Long Island Fishing Report - March 23, 2017

As we push forward toward the end of March into April, the cold weather continues to hang around, but shows signs of breaking and letting anglers hit the waters without layering up. Freshwater remains the main focus at this point as the lakes, ponds and river come to life. There have been signs of life beginning to show up on the saltwater side though, as spearing, sand worms and bunker have been spotted in the back bays and estuaries.

Mark from Cow Harbor reports that the Twin Ponds have been fishing very well this week for anyone looking to hook into a couple trout in the Northport area. The Connetquot River has also been hot as anglers are pulling out some big trout that have been growing since last season’s stocking. In the saltwater, this is normally the time of year the shop begins to see a few guys coming in to grab some flounder rigs and bait but there has not been any effort shown just yet. The fishing can be spotty and cold, windy days have not been a great incentive. In the back bay’s however, the first signs of life have shown up as the spearing and sand worms start to trickle in. On one of the warmer days this week, birds were seen diving on the bait schools which is early, but a sight that will excite many of the anglers itching to get back into the swing of the surf.

At Terminal Tackle, John Sr. has noticed a slight increase in the yellow perch action out of the local ponds. The bite is still slow and only available on the warmer days as the ponds ice over easily with a thin layer when the temperature drops. Golden spinners and worms have tempted the perch out of their winter lull and caused a few lines to tighten up.

Jim from Miller Place Bait and Tackle has also been supplying customers with worms, looking to fill some empty bellies in the local freshwaters. He hasn’t heard many reports back but with an increase of sales, there are sure to be a few success stories to be had.

Out on the East End, in Hampton Bays, Bryce from White Water Outfitters reports that there are still some good days of cod fishing. The trend of, hot one day, cold another, has continued through this month but at the moment, there is at least one boat, the Viking, still making the journey out to the promised land in hopes of a filled freezer. Bryce has also heard of a few small bass being picked up by the commercial nets this week. There hasn’t been anyone casting for them yet but it’s a good sign to see there are a couple around this early.

At River Bay Outfitters, Paul reports that the Long Island Fly Rodders had a trip to the Connetquot River this past weekend and made out very well. There were not a ton of trout being caught but of those that were, some measured to 16-inches. There is a stocking of the river scheduled for this week, so it’s a great time to gather the fly rods and head out. Mostly wet flies were used to attract the trout off the banks and out from under the overhanging brush, but dry flies worked as well. In the saltwater, the first few bunker have been spotted lurking around the back bays. A great early sign that the long-awaited heat of the surf season will be here before we know it

Fishing Forecast for Long Island

Look to continue hitting the freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers while the saltwater slowly comes back to life. This can be a great time of year to target big pickerel, bass and lots of perch on the warmer days as the sun helps to speed up their appetites. As far as the saltwater side, keep an eye on the early stages of the striper migration as well as the incoming bait to get an initial sense of when things may turn back on. Use this time to make any final upgrades or repairs on your gear so when the time finally comes, you can be ready at a moment’s notice.