Cod Fishing Off To Good Start
We’ve entered the slowest time for anglers in New York State. Striper and blackfish seasons are closed and the hardwater season has yet to begin. Luckily, cod fishing is off to a quick start out east as well as along most of the south shore. Upstate, it’s still a waiting game right now, although nighttime temperatures are forecasted to drop into the low to mid-twenties by the end of the week. Right now, the best two sweetwater options are catch-and-release trout fishing on the west branch of the Delaware River and chasing steelhead on the creeks near Lake Ontario. There’s no sugar-coating it, things are pretty lean in terms of fishing options.
East End Long Island Fishing Report
Mixed bag fishing southeast of Block Island has been pretty consistent. There are still plenty of jumbo porgies out there, and even a few bluefish still hanging around. Cod fishing is also off to a good start, with solid numbers of 10- to 15-pound fish already setup in the area. Most of the action has been on the anchor with cut clams, but it’s a good idea to pack along a few jigs in case the boat you’re on makes a few drifts. High-low rigs are the way to go when bait fishing, I also consider upgrading to fluorocarbon and using smaller hooks around 3/0 so you can hook some of the jumbo porgies in the area.
Shinnecock and Peconic Bay Fishing Report
There’s not much going on in the Peconic this time of year except for a little clamming, but the wintertime headboat fishing out of Shinnecock is off to a decent start. Water temperatures are actually still pretty mild along the eastern south shore, in the neighborhood of 55 degrees, so the dogfish are still a little bit of a problem. The cod fishing has been pretty good out of Moriches and even on the local drops in Montauk, so it shouldn’t be long before the action out of Shinnecock picks up. Cod fishing in the area is pretty much limited exclusively to wreck fishing, so you don’t really need to break out the jigs. Just make sure you’ve got some extra lead because some of the local pieces are pretty sticky.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Although I’m sure there are still some bass lingering around the western south shore, unfortunately the clock’s run out on the linesider season. Fortunately, the cod bite that began off of Block Island back in 2007 has spread west along the south shore. The headboats out of Captree are now in on the action, and recent trips have been producing good numbers of keeper-size cod. There’s also some herring inside the bays, so if you can find a pier that’s accessible there should be some bluebacks under the lights after dark.
North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Squid, herring and clams are the three “fishing related” options to keep diehard north shore anglers occupied from now until springtime. If you’re looking to get out and wet a line, heading down to Huntington or Mount Sinai Harbors with a light-tackle spinning outfit and some sabiki rigs is your best option. Herring are being caught both during the day and at night. If you’re not into the pickled herring thing, freezing some for the spring bass run is also a good idea. If you’ve got calamari on the brain, going out at night under the lights with a Yo-Zuri squid jig is your best bet for filling up a bucket.
Metro New York Fishing Report
Headboat fishing is the best opportunity for anglers right now in the Five Boroughs area. Boats like the Marilyn Jean IV out of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn are still fishing regularly and doing pretty well on the red hake, a.k.a. ling, and are already starting to pick up the occasional keeper cod. The Marilyn Jean will also be making RSA sea bass trips during the upcoming months out on the deeper wrecks in over 120 feet of water. These trips should produce big numbers of 4- to 6-pound sea bass as well as an assortment on cod, pollock ling and possibly some other surprises like cusk or monkfish.
Upstate New York Fishing Report
“So what’s the ice situation?” was my first question for Jim at Jim’s Bait Shop up in Mayfield. “Not so good” was Jim’s reply, added that “the ice isn’t safe right now.” Lake Sacandaga and some of the other smaller lakes in the Mayfield area are iced-over but not enough for safe fishing. “The rain’s been the problem,” Jim said, “every time we get a good freeze the rain comes in.” Hopefully the nighttime temperatures should drop enough late this week to build up a sheet of fishable ice. Up on Lake Ontario, the crew from Narby’s Superette & Tackle reports that there are still fish in all the local stream and creeks despite the persistent low water level. Steelhead and browns are still being caught on flies and live bait, but the fish are definitely skittish. Make sure to be stealthy when walking up to a new pool because the fish definitely have their eyes on the banks. There’s also some perch beginning to show up in the local creeks; small live shiners are a good bait open when targeting them.
Fishing Forecast for New York
Cod fishing out of Montauk or Moriches is definitely the best bet for those on Long Island. There’s a decent amount of quality cod out on the local pieces already, and some anglers are boating over half-a-dozen keepers by the end of a solid full day trip. There’s also a good amount of quality by-catch still on the grounds — Jumbo porgies, ling and even a few pollock are being caught. Upstate, most anglers a busy refurbishing tip-ups and getting their ice sleds together. Hopefully it won’t be long until some fishable ice sets up, but until then remember that it’s always a good idea to wait an extra cold night or two at the beginning of the hardwater season. Tight lines everyone, and happy holidays.