Albies fill in off Montauk as Long Island's fall run gets going

What's biting

What's next

With a new moon bringing stronger tidal swings this week, expect faster-moving water on both the push and drop — good news for anything feeding on structure or rips, from the porgy and sea bass bite North Shore boats are already calling 'as good as it could be' (Rip Tide III, City Island) to the fluke still holding in Shinnecock and Peconic waters. Bigger tides should also help concentrate bait along the inlets and rips where captains are already marking albies, bonito, and Spanish mackerel.

Over the next 2–3 days, look for the striped bass trickle reported out of Montauk (Double D Charters) and Shinnecock (White Water Outfitters) to keep building as water temperatures ease down — this reads as the leading edge of the fall run, not the peak of it. Surfcasters working Ditch Plains, Gin Beach, and the North Shore harbors (Cow Harbor, Mount Sinai) should keep working spearing and peanut bunker patterns at dawn and dusk, since that's what's already producing schoolies-to-slot fish.

The false albacore and bonito bite should keep filling in through the weekend as more fish push west along the Sound and South Shore — River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin is already recommending small epoxy flies and slim baitfish patterns for the light-tackle crowd, a good bet to carry into next week. Offshore, yellowfin remain solid on the midshore grounds and around the Coimbra (Tight Lines Tackle-East End), with bigeye still showing in the canyons; bluefin are patchier and 'becoming more challenging to locate consistently' per Double D Charters, so expect more running-and-gunning than steady marks on the tuna grounds through the weekend.

Fluke fishing should hold up over the next few days but keeps trending toward the bay side as fish stage to exit for the winter — On The Water's latest report already has big fluke moving from the Western Sound toward the South Shore, so anglers wanting a shot at a doormat should fish the bay-to-ocean transition zones now rather than waiting.

Bluefish remain the wildcard: excellent after dark on the South Shore (Fishfinder II) but still disappointing on the North Shore (Tyalure Professional Tackle & Gear). If that pattern holds, plan evening South Shore trips over North Shore daytime runs for the next several days. Check local forecast and small-craft advisories before running offshore for tuna or mahi, since no wind or wave data was available for this update.

Context

September on Long Island typically marks the shoulder season between summer's bay fluke bite and the marquee fall striper run, and this year's signals — early albies off Montauk, thickening bonito and Spanish mackerel from the Sound to the North Fork, and the first 'trickle' of striped bass reported by East End captains like Double D Charters — track close to a normal-timed transition rather than an early or late one. The Fisherman (Northeast)'s regional video forecast frames the broader Northeast albie season as slower to organize than usual this year, with fish 'moving around a ton' before locking into a consistent pattern, so Long Island anglers chasing false albacore may see more scattered pods before the bite firms up. The two tiger sharks landed on back-to-back nights off Long Island (On The Water — New York / Long Island) is an unusual, headline-grabbing catch rather than a seasonal pattern, but it underscores how much bait and predator activity is already stacked up nearshore. NY DEC's Saltwater Fishing and Boating newsletter has flagged recreational black sea bass regulation changes this cycle, so it's worth checking current limits before keeping fish, and its ongoing 'Fish Smart' striped bass messaging is a good reminder as the fall run builds. No buoy or gauge readings were available for this report, so a direct comparison on water temperature or swell versus a typical mid-September isn't possible this cycle — lean on the angler intel above and a local forecast check before running offshore.