Big bass to the west.
Schoolie bass to keeper size in the surf and back bays.
Hot codfish bite out east.
Blackfish from shore.
Bigger bass and tiderunner weakfish out east.
Good trout fishing in LI rivers and streams despite wind and rain.
Robert at LI Outdoorsman in Rockville Centre got green crabs in on Thursday, as well as fresh clams. He’s got plenty of bait, and a ton of tackle, and you can pick up what you need 7 days a week. You can’t go in the shop, but you can call ahead for curbside assistance.
Some guys are managing to get on the water. Shorebound anglers are getting school bass in the back bays, and some are being caught in the surf. There have been very few slot-fish that Rob’s heard of locally; surfcasters are mostly finding shorts.
Some guys are trolling the back bays, and heading to the Raritan for the big mamas. They’re trolling bunker spoons and mojos on the big bass, and some are even jigging them up.
Rob did some self-quarantining upstate, and got his freshwater fix while there. He’s far north, so the water’s a good bit colder. The bass bite was slow, but they were biting.
Paul at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin says it’s been windy and cold, and the rivers upstate are too high and blown out to fish well. He thinks they should be good to go by the weekend though. Here on Long Island, we have spring-fed streams and rivers, so they’re not as affected by the wind and rain. Water levels are a bit higher, and the water is a bit murkier, but sometimes that just makes the fishing HOT.
Paul says the effective flies for trout right now are San Juan worms, ants, and slowly-swung streamers.
In the surf, guys were finding small bass before the winds. The wind kind of shut the surf fishery down for a few days there.
Almost all the boat ramps are shut down. If your boat isn’t in the water already, you’re probably not going to be able to get it in anytime soon.
On Wednesday April 22, Paul is the guest on an online podcast. Google “Ask About Fly Fishing Internet Radio,” and hear his podcast broadcasted live at 9pm. You can even win stuff by listening!
The Bassholes Surfcasting crew has been hammering big bass in western LI. They’re hitting the night tides for a few fish a night. Most of the fish they’re getting look to be at least 15 pounds, with some pushing into the mid-20s. It’s long hours and slow action, but those guys are friggin ‘animals.
Frank at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale says business is slow, but the fishing is good. He’s open for business daily from 8-5. You can call ahead and let him know what you need, and he’ll have it ready for curbside pickup. He’s loaded up with all sorts of bait, so give him a call if you’re looking for fresh bunker, clams, sand and bloodworms, etc.
Frank’s been fishing the local waters hard for schoolie bass and white perch. A good school of white perch moved in recently, and Frank was getting some egg-laden fatties up to 2.5 pounds. He says the Raritan is loaded with big bass, and the local waters are loaded with smaller schoolies. He had one morning fishing the Lynbrook area with a fly rod, where he caught 27 and 28 inch fish cast after cast. Once the seals showed up, the bite was done. Some fellas sent him a video the other day of bass busting under the birds near the new breach at Patchogue.
Matt Broderick says the whole island is inundated with schoolies. For good action, fish around bridges, back-bay creeks and rivers. Soft plastics and small swimming plugs are doing most of the damage. For bait fishing, sandworms and clams are getting lots of eats. No word on flounder, but a few weakfish have been reported from the east end. Blackfish have moved in early, too, and are targetable from rocky structures near shore.
Lindenhurst Bait & Tackle is loaded with bait! High quality XL local spearing came in this morning, and is being sold in 1 pound and 2.5 pound bags. Call for individual and bulk pricing.
Weakfish, blackfish, cod, flounder and striped bass took up early residence and have been bending rods for a couple weeks now. Surfcasters, dock anglers, and private boat owners are all able to get in on this action; please stay safe and maintain that fishing rod’s distance from one another!
Jeff at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays says the fishing this week was great prior to the winds. Lots of striped bass moved into the bays and surf zone, providing shore-bound anglers with hours-long bites. There are a good amount of micro bass, 12 to 16 inches long. The school bass that were here in the fall have returned a couple inches longer as well, and some anglers are catching fish close to the keeper range. “LI Flies Mike” Ozkaya has been hammering them in the back bays, catching a lot of fish in the 26- to 28-inch range. You can find the stripers at the early season spots.
Commercial nets in the Peconics have intercepted a number of larger fish as well. Jeff hasn’t heard of any caught on rod and reel yet, but the rumor is there are fish in the teens and twenty pound range that have quietly moved in.No blackfish reports this week, due mainly to the coronavirus keeping guys grounded and the weather.
I asked Jeff what the local boat launch situation is. It sounds like the Town of Southampton is allowing boats to be launched, despite the state’s recommendations to close ramps and marinas. You need to be a resident of the town and have the boat ramp permit in order to launch within Southampton Town though.
Kenny at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor says the local fishing scene is improving. The water is very cold for the most part right now. A couple of his friends went to plum gut to go free diving with spears. They dove from 4-60 feet and never saw a single sign of life.
There are lots of bass in Sag Harbor though. Guys are picking 14-25 inch fish in the back of the cove.
Another of Kenny’s friends went to Jessups recently. He marked a couple small strays here and there in the 47 degree water, likely small stripers.
