Eastern Long Island Fishing Report- December 15, 2022

Eastern Long Island Fishing Report

• Cold weather fisheries come alive
• Blackfishing was productive when boats could get out. Other bottom fish were biting, such as scup, sea bass, pollock and cod. 
• Freshwater fishing is productive on warmer days: bass, pickerel, crappie, perch. Fish are hitting jigs, plugs and bait.
• White Perch bite starting to pick up a bit.
• Trout fishing is currently great on the island.

The Hampton Lady of Hampton Bays reports:

Local black fishing has been very good this week. Our most recent trip returned with a full boat limit of tautog. The wind has been relentless, keeping us tied to the dock more often than we’d like. When we get a break in the weather, we’re sailing! Call or text Capt. James for booking info: 631-521-3366.

Montauk’s Viking Fleet reports:

Yesterday’s trip was cancelled due to weather. Tuesday saw some decent fishing on the Starship though. They didn’t find the fish immediately, but discovered some great action on the porgy and sea bass grounds a few stops later. We picked about a dozen pollock and a handful of cod out there as well. Miss Nancy from NYC won the pool with 2.75 pound porgy.

Friday’s trip was tough, given the swift moon tides, strong winds and murky water. We picked some nice sea bass among the numbers, but couldn’t tap into the porgy bite. 3-4 cod came up, but it was tough overall. Jeff Lin from Queens took the pool with a 2.3 pound porgy.

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Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast

Today marks the end of the 2022 Striped Bass season, and the end of the worst fall run I’ve experienced. Now that I’m spending less time on the beach, I’m running into other anglers in town, at lunch, or filling up at the gas station. Every local I’ve spoken to had a similar experience this fall. There were far fewer fish, and good action occurred less often than in years’ past.  It’s reassuring to know that the decreased action I experienced was more likely caused by a poor fishery than poor fishing skills (‘fishery’ meaning my local beaches).

It’s kind of a kick in the butt to get involved with this fishery’s management too. I have only scratched the surface of the players and politicking involved; I know very little. I have a good instinct though, and my gut tells me that something is fishy and I’m getting the short end of the stick. So, it’s up to me to call out any BS I might see, and try to correct the ship. I can’t help the fishery if I’m not adding to the conversation. One of my main goals this winter is to become fluent in striped bass management, and make sure no stupid new policies are instituted. I’d love it if everyone who reads this report regularly would also take this onus upon themselves. I don’t expect that to happen; it’s taken me years of becoming increasingly fed up to get to the point where I feel I need to participate. I’ll do my best to stay engaged and keep you all up to date.

We’ve got a long road ahead, let’s do the right thing.

Normally, I’d still be fishing the ocean. I haven’t casted into it in about a week though. I’ve got low morale after a garbage season, so I’m mainly targeting white perch now. I’m also committed to catching a monster perch this winter, so that’s where most of my free time goes. The perch bite can get slow, so I’ll knock off those skunks by targeting freshwater. There are always some species willing to bite.

That’s part of the fun of winter fishing. You have to find specific holes, and implement specific tactics. For the most part, it’s just going slow and low, typically with something small. Ultralight tackle is killer in the winter. You can still pick huge fish in the freshwater though. The other day I picked a couple largemouth to two pounds on a jerkbait. On the coldest days, I’ll work some bait under a bobber. That is hands down the most effective way to catch big fish throughout the colder months. Crappie will often strike a dangling bait like that. I was picking some big crappie the other day on just a marabou jig dangling under a bobber though. Those fish are pretty ravenous on cold days… much like white perch.

Back to the perch though. I caught at least one every day this week, and most days provided great action. The colder it got, the less the fish reacted to lures. I used shrimp at a couple spots when the bite became slow. One spot turned on at sunset, and the other spot never activated. It’s all been small fish for the most part; I’m just waiting for the big girls to come a’hunting.

I think they’ll be here really soon, as I suspect the arrival of herring is imminent. These perch have obviously been feeding on shrimp lately… but around the moon, the color of the water seemed to change. It looked oily and silvery, and a little bit more ripply than I’d been used to. I’m just guessing that the herring arrived on the backside of this moon, and the holdovers and big perch might appreciate that very soon. That’ll be something for me to investigate these coming weeks.

