Albies Flood Long Island Sound as Fall Run Ramps Up

What's biting

What's next

Saltwater Edge expects striped bass to perk up "with the chilly nights and some northerly winds in the forecast this week," and reports the season's first "bass rafts" beginning to show along the oceanfront, a signal worth watching since that pattern historically moves down the coast toward Long Island and Montauk. Expect the false albacore bite to keep building through the week as more fish push out of the Sound and past Montauk; On The Water's reporting shows the run progressing steadily over the past two weeks, and false albacore typically stay thick through early-to-mid October before pushing offshore. Fluke fishing should keep producing quality fish as they continue exiting the inlets, though the window narrows as water cools.

Tide-wise, our stations show lows near midday shifting to highs by mid-afternoon into early evening today, useful reference points for planning a session around the turn. With the moon in its First Quarter phase, tidal swings are moderate rather than the extremes anglers see around the full and new moons, worth factoring in for anyone timing a trip around the coming weekend push of fall migrants.

Context

Mid-to-late September sits at the heart of the Northeast's fall run, right on schedule for this stretch of the calendar. This is typically when striped bass and false albacore push out of the bays and estuaries as baitfish evacuate ahead of cooling water, which is exactly the pattern On The Water and Saltwater Edge are both describing right now. Fluke fishing in New York waters typically winds down through September as fish move out of the back bays ahead of the fall closure, so the current exodus from the South Shore inlets tracks a normal late-season pattern rather than anything unusual. Tautog fishing typically picks up regionally around this time of year as well, and black sea bass regulations shift seasonally, so anglers targeting either species should check current state rules before keeping fish.