Long Island - New York Fishing Report - March 19, 2020

UPDATE 3/26/20: As the COVID-19 situation escalates in New York, it’s essential that fishermen take all precautions to maintain social distancing on and off the water. Washington State closed down all recreational fishing this week because large crowds were gathering at popular fishing spots. If fishermen act responsibly on Long Island, perhaps we can avoid such extreme measures here. New York’s tackle shops have been asked to close, but most are willing to ship supplies if you call, email, or message them through their social media channels. – eds.

3/19/2020 report:

Trout stocking occurred yesterday and today all across Long Island. Search the NYS DEC website for stocking locations near you. It’s a great opportunity to harvest some meat, as many grocery stores seem to be strained in that department. Largemouth bass have moved shallow in many water bodies across the island. They are trying to fatten up before the spawn. Pickerel season is closed, but the slime darts won’t stop biting. White perch and schoolie bass have been biting pretty ravenously on certain tides in the tidal creeks and rivers. Herring are in at the piers.

Paul at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin heard of some stripers being caught in the Fire Island and Jones Beach vicinity this week. There is plenty of bait fish piling into the bays, and the ospreys have been hot on their tails. Bunker schools are especially prevalent. Seals have been chewing on the menhaden, all the way into the back bays. The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow, getting to about 70 degrees. Paul thinks that shore-bound anglers will be seeing some decent striper action starting next week, given the great weather we’ve had.

Some bigger bass have been getting caught in the Hudson. The season is still closed there, allowing some of those fish a chance to spawn, so don’t handle these fish poorly if you’re on the bite. Also, consult this year’s new regulations. Hudson striper season opens April 1.

NYS DEC has stocked all the Long Island waters with trout. Head to your local pond or stream for some trout fishing. The Connetquot has been fishing very well in particular. Paul’s friend went, and didn’t even head upstream; he fished the pond and got into a good number of sizable rainbows.

All the mill ponds are starting to produce bites. It’s becoming easier to catch bluegills and carp in these water bodies.

The Fly Fishing Expo of Long Island has been postponed to an undetermined future date, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Paul’s shop is staying open in case anybody needs tying/fishing materials though.

Kathy from Freeport Bait & Tackle says the reports are basically the same as last week, with a couple exceptions. Anglers are still getting herring by the piers. Kathy has a variety of sabikis in stock for them. A few people have reported schoolie stripers in the ocean surf, which is AWESOME. There is a lot of bunker in the canals, even right behind Kathy’s shop. She says this is early for their arrival.

She has also heard reports of spearing, which is a promising prospect for this year’s fluke season. Apparently it has been difficult for the baymen to harvest spearing these past few years. One of her main suppliers was out clamming this week and he has been seeing lots of silversides in the bay.

Trout have been stocked in many water bodies. Local to her are Hempstead Lake and the Twin Lakes. Kathy carries a bunch of productive trout lures in the shop (no worms just yet), so stop in if you’re looking to catching some freshwater fish. She’s heard of anglers pursuing big carp as well this week. The shop is fully loaded with gear, and won’t be running out any time soon. Pop in for all your fishing needs.

Frank at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale says trout stocking occurred yesterday and today. Everything was stocked, and guys are catching. While everyone’s out chasing the stockers, Frank’s son Bill has been keeping the 3-weight fly rod bent on some native brook trout. Trout fishing is one of the best games in town this week. Lots of guys are targeting the other sweet water fish, like bass and pickerel. The warming waters have been producing bites. We’re not condoning trespassing here, but word is the golf course ponds have produced some hot bass bites this week. Just sayin’.

White perch and schoolies were ravenous on the river for a couple tides this week. It sounds like your timing has to be right. Rich Miller was one of those lucky few who was able to bring home a bunch of slab perch for the table. Live grass shrimp was the favored menu item that day.

Kenny at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor hasn’t heard much yet. He’s seen some ospreys around, which bodes well for the freshwater fishing in particular. It means there are big baits trying to enter those freshwater bodies.

Jeff at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays says a couple of guys recently started catching schoolies in the tidal creeks. These are probably all holdover bass that spent the winter here. Try for them on the warmer days.
Some guys have been begun to catch largemouth bass around the east end as well. Whitewater is open if you need any tools, materials or guidance. Just please wash your hands and make sure you’re healthy before you come in.

Chris from Double D Charters in Montauk called me excitedly yesterday saying the bass are a’biting. Largemouth bass, that is. I’ve been hearing the same story from my freshwater aficionados all across the island. It’s time to target the big mouths. Chris highly recommends fishing at night.

Montauk’s Viking Fleet has been shut down for the remainder of March. This is a precaution being taken in the wake of the pandemic.

Long Island Fishing Forecast

The main migration this week consisted of city folk moving to LI’s East End. They came in the name of social distancing, and then crowded into every local restaurant and bar they could. The scenes this past weekend in all the South Fork towns were devastating to anybody who has been legitimately self-quarantining. Parking lots were filled to capacity, with lines of designer cars waiting to park so their reckless occupants could socialize in small rooms. Despite the government’s recommendation to avoid groups of 50-plus people, the tourists gathered en masse. The next day, when President Trump recommended we not collect in groups of more than 10, the tourists raided local markets by the hundreds to hoard a half-year’s victuals. Sorry to start off on such a grim note when you’re probably just looking for something to distract you from the pandemic. If you aren’t out here, you can’t imagine how crazy this migration appeared, and how stupidly the people behaved. Stay isolated.

On to the fish.

Alewives are moving upriver to spawn, igniting a hot freshwater bite. Almost any freshwater body with an alewife ladder/creek will provide you with a chance at catching a giant freshwater fish. Derek from Bassholes Surfcasting had an easy 5-pound bass this week on a green Chatterbait.

Dylan Savarese told me about some alewives that were stuck below a dam without an alewife ladder. My girlfriend and I visited with nets and buckets to transport the sawbellies over the dam. We moved about 200 fish in two days. It was hard work. It was a fun, rewarding activity to practice while maintaining “social distance.”

Chris Albronda (@montauk_fishing) gave me some incredible insight into the minds of largemouth bass this morning. I was wondering whether this is the pre-spawn, or what. He said it’s basically the pre-pre-spawn. The bass are moving shallow to gorge on as much food as possible. The more one eats, the more eggs one can support. Low light is currently the best time to target these fish. That’s about all the information you’ll need to succeed. With these starting tips, you should be able to figure out how to catch some lunkers with a bit of experimentation. Thanks for the info Chris!

Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly in Northport has been hitting the local ponds for largemouth bass. He has been catching them on Rat-L-Traps and in-line spinners. He’s been poking around the north shore back bays for holdover stripers as well, but has not found any just yet. He’s optimistic though, and will continue the effort.

Here’s a link where you can discover which water bodies are stocked with trout. I think they update it in May with the current year’s stocking statistics, but you’ll be able to figure out which water bodies received trout if you scroll to the bottom of the page and arrange the list by “County.”

This past week has been especially taxing for locals on the east end. If you need ANY gear, PLEASE consider checking out our local tackle shops’ websites and putting in an order. It’s about to be a very tough year, and they need your support right now more than ever. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram for local shop recommendations (@SouthForkSalt).

Also, contact me if you would like to be included in these fishing reports. The more contributors, the merrier! Thanks everyone. Be safe, be smart, keep your immune system strong, and keep the lines tight. Godspeed.