NY Newsday, 10/7/05

1. Western Long Island Sound: It's still mostly bluefish, but a few bass have been found underneath the schools and the cooler weather projected for this weekend should make the stripers more accessible. Jack's in City Island reported big blues to 12 pounds behind Execution and keeper blackfish in the rocks off Rye.

2. Huntington / Northport bays: The bluefish action inside the harbors is still terrific with 6-10 pound fish taking chunks or plugs, and the fish are biting outside the bays as well. More and more keeper bass are being chunked in the Triangle, according to Four Winds, but striper-minded anglers are still fighting through bluefish. Porgy fishing has improved with some limits and fish to 2 pounds. They're in varying depths from north of Buoy 13 to 11B.


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3. Smithtown Bay: John Manning caught a 42-inch, 30-pound striper on eels in Nissequogue early Tuesday morning according to Swaine's B&T in St. James, which weighed in some bass during the week, including a 21-pounder from Ken Koch and a 31-inch keeper from Bill Higgins. Dave Ciotti limited on fluke on Sunday at the mouth of the river with fish to 19 on live killies, then took a 17-pound bass from the surf off Long Beach on Monday.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Rocky Point Fishing Stop reported that most surf action is for bluefish but some keeper bass are at the Wading River creek and off Sound Beach when the wind blows from the north. The Port Jeff open boats are slamming the porgies to 3 pounds.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: Ask Joseph Kazzola if the bass are biting; he caught a 25.05-pounder on a porgy hook near the Orient lighthouse Wednesday night when the scup he was reeling up turned into bait. The fish was weighed at Wego Fishing in Southold along with the 37.5-pounder taken by Ed Plaia in the Race on the charter Relentless on Tuesday. Chris Papas had a 24.5 and a 35 pounder off Hortons using live eels during the day on Sunday. And John Kowalski had opening day blackfish to 7 pounds near Plum Island.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: The porgies are still biting hard and fast all over the region, and they should be doing so for the rest of the month. Bluefish and a few small weakfish are running throughout the bay. Not many anglers are interested, but those who put in their time can pluck some keeper fluke.

7. Montauk Point: The boats are loading up on big stripers and bluefish, mixing live baits with trolling and bailing bass to 50 pounds. The surf crowd is hoping for a nice northeast wind to push some action their way. Offshore action is still strong as the Capt. Mark charter for Rick Uidell had four blue sharks to 300 pounds, a 90-pound mako and eight bluefin from 50-90 pounds according to Jack Yee. A day earlier the Capt. Mark hooked what may have been an 800-pound giant bluefin tuna that fought for 25 minutes before dropping the hook.

8. Shinnecock Bay: Capt. John on the Shinnecock Star reports nice action on blackfish and porgies this week, though the blackfish bite may fade when the porgies become super-aggressive this month. The tog will be back, though. Most of the fluke action has faded. Stripers in the inlet are biting well.

9. Moriches Bay: B&B Tackle reported striped bass in the inlet to 41 pounds, the big one taken on an eel during a daytime outgoing tide. The artificial reef has been holding nice keeper sea bass but the blackfish aren't biting yet despite a few keepers taken along the jetties on opening day. The bay is loaded with kingfish and the snappers are still active enjoying the warm waters.

10. Great South Bay / Fire Island Inlet: Bass fishing has picked up with fish to 29 pounds being taken in the bay according to Augie's in Babylon. Live bait is the key with bunker or scup during the day and eels at night. Bass are starting to hit surfcasters as well. Sore Thumb is holding porgies, sea bass and flounder and the bay has keeper blackfish biting. Some anglers have been finding fluke in the ocean, but in deep water that can be a ride from the inlet.

11. Jones Inlet / Western Bays: Scotty's Fishing Station reported big bass in the bay with some 35-pounders being taken on live baits like porgies and sea bass. The bass outside the inlet are hungry too but not as big yet and the bridges are producing keepers on clams with bellies for bait. Kingfish, sea bass and porgies are in the bay and a few blackfish are starting to show.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Seven-year-old Dominick Simonelli and his dad fished Reynolds Channel with baby bunker for a limit of weakfish to nearly 4 pounds this week, according to Bay Park Fishing Station. Some keeper bass taking clam bellies at the Atlantic Beach Bridge mixed with some nice schoolie action. Pat Stewart had a dozen sea bass to 4 pounds and a 3-pound porgy on fresh clams at Rockaway Reef on Wednesday.

