Aboard the Captain Bob V on Tuesday, Bob Ceglowski figured the recent fishing on the Sound had been “incredible” with tremendous numbers of fish each day. The big party boat sails a fall schedule out of Mattituck Inlet, Friday through Tuesday, working blues, bass, scup and sea bass. Typically, the boat sees hundreds of bluefish, six to 10 keeper stripers, and more than 200 scup and sea bass on a good trip. From websites we see that the Prime Time 3, sailing out of Orient by the Sea has some spots available on scup/tautog trips (seven a.m.) on Saturday, October 12 and from Monday, October 14 through Friday, October 18. There are places available on night bass trips (four p.m.) on Saturday and Sunday nights, October 12 and 13. Anglers should call on 631-323-2618 for reservations. Also, the fishing for scup and sea bass on the Peconic Star II out of Greenport has been very, very good of late.
Bill Czech at Jamesport Bait and Tackle in Mattituck noted that local anglers are happy with the many opportunities the season offers. Both Mulford Point and Rocky Point, East Marion, have lots of tautog, not bulldogs, but many keepers. Blackfish are numerous off Plum Island although there are many shorts in the catches. Typically these fish are in 25-35 feet of water. Scup fishing remains strong off South Jamesport with porgies to 15 inches hanging off the beaches. Blues are small and stripers are caught only occasionally. Peconic Bay beaches have some school bass as well. At the Rocky Point Fishing Stop Stan Hentschel told us the local tautog are numerous, with enough four and five pounders to make the day a productive one. Blues in seven- to 12-pound sizes make for good fishing, while a few stripers are also around.
Gary at the Silly Lily station in East Moriches “takes it as it comes” with fall fishing opportunities. There are triggerfish, blowfish and kingfish (northern whiting) in the West Cut plus some school bass at night in the Inlet. A couple of 20 pounders have been caught. Good sized weakfish show up at times in the creeks. In Hampton Bays, East End Bait and Tackle’s Captain Scott Jeffrey noted a mix of blues, false albacore and bonito in the Shinnecock Inlet with sea bass hit or miss on the reef. Ocean beaches produce for some, not for others, with lots of bait moving along the beaches. Try the jetties for a mixed bag, including albies and blues.
