Long Island Fishing Report - February 22, 2016

North Shore Long Island Fishing Report

This was a so-so week for Long Island fishing as some areas saw little action while others reported mildly good findings. I guess we cannot really expect much better for this time of year. Unlike last winter, it has not been consistently cold enough for lakes and ponds to freeze essentially diminishing any chances at ice fishing this season. Herring remain elusive on the North Shore, according to John at Terminal Tackle in Kings Park, and the recent snows are indicating it is going to be awhile before anything really starts back up. Anglers instead seem to be flocking to the sweet water as trout are biting in the local streams. Mark from Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle in Northport heard of fish being caught in not only freshwater areas, Smithtown being the most notable, but working brackish zones in tidal rivers are proving to be worthwhile also. Unlike the herring that moved out when things got cold, the trout seem to turn on when the mercury drops. Flies and small powerpro baits are the most effective at catching these fish, while other baits are not having the same desired results.

South Shore Long Island Fishing Report

Joe from Trophy Tackle in West Babylon had not heard of any boats that sailed from the western South Shore marinas, but some of the Moriches charters headed out over the weekend for a decent pick. Trips improved from past weeks and saw anywhere between 20 and 45 cod per outing with pool fish weighing around 10 lbs. A steady number of nice ling and a few pollock were also in the mix rounding out respectable totals for most fares. Fishing was not out of this world, but we will take what we can get since rough conditions and high winds kept most tied to the dock earlier this week.

Metro Long Island Fishing Report

Frank at Bernie’s Fishing Tackle in Brooklyn reported more resilient herring fishing as of late after things bounced back from the slow down following the blizzard. The most consistent action continues to be at the Coney Island Pier, but Magnolia and Canarsie Piers are also producing good catches. There are even rumors that anglers getting their hands on herring from the 69th Street Pier are cutting them up to try for some small stripers, sometimes successfully hooking up for a little offseason fun.

Unfortunately for us the tog season is closed, but anglers fishing just a few miles away on the New Jersey side are having a good go at them. If that is something that interests you, you would have to find a charter leaving from across the border and head out with them. If you prefer to stick to local marinas, Stretch from Stella Maris Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn said the cod and ling are biting out at Cholera and east of 17 in about 140 feet of water. The fishing is nothing crazy, but a slow pick is better than nothing.

East End/North Fork Long Island Fishing Report

Courtney of Montauk Marine Basin in Montauk did not hear very many reports from the past week, but the consensus seems to be that the action slowed down overall on the East End. Few boats had much to say on the fishing situation other than describing the picky catch that they were experiencing. Cod and ling dominated the bites that they did have, but dogfish took over the activity at times making the trips mildly annoying waiting for things to turn. Smaller cod than we have seen in recent weeks filled the coolers with some of the largest barely hitting double digits resulting in some of the lightest pool weights we have seen so far this season.

Best Bets for the Weekend

As I am finishing up this report, the winds are whipping out my window and there is currently a gale warning in effect for the rest of today. Conditions are looking to continue to be a bit rough for the weekend with frigid temperatures, high winds, and seas building to 6 to 9 feet, which make me concerned that the boats may not be sailing. Most captains say they are heading out on any day that the weather cooperates, but last minute cancellation announcements as conditions become more solid may mean that the weekend trips could be grounded. Hopefully things pan out well enough that charters head out to the grounds despite the less than spectacular action as of late. The South Shore seemed to have a better week than the East End, but that can turn around quickly. Check with your charter before leaving the house to make sure they are in fact going to be hitting the water.

If you prefer to keep your feet on solid ground, herring will be tough to find unless you head way to the west where the most consistent action is coming from. While I have not heard of anything going on in the western Sound, there very well could be fish there if you did not want to head all the way to Brooklyn. You can also have fun and spend some money at the New York SportFishing Federation Forum and Auction in Freeport running from this Friday through Sunday. There are plenty of great vendors appearing, including On the Water if you want to check them out and renew your subscription.

With a heavy heart, I have to report that this will be my last Long Island fishing forecast. I am off on a new life adventure that I am very excited about, but unfortunately it takes me away from this project that I have grown to love so much over the last two and a half years. Thank you to all for checking in each week, and I hope you got the same enjoyment reading this as I did writing it.