Blackfish season is one of the most anticipated stretches of the fall fishing calendar here on Long Island. Anglers spend weeks preparing their gear, tying rigs, stocking up on jigs and planning trips to their favorite pieces of bottom. However, this October, there’s been an unexpected obstacle standing between many anglers and their first blackfish of the season: a lack of green crabs.
The shortage has become a talking point around the docks and inside tackle shops, with some anglers scrambling to secure bait before heading out. Green crabs have long been the backbone of the fall blackfish fishery, and when the supply becomes unreliable, the effects extend well beyond the anglers trying to fill their coolers.
For starters, green crabs aren’t something most dedicated blackfish anglers can easily replace. They’re relatively inexpensive compared to some other bait options, easy to fish on both jigs and traditional rigs, and extremely effective on tautog of all sizes. Sure, Asian crabs, hermit crabs, white crabs and even certain artificial offerings can produce fish, but green crabs remain the dependable choice for much of the season. When they’re difficult to find, it changes the entire approach to a fishing trip.
Consider what this means for local bait and tackle shops. October is traditionally a busy month for businesses catering to blackfish anglers. Customers stop in for a couple dozen crabs and often leave with additional jigs, hooks, leaders, sinkers and other tackle. When a shop can’t reliably stock one of its most important seasonal baits, those additional sales can suffer as well. It’s a ripple effect that can hurt small businesses during one of their most important stretches of the year.
The charter and party boat fleet faces another challenge. Captains depend on consistent bait supplies to accommodate customers, particularly on trips specifically targeting blackfish. A boat carrying a dozen or more anglers can go through a substantial amount of bait during a full day of fishing. When availability becomes unpredictable, securing enough crabs adds another logistical headache to an already demanding business.
Then there are the individuals who harvest and distribute green crabs. Collecting bait is a business of its own, dependent on conditions, availability and the ability to consistently supply wholesalers and tackle shops. Weather interruptions, fluctuations in catch and transportation challenges can all affect the supply chain. While it’s tempting to point toward one explanation for this fall’s shortage, the exact causes deserve a closer look before drawing conclusions.
What makes the situation particularly frustrating is the timing. Both the Long Island Sound and New York Bight blackfish seasons are now open, and anglers are eager to take advantage of the early shallow-water bite. This is the time of year when rocky shorelines, bridges, reefs and inshore structure can produce some outstanding fishing without requiring a long run offshore. Having the season open but struggling to find the preferred bait is hardly the start anyone wants.
There is, however, an opportunity for anglers to become a little more resourceful. Alternative crab species and artificial crab imitations deserve consideration, and fishing smaller pieces of bait more efficiently can help stretch a limited supply. I’ve had success myself fishing artificial crabs for blackfish, and situations like this are a good reminder that the species can be caught without relying exclusively on traditional green crabs.
Still, alternative baits aren’t a complete solution. The shortage highlights how dependent an entire segment of our recreational fishing industry has become on the availability of one relatively simple bait. From the person collecting crabs to the tackle shop selling them, the charter captain purchasing them and the angler dropping one beside a rock pile, there are plenty of people affected when that supply chain gets disrupted.
Hopefully, the situation improves as we move deeper into the fall season. Some shops have managed to maintain inventories, while others have reported temporary shortages, demonstrating that availability isn’t necessarily the same across the island.
For now, my advice is simple: call your local tackle shop before making the trip, purchase only what you reasonably expect to use and be willing to experiment with other bait options.
The blackfish are out there, and the season is just getting started. Hopefully, before long, finding the crabs to catch them won’t be the hardest part of the day.
