Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Captain Jess Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Excellent September fluking continues! Loads of action this week with lots of plump keepers in he mix. The fish are on the move, and they are all nice fat flatties coming up. The quality this time of year is some of the best of the season. With the continued nice weather, the bite remains red hot with a lot of limits coming up on each trip. We’ll continue fishing for fluke when conditions allow until the season closes in October. After that, we’ll jump into tog trips when the NY Bight season opens on October 15.”
Captain Doug Toback of Corazon Fishing Charters (@corazonfishing) out of Freeport reports: “Fishing continues to be super strong. The big fluke have established themselves in our area, and now is the time to focus on them. Our Red Panther high-low rigs with Fishbites 6-inch baits are scoring high catches. Bonus catches include jumbo sea bass, which have been consistent as well. The inshore pelagics are staying strong, with bonito and bluefin tuna in easy striking distance. Feathers continue to be the preferred method—they outfish all the larger lures.”
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Brandon Weitz at Causeway Bait and Tackle (@causeway_bait_and_tackle) in Wantagh reports: “Local fishing has been a little hit or miss lately. There are still plenty of short fluke coming up throughout the bays and on the reefs, but some better-sized fish have been caught around the bridges on live peanut bunker. Anglers working the bridges are also finding some triggerfish and sheepshead mixed in.
There have been a lot of bluefish around, from inside the bay and Jones Inlet all the way up toward the third Wantagh Bridge. Some good-sized blues are in the mix, with topwater blitzes popping up at times. Diamond jigs have also been producing well. Outside the inlet, there have been plenty of bonito and false albacore around, with the windmills producing a good amount of both.
The midshore tuna fishing seems to have slowed down a bit. A lot of smaller yellowfin in the 30- to 33-inch range have been coming up on jigs, along with a ton of albies mixed in. Guys trolling are also picking away at the yellowfin. Hopefully, the chunk bite starts to pick up soon so we can start hitting the draggers, bringing out live peanut bunker, and getting the chunking bite going.
With some cooler nights starting to settle in, we should begin seeing the striped bass get on the move. Hopefully, it sets us up for a strong fall run. The lack of adult bunker is a little concerning, so we can only hope the sand eels show up in good numbers. On the other hand, there is an incredible amount of peanut bunker throughout the bays right now. If that bait sticks around and the bass find it, we could be looking at an insane fall striped bass run.”
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “Locals are catching some nicer bass from 20 to 25 pounds at night, but most of the fish around are schoolies on squid and small bait. We still have lots of cocktail blues and snappers for the kids, but no gorilla blues yet. Porgies are still everywhere. Guys have been scouting for tog, and although water temperatures are high, they have been chewing crabs. In the back bays, guys are getting those big bass on live eels.”
From the North Shore, Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) reports: “The fall is turning on. There is a lot of life in my local waters; spearing and peanuts galore, so I’m catching plenty of schoolie bass with a few weighing in the teens. Cocktail blues, weakfish, and some Spanish mackerel are also good options to target. The South Shore also has an abundance of cocktail blues, Spanish mackerel, and smaller bonito, so you can’t go wrong picking an inlet or jetty on either side of the island to scout for bait or breaking fish.”
Bill Falco at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle (@chasingtailsbait) in Oakdale reports: “Late-season fluke reports are so good! The flatties have finally made it by all the party boats and spread all over the bay. Hit your usual late-season spots, and they’re stacked up. Fish light, and fish bright! I’ve been doing well with blue and chartreuse soft plastics on a plain round jighead. Your rod will be bent all day, and you’ll have keepers to take home if you wish. Sea bass action on the local wrecks and reefs has been consistent on bait and artificials. Tuna reports are popping up again after a lull, and the jig-and-pop bite has been going strong. Plus, hardtail season is upon us! Albies and Spanish mackerel have been ripping around the North Shore and through the South Shore inlets. Fat Cow epoxy jigs and the classic Deadly Dick always work. At the docks, we still have tons of blue claw crabs and snappers around. Some fluke and kingfish have been around, too.”
Aqualina Charters (@aqualinacharters) out of Moriches Bay reports: “Last Saturday, we hit an area we haven’t gone to yet, and it paid off with good short action and some plump keepers that ranged from 21 to 24 inches.”
Captain Rob Lehnert of North Fork Adventures Charters (@northforkadventurescharters) out of Southold reports: “Lots of sea bass and porgies in Gardiners Bay. Small bluefish are starting to show up, both on the surface and hitting bottom rigs. There are some nice fluke around also, and by culling through enough shorts, you can get a keeper. I got a nice 22-inch fluke today in Gardiners Bay.”
Captain Mike Larson of Trophy Hunter Montauk Charters (@trophy_hunter_montauk_charters) reports: “Albie invasion. That’s what’s been happening around these parts for those patiently waiting with their fly or spinning rod. Recent trips around the way have resulted in some gator blues on jigs and bait, keeper fluke, the usual porgies and sea bass, and, while jigging for those, a healthy keeper-sized tautog was caught and released. While we are looking forward to opening day for blackfish, midshore tuna trips have kept us plenty busy.”
Captain Pete Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters out of Montauk reports: “The first full week of albie season is done, and it was pretty good. Unlike most years, when the first fish to show are eager to hit anything that hits the water, these fish have been a little tougher at times. Quick blowups have been the norm, but if you hit them right, they’re very catchable. Albie Snax seem to be outfishing everything on a spinning rod, with EXO Jigs and Hard Snax Peanuts working well, too. For flies, #2 Surf Candies and my Slider pattern have gotten the most hits. At the end of the day, just getting it into them is most important. There’s been a variety of bait, from squid to anchovies and even tiny snappers. If you see bait, just blind cast, and often they’ll find it.
Aside from the albies, there have been lots of bluefish tight to the beach, which are fun but annoying when they find your albie fly. Giant bluefin have found the bunker pods close to shore, too. Guys have been catching them, but it’s also worth just going to watch the show they put on with the whales. It is shaping up to be a great fall.”
The Author’s Experience
This past week, I focused my efforts on albies. I’ve been getting them on fly and spin. My setup is a Shimano Convergence paired with a small Tsunami SaltX, 8-pound braid, and a 20-pound leader. The thin-diameter braid allows me to maximize casting distance, especially when the albies pop far away from my boat.
Some days, the fish stay up for a good amount of time; other days, you don’t even know they’re there, and they’re sliding underneath the bird piles. Each day can be drastically different, so adapting and understanding where these fish are moving is crucial to staying on the bite. It seems as though the fish are starting to push farther and farther west and will soon reach the middle of the western Sound. For now, they are eating mostly small squid and anchovies, so epoxy jigs and Albie Snax will do the trick.
As for the fly rod, an 8- or 9-weight paired with intermediate line and small orange, chrome, or silver flies works best. When it comes to leader, an 11-foot section of 30- to 20- to 16-pound leader material connected by blood knots works best.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
On the striped bass front, we’re still early. Water temperatures are dropping, but we need them to cool off a bit more—a couple of big storms will do just that. Cooler water temperatures mean happy, feeding fish, and it’s about that time of year when we can expect a strong northerly blow. The South Shore, as always, is going to receive a big push of migratory fish next month. Until then, break out the jigs and get to albie fishing if you haven’t already!