There can only be one complaint about the 2016 fishing season in Montauk….October’s weather!! It first started with “Hermine”, not strong enough to do any real damage, but strong enough to keep us all tied to the dock. Then the persistent northeast wind that’s been hounding us since! The fishing is still great when you can get out.
Striped Bass are still here, with some lunkers thrown in the mix too! Trolling Parachutes, and Umbrella Rigs have been doing well, right before this publication the Striped Bass were starting to respond to the Diamond Jigs also. Blackfish were being caught in all the good spots, basically, any decent rockpile that hasn’t been fished on yet will produce the Blacks. Don’t get impatient, you need to look around till you find an active spot. Then when the action slows, just by moving a short distance on the same rockpile, will get them coming again.
Don’t be afraid to move around! Hermit crabs, Green crabs, Calico crabs all work very well. Keep in mind the Black Sea Bass possession limit goes to 10 per man on November 1st through December 31st. Size limit still 15 inches.
There is no doubt that the Black Sea Bass allocation has to be re-assessed, hopefully next year will see some accurate figures come into play and NOAA will realize the Black Sea Bass stocks are indeed, very healthy!
During the Federal closure we were still able to catch plenty of keeper Black Sea Bass locally. The Flats, North Grounds, Elbow, even down the South side. Proof in the coolers that the stocks are in good shape! Don’t forget about the big Porgy over by Block island.Plenty of “Pie Plates” over there still inside the boulders area.
While I’m writing this article, the wind is still blowing, but when it slows down again there’s still plenty of great fishing to be done before it’s over!
South of Block Island there were a few Cod showing up, but the Spiny Dogfish have moved in too. The Dogfish left us alone for most of the summer, so hopefully they are just moving through. Hopefully!!
Watch your weather, prepare your tackle, be safe, have fun, and good luck when you go!
Tight Lines,
Captain Skip
