We are almost through with the crazy weather of the month of October. While the sometimes nasty weather conditions made it difficult for some anglers to fish exactly where they wanted to on a given tide or day, those who chose plan “B” instead of bailing out were often rewarded. This was especially true with bottom fishing.

Fundy, Swift Creek, Long Creek and Point Lookout Bridge Report

We all know many days were a bit too rough to fish outside. Quite a few people fished the lesser fished bridges instead of venturing off. When the water was a little warmer, these anglers obviously caught Blackfish as well as keeper Seabass, Porgies, Triggerfish and mixed size Blowfish. Faced with the cooler water tems we have now, the bulk of the bridge bottom fishing now is for blackfish. Most of the blacks caught inside are shorts, however, we still occasionally hear of a fish in the 4 pound class. Whether you fish inside or outside, Fiddlers will get you more bites and Greens, Whites, Asians or Hermits will get the bigger bites.

Ocean Reports

Right now the blackfishing in the ocean is pretty good on days when there is a little breeze to keep the boat square. Many of tht frequently fished drops on our local reefs including Hempstead, Atlantic Beach and the Fishing Line are yielding many short blacks. The larger fish are definitely coming from smaller humps on these reefs or off to the local wrecks. We have weighed blacks to 9 pounds within the last week and a half.

Striped Bass Reports from the Boats

The boat bass fishing is starting to take shape due to the erratic weather. What little bait we have in the bay is starting to move west towards Jones Inlet. Because of this migration, we have some pretty good bucktail and tin fishing. One to two ounce white Fin Strike or Andrus Bucktails dressed with a #70 Uncle Josh Red Pork Stripe, casted and fished slowly on the red (east) side of Jones Inlet proper is a pretty safe bet.

Some decent bass are falling to live eels in this area also. Look to drive an eel down Great Island Channel or through Bulkhead Drain for an occasional keeper. For those who choose to cast tins around the inlet, try fishing a one or two ounce Deadly Dick or a Tubed 007, 17 or 27 in White or Flo Green as some 3-4″ are starting to show. Most of this action is on the ebb tide. Speaking of ebb tide, the clam chumming on the West Bar is showing some improvement. A few boats are catching on the east side also.

Surf Casting & Beach Report

Bridge striped bass fishing is hit or miss right now probably due to all the easterlies we have had. Fire Island Inlet seems to have a bit better bass fishing right now. Our surf fishermen are currently plagued with a ton of jellyfish. The Robert Moses Beaches have seen some, albeit inconsistent, decent tin and plug fishing. West End 2 has had some good innings recenlty also. We are having a hard time keeping a large selection of Hopkins, Charlie Graves and Diamond Jigs in stock so we think these are producing. Just like the past few falls, the fresh bunker bait fishing is yielding some beautiful fish. We have weighed bass to 43 pounds and bluefish to 15 pounds. Check out this recent large 43+ pound striped bass caught by “Ziggy.” The LWC (low water change) has been a good time to fish. With more changeable weather on the horizon this week, we are looking forward to seeing some good fishing scenarios.