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Long Island’s Other Striper Run
By CAPTAIN ANDREW LOCASCIO
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It was first light on an outgoing tide. My clients and I were
drifting toward a submerged rock pile 30 yards ahead when
my sonar screen began marking huge boomerangs. It could
mean only one thing - we were moments away from our
first big striper of the morning. Right on cue, the live bait closest to
the rock pile surfaced and swam in tight corkscrews. I grabbed the
rod and pulled the bait out of harms way as my client picked up a
fly rod and threw a large streamer directly behind the swirling bait.
After a few fast strips the fly winked out of site - fish on! A healthy
25-pound class striper began putting the 9-weight outfit to the test.
Two more big bass engulfed the other baits before we could clear
them. Within a few minutes, all three fish were landed and released.
Why such a concentration of quality fish? It’s the spring striper
run in the western end of Long Island Sound. What makes this
experience more amazing are the logistics - my clients made it
back to New York City in time for their lunch meeting. I picked
them up later that afternoon on the eastern
side of Manhattan and we headed back
out to Long Island Sound. The evening
was spent working open-water bunker
schools with big live baits and chunks.
The action was non-stop until sunset,
with the largest fish just under 40 pounds.
LOGISTICS
Anglers traveling to the New York City
area in late spring have a unique opportunity
to experience one of the finest and
most consistent trophy striped bass bites
in the world. Not only is there a concentration
of fantastic fish, but the logistics
seem almost absurd. Most of the charter
operations that specialize in this fishery
are based in Port Washington, Long Island,
or in City Island and New Rochelle on the
mainland. Charters with faster boats offer
pickups in Manhattan and in nearly every
port on the south shore of the mainland.
Another option is to take a 30 to 45 minute
train ride or car service from Manhattan.
There is no “roughing it” in the western
sound. Run times on the water tend to
be short, water conditions are typically
calm and there are excellent accommodations
and dining throughout the area.
BIOLOGY OF A BITE
Striped bass have two major spawning
stocks – Chesapeake Bay fish and Hudson
River fish. Both populations migrate
north in spring and tend to summer in
New England and western Long Island.
Most Chesapeake fish migrate along the
south shore of Long Island while Hudson
fish use Long Island Sound. The fish we
target tend to have more girth than the
Chesapeake fish and really put on a show
when hooked! By late April or early May,
the Hudson spawners start to move out
of the river, passing beneath the Throgs
Neck Bridge and into the western sound.
They come out in waves, progressing from
west to east. The speed of their migration
is tempered by the availability of bait.
A specific group of fish may linger in an
area for several days if the bait is thick.
Savvy charter captains have a good idea
of the composition and location of each
body of fish and where they’re headed.
The western portion of Long Island
Sound is fairly narrow and crannied, with
dozens of prime striper spots on both the
north and south shores. The trophy spring
bite usually lasts through mid-July, provided
the water stays cool. By late July
most of the big fish have headed north and
schoolie stripers and monster bluefish take
over. The truly big stripers don’t return
again in numbers until late September.
The western sound’s trophy striper bite
is very diverse. At dawn, shallow, protected
waters typically produce the most fish. As
the sun moves higher the bite shifts to the
deeper waters. By sundown, as the stripers
become more active, bunker schools in
open water start to produce. Some of the
best action occurs around these schools
as anglers use big treble hooks to snag
bunker, then drop them back into the bait
ball. Occasionally, the big bass will blitz a
school of bunker and large Yo-Zuri Surface
Cruisers and Crystal Minnow Magnums are
deadly. Anglers use big lures for maximum
casting distance and surface commotion.
Chunking, though not as glamorous or challenging
as live-lining bait, plugging, or fly
fishing, provides excellent action after dark.
THE CHARTERS
This bite is best experienced in smaller
center consoles and pilothouse boats using
live bait and fly fishing. A typical trip may
include fishing in waters as shallow as three
feet or as deep as 90. The day usually starts
with a few minutes of tossing a cast net for
bait, then a high speed ride to potential hot
spots. It’s not unusual to catch a dozen or
more legal size fish on a half-day trip. Many
of these fish are over 20 pounds, with a fair
share topping 30 and 40 pounds (the western
sound rarely gives up 50’s). Most of the bait
fishing is done on conventional 20-pound
and 30-pound tackle, while 8-weight and
9-weight fly rods are sufficient. Individual
captains have their own gear preferences, so
it’s a good idea to discuss in advance. Area
charters cater to the traveling angler; all you
need to bring is a camera. The largest fish are
all females, so many of the captains encourage
release, but anglers often take fish home.
It is important to let the captain know at the
time of booking that you intend to keep a fish.
Though there’s no such thing as a sure thing
when it comes to fishing, the spring trophy
bass bite in western Long Island Sound is
about as close as it gets. Add a day or two to
your travels and see what the bite is all about.
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