BLACK BANKS, NY

Located just due east of the second and third Wantagh Bridges, Black Banks runs north and south of Green Island and is habitat to some fine bottom action as well as stripers throughout the course of the season. The channel in this area is a restricted speed zone, which restricts boats to 5-miles an hour. This limit is mostly obeyed thanks to the frequent presence of marine police and bay constables in the area. This results in the area remaining “fishable,” even on more crowded weekends.

The bottom contour along the Black Banks consists mainly of broken sod from the banks itself which attract all kinds of food in the form of mussels and crustaceans, which is attractive to most bottom dwellers, particularly blackfish. The water averages about 20 feet deep in the area with the exception of a hole on the southwest corner of the banks where the water drops to 26 feet. There are countless amounts of drains that empty from the banks, and draw good numbers of stripers. The current is swift in the area and during times of peak current, 4 or 5 ounces of lead is required to hold bottom, whereas 2 or 3 ounces is often sufficient at the start or end of the tide.

The area comes to life at the banks by mid-May as stripers begin scouring for baitfish in the drains, while blackfish inhabit the mussel rich bottom to both feed and spawn. You may be able to pick a few tog just before the season closes on April 30, but the better action normally occurs in May, or in October when the season reopens. Some big flounder are culled from this area in May, but don’t expect any numbers, given the current state of the fishery.

Late summer into the fall is when things really get going as anglers have a ball with fluke, sea bass, porgies, blowfish, along with the aforementioned bass, blackfish and the occasional flounder. Anchor up in some of the deeper spots and deploy a chum pot loaded with frozen blocks of clam chum to draw the bottom dwellers to the boat. Worms, clams and squid fished on hi-lo rigs should get the action rolling.

Anyone looking for stripers should concentrate their efforts around the drains and mosquito ditches, and anchor up-current of where the drains feed into the deepwater just off the banks. Chumming with clam bellies and applying whole fresh skimmers to the hook, then allowing it to drift naturally with the current is all that is needed for a good score. Most drains hold a few fish, but under the right wind and bait conditions, you will at times find bass stacked up in them.