North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
I spoke to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park who really did not have anything new to report on the North Shore. A few guys have been out to White’s Pool, but he is unsure if they are actually catching anything as only a handful of his customers fish for trout, and the news just does not make it back to the shop.
Despite some of the warmer weather we experienced this week the harbors are still full of ice, and it will take a little while longer for them to completely thaw. Once things clear up we can look forward to a chance of herring coming around, the opening of flounder season, and schoolie bass in the back of the harbors. John said that if the bass had a good spawn two years ago, the small stripers should be abundant this year.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Joe at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon told us that the Captree Princess was finally able to get through the ice and sail for cod last week. The first trip on their new boat saw a lot of action picking up roughly 60 keepers, but they had to travel far to find the fish on the second trip. The fares still had a decent pick of fish with 35 cod to take home and about a dozen each of ling and Pollock. The King Cod out of Moriches also had to do a bit of travelling, but they managed to bring home 76 cod weighing into the low teens. The boat will be sailing offshore for cod through the second week in May.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
Locally, nothing has picked up so far around western Long Island, according to John at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx. Things are just beginning to thaw out, but we have a long way to go before anything starts happening. The Hudson is full of life on the other hand. Where it is still frozen enough, the ice fishing has been awesome with a nice mix of perch, crappie, and bluegill. A number of anglers have been out trying to take advantage of what will hopefully be the end of winter. We can also look forward to the opening of the Hudson River striper season on March 16th. There is open water where the anglers usually fish, but we will have to wait until next week to see if any reports of good news make it make to the shops.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
Paul at Paulie’s Bait & Tackle in Montauk did not have any good news for us from the East End. The Viking did sail and made it out to the cod grounds, but the fishing was not promising. They hit a wreck and three hard bottom spots during the trip over the weekend and were rewarded with only one keeper cod. Their next trip yielded a few more fish, but they will be heading a bit west during future excursions in search of warmer water.
Best Bets for the Weekend
I have never been so excited to see grass before, even if it is dead and brown. It does mean that there is an end in sight to this long winter, and spring fishing is right around the corner. However, things are not quite there yet, and this weekend is just about the same as the last few. Cod fishing is the only somewhat consistent action around. The South Shore is having much better luck than the East End, but I am still hopeful things may turn around. Many of the boats fishing now have not be able to get out for months so finding where the fish are concentrated might take a little bit of work. Luckily, we should have at least another month of decent cod fishing; and with good weather ahead things should only continue to get better for a while.
This Sunday you might interested in the Fishing Flea Market out in Lindenhurst where you can find great deals on tackle and gear. There is also the highly anticipated opening of the Hudson River striper season happening on March 16th if you are looking for the chance at having an early season bass thumb.