Big fish are going to be migrating through the ocean on their journey toward wintering zones. In your plug bag, I’d recommend bottle darters, yellow needlefish, Yo-Zuri Mag Darters, and bucktails. As for daytime, be sure to throw pencil poppers, Joe Baggs Swarters, SP Minnows, and an array of tins.
The fish on the South Shore will likely be much larger than the fish located in Long Island Sound. That said, there’s plenty of schoolie action; the eastern Sound is fired up with sand eel and anchovy blitzes. Look for birds and you’ll find the fish. As for albies, there might be one more push left, although I don’t believe there are a ton around. When it comes to blackfish, the bite seems to be shifting to deeper water. It might be time to trade out a jig for traditional rigs. It seems like a blackfish season for the books so far. Enjoy the hot bite while it lasts and make sure to get in on the bass action.