We’ve seen a little bit of everything this fall: bluebird summerlike days, close calls with hurricanes and tropical storms, powerful cold fronts with plunging temperatures and lots and lots of wind. But on those days (and nights) in between, the fall of 2023 has brought plenty of angling opportunity. The tuna action was off the charts south of Block in late-September and early-October, it was a solid albie season, surfcasters have had a great fall especially in Rhode Island but also up in southern Maine. And the tog fishing started early and kept up its torrid pace, at least until the time of this writing (and I’m sure it’s going to continue). The fall run is a magical time of year for anglers and 2023 has had it all.
Capt. Jay Pivnick made a trip in early October aboard Little Sister Charters and caught and released this big female tog.This little fella goes by the nickname Bam Bam Wirth, he’s the grandson of our Canal correspondent East End Eddie Doherty, and here he is with his first sea bass. Welcome to the obsessed fisherman’s club, Bam Bam!Capt. Greg Dubrule, captain and charisma of the Black Hawk running out of Niantic, CT is pictured here with his grandson, RJ Harris and RJ’s first tuna. His mom tells us he’s obsessed with fishing and is constantly bargaining to skip school so he can fish! That’s my kind of guy!Here’s a 38-inch striped bass caught by Denis and Debbie Russell aboard their boat Fishtales off of Plymouth, MA.Regular photo contributor Eric Jachym with a big surf striper taken in September.Morgun Whittaker boated his first bluefin on an offshore run with Black Hawk Sportfishing.Jacob Hester of Hull, MA with a bruiser tog he caught while fishing with Capt. Jason Colby on Little Sister Charters running out of Westport, MA.The albie bite out in western Long Island Sound was red for a while during the third week of September, here’s Craig Steinberg with a nice one from that run of fish.Ron Toth with a quick albie selfie before release. Photo sent courtesy of Fishermna’s World in Norwalk, CT.Andrew Drake, one of the youngest members of the Plum Island Surfcasters Club has become a bit of a phenom, here he is with a 45-inch striper he landed from the Plum Island surf back in September.