13. New York Bight: The Angler reported weakfish action on sandworms with some customers limiting out and fish around 6 pounds. Bottom fishing is at its best now with porgies, sea bass and keeper blackfish coming up. The cooler temperatures this week should flick the switch from bluefish to bass.

RI 10/7/05

This has been one of the strangest weeks in memory. You could go to a spot one day and catch fish after fish. Go to the same spot on the same tide in the same weather conditions the next day, and you couldn't find a fish. The predicted cold front and a weekend storm may stir up an autumn bite.

This is the final Fishing Report of the season, but Outdoor Notes in Sunday's Providence Journal will continue to report on fishing and hunting opportunities. Small-game hunting season is scheduled to open Oct. 15 in Rhode Island.

BAY

The Providence and Seekonk rivers have been fairly reliable with a steady bluefish bite, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. Fish as large as 15 pounds have been biting there. Stripers move in and out of the rivers unpredictably. Yesterday morning, hickory shad were taking small darts in the Providence River.

Greenwich Bay holds bluefish, weakfish and stripers, said Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle, but the bite is spotty. Shore fishermen have been catching blues and squeteague on Kastmasters, he said. Stripers have been nailing Creek Chubs and tube-and worm rigs.

Early in the week the waters on the east side of Providence Point and off Pine Hill Point were hot, but the fish disappeared later in the week. The striper bite has been fairly consistent for trollers off Brenton Point, said Kevin Kendrick of Edwards Fishing Tackle.

Small squid have appeared in Newport Harbor; jigging after 9 p.m. has been the most productive.

In the lower Bay, blues were stacked up beneath the Newport Bridge, but they vanished with the high-pressure system. Look for them to return to the bridges and the waters between Quonset and Conanicut points after the weekend.

On the Sakonnet River, tautog and small bluefish have been biting in Tiverton Basin, said Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine. Blackfish were biting near the BT marker between Sabin Point and and Port Edgewood yesterday, said Henault.

Bonito and false albacore are mixed among schools of bluefish off Little Compton, said Latinville.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

Striper fishing came to a virtual halt after the midweek. There are still bass in the salt ponds, said Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle, but it will take a cold front to get the fish moving and biting.

Steve McKenna and Bill Nolan have experienced very slow fishing in the Narragansett surf this week. A storm could stir up some activity, McKenna said.

OFFSHORE

The bluefin bite improved in the Mud Hole this week, said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, but the fish are finicky, requiring 30-pound fluorocarbon leaders. They're larger at the Fingers, he said.

At the Fish Tails, yellowfin and albacore tuna are biting along with mahi-mahi.

BLOCK ISLAND

Surf fishing has been a challenge, said Steve McKenna, but David Henault reported that fishing was good for Mike Neto and Bill Curran on the south side of the island Wednesday.

FRESHWATER

Most ponds are too warm and many streams are too low for the traditional Columbus Day trout stocking, said Peter Angelone, supervising biologist who oversees Rhode Island's trout program. He said his staff would probably stock the Beaver, Flat and Falls rivers this week, and the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited is scheduled to float-stock the Wood River tomorrow.

"The Wood is fishing very well even though the water level is still very low," Ed Lombardo said in an e-mail. "In addition to the usual patterns that work so well this time of year -- Blue-Wing Olives and terrestrial patterns -- one of the most exciting phenomena that takes place every year at this time are the swarms of flying ants. Look for them to start falling on the water around 2:30 p.m. The fish will be everywhere, coming up and feeding on these flying ants very aggressively. I use both red and black imitations in sizes No. 18 and No. 14. I prefer tying these imitations with black and cinnamon colored rabbit fur for the body and brown furnace hackle in the center. The wings can be either CDC or dun hackle tips. After the first frost of the year, the warm fall afternoons brings the ants to the water. Wasps and small hoppers are still working well."

Yesterday morning, largemouth bass as large as 17 inches were taking shiners near the bridge on Stump Pond in Smithfield, said David Henault.

TOURNAMENT

Snug Harbor Marina's Bass and Bluefish Boogie is scheduled to start tomorrow at the marina in South Kingstown. Registration will begin this afternoon. Prizes include savings bonds and fishing tackle. The entry fee is $25 per rod. For more information, call (401) 783-7766.

