NY Fishing Reports for October 2008

[bunkerjoe4]

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Please post fishing reports here.......as little or as much detail as you want to give.

Please note: NO SPOT BURNING! Posts burning spots will be Edited or DELETED!
Some veteran fishermen have put in years developing and learning about certain spots.Some of these spots can only handle a few guys at a time. We are losing enough access as it is, due to the unfortunate behavior of a few selfish people. No sense in making it worse.

For some areas, it would be wiser to say:
OutFront (Ocean) OR -- OutBack (Bay) -- if you feel too many people will figure out what you are talking about. "Spot burning" also could involve mentioning something specific only to that area. If you do this, your post may be edited, or deleted. Remember that thousands of people could potentially read these posts. You don't want to be fishing next to ALL of them at the same time!


IF you are fishing an area that is NOT residential, being vague is less critical. For example, it's acceptable to say (Any)Park, or (Any)Bay, or mention a specific state park that has loads of parking and can handle the crowds.


If you are unclear on this concept, ask yourself:


If I name this place on the internet, will it be too crowded for me to enjoy tomorrow when people hear I got 30 fish here today?


If the answer is "Yes", then you should probably not be so specific.

We post these reports so our community will have a sense of what is working, what is not. We want to show people how to catch fish, rather than where.Even if you struck out or got skunked, it would be helpful to hear that as well.

If you have any additional details you would like to share - weather conditions, tide (incoming, outgoing, ebb, flood) water temps, bait present, or other mention of techniques or plugs used - feel free, as long as you are not overly specific about location.

Some acronyms -

BP -- Breezy Point

CB -- CrossBay Bridge
CI -- Coney Island

FB -- Floyd Bennett
FI -- Fire Island
FT -- Fort Tilden Park
FW -- Fort Wadsworth


GSB - Great South Bay
GK- Great Kills


Jones -- Jones Beach/Debs
WE -- West End

JB -- Jamaica Bay
LB -- Long Beach

MB -- Manhasset Bay
MI -- Moriches Inlet or nearby
MPP -- Marine Parkway Bridge


LNB - Little Neck Bay
OB -- Oyster Bay
PB -- Peconic Bay

RM -- Robert Moses

SB -- Sheepshead Bay

Shinny -- Shinnecock Inlet or nearby
SI -- Staten Island
ST -- Sore Thumb

NS -- North Shore
SS -- South Shore




Mecca -- if you gotta ask where that is, can't help ya

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ WIR 10-6-08

Folks, it has been another decent week for NJ surfcasters, but the majority of bass action is at night.

However, in the last 3 days, there has been some bass action end of day, so keep trying to find signs of bait, people.

Blues have been mixed in with the bass, and there have been some albacore sightings.

I have been informed there have also been some albacore caught form the surf in the last 48 hours. This run is looking more like a lottery than an official run. There does not seem to be any consistency yet.

It's getting colder out there, folks, be sure to bundle up in layers if out there at night.


NY WIR 10-6-08

The bass action along the ocean has started to produce with more consistency, though given all the locations are fishing, the action seems a bit spotty.

The best bet is still Montauk, which has been producing since late August. Daily blitzes are common, though on some days they are better than others. A 52 lber was reportedly beached in the surf Friday night. The fish are definitely moving through, following the baitfish.



Offshore tuna has been spotty. The time and effort required to put a tuna trip together is significant, and the captains are still not at the point where they are reporting a red hot bite, although some very nice catches are being brought back. Hopefully the next week or so brings better news.

You can't catch fish sitting in front of the TV, or reading about them on the internet. Now is a good a time as any to seek out the fall run fish. Good luck!

[BassBuddah]

Some decent blitzes in the LBeach area yesterday, got a few bass on storm shads and bucktails, biggest 30". Some big blues also.

[stormchaser]

A buddy and I took a ride to Montauk yesterday. The morning was slow, but around 2:30, things started up, bait, blues, and bass, had them till after dark. 7 bass between us to 15#, lost as many more, and a bunch of feisty bluefish. Pencils.

[nitestrikes]

Worked the surf in Long Beach this morning near some rocks, 3 bass to 30" black bombers and swimmers, before sunrise.

[BassBuddah]

Another trip to Mecca yesterday, fished from 3am-3pm, incredible dream fishing, one of the best fall runs I have ever experienced. 12 bass over 30", more than 50blues all sizes, Bucktails in the dark and low light, pencils during the day.

