Outdoors: When the wind blows, fishing's actually good
With seemingly endless strong breezes pushing from every direction this fall, it might seem logical to conclude local fishing has suffered. After all, when the wind kicks up into gale-force range few boats get off the dock and the ocean surf can seem immense.
Still, there are times when steady winds gusting 15 to 20 knots can actually be helpful. A stiff breeze aids the drift when diamond jigging striped bass, for example, and there are times when flat-calm seas don't provide enough bounce and pace to allow an effective jigging presentation. Better to jig bass when the seas kick up at 12 to 15 knots, which has been the rule for boats pounding the stripers between Fire Island and Moriches inlets in the past several weeks.
Gusty onshore winds can also light up the surf scene by tossing small baitfish into a confused state and driving them up against the beach where stripers and blues have an edge in strength and aggressiveness. Such has been the case for over a month at Smith Point, where stripers to 20 pounds have surfed the curls at dawn, dusk and any time the wind bellows from the northeast.
Of course, heavy winds can also build an unpleasant roll over the ocean and Long Island Sound wrecks favored by sea bass, blackfish, ling and cod fans. Still, there can be some blessings on this front. With bottom species enduring relentless fall fishing pressure, excessive winds provide respite by keeping the fleet in port. A great time to get out bottom-fishing is a day or two following strong breezes as the wrecks begin to restock.
Winds or not, local fishing has held its own of late. Limited and full-day offshore trips for blackfish, sea bass, ling and cod along the South Shore have seen solid catches aboard open boats such as the Super Hawk in Point Lookout, the Captain Lou Fleet in Freeport and No Time, the Oceanside charter vessel.
Blackfishing in Long Island Sound on the Angler Fleet in Port Washington, Island Current Fleet in City Island, Captain James Joseph Fleet in Huntington and the Osprey and Celtic Quest in Port Jefferson have seen veteran anglers icing a sufficient haul of tasty fillets. Out at Greenport and Orient Point, the Peconic Star Express, Prime Time III and local charter fleet have limited their boats more often than not, with 8- to 10-pound brutes taking daily pools.
Still, your best bet right now remains diamond jigging striped bass along the South Shore between Davis Park and Ocean Beach.
"There's just so many bass around right now," said Walter Czekak of the Captree open boat Fish Finder II. "When the wind blew hard on Tuesday, we limited the boat right inside Great South Bay between buoys six and 10."
Captain Nick Manzari of the Captree open boat Island Princess agreed. "The bassin' right now reminds me of the heyday of bluefish diamond jigging on the Patchogue Grounds in the late 1970s. East of Fire Island Inlet, this is the best I've ever seen."
Of course, with heavy winds always possible this late into the season, it's a smart idea to call ahead to make sure your boat is sailing. No matter how many fish are out there, some days you just can't get off the dock.
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