Stripers put anglers in holiday spirit
Just in case you didn’t notice with the Thanksgiving temperature drop, the fall fishing season is growing short. There are still plenty of stripers and blackfish feeding in Long Island waters but it is nearing the time to start lining up your final passes.
To be sure, offshore wreck fishing will continue well into the winter, and there is always the possibility that codfishing might kick into high gear between now and Christmas. At the moment, however, stripers remain the primary focus on the South Shore while the tasty tautog gets top billing in Long Island Sound.
“We’re still seeing daily striper blitzes,” said Capt. Neil Delanoy of the Captree open boat Laura Lee. “You never know how the action will be after a serious cold snap but there are plenty of bass around and lots of sand eels to hold them here. Right now, the fishing couldn’t be better. On Wednesday, we tallied 473 stripers of mixed sizes for 43 anglers! Most fish were shorts but we did have keepers to 22 pounds and the entire boat limited out."
Capt. Patrick Gillen of the Captree party boat, Captain Gillen, echoed Delanoy’s thoughts and said he planned to continue sailing for linesiders until the season ended on December 15 — as long as the fishing holds up. “It’s just been a lot of fun,” he said.
Further west, Capt. Mike Barnett of the Freeport charter vessel Codfather agreed that bass remain plentiful but noted anglers are having to work a little harder each day for their keepers. “Still,” he said, “the action is fast and everyone goes home with fillets.” When not targeting bass, Barnett has been picking away at blackfish. He described that action as “improving” but noted it sometimes it takes a day or two to rebound after a serious blow —and it has been quite windy this fall.
On the North Shore, Capt. Jimmy Schneider of the Huntington James Joseph fleet continues to put his open boat patrons on tons of blackfish with limits the rule more than the exception. “We got our butts kicked by the wind and cold on Wednesday,” he said, “but we limited out the boat with blackfish to 8.5 pounds in 55 feet of water.”
Schneider noted that stripers remain an option in the Eaton’s Neck Triangle. His six-pack charter vessel has been limiting out with regularity while live-lining herring baits.
Mark your calendars
The 2019 Long Island Fly Fishing Expo is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., at the Radisson Hotel in Hauppauge. Admission is $10 for adults and free for kids under 18 (with paid adult.) The show features plenty of fly-fishing gear, fly-casting and fly-tying demonstrations, fly-fishing films, outfitters, guides, lodges and manufacturers. Visit http://www.longislandflyfishingexpo.org for more the details.
The 36th Annual New York Sportfishing Federation Forum & Auction will be held at the Freeport Recreation Center February 16 – 17, with seminars by the region’s top fishermen and more than 50 exhibitor booths. Proceeds from the show and auction benefit the New York Sportfishing Federation and its ongoing efforts to protect and serve New York’s sport-fishing community. The show is held at the Freeport Recreation Center. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for kids/seniors. Children under 12 are free. Visit http://nysf.org/forum-auction for details.