We also saw some albies jumping about 300' from shore, tried DDs, but could not get any. They were chasing anchovies and small bait, amazing fish.

[stormchaser]

Nice pick of small bass some places in the Rockaways area.Throwing bucktail, Dannys, and some other swimmers, 9 to 29" 12-3am. It was a good night.

[stormchaser]

Fished out front RM today, very slow day, lots of people fishing, not much caught. Threw metal, and poppers.

[DarkSkies]

Made a last-minute decision to take a run to Montauk today. We got there at 5:00, so I knew we would only have about an hour to fish. First started in the town, where birds were blitzing near the surf. Saw a few bluefish caught, but it died out before we got to it, fish moved out of range.

Chased them 2 more times, ended up near the bluffs area. As we walked down the trail, we could see a boat heading full speed into the school of active birds and fish that surfcasters were working.

This guy ran right into the middle, put the school down. He set up about 75 feet off the beach. We could hear the surfcasters yelling at him as we made our way down there. We got there as he was speeding away to an offshore school about 1/2 mile out. He was only on that school for about 5 minutes and managed to put them down as well.

So then he comes back into a school that was close to shore, and moving closer. Managed to put that one down also, drove right over it.

Dude looked somewhere near 30. How do you get to be around 30, and in all those years of living not have a clue about how to approach a school of feeding fish, and shore fishermen? If anyone sees this guy again, boat is named "Folly", NY registration.

Anyway, back to the fishing. We didn't catch anything, but some people there earlier than us did. Met a nice couple from NY who got a decent keeper around 9-10 lbs, I think he was throwing a Hopkins.

As it approached sunset, action started up again in front of us. I was throwing a huge needle, and an afterhours 3 oz stubby eel rocket, but just could not reach them.

That's ok, it was a great time out there, fished next to an old timer with the old Penn greenie taped on the rod. He was fishin all day, didn't beach any, but lost a few. I'll bet that guy could run circles around me, it was cool just to fish next to him.

I heard that there were a good number of bass under the pods, and a few blues. We found some spearing on the beach, that was probably some of what they were feeding on.

The sunset was incredible, the water clean, light SE breeze. With or without fish, Montauk is a beautiful place to fish. People were lined up at certain areas, little crowded, but everyone seemed to keep a few feet between them and the other person.

Next time I have to get there earlier, or plan to fish the night.

[cowherder]

Wow man, amazing report, felt like I was there. Want to go, but I'm nervous about hitting Montauk with all the experienced guys up there, don't want people to think I'm a goog.

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ WIR 10-13-08

Another fine week of fall fishing, folks. While the bulk of the bass are small, the action is steady at night. Additionally, some larger bass - from bass in the 20's to a 42 lber - have been caught in the Jersey surf this week by some lucky, and talented, anglers.

The daytime action is still spotty, but the best bet is end of day in the hours before sunset, where some Monmouth County beaches have been seeing consistent action when the baitfish are in tight to the surf. There is also some decent action on Ocean County when the baitfish come in close enough.

The bluefishing, although spottier than usual for this time of year, still provides a lot of action. Some blues have been caught in the last week that were close to 20lbs. Big fish for sure, watch your fingers!

The albacore run has not really started for surfcasters, though there are a select few reporting surf catches. Meanwhile, the boats are reporting both bonito and albacore. Hopefully this will improve for surf guys.

NY WIR 10-13-08

There is a good blend of action in the back bays, and now on the ocean front. The productive areas change from one day to the next, but some inlet areas have been pretty consistent. Look for the bait coming out.

Montauk surfcasters are having a banner year.

Although very crowded at times, I maintain that some of the business owners up there are experiencing reduced revenues as many people have cut back on discretionary driving. It's important to support these business people, from the coffee shops to the charter captains. Remember that tipping is appreciated by those who work hard to maintain your interest and loyalty.


On the offshore front, the tuna bite has been inconsistent. However, there have been some very favorable yellowfin catches in the last few days, which brings hope for a good fall bite to many people.

Now is a beautiful time to be fishing - magnificent sunrises, peaceful nights, mild breezes, relatively mild temperatures.

Granted, we will see more bass as the water temps decline a bit, but they are out there now, if you have the patience and fortitude to search for them.

We will soon be experiencing the effects of the full moon, which causes many people to feel fishing is not worth it now. Not true. Even though there is some phosphorescence in the water, and it is difficult to plug with the brightly lit sky, a good fisherman will adapt to these conditions. He or she will use lighter plugs, minimizing hardware and terminal tackle connecting their plug to the line.

