North Shore Long Island Fishing Report
I hope everyone had as enjoyable of a holiday as I did and are starting to recover from full bellies and time off with family. If you put fishing on the back burner for the past few weeks you did not miss much. Overall, the majority of the action consists of herring and not much else. John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said this is definitely the case for the North Shore with some of the more abundant schools coming from Huntington Harbor, Port Jefferson, Mount Sinai, Centerport, and the Nissequogue. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport added that fishing during the high tide may yield you more catches as they like the running water and to switch up the color of your rigs if the herring are not biting as they change their preference by the day. Otherwise, the North Shore is on the quiet side except for the occasional leftover squid that anglers have run into from time to time.
South Shore Long Island Fishing Report
Not many solid reports came out of the South Shore this week as conditions were not very favorable for sailing for those still wanting to get out there. Joe at Trophy Tackle in West Babylon did say though that the 30 to 40 mile wrecks would likely have fish biting well if anglers were able to make it out for the last days of the season. I did hear of some reports from the charters that made it out recently of a good pick of jumbo sea bass weighing in at over 7 pounds, huge porgy, and nice cod and pollock in the mix. Despite both sea bass and porgy being finished at the end of this month, cod fishing on the same pieces of structure will only get better as time goes on, according to Rich from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays. What we do not have any indication of are herring on the South Shore as is evident from the lack of Sabiki rig sales at the shops. Hopefully that is something that changes soon so anglers will have something to keep them busy if they are stuck at the docks.
Metro Long Island Fishing Report
It is the same deal in western Long Island with Stretch at Stella Maris Fishing Station in Brooklyn saying that the herring are everywhere there is water. Specifically, Jamaica Bay, Sheepshead Bay, and Coney Island Pier are loaded with schools of fish for the taking. The report from Vinny at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn told a similar story, and he added that the shop is selling out of herring rigs faster than they can get them back on the shelves indicating just how good the bite is right now. In addition to the herring, a few mackerel remain in the area at Canarsie Pier, and a handful of schoolie bass were caught and released in a small number of spots.
East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report
Steve at Wego Bait & Tackle in Southold said not much is happening on the North Fork, but wreck fishing is going strong for those heading a bit offshore. Captain Mike of the Prime Time 3 out of Orient, as well as other East End charter boats, hit the structure for solid catches of both cod and sea bass. Despite tough conditions lately, fares who stuck it out at the rails went home with great rewards. Limits of cod were had by several anglers on recent trips along with buckets full of fat sea bass. 50 or more cod were not uncommon on a trip with pool fish weighing in at upwards of 17 pounds. Captain Mike said drifting is key if you are able to, but strong winds and currents have made it difficult. Other than the offshore bite, Rich at White Water Outfitters said he heard of plenty of herring by the Greenport commercial dock on the North Fork.
Best Bets for the Weekend
By the time the weekend hits, you should hopefully be well rested from your New Year’s celebrations. Otherwise, the bumpy seas could put a hurting on you if you head offshore. With sea bass and porgy seasons ending on Thursday, charters are running cod only trips from the South Shore and East End starting New Year’s Day. While it may not be slam dunk numbers as of yet, the hauls have been decent and will only continue to get better. While we have gotten spoiled with some fantastic weather lately, that is not going to last forever so get out while you can before winter really decides to rear its ugly head.
If you are done with the boats for now, local docks offer up great opportunity to wet a line with hordes of voracious herring schools. While they are not line-ripping stripers, a bent pole is better than sitting at home on the couch. The North Shore and western Long Island are loaded with them, and they are slowly making their way into the East End and South Shore. If you have already hung up all your gear until spring, start putting the winter fishing shows on your calendar. Next week starts the New York Boat Show which runs through January 10th, and you can check out what is new at the On The Water booth. Locally there is also a Surfcasting show on January 9th at Hofstra University. Until next week, have a very happy and safe New Year’s.