The Fourth Quarter

This week’s local fly-fishing tracked closely to the performance of the financial markets and the economy – it moved south in a hurry, with a few signs of imminent promise. Reports were rather thin this from most sources since the very low temperatures kept many anglers off the water. The early part of the week did see some rather large schools of small bass off the north shore shoals but that action was primarily in very deep water…too deep for even the highest density sinking lines. And that action is now fading. Some large blues were mixed in with the bass. The north side beaches were - for the most part - very quiet, and for the first time this season nothing of note to report from the north shore harbors. Montauk was extremely quiet for the fly crowd but there was some success farther west down the south shore beaches. Yet, it is not all doom and gloom. Most of the general reports indicate there were numerous small bass dispersed throughout areas of the central and western beaches on south side of the Island. Some of those fish were right in the wash offering good shots with the fly rod. The stripers seemed to be traveling with schools of bunker and shad.
The final stages of the Long island season can prove a boon to fly anglers under one very special situation – the presence of herring. When herring make a showing striped bass – usually big ones - home in on this late season dietary preference and feed aggressively. The larger and more widespread the schools of herring, the more the bass will school in an attempt to maximize the consumption of this annual bounty. Some of the largest bass feeding binges of the season will occur at this time.
Fly fishermen eagerly await this potential bounty. When top water feeding blitzes are encountered they can often cover acres and the bass will readily hit flies. The stripers are most receptive to larger fly patterns at this time of year. Big white flies with flash fished on intermediate or sinking lines in and among the feeding bass will often times bring forceful strikes, resulting in some of the largest fish of the season.
The real opportunity of this fishing is that it often goes unnoticed since most fly anglers are not on the water at the time the herring appear. There is still time to give this fishing a try so keep an eye open for diving gannets that also enjoy the tasty herring. While herring will move though the Sound, the best bet for encountering this type fishing is off shore of the south shore beaches.
We have to look slightly to our south to see the week’s most consistent fly-fishing. Now more than ever during the remaining part of the season the most dependable action for the salty fly angler will be along the western reaches of the south shore and down through Staten Island, the New York Bight and all along the New Jersey beaches. It may be time to gather up a few of your fly fishing buddies and take a road trip to the Garden State.