I’ve done well around this time in past years targeting shallow freshwater. On a sunny day, the bottom heats up quickly, and gets the fish ready to attack. Pickerel will happily take topwater in the shallows.

Trout action has remained absolutely stupid on the Connetquot. If you’re looking to catch a ton of fish, head there and throw just about anything. Nymphs and streamers have been killer lately.

There’s still a handful of boats running for blackfish, sea bass, porgies, cod, and anything else you can pick off the bottom. I’ve yet to try that. Some folks are even running and gunning to catch December Bluefin offshore. 

That’s about all the local fishing opportunities we have. I forgot to mention carp, but they’re tough buggers in the wintertime. Regardless, they’re a fun beast that pulls hard, and quite the challenge. Small marabou flies (wooly buggers) and nymphs are typically my best producers. I like small pools and ponds, where they can’t really travel far and have a limited food source. Those carp are usually willing to play on the nicer days.

Okay, NOW I’ve mentioned everything.

I figured since there’s so little to report now, I’d recommend some good ways to fill your time with fishy thoughts:

I think everyone should fly fish, so I’m just gonna throw that out there. Winter is a great time to practice fly casting. That’s a big commitment, and kind of a tall order, I know.

Another thing we should all do is something I already mentioned. Let’s become well read regarding the striped bass management approaches, and become active caretakers of the species we love.

My dude Jerry Audet (@indeepoutdoors) is running his third annual Surfcasting Seminar Series. Attending this is like taking a college course on surfcasting. Jerry’s super knowledgeable, and typically talks on an extremely wide array of topics. It’s gotta be one of the best ways you can spend your surfcasting money.

Another great way to spend surfcasting money is by joining the Surf Rats Ball, hosted by Bill Wetzel. The forum there is immense, covering a wide array of topics. Many great surfcasters have left their two cents on thousands of threads. It’s tough to NOT find an answer to a question you might have there.

One more activity I’d highly recommend is attending the Geek Talks at Ubergeek Brewing Co. in Riverhead. Marine scientist Chris Paparo of @FishGuyPhotos holds these talks, and gets interesting speakers to give lectures on their topics of expertise. They’re usually held on Thursday nights, but make sure you follow Chris on social media to stay posted on when he’s holding them. Hopefully I’ll see you there!

Whitewater Outfitters will be hosting tying nights after the New Year. In years past, they held tying night once a month at the beginning of the month. Make sure you follow them so you can know when to go.

Most shops are holding end of the year sales right now. I don’t think you’ll find any of those new gold Van Staals on sale, but it’s worth popping into your local shop to see their holiday deals. Some shops have bargain buckets, but I know Kenny at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor has a storewide sale going on right now. Small business owners, like lure makers, rod builders and guides will often hold holiday sales as well, offering deals on their services. The rod company that sponsors me, Rise Fishing Co., is offering big discounts on their website. I use the 7’ spinning rods for most of my light tackle surf and freshwater fishing. They’re rated small but they fight big.

Another small business to support are content creators! I watched an episode of Mr. Poseidon Fishing on Youtube the other night, with Dylan Jewell. I loved the episode, and will be watching more! Bill Jakob will be interviewed soon, and that dude has some serious fish to his name. I recommend checking this show out!

Heyy, and if you don’t mind, head on over to my youtube page and subscribe: South Fork Salt.

Of particular interest to my readers may be my fly fishing video serious “Surf Fly Fish.” I had some sick action this summer feeding crab flies to surf stripers on the open beaches. There’s drone and gopro footage; watching the videos in 4K can help shine a light on what makes my technique so successful. There’s a “surf fly fish tutorial” that explains one of my particular approaches, and how to implement it.

And of course, I gotta plug my buddy Jerry’s youtube page, “Fish Your Way.” He’s one of my favorite fishermen to keep up with, especially through the winter months!

Last but not least, is Striper Day, hosted by Surfcaster’s Journal. It will be held at Ward Melville HS in East Setauket, on January 15, 2023. This convention is always awesome, and I can’t wait for this year’s show! Hopefully I’ll see you there.

Take care, and enjoy yourselves! Tight lines.