Long Island - New York Fishing Report - December 14, 2017

Blackfish and Striped bass seasons come to an end this week here in New York. That does not mean however that fishing is over for Long Island and the Metro NY area.  Anglers heading to the offshore reefs have been rewarded with large cod and sea bass.  Herring fishing remains going strong throughout many parts of the island.  Schoolie striped bass are still on beaches and in the harbors as well. This might be the first week of actual snow for the area but that does not mean to put the rods away for the winter just yet.

Metro NYC Fishing Report

Stella Maris in Brooklyn reports many of their anglers are targeting herring right now.  Guys fishing for them have also started seeing many mackerel mixed in with the herring.  They said small schoolie bass are also still in the area as well with some larger fish being caught in the rivers with guys chunking bunker.  They said with blackfish season coming to a close, some of the party boats in Sheepshead Bay will switch over and targeting mackerel next week.

South Shore Fishing Report

At Causeway Bait and Tackle , they report things have been a little slow due to the weather.  The snow and then the strong winds did not help much for anglers trying to get out.  They said they heard of still small bass on the local beaches being caught on small plugs.  Also, that the herring are still around on the local docks being taken on a variety of Sabiki rigs.

Paul at River Bay Outfitters told me, that he is still hearing much of the same with the small striped bass along the beach.  These fish can be a ton of fun on a fly rod and make for some great late season action.  He said the local lakes and ponds and are still producing good fish.  He said he had some customers out earlier this week and they came back with some really good reports of fish at the local parks.  Paul said the Connetquot is also fishing well and will continue to do so throughout the winter.

Bay Park Fishing Station said that the final weekend of the blackfish season was very picky out at the reef.  He did however say he heard over the radio of some keeper bass being caught, and also some big bluefish in the area as well.  They also mentioned they have customers coming in Sabiki rigs heading out to the local piers targeting herring.

North Shore Fishing Report

Jim at Miller Place Bait and Tackle reports good action with the herring in Mt.Sinai Harbor.  They are also being caught on the standard Sabiki rig. He mentioned that there are still schoolie sized bass in the same area as well.  Jim said most of his anglers are heading out very early in the A.M. going after these fish.

In Huntington Station, at the Camp-Site Sport Shop, Carmine told me he has been hearing of a mixed bag of fish in the local harbors.  Anglers are catching herring, shad, and also small striped bass.  Sometimes anglers are catching one of each when guys are targeting striped bass with a small plug and using a teaser above it.

East End Fishing Report

Jake at White Water Outfitters said things have been pretty slow on the fishing front lately.  He said the guys that did get out over the weekend for blackfish did pretty well.  He also mentioned much of the same as all of Long Island with schoolie bass still in the area.  Jake said the head boats heading off shore wreck fishing have been doing very well with some really nice size cod and a mix bag of other species hitting the deck.

Long Island Fishing Forecast

Even though Striped Bass season closes tomorrow, you are still allowed legally to catch and release these fish in the off season.  These schoolies can be a lot of fun on some light tackle for you anglers looking to keep the season going.  I would pack some Sabiki rigs for the trip.  You can head to a local pier or harbor after leaving the beach to try for some herring, mackerel, or shad.  If you are looking to target some larger fish this weekend, hop on one of the party boats that are sailing to an offshore wreck.  I would call ahead or look online first as many of these boats take reservations for these trips.  Freshwater is still an option for this time as well and is sometimes overlooked.  Though there is snow on the ground, there are still a ton of options for any angler this weekend.