Fall fishing in jamaica bay usually starts a little later than in areas like Montauk, New York. Bait such as bay anchovies, alewives, peanut bunker, finger mullet, and herring forage in the bays surrounding New York Bight and move toward the ocean during the fall. Large stripers migrating from north to south linger in the area to feast on the abundant bait. Fall striper fishing begins in earnest in early October, with the most consistent fishing in November when most people already have their boats stored for the winter. By early December it's common to have dozens of large schools of stripers or bluefish all to yourself. The days are short and the fish often feed from sunrise to sunset. The main tactic this time of year is chasing the birds, as they follow the action closely. If you don't see diving birds in Rockaway Inlet, scan the horizon with a pair of binoculars to find the birds and the fish. The best time to fish is the period halfway between the full and new moons, when the currents are weaker and the fish don't have to fight the strongest tides of autumn.

I use the same 8- to 10-weight rods and intermediate lines as in the spring to cut through the wind and get the fly under the surface. These lines sink quickly enough to find deeper fish by using the counting-down method. The best fly pattern this time of year is often a generic peanut bunker imitation on a 1/0 hook with dumbbell eyes, chartreuse bucktail, and white split hackles or marabou. I also use long white Deceivers when the fish are feeding on silversides, and my own McHerring when fish are feeding on herring. I tie this fly with 10 inches of Slinky Fiber on 4/0 short-shanked hooks with epoxy eyes. I hot-glue the eyes and squeeze them onto the front of the fly to make the fibers flare and push water when retrieved.

Dixon's Corsair Rainbait

HOOK: #2-4 Mustad 34007. THREAD: Fine monofilament thread. BODY: Brown over white Polar Fibre with gold Krystal Flash. Cover the front half of the body with pearlescent mylar tubing, and small mylar stick-on eyes, and apply two coats of five-minute epoxy.

WADING ACCESS
Shore access is plentiful around Jamaica Bay, and there are many places to launch a kayak-a good way to explore the protected waters. Here are some of the best places for shore-bound anglers to access the water by car or New York City public transportation.

Floyd Bennett Field (also part of the Gateway National Recreation Area) provides access to shallow flats and deep channels inside Jamaica Bay. Directions: Take the Belt Parkway to Exit 11S and follow Flatbush Avenue 1.3 miles to the park entrance. The Q35 bus stops opposite the Ryan Visitor Center. A National Park Service map of Floyd Bennett Field is available at www.nps.gov/gate/ or at the park entrance. The map shows specific fishing access areas such as Raptor Point, Mill Basin Inlet, Dead Horse Bay, and Rockaway Inlet. Camping is available in the park.

The eastbound rest stop on the Belt Parkway between exit 9 and 11 is a good access point for shore fishing along Plumb Beach. It is a short kayak trip from here to the fishing in Rockaway Inlet.

There are some great mud flats to the west of Canarsie Pier that at a half tide (outgoing) can hold some great bass, weakfish, and blues. Poppers work well for these species at this tide. Directions: Take the Belt Parkway East to Exit 13 or take the L train to the Canarsie/Rockaway Parkway Station and take the B42 bus one mile south on Rockaway Parkway to Canarsie Pier.

The Broad Channel area has excellent fishing in the early season. Directions: Take Cross Bay Boulevard south and pull off on the right after crossing Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge and walk north to the same roadside pull-off. The best fishing is to the west and south of the pull-off on high incoming or outgoing tides. You can also park and walk from the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center or take the A train to Broad Channel Station and walk to the Visitor's Center. Sixteen-foot skiffs with outboard motors are available at Smitty's Boat Rental, (718) 945-2642, on Broad Channel.

Jacob Riis Park and Fort Tilden on Rockaway Beach provide excellent fishing in the fall when water temperatures plummet inside Jamaica Bay and most of the fish are feeding in Rockaway Inlet and along nearby ocean beaches. Directions: Exit 11S on the Belt Parkway to the Marine Park Bridge. Enter the Fort Tilden Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area and park in the T4 parking. The park is also accessible by the Q35 bus from Flatbush Avenue or the Rockaway Park Station of the A Train.

The best and most well-known shore-fishing spot is Breezy Point at the west end of Rockaway Beach. A long and slippery jetty reaches into Rockaway Inlet and provides the best potential for catching false albacore from shore in the state. There are also several miles of open beach with good structure such as small jetties and pilings that trap bait and hold fish close to shore. A permit allows you to drive the beach with four-wheel-drive vehicles all year except Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. In the spring and fall the fish are sometimes bunched up so tight to the beach it is easier to cast from the shore than from a boat. Directions: By car, take the Belt Parkway to Exit 11S, take Flatbush Avenue south over Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, and follow the signs to Breezy Point. By bus, take the Q35 bus to the Q22 to Breezy Point. It's a one-mile walk from the parking area to the jetty, but the beaches on both the ocean side and the bay side can be productive.
 

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