Fall striper and tog bite stays strong across the Sound

What's biting

What's next

Water in the low 60s and a waxing gibbous moon heading toward full point to good fall feeding windows over the coming days. Expect the best striped bass action at dawn and dusk, when bait is pushed tight to structure and rip lines. Birds working over the water are the tell for blitz activity, as OTW Surfcasting describes in its fall blitz coverage.

For deeper, faster water, OTW Saltwater has a recent write-up on fishing bucktails on three-way rigs for big stripers in strong rips. That is a useful option when fish hold below the surface and topwater goes quiet.

Tautog should keep improving as the water continues to cool, with Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reporting the bite picking up. Plan tog trips around the slack periods of the tide, when bait presentations on the bottom are easiest to hold. Check the tide chart for your own spot, since predicted tide times were not available from the stations this evening.

Context

Late October is typically the heart of the fall run in Long Island Sound. Baitfish leave the estuaries and salt ponds as nights turn chilly and days shorten, and striped bass follow them through the Sound on the way south. Water in the low 60s is on schedule for the date, neither early nor late. Tautog typically move onto structure as the water cools through the fall, and black sea bass generally start to leave inshore waters around this period. Check current state regulations for seasons and size limits before keeping any fish.