Temperatures were already in the low 50-degree range as I made my way over the Throgs Neck Bridge this morning, and it felt a lot more like early April than late February. If you’re willing to travel a little, there’s still plenty of great angling opportunities to get you through the last few weeks of winter. The cod fishing southeast of Block Island has continued its slow but steady improvement, and anglers are fishing in hooded sweatshirts and jeans instead of wintertime foul-weather gear. Upstate, the hardwater season is still going strong in many places including on the St. Lawrence River and in the southern foothills of the Adirondacks. Hardwater anglers in both regions are enjoying the mild daytime temperatures and the fish have definitely been cooperating. Many areas are still holding more than a foot of ice, and with nighttime temperature still falling into the teens and low 20s — there’s still time for one last shot at a trophy.
East End Fishing Report
Block Island cod fishing continued its slow but steady improvement this week. However, 7- to 10-foot waves in the forecast for Saturday will likely keep the headboats at the dock, and even though conditions will be improving by Sunday, there’s still no guarantee any of the open boats out east will sail. Hopefully, NOAA will reduce the forecasted wave height as we get closer to the weekend. Either way, conditions will improve substantially by the beginning of next week and the cod should be waiting. Captain Steven Sr. of the Viking Fleet reported plenty of “gaffers” on Tuesday’s trip, reporting that “the fish were nice sized,” adding that, “there was also a nice mix of ling, as well as a couple of pollock.” As has been the case, in general, the fastest action was in the first few hours of the trip, then a steady pick for the rest of the day. High-hook was 7 cod and 11 ling, but everyone who spent time at the rail left the boat with a solid bag of fillets. Captain Steven reporting that, “The average was three to five cod per man and five to eight ling per person.”
South Shore Fishing Report
The ling and cod, and even a few pollock are still holding on the South Shore wrecks in pretty decent numbers. Definitely enough to justify at least one more trip. The pollock have been showing up sporadically on the headboats sailing out of the eastern south shore, but not in big enough numbers to justify the trip alone. The headboats out of Captree have been doing well with the ling just about every day all winter, and the cod continue showing up in small but consistent numbers.
Metro New York Fishing Report
Ling fishing continues to produce big numbers for anglers aboard the Marilyn Jean IV out of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. The crew reports that fishing remains fantastic, and the anglers are still not having a problem putting together their bucketful of ling. A few keeper cod are also still making a daily appearance at the filet table, as well as some big silver eels on recent trips. Although conditions won’t be as “nautical” in the New York Bight as they will be southeast of Block Island this weekend, Saturday still looks a little bit questionable. By Sunday, things should be back to normal, when 3-foot seas subside to a foot.
Upstate Fishing Report
Fishing conditions upstate are about as varied as they can be at this time of year. Many downstaters have already turned their attention toward spring, and long forgotten any chances of a late-season revival in the local ice-fishing season. Most anglers have stored their sleds in the garage hoping for better ice next year, and are now thinking about targeting suspended panfish via kayak. Just remember the water is barely above freezing. Definitely have a plan in place to reverse, and better yet prevent, the hypothermia from taking hold if you take a dunk. I wear a 5-mmm wetsuit when kayak fishing the sweetwater this time of year. It’s also a good idea to know how your body reacts to a sudden plunge into freezing-cold water. Some people lose total control of their muscle function almost instantly, making late-winter kayaking problematic. Then there’s that British guy who can swim in the Arctic in swim trunks just by “motivating” his mind to keep his body warm — so personal discretion is definitely advised.
There’s not much ice to speak of in the Lake Ontario region right now. I talked to Sharon from Narby’s Superette and Tackle in Kent who me that even the snow previous night had already melted. Temperatures were in the 40s at the shop when I talked to her around noon. “I haven’t had a whole lot of people in the shop this week going out,” she told me “but the fish are there.” The word from the handful of diehards still chasing steelhead in the creeks is that the bite has been day-to-day. The fly fishing sharpies that have been catching fish are doing it with their usual assortment of egg patterns, wooly buggers, egg-sucking leeches and small nymph patterns. Now that we’re only a week away from March, most of the chatter in the local angling community has turned to the big lake, and preparations for the upcoming season. “Most boats will go in the water April first,” Sharon told me, “and told me there’s already a lot of activity going on down at the marinas.”
One place there’s still plenty of good fishable ice is up on the Great Lake Sacandaga on the southern edge of the Adirondacks. I called Jim from Jim’s Bait up in Mayfield, slightly concerned about the ice as I sat comfortably on Long Island in shirt-sleeves wondering if the temperature would hit 60 degrees. To my slight surprise and relief, Jim told me the ice in the area was “still in good shape” and said Lake Sacandaga was still holding about a foot of ice throughout. Nighttime temperatures are still getting low enough at night to re-freeze any daytime melt, and Jim’s regular crew ice fishing sharpies have been taking full advantage of the quality conditions. One of his customers landed a 27-inch walleye this week, and another landed the biggest northern I’ve heard about all year — a massive 47-inch, 28-pound beast of a pike caught on a tip-up. The good fishing in the area should draw a large crowd to the tournament this weekend up on Lake Pleasant, and Jim mentioned the ice up there should hold up even better than the 12-inch sheet now on Lake Sacandaga. Up in the Northern Adirondack region the ice is also holding up pretty well for now. Steve from Northern Harness Bait & Tackle up on the St. Lawrence River told me the local crews of ice fishermen were still getting out on the river and doing well with the walleye, but mentioned one of the popular spot is, “starting to get a little funky.” Definitely proceed with caution when you’re fishing on the river this time of year, and considering setting up area sheltered from the current. Steve told me there’s heavy, wet snow in the forecast that will add a lot of weight to the ice and may compromise a few more locations on the river. If you’re a little uneasy about fishing on the river this time of year, definitely consider heading to one of the many lakes and ponds in the area. Steve told me the mild winter has made for one best ice fishing season’s he could remember, and a big part of that has been the incredible panfishing on the smaller lakes and ponds. The thinner sheet of ice this year kept more oxygen in the water, allowing the fish to winter-over in shallower areas they’d normally have to abandon until spring. Although conditions on the St. Lawrence may change over the coming days, the ice on the smaller lakes and ponds will definitely remain fishable for at least the next few weeks.
Best Bets
Although the marine forecast doesn’t look great for this weekend, I’d definitely consider getting out cod fishing on Sunday or sometime early next week. Conditions will have laid down significantly by Sunday night, clearing the way for an early Monday morning departure. If you can’t make it out this week, you still have a little bit of time. The good fishing should continue and should even improve a little as we move through the next few weeks. Right now, fishing is about as good as it’s been all season, and with air temperatures getting close the 60-degree mark during the day on Long Island, it sets up for a pretty nice day of fishing. If you live in one of the areas upstate without fishable ice — drive there. There’s definitely a place within a quarter-tank of gas that’s holding a good sheet of fishable ice. If you can’t make it all the way up to the St. Lawrence River to see what a 14-pound walleye looks like, consider checking out the fishery down Lake Sacandaga — because a 28-inch walleye is nothing to complain about.