THE fall run of saltwater species is just about at its height, so now is the time to take advantage of every opportunity that Mother Nature offers you.
Striped bass are No. 1 on the hit parade, both off the beaches and on it. Surf jockeys are seeing a better run of fish then they had last month, with quite a number of 30 pounders being caught along the beaches. Those fishing from a boat, especially off the East End, have had no problem finding their quota of keepers.
The bottom action has been hot, especially the porgy fishing off the South Shore and in Long Island Sound. And you won’t have any problem catching bluefish, no matter where you go.
If you’re heading offshore or to the canyons, yellowfins have been cooperative. Off Montauk anglers have found a few makos among the blue sharks.
Bernie’s Bait and Tackle Shop in Sheepshead Bay reports excellent bottom fishing on the party and private boats. Porgies are at the Rockaway Reef, along with sea bass and blackfish. Blues and short bass are roaming in Jamaica Bay, but the party boats are doing a great job on blues and false albacore at 17 Fathoms. Blues, stripers and weakfish have been taken on jigs off Sea Bright.
If you’re heading to City Island this weekend, the porgy fishing continues to be the top draw at Prospect and Sands Points. Party boats are doing well with both porgies and blackfish. Rental boats from Jack’s Bait and Tackle are heading to Execution Light for some nice sized blackfish.
According to a report from the Four Winds Bait and Tackle Shop in Huntington, the party boats in that area are loading up on porgies – it’s the best it has been in years.
The inlets along the South Shore are giving up some big bass. There were a number of 40 pounders taken last weekend, and they all swallowed live eels.
Party boats from Freeport are enjoying the fall bonanza. The bottom action is centered on the ocean wrecks and reefs for sea bass and blackfish, while the rest are heading to 17 Fathoms and the Mud Buoy for blues and albacore.
Got a call from Dina Lewis out in Montauk. She put together a five-boat charter for the West Hempstead Rotary Club on Wednesday. Everyone had their limit of stripers that were taken on parachute jigs, and while all the boats had 30-pound fish on board, the largest, a 38-pound striper, was taken on the Adios by John Kiley.
As with the rest of the South Shore, Montauk anglers are seeing an abundance of bottom species, with sea bass and scup being caught in excellent numbers. The surf fishing around Montauk Light and along the beaches is finally starting to heat up and with this heavy dose of northwest wind, it should be a good weekend to work the suds.
The North Fork action is also up to the task, with porgies in solid around Gardiners Island, blackfish along Greenport, and blues and bass being taken in the Race.