Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle (@cowharbortackle) in Northport reports: “Blackfish bite has been really good, and sea bass fishing has been steady, with larger fish around. Inside the harbor, there are huge squid being chased by 20-pound bass. The albies seem to be out of here, though.”
The Angler Fleet out of Port Washington reports: “The weather is cooling down, and tog are on the chew. The early-season blackfish bite hasn’t let us down, as crabs are getting robbed and jigs are being picked clean on our shallow-water rock piles. With colder weather starting to creep in, water temperatures should begin to drop soon, making the blackfish even more eager to eat. Late October into November offers some of the best tog fishing, and we’re excited to see how this season goes. And with whispers of striped bass making their way back to the rivers for the winter, the next three weeks should bring the textbook fall fishing we all know and love.”
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Captain Jess Rogers of Gypsea Charters (@gypseacharters) out of Brooklyn reports: “We had a few tougher trips mixed in with some good trips this past week. The full moon and strong currents definitely played a role. Nonetheless, we covered a lot of ground and were able to put some respectable catches together, with blackfish up to 7 pounds. The striped bass fishing has been nothing short of spectacular both day and night, with some real jumbos in the mix. Lots of personal bests were caught this week with smiling faces all around.”
Captain Adrian of Rockfish Charters (@rockfishcharters) out of Queens reports: “The fall run is in full effect, for real this time! All-you-can-catch bass fishing every day, as long as you have plenty of live bunker. The hardest part is staying out of the crowds that instantly form as soon as some fish are caught. We’ve been running the western Long Island beaches, chasing migrating schools of 20- to 40-pound bass and catching one to three dozen per trip on average. We have a couple of dates left this year and are taking bookings for 2027 at rockfishcharters.com.”
Aqualina Charters (@aqualinacharters) out of Moriches Bay reports: “Tog fishing has been slow so far. As the water cools down, it should improve. A few keepers have been mixed in with a bunch of shorts on green and white crabs.”
From the surf, Nick Cherkas (@surfcasting_the_island) reports: “As the striped bass continue their push west, things have been sporadic, to say the least. Everyone I’ve spoken to recently agrees that the fishery is in a dire state. Fewer fish spread over a smaller area means more time needs to be put in, which I’ve been unable to do, as I’m scheduled for knee surgery at the end of this month.
“As far as plug selection goes, metal lips and darters have been doing the trick, as the bait patterns I’ve been able to identify primarily consist of shad and bunker. Nighttime has been preferable, but the day shift cannot be ruled out, as there have been reports of blitzes popping up at a moment’s notice. As mentioned previously, the fish are here one night and gone the next, so it’s best to stay on the move and be ready to adjust your approach in new areas.”
White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Local blackfishing is okay at best, but boat fishing should improve over the next couple of weeks. From shore, it’s a pick, with certain tides in the inlet producing good bass fishing. It can be boom or bust. Along the beach, fishing has been hot and cold, with some amazing action at times. That said, the fish can be gone the next day. Surf fishing has been more of a pick, but when you find fish, they seem to be a better class, ranging from 28 to 45 inches. Giant fishing close to shore has been very good!”
Capt. Pete Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters out of Montauk reports: “Coming out of another long stretch of wind is always interesting. It’s an opportunity to see how the bite, beaches, and conditions have changed. After last week’s wind, the bite turned on pretty much right away, with good-sized bass crushing peanuts on top. Albie Snax and big Deceiver flies worked great, and the ebb tide was best. On the flood tide, or during slower periods, I also found large schools of migrating fish tight to the beach. They were lazy, but a well-placed cast would get them to eat.
“As quickly as we saw results, though, the bite disappeared along with all the bass. I’m writing this now having not seen a striped bass out front in two days. In Montauk in October, that’s crazy to me. I just finished a charter where I didn’t see a single boat fishing the rips on a beautiful evening. Not one. There was plenty of bait, but no bass.
“I have been finding some giant bluefish that readily eat topwater lures. As bad as most of the week has been, I’m hopeful things will improve. There’s a ton of bait, the water temperature is still 60 degrees, and there are fish in the bay. Maybe we’ll even see a second run of albies, if we’re lucky.”
Captain Rob Lehnert of North Fork Adventures Charters (@northforkadventurescharters) out of Southold reports: “It’s been a tough week of blackfishing with the moon tides. Monday’s trip was slow, and it was almost impossible to feel the bite. Wednesday’s trip was much better, with lots of shorts and three keepers. Water temperatures are dropping, so fishing should get even better.”
The Author’s Experience
This past week, I had the pleasure of fishing the south shore with my buddies Colin and Prasek. While the day started off slowly, we luckily eked out a few decent bass at a familiar inlet where the fish were holding off a rip in 30 feet of water. The key to success was a chartreuse plastic on a ¾-ounce jighead. Cast it up-current, allow the jig to sink, and once it hits bottom, give it a few twitches and pauses to trigger bites.
The fish averaged in the mid-20-pound range, making for some fun on light tackle. The largest fish, however, came on a Joe Baggs Block Island Eel rigged on a 1-ounce jighead just before the tide turned. My buddy Chris did a beautiful job hauling it up from the depths.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
Happy Halloween, ladies and gentlemen! In the western Sound, a slow push of fish is staging in the East River. These fish are looking for a slimy eel. On the eastern front, bonito are still in the Sound, feeding on rain bait. Some bass activity has occurred, but it remains spotty.
On the south shore, there is a huge push of bunker, but the bass have been tricky. One day, they ransack the bunker; the next, they’re nowhere to be found.
On the blackfish front, the bite has been steady. The fish are holding in shallow water and willing to eat a green crab if you feed it to ’em!