The Long Island Sound Runs: What I’ve Seen Change Over 20 Years

I’ve already written a general blog about striped bass migration where they spawn, how they move, and why certain times of year. This one is different. I want to dive into the big difference between the spring and fall runs and explain why I believe this shift is happening. The spring run remains red hot. Striped bass are moving in numbers, and it’s hands down the best time of year to target big, angry fish. We catch them every way imaginable on artificials, trolling, live-lining you name it. It has been a phenomenal spring run year after year. Water temperatures, moving tides, and post-spawn feeding all line up in the spring. The bass aren’t picky—they’re focused on eating and rebuilding strength. That’s why spring remains the most reliable and exciting run of the year in the Sound.

Simply put, the spring run proves the fishery still has life. The bass are there, and when conditions align, the action speaks for itself.

Fall however is a completely different story. Years ago, adult bunker would move into the Sound and hold bass in the area for extended periods. Now, without that bait presence, the fish still show up and feed well but continue migrating east sooner than they used to.

The fall run used to be one of my favorite times of year. It meant quality striped bass and big, aggressive “gray gorilla” bluefish pushing bait tight to structure. It was predictable, exciting, and consistent.

Today, that run barely resembles what it once was.

Where Did the Gorilla Blues Go?

Over the last three seasons, I’ve caught only a handful of bluefish locally and most of them have been cocktail size. The big blues that used to crash bunker schools and terrorize the Sound are essentially gone. And it’s not just the blues.

The fall run itself has become short-lived and underwhelming. Instead of a long, steady push of fish, we now get a three-week window and that’s being generous. When the fish do show, it’s mostly shorts, a few keepers mixed in, and very few overs.

So what changed?

Following the Bait Tells the Story

In the spring, striped bass leave their primary spawning grounds mainly the Chesapeake Bay and the Hudson River and begin migrating east. They follow bait, feeding heavily after a long winter. Those fish move through the East River and enter the western Long Island Sound.

That’s why the western Sound areas like Throgs Neck Bridge, New Rochelle, City Island, and nearby harbors has traditionally been first crack at these fish. When adult bunker (menhaden) entered the Sound, they held big striped bass and bluefish in our waters for extended periods.

That no longer happens.

The Role of Commercial Menhaden Netting

Menhaden commonly referred to as bunker are the single most important forage species in our fishery. They are the foundation of the food chain for striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, tuna, and countless other predators. When adult bunker are present, big fish stay. When they’re gone, the predators move on.

Over the last two years commercial menhaden netting has intensified, particularly along the South Shore and surrounding waters. Large scale purse seine operations are capable of removing entire schools of adult bunker in a matter of minutes. Once those schools are gone, there is nothing left to hold predator fish in an area.

What’s especially damaging is that these are not small, localized removals. These boats target mature bunker the exact size class that large striped bass and bluefish depend on. Juvenile bunker may still exist in pockets, but they are not enough to sustain big migratory fish for any length of time.

This helps explain what we’re seeing in the Long Island Sound. Without adult bunker entering and staging in the Sound, the larger bass have no reason to remain. Instead of settling in and feeding, they continue their migration east and eventually wrap around to areas where bunker are still present or were recently netted, leaving scattered bait and disoriented fish in their wake.

A System Out of Balance

The problem isn’t just striped bass numbers it’s a broken balance. You can restrict anglers, reduce bag limits, and shorten seasons, but none of that replaces a missing food source. Predators will always follow bait. That rule has never changed.

When commercial netting removes bunker faster than they can replenish and faster than predators can rely on them the entire ecosystem shifts. The Long Island Sound is experiencing that shift right now.

The disappearance of big bluefish is another major red flag. Bluefish are extremely aggressive feeders and quick to locate bait. Their absence strongly suggests that bunker availability has fallen below a critical threshold.

Why This Matters Long Term

Menhaden are not just bait they are ecological currency. Removing too many at once doesn’t just affect one season or one run; it alters migration behavior long-term. Fish adapt. Once they stop using an area consistently, it can take years sometimes decades for patterns to return, even if conditions improve.

That’s what concerns me most.

We are watching the Long Island Sound lose its role as a fall holding ground for large striped bass and bluefish. And unless bunker management becomes a priority, this trend will continue.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve seen it.

The South Shore is getting the biggest fish, while the Sound is left with mostly small schoolies.

That contrast didn’t exist like this years ago.

East River: Adapting to the New Reality

As a captain, you adapt or you fail. This year more than ever, I was forced to fish the East River and it paid off. The East River has been one of the few places consistently producing larger, higher-quality fish, because it still acts as a funnel for migrating bass chasing what bait remains.

But that’s not how it should be.

One of the biggest reasons is forage diversity. Unlike the Sound, which historically relied heavily on adult bunker, the East River offers a mix of high-value prey that keeps bass feeding even when bunker are scarce.

Squid play a major role in the fall. As water temperatures cool, squid move through the system especially at night getting swept along by strong tides. Striped bass set up on current seams, structure, and bridge pilings, feeding efficiently without having to chase large bait schools.

The East River also holds plenty of eels and mantis shrimp, both of which are staple forage for larger bass. These species live tight to structure and thrive in hard current, making them reliable food sources throughout the fall migration.

Add in the river’s powerful tidal flow and natural funneling effect between the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, and you get a perfect ambush zone. The East River doesn’t need bunker to “hold” fish it feeds them on the move.

That’s why, when other areas slow down, the East River continues to quietly produce quality fish year after year.

It’s also worth noting that most of the striped bass encountered in the East River  are oversized fish, well above the legal slot limit and not eligible to be kept anyway. The majority of anglers who charter with me aren’t looking to fill a cooler they’re chasing a true trophy bass. These are fish that represent the peak of the migration and the health of the stock, and they’re handled with care and released to continue their journey.

For my clients, the reward isn’t harvesting a fish it’s experiencing the power of a big migratory striper in moving water and being part of a fishery that still has the potential to recover if managed correctly.

Regulation Isn’t the Whole Answer

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has been working to tighten striped bass regulations due to declining numbers. But regulating the predator while allowing heavy pressure on its primary food source is backward.

If we want striped bass and bluefish populations to recover, we need to start at the base of the food chain.

That means addressing the commercial netting of bunker particularly the large-scale operations that continue to remove massive amounts of menhaden from our regional waters.

Final Thoughts

I’m not a marine biologist. I’m not claiming to be an expert. I’m a captain who’s been on the water for decades, watching patterns repeat themselves until they suddenly stopped.

What I’m sharing is observation, experience, and concern.

I can only do my part by speaking up and trying to make noise before the damage becomes irreversible. If we truly care about protecting our fishery, we need to look beyond striped bass limits and start protecting the bait that keeps this entire system. Here’s a link to do your part. Stop industrial menhaden fishing in the NY/NJ & Long Island region sign the petition calling on the federal government to enact emergency protections for menhaden and prevent industrial menhaden fishing off New York and New Jersey, including the Long Island area. Sign petition to stop industrial menhaden fishing off NY/NJ‎.

Because without bunker, the Sound won’t recover—and neither will the fall run we all remember