Challenging. That’s the best way to describe fishing across the board this past week.
Some boats were able to get out when conditions permitted and they’re still getting good tautog, sea bass and scup. Tautog season closes next Thursday 12/22 in the NY Bight region, so go wet a line while you still can. There were some occasional tog coming in with sea bass in the central/eastern Long Island Sound in weeks past, but blackfish season closed on 12/9 in the Sound which required immediate releases.
Striped bass are moving into their winter dwellings deep in the back bays and rivers. As a reminder, TODAY 12/15/22, is the last day NY anglers are allowed to keep striped bass this season. Respect the regulations people.
In other news, some quality bluefin tuna have been caught not too far from home this past week. A few north Jersey boats put together a bite on Hogy 9-inch pro tails as the fish migrate south in search of warmer waters.
Aside from the few offshore party boats still bottom fishing and groundfishing, there isn’t much action to be had in the salt this week. The occasional striped bass are being caught in the surf for those still willing to stand in the face of ice cold sea spray for a couple schoolie bass. While I was on Long Island last weekend, I took to the beaches early in the morning and it was absolutely frigid. Cold winds blowing from directly north worked in my favor though, as I bombed diamond jigs and JoeBaggs sand eels into the surf to no avail. Not even a tap on the teaser. I hit the sand at sunrise with high expectations, and after a couple fish-less hours, I packed it in and headed inland to a river near my hometown that holds some quality white perch. To my surprise, even they did not cooperate.
A couple more hours went by without even a tap as I covered different tidal, brackish sections of the river. A steady incoming tide and sunny skies have me hope, as white perch tend to school in areas with slow-moving current to feed on any micro-organisms that tumble around in the current. The sun shed plenty of light on my already bright, chartreuse, pink and white hair jigs, but they failed to grab the attention of any nearby perch in the muddy waters.
Defeated, damp and shivering on account of the hole in my waders left bootie, I reflected on why I couldn’t buy a bite in this spot. Perhaps the tide hadn’t come in enough, but I think it was my own doing. I fished eagerly and impatiently for the white perch, and due to the brisk weather, my guess is that I was ripping my jig past them at too quick a pace. Slow and steady is usually the prevailing tactic, but as I got colder, patience fell by the wayside. It’s tough to fish low and slow when you’re chilled to the bone! Maybe trout fishing would have been a better idea.
Like I said in last weeks report, fishing soft plastics slowly along the bottom can yield more species than one in our freshwater ponds when temperatures get to be near freezing, but I didn’t take my own advice on the river. So, here I am reporting on a weekend of skunking back home. Despite those unsuccessful pursuits, there is always something to be learned after a day on the water; in some cases, difficult fishing conditions can teach us more about ourselves than about the tails we chase.
We’re halfway through December, and as we head toward January, it’s time to start tackling the off season to-do list between our limited wintertime outings. Service your reels and rods, replace guides, re-spool, exchange split rings and hooks, and organize! You’ll be thankful you didn’t wait until March, like I always make the mistake of doing!
When time allows, freshwater fishing is usually pretty reliable and can be done in close proximity to home, in most cases. If you’ve followed these reports for the past month or so, you probably know where this is going… have you hit the NYC Reservoirs yet?
Cold water on shallow Long Island ponds will freeze fast, but the deep lakes north of NYC hold some spectacular fishing. On this day exactly two years ago, I caught my personal best smallmouth bass on a 1/2-ounce gold Binsky blade bait in an NYC reservoir.
The blade bait is unstoppable in deep water during the colder months. There is a definite learning curve to fishing blades from shore, but when fished correctly, they outfish most other lures. I personally think the Binsky blade bait, designed by New Jersey’s Stephen Carey, are the best out there. There are plenty of other brands, but why not buy local when the opportunity arises? Especially when their success rate is undeniable.
In an incredible feat that I still get excited over, I caught my personal best yellow perch a few casts later. I don’t usually get excited about yellow perch, but I figured I had a small largemouth on my line until I saw the telltale golden flash and tiger-like stripes emerge from the deep, dark water.
Yellow perch can be a nuisance at times, but what a spectacular fish. Their ultra-bright, pronounced yellow and red colors always amaze me. In what was probably one of my most memorable days on freshwater, I submitted both these catches to the Brooklyn Fishing Club’s NYC Catch & Release Fishing Records for fish caught within the NYC watershed. It goes to show that time spent enduring the elements and remaining focused can bring some of our most rewarding days on the water. Freshwater might not be your thing, but keep an open mind! Here is the link to obtain a permit for fishing in the NYC Watershed.
Back to the salt. Let’s check in with the local charter boats and tackle shops.
