Long Island/NYC Fishing Report – October 5th, 2012

The cooler weather and dropping water temperatures have significantly improved the striped bass fishing.  The ocean beaches have had a good run of stripers near the inlet mouths, especially during the outgoing tides when the baitfish are exiting the inlets. Most stripers were around 15 pounds, with fish up to 30 pounds reported on plugs, clams and bunker chunks. Live bunker and spot were the bait of choice during the daytime and eels the top bait after dark for boats drifting the inlets, with the outgoing tide best. In the rips off Montauk Point, live porgies were the top bait. 

On the reefs in the Sound, fresh bunker chunks fished tight to the bottom were the top striper bait. Stripers have also begun to settle in good numbers on the South Shore inlet bars, with good to excellent action reported on calm bellies and poppers fished in the rips and inlet cuts.

Scott Jeffery at East End Bait and Tackle reported that the mullet have begun running out of Shinnecock Inlet, with stripers to 30 pounds caught on blue and white poppers and plugs. Scott also reported that false albacore were caught outside the inlets on Deadly Dicks and small flies. The best bite was during the early morning and late afternoons.

Bluefish between 2 and 6 pounds were mixed in with the stripers in all locations and have been attacking schools of bunker both inshore and offshore. Surf anglers working the beaches did well with using tins and poppers.

The snappers have reached 8 to 10 inches and continued to be caught in all the canals and off the docks on snapper poppers, small tins and spearing. a school of snappers was found in the rip near the Captree Draw  Bridge and around 200 snappers were caught during a non-stop 3-hour blitz on tins and snapper poppers. All fish were released.

There has been a tremendous number of 3- to 4-inch long bunker in the South Shore bays, as well as very large schools of bunker offshore and in the Sound. There are large schools of bay anchovies in the South Shore bays, which has created excellent fly-fishing opportunities for bluefish and stripers on the back sides of the inlets using anchovies patterns fished at first light and after dark. 

There has been a good number of weakfish caught in the 1- to 4-pound class, with a few bigger fish, in the Peconics and in the Great South Bay near Ocean Beach. Smaller weakfish were mixed with the snappers on both shores, but best on the North Shore and in the Peconics. Small white bucktails tipped with squid strips, Powerbaits or small plastic worms, and sandworms drifted close to the bottom all produced well. 

Anglers working the North Shore beaches and the South Shore inlet rocks were rewarded with a mixed bag of blowfish, triggerfish, spot, sea bass and porgies to 3 pounds.  Clams and small squid strips were the top baits.

The porgy fishing in the Peconics, especially on the rocks around Jessup’s Neck, was outstanding. 

Mike at Saltwaters Bait and Tackle reported that bluefin tuna were caught trolling 30 miles south of Fire Island Inlet. Also, there was a good run of bigeye tuna to 250 pounds caught in the offshore canyons on the troll. Mike also reported that there were a good number of yellowfin tuna in The Canyons caught while chunking at night. The fishing has been hot one night and slow the next, with most yellowfin around 30 pounds. A few sharks were reported, but most of the offshore action has centered on tuna.

The largemouth bass action has really heated up with the cooler water.  Sean and Uncle Charlie’s Bait and Tackle reported that bass in the 2 to 4 pounds were caught in the Upper and Lower Yaphank lakes and in Pine

Lake in Mastic. Spinnerbaits, worms, and plastic baits and worms all produced. 

Guy Zummo