NY Fishing Reports for September 2008

[BassBuddah]

Fished shinny very early morning for the last 2 days, nuttin. Today it was weedy. There had been bait around, but the last 2 days seems lie the bulk of it went somewhere else.

[nitestrikes]

Had some business in the western sound area this morning, near where some water flows. Saw a guy pull out a bass must have been close to 25lbs, using bunker chunks. Other guys had some big bluefish laying on the ground. All on bunker

Damn shame I didn't have my gear with me.

[BassBuddah]

Just got back from mecca. We fished overnight, late afternoon into the dawn. Didn't see any cows caught, but plenty of schoolie bass and blues. Mostly on poppers before dark, then bucktails for more bass at night. My biggest fish was 11 not great, but will taste good tonight. Felt like fall up there, definitely starting to rock.

[pescador29]

Last night in the front place of Jamaica bay, blues blues blues! We were using poppers.

[stormchaser]

Fished behind Jones this morning. Lots of little bait, peanuts, and mullet. 3 bass to 27", almost 10 bluefish to 6 lbs. Yellow bomber.

[pescador29]

South beach tonite, blues 2 sizes, some very small, and some 10 pounds. We used bunker.

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ WIR 9-8-08

The first week of the NJ fall striper run has been spotty, but schoolie sized fish are being caught, along with some decent keepers, at night in rough water and moving current.

Fluke fishing is legally shut down, but anglers will still find themselves pulling up a fluke or so when bottom fishing. Remember to be diligent about putting these back. Now is the time when F&G officers tend to make appearances.

The bluefish bite is still spotty, but there are loads of snapper blues around for the kids to catch.

The weakfish bite in the Raritan Bay has been very disappointing this year. At this point, it's probably safe to say we will not have much of a fall fishery, though some of our members have privately reported weakfish catches here and there in the past week.

As of this posting, the false albacore run has not yet begun. The first reports you may hear of these fish could be anyone's guess, but it's a good bet to start looking for them to show up in the Sandy Hook and Breezy point areas. When they do start feeding, they could be anywhere within 15 miles of those locations. It all depends on the presence and quantity of small bait.

The most positive news I can report is that the mullet run has begun, and mullet are pouring out of the bays and inlets for their southern migration.

Look for the action to heat up as more of these fish stage in the front surf.

NY WIR

NY has some of the same conditions as NJ, except the LI Sound is so full of bait it's ready to explode. Guys who put in their time have been connecting with some nice bass, and of course bluefish. The blitzes have already started in the LI surf and back bay areas. Locations change from one day to the next.

The most promising news was the early fall day action at Montauk in the past week, which sometimes doesn't start till October. This could be the harbinger of an amazing fall run for the LI surfcasters. Time will tell.


Offshore reports have been a little less productive in the last week. Some more fish were caught by anglers concentrating in the southern canyons. The Hudson canyon is finally starting to turn on as well.

Some interesting news is that thre is a decent yellowfin bite off of the Florida coast as those fish make their fall migration southward.

Many of the captains are again reporting more bait and sealife in the offshore areas than they have seen in years, and theoretically they should be doing very well due to this smorgasbord of food.

But they are not, and it can be frustrating sometimes. Again, good electronics, and following the temperature breaks recommmended by the charting services can mean all the difference in the world.

Good luck out there this week. folks.

We still have some tropical storms coming down the pike, so please be careful if fishing the surf out front. Think of the lives who will depend on you if something bad happens. Good luck, and tight lines! - bunkerjoe