Blackfish Season Opens Friday

Finally, after weeks of east winds, we had a handful of days with great fall weather.

At the end of last week and over the weekend, the weather was stunning, with no wind, sunny days and nice temperatures. This brought folks back to the beaches. Sunbathers, walkers and swimmers all enjoyed the weather. The bay temps have cooled to 65 degrees and, hopefully, it will keep the hurricanes away.

The east winds definitely put the fish in the fall mood. Plenty of bait in both the bays and ocean are on the move. Locally, there are still plenty of porgies in the bays. They are of mixed sizes, with some large blowfish and kingfish mixed in. Some leftover weakfish also are biting.

Bluefish are at Jessups, and those striped bass should show up any day. Most anglers are heading to the sound to do the fishing. Sound fishermen are finding plenty of porgies, some large, with blowfish and kingfish mixed in. You will have to cull through the shorts to get your limit. Large bluefish mixed with bass are at the Gut and Race.

Montauk fishing bounced back after the east winds. Porgies and sea bass are around the Point and Block Island. It seems the larger fish are in the deep water. Some fish are starting to mix in the catches. There have been some fluke being caught, with larger fish taken. The fluke season remains open until October 15.

Tuna fish are being caught along with bonito and false albacore. Striped bass and bluefish are also biting well around the Point, with slot fish in the mix.

There is action along the ocean beaches. The great news is the much-awaited opening of blackfish season on Friday. The Long Island Sound season runs from Friday to December 9, with a limit of three fish per day at 16 inches. The New York Bight opens Tuesday, October 15, and runs to December 22, with a four-fish-per-day limit at 16 inches.

All the reports point to a great blackfish season.