North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Every week that it continues to get warmer, the Island sees a little bit more life than the week before. Mark at Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport said that the opening few days of flounder season were so-so as guys started out fishing off the local piers. There weren’t a whole lot of reports making it back to the shop as of yet, but by next week’s report we should have a better indication of how the season is going.

John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park reported good trout catches in the Nissequoge River and Twin Ponds in Centerport. Nightcrawlers, small spinners, and flies have been doing the trick, although John said that since these fish are freshly stocked, they will go for just about anything. Mark at Cow Harbor suggested going on the NYSDEC website and checking out stocking locations in your area.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Chris at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh said that the trout fishing has taken off since the local areas were stocked. Depending on the area, the waters may be stocked again during April and/or May.

Bryce from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays said he hadn’t heard anything about the flounder yet, but the shop is stocked with everything you need to catch them. He suggested a good spot to try might be the Quogue Canal, either on the West Hampton or East Quogue end.

The weekend proved a bit difficult for cod fishing as the heavy winds and rain kept most boats tied up, but things picked up a few days later with nice catches of cod and ling up to 20 pounds. Bryce said that the next couple days are showing signs of really good sailing weather and the cod bite should be a good one since they have not been pressured too much the past few weeks.

He also reported that it seems like the bass are starting to become more active in the tidal creeks as there were surprisingly stripers up to 18 lbs caught recently. He hopes the last of the snow is now finally behind us after our unexpected accumulations on Monday, which means good bass fishing is right around the corner so get your gear ready before it’s too late!

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Louie at Island Bait and Tackle in the Bronx reported that flounder season started off nicely in the Metro area with fish up to 17.5 inches caught on opening day. Some hot spots have been around Orchard Beach Lagoon and the City Island Bridge. All of the reported flounder were caught on the incoming, and sandworms have been the key.

Stretch at Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn reported that the herring are running again in the Five Towns area, as well as some of the harbors.

Louie at Island Bait also had some reports of schoolies in the back bay areas, including around the Pelham Bay Bridge and Turtle Cove. Bloodworms, small rubber shads, and flies have all been doing the trick, and things should really start heating up pretty soon.

East End Long Island Fishing Report

Ben at Star Island Marina in Montauk said that the weather has not made sailing for cod not very conducive, and there haven’t been many reports making it back to the shop. With good weather in the forecast, trips for cod and tilefish should be on.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Hopefully Monday’s snow was the last curveball that Mother Nature will throw at us for a while, and Spring is officially here. We are finally getting to that time of year where you actually have a few choices about what to do with your weekend. Freshwater is definitely a good place to be right now. The lakes and rivers are turning on as the water starts warming up a bit, and with the addition of hungry trout in many areas, you have a good chance of catching something. Anything you throw at the trout seem to be working well, and the Nissequogue and Twin Ponds on the North Shore have been pretty consistent.

Although we haven’t heard much in the way of flounder so far, this weekend will be a good time to get out there. Hopefully by next week we will have heard some spots where people are catching them, but western Long Island seems to be doing the best so far.

If you would rather get out on open water, the cod boats should be heading out, and since the grounds haven’t been pressured too much, we can hope for a nice catch this weekend.