Long Island - NY Fishing Report for 4-2-2015

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

The temperatures climbed a bit this week to at least a little above the frigid cold we were having, and the first of April marked the true beginning of spring fishing. Despite the opening of flounder season, John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park did not have many guys coming into the shop looking for flounder gear. The season opener has not been a highly anticipated one in many years due to the lack of fish around, and the weather conditions have not helped the situation this year. However, John is hopeful to see some fisherman out this weekend if the conditions cooperate. He is also anticipating the first news of early season schoolies in the western Sound toward Little Neck Bay and Manhasset, which should be happening very shortly.

Carmine at Campsite Sports Shop in Huntington Station said the first day of trout season saw a nice number of fish caught not only on the North Shore, but also all around the Island at various stocking locations. He has trout stocking information at the shop for anyone interested in stopping by and picking them up.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Bill at Combs Bait & Tackle in Amityville said that he had not heard of any flounder caught yet on the season opener, but it is still early and water temperatures are low. The ocean is reading 41 degrees and the back bays are between 38 and 40 degrees. He suggests staying in shallow depths of 4-5 feet on the north side of the Great South Bay in the creeks where water warms up quicker. Mussels would be the bait of choice as it is still too cold for worms. Bryce at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays is also waiting for the first reports of resident bass in the creeks. He heard that some are already being caught on the coast in mid New Jersey, and we should not be too far behind them.

It was another decent week of cod fishing on the South Shore. The King Cod hauled up fish into the teens with plenty of shorts to throw back and a bunch of red hake in the mix. The Super Hawk was the winner again this week with the big fish. Sunday’s trip saw a good catch of cod to 27 lbs with a number of nice Pollock, and an east end trip late last week resulted in four fish over 30 lbs with the largest weighing in at 37 lbs.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Richie from Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn told us that so far not many flounder reports made it back to the shop yet, but a few herring are starting to be caught again. There were a few off the Coney Island Pier and in the back bay by the shop, but it’s not anywhere near a bail job at this point.

It seems like the extra two weeks we had to wait for the Hudson bass season to reopen was enough time for the fish to really start feeding. Mike at Jack’s Bait & Tackle in the Bronx said the River is loaded with stripers, and fishermen are back out on the water catching a few. Croton, Piermont, and Nyack are popular starting places for those looking to snag an early season linesider.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

The East End has just not been cooperating lately for those trying to get their boats out. Another round of snotty conditions cancelled the Viking cod trips over the weekend, and the tile fish trip slated to go out today was also a no-go. They have another tile/hake trip scheduled for next week, which we are hoping goes off without any issues. Ben at Star Island Marina in Montauk did not have any news for us either, but said that any day now things should start picking up with at least a little bit of action. Even the freshwater scene on the East End has been quiet.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Well I won’t be premature and definitively say that spring has sprung, but we are getting closer. Flowers are starting to bloom and ospreys have returned to spruce up their nests and pick off fish in our local waters always proving they are better fisherman than we are. Seas are looking rough for the weekend so I have to guess that most cod trips will be cancelled, but there is always a chance a boat may be sailing if you feel like some offshore action.

However, if you prefer to stay on or close to the Island, many new opportunities opened up this week. Stick to shallow, quickly warming water if you want to target flounder. So far I have not heard of anything caught, but we also need people to get out there to really assess what the fishery looks like this year. You can head west to check out stripers in the Hudson, or you can stay more local and test out your back bays and creeks for the first signs of resident bass. If you would rather be sure there are fish somewhere, stocked trout would be the way to go. Stocking is taking place now through May so be sure to get timing information about your favorite freshwater hole.