Blackfish Season Opens

Weather! Weather! Weather!

The wind and rain have not stopped for weeks. Last weekend was the sixth straight weekend of rain. Believe it or not, the weatherman has predicted rain for this weekend, too! With air temps in the 40s, it reminds us that fall is really here.

Last week, the 2023 blackfish season opened in the Sound. The weather was very nice for opening day, and anglers were out in force. The area around Plum Island and points to the east had plenty of boats.

Those fishing for blackfish know that the early season means shallow-water fishing. Fish were biting in the 12-to-18-foot range. There were plenty of shorts, but keepers were in the mix. It was surprising to see that some quality fish up to 7 pounds were taken.

There were sea bass in the mix, with some porgies as well. It looks as if this will be a great season as the water cools. If you just want sea bass, Pigeon Rip has quality sea bass on bait and jigs.

Local fishing still has some porgies, blowfish and kingfish for the bottom fishermen. There are striped bass in the ferry slip being caught by trollers. There are some bass for the beach fishermen, and there are even rumors of blackfish being taken from the Sag Harbor-North Haven Bridge, also known as the Lance Corporal Jordan C. Haerter Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Montauk fishing remains good between the Northeast storms. Anglers are catching large sea bass and porgies from Montauk to Block Island. As the water cools, there will be blackfish and codfish in the mix.

More striped bass are around Montauk Point. Boat fishermen are seeing more slot-sized fish on the troll. Beach fishermen are also catching fish on both the east and north sides of the Point.

Offshore (when the boats can get out), anglers are finding tuna still biting.

From now until Thanksgiving, you’ll need to put in your fishing time and get in on the good fall fishing!