Capt. Gary Ellis, Montauk Slam tournament director, and Capt. Paul Dixon (right), East Hampton with an albacore caught & released at the Boomer Esiason Foundation competition.

Go Fish

Moving from summer to fall fishing, the blackfish season just opened on October 1. The bait of choice for this white-fleshed, tasty fish is green or fiddler crabs which can be purchased at most bait and tackle shops. Sea bass are still around on the inshore wrecks and reefs, and bluefish and striped bass are still plentiful.

East End waters have been the site of many fishing tournaments, big and small, in the past few weeks. The big celebrity tournament was former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason's Fishermen Conservation Association Montauk Slam on September 19 to 21, a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. There was a celebrity division and a regular angler division, both fishing for the largest albacore, bluefish and striped bass. The grand slam winner was Tim Borski of Tavernier, FL, fishing with Capt. Paul Dixon of East Hampton, and former New York Yankee Wade Boggs won the celebrity division. All entry fees went to the charity, and both Borski and Boggs qualified for the IGFA Inshore World Championships in 2008.

Last weekend in Montauk, the Long Island State Park Region's surf fishing competition was held. Paulie A. of Paulie's Tackle, Montauk, reports the winning striped bass weighed 38.6 pounds, caught by Mike Cappola, and the second-place striper weighed 31.9 pounds.

Steve of East End Bait and Tackle, Hampton Bays, says sea bass and porgies are being caught with clams and squid on the reef just outside Shinnecock inlet. Steve also has green crabs for blackfish bait. Anglers are catching striped bass on the morning tides using clams or top-water plugs at the east cut of Shinnecock Bay. Night fishermen are getting stripers with live eels. Most of the keeper-sized stripers are in the 15 to 20-pound range.

Steve also tells us the offshore night bite at the Canyon has been "red hot" for yellowfin tuna when anglers chunk. Catches for boats trolling during the day has been hit and miss, but one boat caught and released an estimated 500-pound blue marlin.

Ken at Tight Lines Tackle, Sag Harbor, got his first blackfish report of the season, and he is stocking green crabs for blackfishing. One customer caught nine keeper-sized blackfish at Plum Gut. Ken also says a 35-pound striper was caught in the rips off Montauk, and he weighed in a 17.79-pound bluefish caught at the North Haven/Shelter Island ferry slip.

Harvey Bennett of Amagansett's Tackle Shop says albacore are in Gardiner's Bay. One of his clients caught a 41-inch long striped bass under the bluffs off Gardiner's Island, as well as hooking up many albacore. Harvey is a leading fly-fishing, flats and bay fishing guide.

Linda at Jamesport Bait and Tackle reports plenty of sea bass being caught in Gardiner's Bay. There are striped bass at Roger's Rock and Horton Point, plus loads of bluefish in the Peconic bays.

Steve of Wego Fishing Station, Southold, was off striper fishing last Monday and caught some up to 28 pounds with yellow and green bucktails. Wego is stocking all types of crabs for blackfishing, which will get better as the water cools.

- Rich Firstenberg (YeOldeSalt@aol.com)

Back to Contents