BEST BITES

Newport:

Bass, bluefish, squid

Sakonnet River:

Bluefish, tautog

Wood River:

Trout

NY Newsday, 9/29/05

1. Western Long Island Sound: Bluefish are still biting heavily between the bridges and in the harbors, but they are starting to make room for the stripers. Yesterday, Andrew weighed a 30-pounder at Jack's in City Island, one of three 20-plus pounders he and his crew caught on bunker heads Wednesday night. Porgies aren't thick and a few anglers have found blackfish the last week or so; that season opens tomorrow.

2. Huntington/Northport bays: The James Joseph didn't sail yesterday, and it hardly needed to. The morning crew showed up and pegged bluefish 7-10 pounds right off the tied-up boat and from the Huntington Town Dock. George from Four Winds called this bluefishing "phenomenal" with action in every corner of the region. A few stripers are mixed in deeper water, 50 feet by Buoy 11B. And Four Winds weighed a 2.69-pound porgy for Nader Gerbin taken off the Brushpile at Eatons Neck.

3. Smithtown Bay: Bluefish are thick and strong to 9 pounds. Rocco had porgies to 2 pounds and a 24-inch sea bass last week before the bluefish chased everything away and he started whacking them, according to Swaine's B&T. Schoolie and keeper bass are inside the mouth of Stony Brook Harbor and there was a report of a 30-pounder taken by the big rock off Short Beach.

4. Port Jefferson to Mattituck Inlet: Rocky Point Fishing Station reported John's 15-pound bluefish caught on a bunker at Broadway Beach. There are some big porgies in the water and nice bluefish at Middle Grounds - the Port Jeff open boats are hammering both. Surfcasters around Hortons are getting nice bass and bluefish.

5. Orient Point to Fishers Island: Capt. Dave Brennan of the Peconic Star said porgy fishing has hit a stride the last week with big fish looking to chew. The hungry scup are taking all baits and average 14-15 inches and crowding out the sea bass and blackfish for the time being. Surfcasters are hitting nice stripers all along the Sound.

6. The Peconics and Gardiners Bay: A few spotty weakfish are still hanging around, according to Wego Fishing, but the porgies and bluefish are dominating the local bite. Jessups and Cedar Point are good places to start looking for them. The birds will tell you where the bluefish are. Most fluke anglers have packed it up for the season, but there are still some nice fish being taken by Tobacco Lot.

7. Montauk Point: John Bruno won the Montauk Surf Classic last weekend with a 33.66-pound striper and Richie Michelsen had the top bluefish at 11.28 pounds. Matt Vega took a 41.36-pound bass to lead the Montauk Locals Tournament, according to Freddie's B&T. Miles of bluefish and albacore were lined up this week from the inlet to the point, providing the boaters and flycasters some joy. Offshore action for sharks and tuna has been steady. Wind and weather will start to keep some boats tied up as we get further into fall.

8. Shinnecock Bay: John Bourgal caught a 26-pound bass in the inlet this week, according to Molnar's Landing, a nice signal that the fall season is here. The false albacore dancing around the inlet are giving flyrodders a fight. Most fluke have moved from the bay to the ocean. Some sea bass and porgies are hanging around.

9. Moriches Bay: The inlet is filling with striped bass as Mastic B&T reported customers seeing the fish jumping all over the white water and some anglers hooking up 20 fish in a trip. Plenty of keepers too, up to about 40 inches, on eels, clams and plugs. The fluke are moving from the bay and Charlie Ladella had a 9.5-pounder on its way out last week.

10. Great South Bay/Fire Island Inlet: Sore Thumb is giving anglers plenty of fish to chose from, with lots of porgies, kingfish, blowfish and sea bass. There is even an occasional flounder, according to Augie's B&T in Babylon. Stripers are taking bass in the evenings and anglers can plug schoolies in the middle of the bay during the daytime. Blues are still around in nice numbers and fluke are inside the bay but mostly shorts.

11. Jones Inlet/Western Bays: Stripers are biting clams in the bay, but hooking them in the inlet is tough because of the number of bluefish. Woodcleft Fishing Station reports nice action around the bridges on sea bass and porgies with some nice weakfish bites in the deeper holes in the bay.

12. East Rockaway Inlet: Bay Park Fishing Station reports some nice weakfish action between the railroad bridge and the Long Beach Hospital, though not many of the fish are big. They are taking sandworms and live baby bunker. Some keeper bass are at the Atlantic Beach Bridge on clams. No Time Charters limited out on bluefin tuna this week with fish from 75-100 pounds for Lloyd, John, Larry and Kevin.