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Looking for Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report? Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and The Forks!
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
From the Boats
Captain Josh of Gypsea Charters in Howard Beach, Queens reports:
“We managed to get in a few trips over the past week, and we had some fast action; shorts and keepers were flying over the rail some days. Other days were much slower, as we had to hit different areas and cover ground to put together a catch. Only one week left to get in on the action before the season closes!” Call/text the Gypsea (516)659-3814 for more information and availability.
Captain Rich of Rockfish Charters in Brooklyn reports:
“We got out for one charter this week, our last one on the books for tog this year. This fishing was a little better than weeks past, but still pretty poor. Lots of short tautog with 16 keepers. Not a great catch, but by today’s standards, it’s a massacre! A good portion of striped bass moved out and headed south, but there’s still lots of slot fish left in the bay and harbor.” A reminder, today 12/15 is the last day to keep slot fish in New York.
Captain Vinnie of Karen Ann Charters in Jamaica Bay reports:
“Excellent fishing continues for this point in the season; we caught 11 bass to 41 pounds in the East River late last week, and earlier in the week we had 47 slot bass landed near Atlantic Beach on live bunker. We were running bass trips when conditions allowed, but as of today (12/15) we are targeting tuna before I head south to Florida for couple months.” Call/text Captain Vinnie (516)728-6952 to get in on some December bluefin action.
The Super Hawk in Point Lookout reports:
“The fishing has been great on our last few trips, and we’re sailing every day this week (weather dependent). We will be catching jumbo sea bass, porgies, weakfish, cod, pollock and more on these trips. Our special Sunday trip will depart on Saturday night, and on Monday, we plan to go out for blackfish. Reservations are required for all trips and are made over the phone with a credit card. Boarding is done in the order the reservations are made. Call the office (516) 607-3004 for more booking information and availability!”
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Looking for Tim Regan’s Eastern Long Island Fishing Report? Click here to read what’s happening around Suffolk County and The Forks!
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
From the Shops
Brandon at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports:
“Blackfish has been good on the reefs for those that are still getting out there. We’re glad that bite finally materialized, as we were in limbo for a while between the bay bridges and the reefs. Brooklyn is fishing well for striped bass as they make their way into the harbor and Jamaica Bay, and there are some decent fish in the mix. Otherwise it’s been pretty quiet with the exception of some freshwater action here and there.”
Paul McCain at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin reports:
“Crazy fishing on the trout streams this week. I must have landed 30 to 40 fish on nymphs and dry flies fishing the Connetquot. I had fish hitting my indicator, which prompted the change to dry flies. Very few people were out fishing the river. I’m guiding on Monday there, so that will be fun knowing there are plenty of fish biting. Our ponds haven’t frozen yet, and they are fishing well for bluegill, bass and trout which have all been hitting nightcrawlers. Massapequa in particular is seeing some great trout fishing. On another note, I’ve been hearing guys catching very small stripers in the surf toward dusk, but the fish aren’t any bigger than 17 or 18 inches. The season ended today, so everything from here on out is catch and release anyway.”
Freeport Bait and Tackle reports:
“The reefs out front are fishing well for tautog, and the local party boats are still putting together a good catch of sea bass when bottom fishing offshore. The surf bite is pretty much dead at this point besides a few small fish coming on teasers fished above slender metals in the low light hours.”
Western Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
It’s safe to assume that quality sea bass and scup will keep coming over the rail on party boats like the Super Hawk for the next two weeks until the sea bass season ends on 12/31.
Tautog season comes to a close next week on 12/22, so get out there for one last trip to put some meat on the table or else you’ll be waiting til April for some fresh blackfish!
The NYC Reservoirs will continue to fish well through even the coldest weather. Use extreme caution when fishing on the often rocky, wooded shorelines. There are tons of tripping and slipping hazards. Occasional high winds send white caps splashing into rocks, which in turn, freezes overnight and can make landing fish very difficult. Be safe if you plan to fish these lakes, and try to use the buddy system when you can.
Back on the Island, the trout streams will be fishing well as long as water levels and temperatures both remain high. Small inline spinners and trout magnet on ultralight tackle will help spin anglers land more trout in the stocked ponds.
White perch will be moving further into the rivers, and can be caught in many of the same locations as holdover striped bass. Chumming with grass shrimp will help produce a bite if you van get your hands on some; small hair jigs, paddletails, grubs and metals can be jigged slowly beneath the chum in tidal portions of rivers. Areas with moving water and muddy bottoms seem prone to holding perch, but after my failed attempt last weekend, maybe try something different!
Wherever fishing finds you this week, be safe, respect the fish, respect each other and fish hard. Catch you next week!