Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle (@cowharbortackle) in Northport reports: “My dad caught a huge blackfish on the James Joseph on Monday, and my son Phil lost an absolute giant on the jig! Squid fishing has been decent, and I’ve been seeing a ton of peanut bunker and spearing. There are definitely bass in the harbor and around the docks. There are still smaller stripers around. The blackfish fishing this year has been weird; there’s a total lack of volume.”
Captain Adrian Moeller of Rockfish Charters (@rockfishcharters) out of Queens reports: “It was a mix of bass and tuna fishing on the Rockfish this week. There are a ton of giants around, but not a lot of recreational fish. The striper fishing continues to be good, not great, with huge crowds and 10 dogfish for every bass. Yesterday, we landed around a dozen bass on our morning trip, including three rare keepers. For our afternoon tuna charter, we hooked two giants, but both came unbuttoned during the fights. At least our customers got to pull on some monster 100-inch-plus fish. We’re sold out for the rest of the year, but our 2027 booking calendar is online and we’re taking reservations: rockfishcharters.com.”
Captain Jess Rogers of Gypsea Charters (@gypseacharters) out of Brooklyn reports: “What a week its been! Both boats have been focusing on blackfish with a couple of striper trips mixed in. The striped bass fishing is world-class right now, with the most bait around that we have seen in a long time and loads of hungry stripers mixed in. We saw fish to 49 inches this past week with lots of personal bests taken. On the blackfish scene, we saw two double-digit fish hit the deck along with numerous fish between 5 and 9 pounds. Victor started the week off with a 10.6-pound beauty, while Robbie capped the week with a 14.6-pound brute! Both fish were released and swam off strong after a quick photo and weight. Now is the time to catch that fish of a lifetime for both species!”
The Angler Fleet out of Port Washington reports: “Steady blackfish bite lately, with water temperatures just now dropping below 60 degrees. There is still plenty of bait all around, and bass activity is only picking up in our area. We’re having excellent success on our local squid trips, and we even caught a brook trout in Manhasset Bay yesterday.”
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Captain Doug Toback of Corazon Fishing Charters (@corazonfishing) out of Freeport reports: “Striped bass fishing is epic. We are back in our expected fall pattern, with some of the best fishing in the Northeast. We are catching over 30 fish a day using all methods—bait, plugs, and plastics and jigs. We are also starting to target giant bluefin as they have settled into the area.”
Colin McElroy (@colintmcelroy) reports: “Mostly small fish, with some nicer ones here and there at the right tides once you dial it in. Chasing peanut bunker or bunker pods is the ticket from the beach. White hollow fleyes of all sizes work well once the fish come in smashing the bait. It’s been a tricky bite for plugs and artificials, but the fly fishing has been great over the last few days. For the spin guys, bucktails and smaller imitations have been working well.”
Bill Falco at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle (@chasingtailsbait) in Oakdale reports: “Mixed striper reports this week. Boat guys had to head west, with some going as far as Long Beach to chase the bait and the schools of bass. When you find them, though, the bite is on! Big paddletails, glidebaits, and poppers have been producing best. Surf action has been really slow, save for a few slot-sized fish and schoolies ripping through. Vinny Cagnina had one fish around 15 pounds in the mix. Word out east is that there are some more fish heading this way, spotted by some great drone pilots. This nor’easter should hopefully help. Tog action has been consistent, with the fish moving farther offshore as the temperatures drop. They’re still crunching crabs and stealing plenty of rigs, and there are lots of quality sea bass out there with them.”
Captain Rob of North Fork Adventures Charters (@northforkadventurescharters) out of Southold reports: “Had a great trip last Saturday. The water is still warm, and the fish are still shallow. We caught fewer shorts and good keepers. I had one guy limit out. Unfortunately, it was most likely my last trip of the season unless a great weather window opens up.”
Capt. Pete Douma (@doum_flies) of Windward Outfitters out of Montauk reports: “There were some improvements here in Montauk last week. Most notably was the return of the albies. They switched over to mostly bigger baits like halfbeaks, sand eels, and squid, but largely behaved the way they had for most of the fall. The feeds were small and fast, and the fish were catchable on blind casts. They’ve typically been a bit bigger, too, with many over 10 pounds. For spin gear, the 6-inch RonZ was tough to beat, as were XL Fish Snax. On the fly, I did best with Half and Halfs and Mushmouths in the 6- to 7-inch range. Slow retrieves actually worked best. Bass fishing has been inconsistent. There have been some fish chasing sand eels, but every time a pattern looks like it’s forming, we get blown out, and it’s back to figuring things out. The water is still right around 60 degrees, though, so this could go on for a while.”
The Author’s Experience / Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
This past week, I ventured out into the ocean and although the bunker were plentiful, the bass simply did not cooperate on plugs. Several guys hooked up while live-lining bunker, but the highlight of my outing was definitely watching thresher sharks and bluefin tuna absolutely shred through those bunker schools. Seeing a giant tuna punt bunker several feet into the air is a humbling experience.
As far as the weather goes, we’ve had fairly stable conditions, which have kept water temperatures in the low 60s. That’s a little freaky, considering it’s November 12! I’m hoping these prime water temperatures get the fish more active. It seems as though it’s feast or famine. One day, everybody’s a hero, and the next day, nobody’s catching anything.
I’d like to say that more fish are sliding down the coast as water temperatures continue to cool off, but it’s been a strange and unpredictable fall. In my opinion, we’re just not seeing the volume of fish that we’re accustomed to. This may be a symptom of the times…
On the tog front, the fish are transitioning into deeper water. It might be time to put away the jig and opt for a standard tog rig and conventional setup. The western and eastern Sound are still fishing well, as proven by Capt. Rob Lehnert and the Angler Fleet, and tog fishing in the NY Bight Region is just as good. Just ask the Gypsea crew.
I’d say we have exactly one month before things are wrapped up for the winter. Get out there while you can, folks!