Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
The L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).
- Last call for tog – Season closes Dec. 22nd while sea bass runs until Dec. 31st. Party boats continue to catch quality sea bass in addition to other bottom species.
- Herring fishing heats up on the piers of both shores.
- Panfish continue to bite on small artificials in freshwater, with some bass in the mix.
- White perch bite remains consistent in the brackish waters.
Bill Falco of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale told me:
“Winter is officially here, so it’s time to engage winter fishing mode. Trout can be had in all of the stocker lakes, and in the rivers. Nymphing is your best bet this time of year. Some of the more eager trout will take down a streamer. White perch are starting to pop up, and they’re hungry! They love small jigs, and of course, a chunky nightcrawler. Light gear is best. Bass and pickerel are out lurking for meals. Slow and low is your best bet. Drop shot rigs, Texas rigs and jigs will score you plenty during the cold months. Walleye are around too. They live small swim baits and jigs. If you’re more into saltwater fishing, and also pretty crazy, you can head out on one of the charter boats for some rec fishing for cod, ling, pollock, and whatever else is lurking down there. The shop is open all winter long, with fly fishing supplies, live worms, and plenty of gear for white perch fishing.”
Paul McCain from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin said:
“Things have gone quiet in the salt and your options are either herring, white perch, or holdover stripers right now. I’ve been exclusively fishing freshwater and the best trout fishing for the next few days will be in the Connetquot River. The Catskill rivers are blown out from the rain, same with the Connecticut rivers. River Bay Outfitters will be open this weekend and on Christmas Eve until 3:00 p.m. so stop by for gear, advice, and to talk fishing!”
Joe Pellegrino of the Long Island Beach Buggy Association reports:
“Fishing wise, there isn’t much happening from shore. Maybe a striped bass or two but they are few and far between. Herring hasn’t been hot per se, but some people have been catching some on the West end of the Island.
The storm we had Sunday into Monday battered the South Shore beaches. I had eyes on Gilgo and it lost tons of sand, so much so that the old Coast Guard station’s foundation is exposed once again. I posted pics on our Facebook page yesterday morning. I know Fire Island was hit pretty bad with water coming right up to the dunes and beyond in some areas. Montauk also got slammed with some water making it past the dunes and into the streets.”
Here’s what anglers have been posting on social media:
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This week I joined the OTW crew up at the HQ in Falmouth, MA for a holiday shindig. We reflected on 2023, and toasted to 2024 with smoked trout flavored brandy, which included trout roe at the bottom of the bottle. It wasn’t bad. I didn’t get to try the green crab flavored whiskey, but the consensus was that the brandy was much better.
I participated in my first ever yankee swap and made off with some interesting lures and a sweet Shimano hoodie. Some of the other gifts that made the rounds were fishing-themed ties, energy shots, more of that lovely green crab flavored whiskey, and the most coveted gift of all – largemouth bass oven mitts.
But before I ventured up to Cape Cod, I did some freshwater fishing Monday morning before work. I went down to a local pond known for holding yellow perch, crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed, and largemouth bass up to 6 pounds. I came equipped with my ultralight rod and small soft plastics and jigs.
Ultimately, I mostly hooked panfish – a bluegill, one or two yellow perch, and a small dink bass barely larger than my hand, all on a 3-inch Keitech easy shiner. The weekend prior, I brought larger lures and ‘power fished’ hoping to find a big bass, but came up empty on those attempts; senkos, chatterbaits, lipless cranks, jerkbaits, and crawfish just couldn’t get me a bite that day. Downsizing helped break the skunk, albeit without landing that lunker I was looking for.
So with the above in mind, I’ll be hitting the sweetwater again with the ned rig. The small-profile and highly-twitchy action of a TRD finesse worm can provoke larger bass into feeding, especially when they’re lethargic. I have two retrieves in mind: a slow and steady retrieve with frequent pauses and the occasional drag along the bottom, and more of a fluke-fishing-style retrieve, with frequent quick hops along the bottom while verrry slowly reeling in the slack.
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
Herring season seems to be in full swing. Up until early this week, I hadn’t received many reports of herring catches, but now a few piers have been packed and the occasional Christmas tree has been landed. Herring fishing is simple and easy, but can be brutal on windy days when the air temperatures dip below freezing.
It’s holdover season now, and the surf has gone mostly quiet from the few reports I did receive. My advice would be to stalk the far corners of the back bays where the brackish streams flow for white perch and the opportune holdover bass.
In freshwater, the ponds and lakes are still safe from ice, with temperatures staying above 40 all weekend and into next week. Panfish have been largely cooperative–the venerable crappie magnet on a weighted float is a very good bet when targeting yellow perch, bluegill, and of course, crappie. It’s not totally unheard of to catch bass on a crappie jig as well, and this time of year, finesse-sized soft plastics could help turn the tide on a slow day.
Thank you for reading the fishing reports throughout 2023. The contributions, feedback, and comments are all greatly appreciated. From myself and the entire OTW crew – have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday!
Tight lines, as always.
The L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).