13. New York Bight: Weakfish are biting well in Jamaica Bay, with sandworms accounting for most of the fish to 5 pounds. There's still a fluke bite offshore and anglers are going crazy with the bluefish at Cholera and the Mud Buoy. Sea bass and porgies are also biting at their usual structures.

RI, 10/1/05

The new moon Monday could boost the bite in the lower Bay, where baitfish abound. The uppermost reaches of the Bay are already active.

BAY

Bluefish blitz the waters at Barrington Beach and Sabin Point once or twice a day, said John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle, and Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle said that blues between 6 and 12 pounds apiece are biting in Greenwich Bay. They're also biting in the Providence River, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. Small squeteague are mixed among the blues in Greenwich Bay.

Immature herring are pouring out of the spawning grounds now, and stripers of all sizes are waiting for them downstream in the Seekonk River at Omega Pond and in Apponaug Cove below Gorton Pond, where fish as large as 39 inches were biting Wednesday. Yesterday morning, bass had thinned out on the Seekonk, where they were replaced by bluefish. Bass as large as 30 pounds have been nailing parachute, umbrella and tube-and-worm rigs trolled near Marker 14 off Conimicut Light and in the channel near Ohio Ledge, said Littlefield. Stripers are also taking swimming plugs near the White Church Bridge in Barrington. After free-diving around Sakonnet Point Sunday, Faye Anderson said she saw several large bass against the jetty there. Bass have been biting in deep-water drop-offs off Jamestown and Newport. John Lisi continues to catch large bass before dawn in the surf at Beavertail Point.

Tautog are beginning to bite near Hope Island, and spear fishers are shooting large blackfish off Sakonnet Point.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

"The South Shore has exploded with fish from Narragansett to Westerly," writes Rob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters. "The waters from the Narrow River to Hazard Rock hold stripers and bluefish. The stripers are taking needlefish, poppers and eels. Four- to six-inch soft plastic shads are also working, especially those that look like bunker, mullet, and red-head shad. Walter Pike caught a nice 24-pounder at Point Judith Light, and I caught a fat 28-pounder on an eel, fishing with Sea Ferra Charters." Bill Nolan has been taking a lot of large stripers along the Narragansett shore, said Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters.

Fishing on the reefs got tough Wednesday, said charter boat skipper Ron Mouchon of Breachway Bait & Tackle. Bass were biting in Ninigret Pond, yesterday morning, however. A cold front should help the fishing, he said.

Among this week's top catches were a 49-pound bass taken by Bill Gavitt and a 52-pounder landed by Bob Wheeler, said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.

McKenna said little tunny have been biting along all three walls on the Harbor of Refuge.

PARTY BOATS

"Captain Don found some nice bluefin tuna this week in the 70-pound range," reports Frank Blount, skipper of the Frances Fleet. "They are a little farther offshore then we would like, but they are out there. Captain Mike had a canyon trip at the end of last week and got into a good bunch of albacore and one nice yellowfin. Porgy fishing on the beach was very good with lots of really big humpback porgies around. Captain Rich is still finding a good number of fluke on the 7 a.m. trip. This is the longest season we have ever had for the jumbo fluke."

CUTTYHUNK ISLAND

Steve McKenna ran out-of Slug-Gos so he switched to Hab's Needlefish and caught 40 stripers between 20 and 37 pounds last weekend in the surf. On Saturday night, he caught 33 big bass.

BLOCK ISLAND

David Henault fished with Dave Sloane and Jason Seratin aboard Mike Neto's Adriana on Wednesday and caught bass as large as 30 pounds on light tackle. They marked fish off Southeast Point, but had difficulty catching them in the morning, so Neto moved to the western end of the south side and found the fish to be more cooperative in the afternoon, Henault said.

OFFSHORE

The bluefin bite at the Mud Hole is on and off. There are some giants there, but they haven't been biting, according to Al Conti. Don Venticinque and Craig Stevens steamed out to Cape Cod to catch giants aboard Venticinque's sportfisherman, "25."

Curt Behling caught yellowfin tuna and large mahi this week, chunking at the Fish Tails.

FRESHWATER

John Cote caught a 4-pound bass on Spectacle Pond in Cranston this week, said David Henault. Bass fishing should improve after a cold front moves through.

BEST BITES

Greenwich Bay:

Bluefish, possibly squeteague

Block Island:

Striped bass

Cuttyhunk Island:

Striped bass