Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
North Shore
The Angler Fleet (@anglerfleet) out of Port Washington reports: “The bass have arrived in full force this week, with every morning bringing surface feeds packed with life. While most fish have been on the smaller side, there are a lot of slots and overs mixed in to keep things exciting. Tog fishing remains steady, with plenty of action and fish coming over the rails. With water temps hovering around 55 degrees, it’s prime time to target those deep-water trophies!”
Mark at Cow Harbor Tackle in Northport reports: “There are tons of squid in the harbor around the docks, and there are actually some big bass on them. The pink and orange Yo-Zuri squid jigs have been crushing it. We have a lot of 20-pound-class fish around that are looking for those squid. Blackfish is still good, but the wind is brutal. The south shore is still firing pretty good for bass in the surf and just off the beaches. Visit cowharbortackle.com or call 631-239-1631.”
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Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) reports: “The peanut bunker schools are thick this week, pushed up against the shorelines and across mid-Sound, drawing in hungry striped bass en masse. Birds are the giveaway; gulls are working hard from sun up to sundown, and underneath, the bass are hammering bait in frenzied fashion. The topwater bite has been electric, with spooks and pencil poppers producing when worked through the chaos, and some of the bigger fish being caught on bucktails closer to the bottom. The fish are fat and feeding heavily before their late-fall migration. The action has been steady across the western Sound, from Manhasset Bay to the Connecticut shorelines. While the bass steal the show up top, the tog scene continues to offer excellent bottom fishing opportunities. As the water temperature drops the tog are beginning to slide deeper. The shallow rockpiles that produced well through mid-October are starting to quiet down, with more consistent bites now coming from 20 to 35 feet of water.”
Wego Fishing Bait and Tackle in Southold reports: “There isn’t too much happening lately with the wind. Bass are still on the beaches, and the blackfish bite has been good but it’s tough to get out. The eastern Sound beaches are producing some stripers but its very spotty and inconsistent. There have been tons of sand eels, but a lack of bunker. It’s been a slow pick. For the tog crowd, we are still seeing some good sea bass in the mix, and the further east you go the better the bite has been.”
South Shore
Captain Josh Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reported: “Excellent blackfishing and bass fishing this past week! We saw drop and stick blackfishing on some trips, with lots of nice keepers in the mix. Many limits were had by those who were dialed in. Both rigs and jigs produced, with rigs accounting for the bigger fish. We had a couple of striped bass trips as well, which were excellent. We saw fish to 49 inches along with a bunch of slots in the mix. As long as we have the weather, the fishing should remain strong!”
Captain Doug Touback of Corazon Fishing Charters (@corazonfishing) out of Freeport reports: “Striped bass is on fire. It’s as good as it gets. We have been limiting out the on every trip. This past week we had days of over 70 fish with bass pushing over 40 pounds. Live bait, jigging, topwater lures — it’s all working. We have heat on the boat so we are not worried about the temperatures. This will go on through the end of the season!”
The Captree Fleet (@captreefleet) reports: “Striped bass action prior to the storm had boats catching limits of slots and overs to 42 pounds. Blackfish up to 8.1 pounds are being caught on the boats. Please check the website for sailing times and to see what our boats are targeting. Most of our fleet is limited capacity, so make your reservation online. 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 online. They can be used on any of our Members Boats, and we are now booking trips for the 2026 season.”
Captain Arthur Cortes of Cortes Outfitters (@cortes.outfitters) in NYC reports: “So far, we’ve had an excellent fall run here in NYC, from Coney Island to the Rockaways. Schools of stripers can be seen blitzing on various baits including bunker and sand eels. Anglers from the beach and boats have great opportunities to catch the run. Our fly choice this week is a 7-inch Sand Eel Candy, and our lure of choice is a white Yo-Zuri popper. Call 347-326-4750 or visit cortesoutfitters.com to book.”
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From the South Shore surf, Nick Cherkas (@surfcasting_the_island) reports: “In my neck of the woods, bass of all sizes invaded during the day shift to feed on sand eels this week. I was able to get out a couple days before the Beaver Moon and connected with primarily slot-sized fish at first light. Many of these bass have been falling victim to an assortment of tins, bucktails, and swimming plugs. While this is solely based off experiences from my recent outings, there has also been word of over-slot fish on larger baits such as shad and bunker. Paddletails, metal lips, larger-profile bucktails, as well as topwaters seem to be culling the larger fish in the 20- to 30-pound class. As the slot-sized fish slowly begin to dominate in the quantity department, more time will have to be put in to weed out quality fish.”