If all else fails, clams are a great option. They catch fish more consistently at more times of the year than almost everything else, including the hottest plugs. Be flexible, and you will do OK. Catch em up!

[pescador29]

At Breezy yesterday, we used bunker and clam. No bass, and we caught big bluefish, one was 16#. Nice and sunny.

[nitestrikes]

RM in front yesterday, big blues all over the place. Metal and poppers.

[BassBuddah]

I fished the night shft at RM yesterday. Slowed down a little, but still got a few small bass to 28. Dannys and schoolbus bombers.

[stripercrazy]

Long Beach area tonight, not a lot of action. 2 short bass on clams.

[pinhead44]

RM area last night, 2 small bass magdarters. Lots of weeds.

[DarkSkies]

Took a ride to Montauk yesterday, fished 4-10pm. Was supposed to meet a good friend there, but he punked out.

When I got there, S side was dead. Went to N side, also dead, no surfcasters were catching. Then within 1/2 hr things started to look promising on the N side, bait and predators blitzing just offshore.

Kept surveying the birds and fish. At one point they were moving closer, to within 100 yards of shore, and there were about 4 separate pods erupting over the N area. Figurred it was time to suit up, got excited. As I was walking out to them, I could see the action had died completely, fish never came in close enough. Guys started coming off the beach. I met a few sharpies who were there all day, fished hard, and didn't have one fish.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot I met a guy who got 2 on a storm shad. I met lots of people, all of them cool and helpful, more in another thread.

I decided to work the S side, and work my way N, where the guy got the storm shad fish. The sandy beach wasn't producing, so I worked my way into the legendary rips. Very tough to fish, but schoolies were there. I started throwing a 12" needle, big fish want big bait, but there were no big fish at that time.

Got one small bass on a bucktail/pork combo, then lost another bucktail to the rocks. Other guys were there bucktailing, every few minutes someone lost one, had to re-tie.


Met up with another fisherman there, and for the next few hours, we tried everything, but mostly bucktailing and topwater floaters. Weeds are terrible there, and you have to figure out how best to deal with it. No fish caught for the rest of the night.

[nitestrikes]

Long Beach area this afternoon, was very windy and weedy,

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ WIR 10-20-08

Another great week for surfcasters folks! It's one of those weeks where some surfcasters actually did better than the boaters, as many boat fishermen had difficulty getting out to their usual spots.

Unfortunately for some, the best bass fishing is right in the midst of the intense fall weather, with the wind and waves blowing in your face. This is one of the things that separates the men from the boys, and can be pretty intense.

However, I'll let you folks in on a well-kept secret -- bass love turbulent weather, rough current, and whitewater. Some of the best catches will be reported (or nor reported) during these times.

As for the surf albacore run, it has been a bust so far. Although some are reporting large quantities of small bait in the surf, it is my opinion that this small bait, the main attractant for the albacore to come in, has not been present consistently enough. Time will tell if any sort of a real run develops here.

Some good news on the weakfish and herring fronts, folks. The weakfish are being caught with consistency in the Barnegat and Raritan bays, worms being the preferred bait, jigheads and pink fin-s plastics being the preferred artificial offering. The bigger bass are snacking on these weakfish, and some of the herring that are making an early appearance near the mouth of Raritan Bay. This is what we need to bring the big girls into the surf, folks. Keep your fingers crossed that these forage fish stay around.

NY WIR 10-20-08

Montauk surfcasters and boaters continue to enjoy a bannner season, though things are starting to slow a bit. Meanwhile, the fish that were traveling through Montauk have ended up being caught at night along some of the LI beaches. Some lucky surfcasters have had great nights plugging the beaches of the South Shore. Hopefully this continues.

Bait is still on the move in the LI Sound. You will continue to have good caches as that bait moves out, and South.

There have been some exciting false albacore catches in the surf of the North Fork, hopefully these continue in the usual spots.



Tuna fishing has still been spotty in the canyons. Some positive news of late is that a good number of albacore (True albacore, which some people have confused with longfin tuna) have recently been caught. I hope this bite continues. Many of our charter boat captains are hurting financially this year, and a fall tuna bite would help them to make money and salvage the season.

The surf is rough, the fish are out there -- put on your raingear and catch em up!

[stormchaser]

Insane action at RM area this morning, bass really had feedbag on. over 25 bass, most over 26". Needles before sunrise, bucktails and white teaser once sun came up. Hasn't been that good for awhile, lots of fun.