What a spectacular fall run so far!! We’re absolutely down the homestretch and for some the fishing season has wrapped up. If you’re on the fence, don’t wrap the boat just yet! November and early December often saves the best for last.
The incredible push of big stripers from Montauk to Sandy Hook in mid-October may account for most of the herd but there’s still plenty of bass to be caught. Bunker, sand eels, mackerel and herring fuel the late season bite all along the south shore for boat and surf anglers. I personally lean towards using plugs, jigs and soft plastics when targeting striped bass, yet have caught many stripers on bait as well. Let’s cover November bait fishing first.
There’s the obvious choice of bunker when pods are abundant and visible on the surface. Stuffing the live well, when possible, by snagging or cast net to deploy on a circle hook is a solid recipe for success. Endless swarms of peanut bunker in the bays and canals are also a good choice, but a second one if you can’t get adult size bunker. Often when heading out on my buddy’s boat we’ll cast net peanuts and if we’re able to find adult size bunker we toss them in targeted areas to get the stripers into a frenzy.
I think having a light tackle spinning rod should be as mandatory to have on board as life jackets. In the event of running into albies or blitzing schoolie bass a light spin setup with a tactical angler clip makes a fast transition easy to throw a deadly dick or epoxy jig. As we found out on an October trip the birds aren’t always working over just bass, blues or albies. We had caught several mackerel on an epoxy jig that we then live lined for bass to 20 pounds.
On the artificial side of things, there’s plenty of opportunity when targeting bass. As you scout different areas and see clouds of bait on the screen that isn’t the typical dark red indicating bunker, it’s probably sand eels. The old school A17 or A27 diamond jig with a green or white tube vertically jigged in these areas can be lights out when the bass are cooperating. When the screen is red it’s more likely to be bunker or herring (late in the month through early December) and using flutter spoons in addition to diamond jigs will trigger bites. Don’t be shy to throw large storm shads in white or bunker pattern, paddle tails, metal lips and even large spooks and poppers when the bunker are on top. Plenty of us have seen humpbacks close to shore in recent years and they’re always an indicator of bunker being present. If you don’t see them though, keep an eye out for light brown circles and work that area. Often the whales working bunker on the bottom will kick up enough sand that makes these circles visible and a good target to drop a line.
The slot limit remains 28-31 inches through the last day of the striper season on December 15. The previous slot for the past few years, anecdotally, seems to account for the amazing number of bigger fish in our waters. Unfortunately, many anglers have seen released over slot fish floating belly up this year. Please take a few moments to revive these larger breeders by holding their mouths open to the tide. When they bite down the fish should swim off strong. It’s a critical time in the fishery and we all want it to be a thriving one in years to come.
If not for the bass fishing as to why you shouldn’t wrap your boat yet, then maybe it’s blackfish. The colder the water, the better for these delicious fish. The season goes until December 9th in the Sound and December 22nd in the rest of New York waters. The start of the season last month wasn’t gangbusters and many blame it on water temperatures being too high. Success for targeting blackfish is all about the spots. There are the obvious ones of large reefs such as outside of Debs Inlet or off Sandy Hook. Then there’s the money ones that are a result of scouting and intel sharing with buddies and of course the occasional mugging that’s unavoidable. Be mindful of spots being fished out that need time to replenish and have backups in mind for any trip. Porgies and sea bass are also in season and a nice addition to the cooler.
Enjoy the homestretch!!