As Kenny was telling me this, a customer chimed in with another report from Jessups just the other day. The angler caught some bass, and even stumbled upon some porgies! It’s starting to look like an early year for everything.
Tight Lines is open so give Kenny a call to place an order for pickup.
Rick from Harbor Marina of East Hampton says the bass are in, and he just heard about the first keeper from the Shelter Island area this week. More from Rick in the forecast.
Chris from Double D Charters in Montauk says the codfish bite before the blow was outstanding. Even after the winds, the bite persisted, with anglers boating fish up to 18 pounds. The herring are still in the harbor, and the striped bass have arrived just a few towns west of Montauk.
Chris has been slamming the freshwater, and getting into excellent bites. He’s not always catching the specific species he’s targeting, but he always seems to have a bent rod.
Long Island Fishing Forecast
I hit up Rick Drew this morning, a trustee of the Town of East Hampton. He’s a marina owner, and a local politician tasked with the protection of East Hampton’s water bodies and coast. I wasn’t sure of the rumors I heard about dock/marina/launch closures, and figured he’d have the answers. I thought he might have a strong opinion as well, since his business is practically shut down because of the state’s recommendation. His perspective was surprising and encouraging – not encouraging because things are good, but encouraging because he’s seeing what I’m seeing and feels similarly.
All marinas are on hold, only doing essential services like maintenance to facilities and boats already in the water. EH Marine Patrol can launch. Commercial boats can launch, as they are essential businesses. All county-operated marinas & launches are shut down. Marine Patrol is discouraging all boaters from launching.
It remains to be seen if all boat launches will be shut down; nobody knows how long they might remain closed. Usually the marinas are buzzing with activity right now, but they’re pretty much ghost towns.
Rick believes that boating and fishing can be done safely and responsibly, and everybody in this demographic would probably agree.
Unfortunately, self-interest is playing a major, negative role. We’ve all been quarantined a while, and people are growing weary. Some are disregarding social distancing mandates. Newspapers are printing stories about high-profile individuals who are getting sick and ignoring doctors’ orders to stay isolated. Beaches are packed with cars and people.
This virus spreads like wildfire, so all it really takes to shut an entire community down is one irresponsible person. The rampant spread right off the bat was unavoidable, but now there’s no excuse for exposing somebody else to the virus.
The moment we’re in is a critical one. It’s possible we’ve passed the precipice, but we need to be equally vigilant and safe on the hike down. Social distancing and quarantine were meant to flatten the curve, and they have. If we falter now, there is a strong possibility of a second wave of infections, and a prolonged shutdown. Our physical, mental, and economic health is not our own anymore; it is collective. Stay headstrong, keep up the quarantine, and we’ll recover from this soon enough.
If you’ve been following these reports, you know I’ve run the gamut of emotions on the virus topic. I feel nervous I’m overstepping by writing about it, because you’re here for the fish report, not some beach bum’s opinion on how to keep yourself and others safe.
I hope you’ll all stay healthy, stay distanced, and do your part to flatten the curve.
Now for the fishy stuff:
Happy opening day of Striper Season!
It seems like the coming week will be riddled with wind and rain again. That’ll make fishing more difficult, but the numbers of fish and their willingness to bite should improve. Consistent 50-plus degree days after the weekend should really get them going. No matter what fish you target, it should be easier to catch them this week.
The striped bass were in thick in the surf early this week. I had a couple mornings where I was catching a keeper bass about every 10 minutes. The first came on Easter Sunday just after sunrise. I think this is the earliest I’ve ever caught a 28-inch striper, and I had a few of them. Super hard fights after all that freshwater. Stephen Lobosco was a short hike up the beach catching the same fish. Later that day, micro bass from 10 to 15 inches were hitting my bucktail every cast. These fish couldn’t even fit the 8/0 hook in their mouths; after many missed hits, I threw on a teaser to confirm it was the minis.
Chris Ravn told me about some monster weakfish that were caught in peconic bay pound traps. I’m trying to catch a tiderunner on the fly, so I’m going to put some stock in that this week. Apparently they’ve been getting spotted all over the island.
I heard some whispers of winter flounder, but I’m sworn to secrecy. Just know that there’s some around, somewhere in the bays.
I’ve been keeping up with the night time largemouth bass fishing, and that’s remained a hot bite. It’s cool how something as marginal as the angle of your retrieve can make the difference between getting a bite and getting skunked. One night it took me about an hour and a half to figure out the correct angle, and then it was on from there.
Carp action should be great. I saw Brian Phelps of Back Harbor Fly got into some 20+ pounders the other day. I could also use some of those in my life.
You can’t go wrong on the freshwater these days. Most of the fish you’ll come by in the salt are small compared to the ones we’ll see a month from now. Many freshwater fish are the opposite, weighing more now than they will the rest of the year. So why not!
SHOP LOCAL GUYS!!! Don’t spend that stimulus check online for some cheap tackle, or even at a big box store. Your local tackle shop needs your support more than ever. Shop local.
That’s all I have for you this week.
Tight lines, safe excursions, and good health to you all.