Long Island Fishing Report – November 29, 2018

Cold, high winds kept many anglers inside this week. The good news is Friday and Saturday looks great to get back out and catch some fish. We still have reports of schoolie bass from the surf and word of bigger bass from the boats. Blackfish, cod, and seabass are all being caught in deeper water out off of Montauk. Anglers are also gearing up to head offshore this weekend in search of some big bluefin and large big eyes. On the freshwater side of things, the Connetquot has been on fire for the fly fisherman. Here is what your local shops and marinas had to say for the week.

Fishing Report For Long Island

Bay Park Fishing Station reported on Sunday, trolling green Mojos SW of Debs inlet (depth of 50 ft), Frank Brescia and Paul Sievers of “SeaSea” closed their afternoon run with two Striped Bass up to 33 lbs. Also on Sunday, fishing off the Roundhouse in about 55 ft of water, Junior and Alex of “Fish Tracker” concluded their run with a 25.30 lb and 20.90 lb Striped Bass. The guys caught both using a green SpoonFed bunker spoon and an “old school” green bunker spoon. Sal & Sal of the “One More Drift” closed their morning run with two Striped Bass up to 18.50 lbs. The guys caught the Stripers trolling white Mojos West of Debs in around 45 ft of water.

Stella Maris Bait and Tackle reports, the blackfishing has still been good when the boats are able to sail. The boats are fishing deeper water now with the colder temperatures. Green and white crabs are both doing the trick for the tog. They also told me striped bass are still around. Though they have not been in the numbers they were last week, anglers continue to pick away at them. Anglers are catching schoolies off of the beach and some bigger bass have come off of the boats.

Capitol Tackle in Manhattan reported, it has been a tough week with many anglers staying in due to the weather. Their party boat the Capitol Princess however, is sailing this Friday and Saturday for blackfish and striped bass. Give them a call or check them out online if you are looking to get out on the water this weekend.

River Bay Outfitters reports, the Connetquot is the place to be on Long Island if you are a fly fisherman. Paul said, it has been fishing very well with a lot of big fish. The best part is it has not been crowded since many anglers do not want to deal with the cold. The shop will be closed this Sunday but will reopen next week for normal hours. The shop is still doing the winter fly tying classes for looking to learn how to tie flies to the experienced angler who wants to learn some new tricks. Check out the shop’s website for the class schedules.

White Water Outfitters reports, surf fisherman are still picking away at schoolie bass on the beach. Off in the deeper water, there has been a good bite both with the seabass and blackfish. Also mixed in with these fish have been some nice size cod. Anglers reported catching them while blackfishing with crabs. During the last week and a half when the boats have been able to sail, there have been reports of a good big eye and bluefin bite out in the canyons. They said they had some customers gearing up for this weekend with the weather laying down. They wanted to mention that they are now running a sale on their new website. If you go to WhiteWaterOutfitters.com you will receive 10% off your entire purchase during the holidays.

Westlake Marina reports, there is a good blackfish bite south of Block Island. Cod are also mixed in with these blackfish in about 70-100 feet of water. Seabass fishing has been good in deeper water around the 150-180 foot mark.

Miller Place Bait and Tackle said, things have been fairly quiet this week. Many anglers were stuck inside due to the weather. The shop has started selling their gift certificates for the holidays. If you don’t know what to get your fishing significant other for the holidays, a gift certificate is the way to go.

Fishing Forecast for Long Island

Don’t put your gear away just yet! The weather looks to finally be in a favor for Friday and Saturday. With the ocean laying down the fishing should be good on Friday and Saturday’s. Head to the deeper water wrecks and hard bottom for a mixed bag of blackfish, seabass and cod. In the surf, you will still be able to pick away at schoolie bass, which can be a lot of fun on lighter tackle. For the offshore angler, it looks like your window is opening for this weekend as well. The reports were good last week for bluefin and large bigeye tuna and hopefully, that will continue this weekend. The weather windows for anglers to get out this year can be tough. So when we do have a break for a couple of days like this, make sure you get out there and enjoy it. Good luck everyone this weekend and tight lines!