North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
We had relatively cooperative weather earlier in the week where some fishing was possible, but as the days progressed the winds got pretty gnarly and it was brutal to be near the water. Regardless, the North Shore saw a lot of herring caught this week. Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station said Cold Spring Harbor, Oyster Bay, and the waters off of Halesite had a lot of action. There are also a ton of schools in Huntington Harbor and Mt. Sinai Harbor, according to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park with a few more scattered around the Centerport dam and in the Nissequogue. John also said for those anglers that are fool enough to get on their boats, a number of herring are hanging around on structure off the beaches. The schools have stuck around longer than usual, but only time will tell if this recent cold snap turned them off.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Robert at Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport reported that herring are finally moving on the South Shore. Jones Inlet, Jones Beach Pier, Magnolia Pier, and the state boat channel all have schools scattered throughout. The eastern South Shore is seeing them in Shinnecock Bay and Canal, according to Bert at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays.
Bert also told us that the cod fishing has been decent this week as well. There were a few flat calm days where sailing was not a problem, and anglers did well with a number of keepers in the 10- to 15-pound range.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
It seems to be the same story in western Long Island with herring being just about the only thing worth fishing for. Stretch at Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said anglers are getting lucky at Coney Island Pier and in Sheepshead Bay. Canarsie Pier and the Rockaway Wall are also holding a good number of fish as well, according to Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn.
Stretch at Stella Maris reported that the boats have been getting respectable catches of ling out at 17 fathoms, but they have to sort through the handful of short cod they pull aboard looking for a keeper.
John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx has not heard of anyone even attempting to get out fishing, but he did say they will be fully stocked for the upcoming season with steady hours starting February 1st.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
Reports from the East End were very scarce this week. Most boats are out of the water, or the ones that are still fishing didn’t make it off the dock much. However, I did hear of a few boats having a decent pick of fish on their trips when the weather cooperated. Each drift produced a good amount of shorts to keep the action going, but enough larger fish were in the mix that everyone had something for the dinner table.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The seas have been building as the week progresses and will be upwards of 10 feet by Friday. With the wind forecast included, sailing conditions will be very tough. The situation will improve a bit later toward the end of the weekend, but you might be hard pressed to find a boat heading out for the cod grounds. However, if you do get a chance to go out the fishing has been good, and there is a strong possibility of bringing fillets home.
Staying at the docks and fishing for herring might be your better bet. Unfortunately, for the time being it is the most accessible fishery, and we are hoping that the bitter cold that moved in this week did not chase the schools away. Many of your local docks and harbors are excellent places to throw out a sabiki rig and see if any herring are in the area to play around with.
This is also an excellent time of year to get your gear serviced and in top-notch condition for the upcoming season. Do not wait until the last minute to ensure you have everything you need when the fish start biting.