The schoolie striper bite is still going very strong, with consistent reports all around the Island this week. Despite the heavy winds and surf, people were able to catch a lot of bass, both big and small. The majority of larger fish are hanging West in Raritan Bay, but a few keepers have been landed here and there on Long Island. The blackfish bite is slow, with a tough bite on mostly short fish, and the bluefish army is about to invade, if they haven’t already begun.
Long Island Fishing Report
We’ve got a few reports from Bay Park Fishing Station in Wantagh. Joe Leggio took David out to Rockaway Reef searching for blackfish, and they managed to pick 18 fish despite the slow bite. Four of those togs were keepers, from 16 to 17.5-inches. Green crabs were their bait of choice in the mid-to-upper 40-degree water.
Lloyd Malsin took his “Nansea II” out to Raritan Bay to fish the dirty outgoing water. He managed three flounder before targeting stripers. He boated over a dozen bass, eight of them keeper-size, using mojos and diving plugs.
Captain Daniel King also fished the Raritan, on the West side of the lighthouse, and caught a 28.5-pound striper on a yellow/white TGT spoon.
Mike at Causeway Bait & Tackle in Wantagh says there’s still a good amount of bass there, and even a handful of keepers in the mix. People are taking them on clams, bucktails, and tins in the ocean. People chumming clams in the bay/inlet have done well. He is still hearing good things about the Raritan.
Bottom fishing has been tough, and the blackfish are few and far between. The ones that do find themselves hooked are usually small.
Frank at Chasing Tails Bait & Tackle in Oakdale reports on good trout fishing at Bubbles Falls and Rattlesnake Creek. West Lake is loaded with browns and rainbows. There’s also good numbers of largemouth bass and pickerel being caught in there.
On the saltwater side, there lots of schoolie stripers at the docks. A couple of keepers came off the docks at West Sayville, Bayport, Blue Point, Bellport, the list goes on; point is, fishing is great!
No bluefish have reared their ugly heads yet… Frank says if they’re not here as of April 25, they’ll be here April 26. The bunker that just made their way into most of our Long Island bays and backwaters have lots of fish hot on their tails. Donald, who casts nets bunker for Chasing Tails, says the amount of 20 to 30-pound bass to the west is more than he’s seen in his 40 years on the water. Frank was handling fresh bunker when I called, so if you’re in his area, you know where to get your bait.
Kathy at Freeport Bait & Tackle continued the good news with more reports of stripers. People are catching them by the construction barge near the Coast Guard Station at Western Jones Beach. On the North Shore, more schoolie stripers can be found at Morgan memorial park in Glen Cove. Jamaica Bay has been producing as well, although no reports of keeper size bass just yet.
On the offshore scene, the only report is from the party boat “Captain Al,” whose customers boated some ling cod the other day.
If you’d like to learn how to fish the general area/waters surrounding Freeport, Kathy usually has free brochures in stock from the Town of Hempstead. These booklets contain a local map with 20+ fishing spots and fishing stations, as well as fishing tips and regulations.
In Baldwin, Paul at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin provided some great insights. We discussed the warm winter temps and our recent striper outings. We concluded the migration seems to be ahead of schedule by a week or more, and he also foresees an early bluefish arrival. He got out to do some fly fishing with Firefly Outfitters in Jamaica Bay, and boated a bunch of 20 to 26-inch stripers. He declared it to be tough fishing however, because of the bluebird day. Don’t be afraid to ditch the fair weather and throw some casts into a stiff headwind.
The Carmans River is producing lots of trout. The water level is pretty high because of the recent rains, but it’s fishing well. Same story at the Connetquot. Try throwing streamers in the deeper water and try some dry fly presentations with a Parachute Adams if you see the blue-winged olives hatching. Upstate, don’t even bother. It’s all flooded and blown out, so the trout fishing looks grim, even in the tailwaters.
Robert at Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport concurred that the Jamaica Bay and Jersey bass bites are hot. Locally, there are schoolies by the bridges and inlet, and you can also catch them off the beach. You’re going to find mostly short fish.
Bottom fishing reports have been mostly nonexistent. Either not many people are trying, or not many people are catching blackfish or flounder. Robert said “we don’t even talk about flounder anymore,” because the fishery isn’t what it used to be.
Out on the East End, Rick at Harbor Marina of East Hampton reports the 2019 season is slowly getting underway. Schoolie striped bass are being caught along the south shore ocean beaches from Southampton to Montauk. Small bucktails do the trick on the right part of the tide in the surf.
We have not seen a lot of boating activity to date, due to continual high winds and/or heavy rains. Even with another marginal forecast on tap for this weekend, it’s time to get the boat and fishing tackle ship shape. The fluke (summer flounder) season opener is May 4 for New York State waters, and we should see a lot more local interest and activity over the next few weeks.
Large schools of bunker are making their way into the Peconics (look for diving Gannets), along with the first weakfish and bluefish reports of 2019. Most of the early season activity up in the bay has also been from the shoreline, given the recent rough weather conditions. We’ve yet to hear any reports of squid hitting the local docks at night, under the lights.
The Harbor Marina shop is well stocked with bait, tackle, fishing apparel, supplies and ice; the fuel dock is ready to go with Valvtect branded Gas & Diesel. Stop in and thank Rick for this helpful report!
Fishing Forecast for Long Island
Everyone seems to be on the same page: the fish are going to be about a week earlier than normal, if not more. All this talk must have had their ears burning, because while finishing up this report on the morning of April 25, I caught wind of the first arrival of racer bluefish to Long Island. Time for some fun, go get ‘em! We will be seeing more keeper sized bass in the coming week also. There aren’t many people talking largemouth bass now that the saltwater is heating up, but I’ve been catching some lunkers on topwater this week, since the huge surf/winds blew me off the ocean. Their bellies are fat and their attitude is hardcore. When life gives you lemons, fish freshwater…or something like that.
Best of luck to all you fishermen getting out on the water this week!