From the South Shore surf, Scott Monahan (@bonesyfishing) reports: “There’s still a good amount of fish pushing west along the South Shore beaches. The days with rougher conditions seem to be producing the best. Sun up and sunset bites are seeing a good amount of bass feeding in tight. Occasional bunker blitzes are producing bigger fish. Joe Baggs Miracle Minnows, needlefish, diamond jigs and bucktails are outperforming other plugs. This time of year, you should be popping in any time of day and checking for life and birds. A blitz can happen at any moment, in any area, as the fish are on the move west. Hit those beaches and follow the life. Catch ’em up!”
Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Another windy week blew right by, but Friday and Saturday look good! There are still plenty of bass out in the ocean to catch. Boat guys and surf guys are doing well still despite the blow. On the boats, gold diamond jigs, poppers, SPs and swim shads have taken a lot of fish. Surfcasters are going heavy with bucktails, needlefish, darters, and bottle plugs. Outgoing tide seems to be the best. Bay stripers are out and about, so bring the arsenal of lures and of course some good binoculars. Finding birds and following their movements has been the key. Our walls and shelves are full of killer gear to put you right on them. Tog guys are slamming white chins on the deck all day, with some big ones coming up. The shop is loaded with crabs, tons of jigs and rigs to get you going and keep you catching. A few passionate tuna anglers have been getting out and slamming some good fish as well. Some guys are chunking, other guys are throwing giant lures. Happy to say the bite is still hot!”
Haskell’s Bait and Tackle in East Quogue reports: “The only game in town is the bass on the beach. Typical bucktails, diamond jigs and SP Minnows are crushing, and the inlets and open beaches are fishing great. As long as the wind isn’t blowing too hard, the fishing is good. The bass are eating bunker, sand eels, weakfish, and frankly any sizeable baitfish in their way, like shad. It’s just as productive at night as it is during the early morning and late afternoon.”
White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “There are a good amount of bass on the beaches, but the wind has made it tough for boaters. Surf fishermen, however, are crushing. Lots of slots and bigger fish are being caught. The bass fishing is very tide dependent, and nighttime and early morning sessions have produced the most fish. Sand eels and bunker remain the primary baits. Blackfishing on the North Fork has been solid; the area from Plum Island to Fishers Island is producing some good ones.”
Captain Peter Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters in Montauk reports: “The bass bite is still going in Montauk, when you can actually get out. After being fortunate with weather earlier this fall, the wind has really caused us to lose time. When I can get out though, there are fish to be had. Most of the week, the best bite was tight to the sand beaches. Fishing the wash with sinking fly lines or small soft plastics on jigheads have worked well. Because the fish are so close, there have been plenty of good surf opportunities as well. Right before this current stretch of wind, peanut bunker and herring showed up big time, giving us probably the best bass fishing this fall, as well as good bay anchovy blitzes, too. For the bigger baits, teasing the fish with a hookless Doc and casting flies behind has worked really well early, and as the fish go down, sinking lines work great. On the spin side, casting or jigging soft plastics like Fin-S Fish has worked great. I’ve seen more bait lately than I’ve seen all year, and the water temp is still hovering around 60. Hopefully after all this wind they’re still biting good.”
The Author’s Experience
This past week was biblical. When the weather permits, I’ve been in New Jersey chasing huge bass and bluefin the size of small buses. The bite has been mainly on sand eels; sitting in 60 feet of water, my screen is loaded with fish and bait. As soon as daybreak hits, birds begin diving and fish begin boiling everywhere. The cool thing is, these fish aren’t picky. They’ll eat topwater, soft plastics and jigs. The fish I’m on range from 15 to 35 pounds.
As for the tuna, they seem to be moving super fast. In order to get a shot at casting to them on a 30K, I’ve been cutting off their path and dumping long casts right into the mix of their boils. Luckily, on Sunday, I landed one and lost another. These fish range from 100 pounds to 500 pounds, so it’s no joke.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
The place to be is the South Shore, whether it’s daytime or nighttime. For the daytime bite, I’d recommend diamond jigs, SP Minnows, Joe Baggs Miracle Minnows and Swarters. As for nighttime, I’d recommend Super Strike needlefish, Super Strike darters, bucktails, and bottle darters.
The wind has been howling, so it’s been tough for the boat guys to get out, but the surf bite should be hot. As for tog, there are tons of fish around, they’re just moving into deeper water. It might be time to switch over from the jig to the traditional rig.
We have plenty of season left, and I think it’s gonna go well into December.