Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “Not many people are fishing this week due to the weather and wind. The South Shore and Montauk surf guys might be gearing up to go out, but not us so much. There are definitely a lot of bass around at night, and local guys are doing well on live eels. Some squid moved into the harbor, too, and there are tons and tons of peanut bunker on the Sound beaches. We’re hoping that these northeast wind blows the albies closer to home.”
Captain Doug of Corazon Fishing Charters out of Freeport reports: “We are hunkered down for this week for the storm. We will have over 10 days of east wind, which usually changes things. When it breaks, we will be looking at three things: Can we find the trophy fluke as they are exiting? Did the yellowfin tuna set up for a fall chunk bite? Where are the striped bass? Constant east wind will sometimes fire off the bite. We will sneak in a few exploratory trips and then put our charters on the best action we can find.”
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Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) reports: “The fall transition is beginning to take shape around Long Island, and things are starting to look promising as we head into the final stretch of September. Water temperatures are slowly trending downward, bait is beginning to fill into the usual areas, and it feels like we’re getting very close to the start of the fall run. Out in the eastern Long Island Sound, false albacore have been providing some of the most exciting action of the week, showing with better consistency, especially where there are concentrations of small bait. As always, the action can change quickly, so having a rod rigged and ready when the fish pop up has been important. Small metals, epoxy-style jigs, and other compact offerings that match the available bait have been good choices when the fish get selective. The GoDeep Montauk Mini Bar Breaker has been a go-to lately.
Bait is building throughout the Sound, which is an encouraging sign for the weeks ahead. More life is starting to show around harbors and other areas that traditionally hold bait during the fall. As those concentrations continue to grow and water temperatures gradually drop, striped bass and bluefish should begin to become more active. The fall run definitely has not fully kicked into gear yet, but all the pieces are beginning to come together. We’re entering the time of year when things can change almost overnight. A drop in water temperature or the right weather pattern could be enough to get larger numbers of bass moving and feeding more aggressively.
Meanwhile, blackfish season is right around the corner, and plenty of anglers are already getting their gear together for opening day. With the water beginning to cool, anticipation is building for the first shot at shallow-water fall tog. Early in the season, those rocky points and shallow structures can produce some excellent action.
Overall, Long Island is sitting right on the doorstep of the fall run. Temperatures are slowly moving in the right direction. The next push of cooler weather could be all it takes to really get things moving. For now, keep an eye on the bait and be ready to take action when the opportunity presents itself.”
Bill Falco of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle (@chasingtailsbait) in Oakdale reports: “Before this blow started, we had some solid reports of fluke hanging out all over the bay. Big numbers and some big fish. Weakfish were biting actively, and even some local stripers were showing up in the inlet. Albies, Spanish mackerel, and bonito were ripping up the inlets daily. I put in a good session with my friend Vinny Cagnina and our friend Todd Kowal from Fat Cow Fishing at an inlet Wednesday, hoping for a proper nor’easter. The weather had other plans. The wind was blowing hard from the east-northeast, the water was super dirty, and not much was around. This heavy blow should turn the fishing into go mode as soon as it’s out of the way. The bait is here, so we can only hope for a great fall run. The Harvest Moon is coming, and I’ll bet the back end of it will be killer.”
Aqualina Charters (@aqualinacharters) out of Moriches Bay reports: “We had much slower fishing this week as fluke season winds down. We hit some local wrecks and had some sea bass and throwback out-of-season tog on clam baits, which bodes well for blackfish season opening in October.”
Capt. Mike Larson of Trophy Hunter Montauk Charters (@trophy_hunter_montauk_charters) reports: “The Kentucky crew of John, Paul, and Dan drove up to Montauk to experience some fun mixed-bag action. They all got into albies on light tackle, and the go-to epoxy was the Game On EXO jig electric chicken. When not tangling with the speedsters, they jigged up some gator blues, porgies, sea bass, fluke, and had a few sharks bend the rods. While we see this on a weekly basis, they enjoyed seeing whales, sharks, dolphins, etc., all crushing bait near shore. With Mother Nature’s fan on, we will not be sailing until next week, so batten down the hatches and add a line or two to your boat if you have one tied up at a slip. This is a fun time to be surf fishing, so give us a call at 917-468-3361 if interested in a surf-fishing trip here in Montauk.”
Capt. Pete Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters out of Montauk reports: “This was the best week of albie fishing we have had yet. Instead of smaller, localized blitzes, they really spread out, giving me plenty of opportunity to get away from crowds. While there was still a mix of bait, 3/4-inch bay anchovies were still the main forage. Find the bait, and you usually found the fish. The feeds were usually quick, but getting away from other boats gave us plenty of good chances. When they get on the small bait, they can sometimes get picky, but splashy things like Albie Snax, and flies like my Albie Slider and crease flies, worked well. The ‘standard’ stuff worked, too, but I found the funky colors—hot pink, orange, tutti frutti, etc.—really outfished the natural stuff. On the slack, when waiting for albies, there was some good bluefishing, too. Mostly on snappers or peanuts, they happily took topwater. Who knows what this wind will do whenever it is that we can get back out, but I’m optimistic.”
The Author’s Experience
September has been an incredible albie month for Montauk. With October around the corner, these fish have begun to run into the eastern Sound on both the New York and Connecticut sides. Flies, epoxy jigs, and Albie Snax are the ticket. The albies aren’t jumbo-sized, but they put up an excellent fight! My favorite setup so far has been a 3000-size Tsunami SaltX paired with a 7-foot, medium-action Shimano Convergence, 8-pound braid, and 16- to 20-pound leader.
While there are plenty of albies around, it’s been tricky. Boat etiquette is at an all-time low. As soon as a feed pops up, it seems as though guys run right over the fish. The key with albies is setting up upwind of the fish and slowly drifting through them or bumping the boat in gear toward them. Slow and subtle wins the race with false albacore. The guys who are chasing the fish are often chasing them from behind. Albies need to be led. Starting upwind allows you to present to the fish as they come toward you rather than away.
The best thing you can do is pattern where they are popping up, set up ahead of them, and drift into/toward the feeds. As you drift, you’ll be surprised how many fish pop up well within casting distance.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
We’re about to get hit with a serious storm, so your boat better be tied up correctly with extra dock lines, fenders, and a strong bilge pump. This nor’easter is going to produce some crazy wind. If you plan on fishing in this storm, please be careful.
What I’m looking forward to is the post-storm action. This wind should push the albies deep into the western Sound. Additionally, it’s going to cool water temperatures down and get bass active. This is what we need to spark a proper fall. As Mark at Cow Harbor mentioned, there are beaches full of peanuts in the Sound. We just need that nudge in water temperature to activate our resident fish.
Ultimately, these winds are going to kick off the migration. The South Shore is going to wake up a bit, with fish at the mouths of inlets. When this storm ends, break out your bucktails, pork rinds, needlefish, and bottle darters. It’s about to get real!