Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
- Atlantic herring fishing continues to be a grind, but some catches have been reported at various piers.
- Aggressive pickerel bite across the Long Island ponds that hold them.
- Strong white perch bite on the outgoing tides.
- Sluggish freshwater bass require finesse presentations, while panfish help avoid skunking.
Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh said:
“Happy new year! I’ll be going after some carp soon and have a lot to share once I do, but for now, the few people I hear from are telling me that the pickerel have been biting aggressively and so have the perch. Both yellow and white perch are active right now. Fishing the tidal creeks with curly tails on light tackle is tons of fun and guaranteed to catch perch if they’re schooled up there.”
Bill Falco of Chasin’ Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
“Pickerel seem to be out and aggressive right now. I’ve been hooking them with big streamers over the last few days. Anything the color of a yellow perch or baitfish will get bit. White perch action has been really good on the outgoing tides. I’ve been smacking them with small bucktail jigs on ultralight tackle.”
Paul McCain of River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin told me:
“The Connetquot is excellent right now. The water is around 50 degrees and those willing to brave he cold are catching really nice brook trout and rainbows. As for the salt, I’ve been hearing very little about herring. It seems that nobody is really catching much yet. White perch is another story. The perch have been biting and there has been a decent holdover bite if you know where to look – brackish water, where tidal creeks flow into the bays are your best bet. On Thursday, January 4th at 7:15PM I’ll be hosting a FREE fly-tying class online. You can go to Riverbayoutfitters.com for the meeting information and sign-up for my email newsletter to stay in the loop for more of my free fly-tying classes all winter!”
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
Dylan Jewell, Director of the Long Island Beach Buggy Association with a PSA:
“While we cannot control Mother Nature and the effects it has on our beaches, as surfcasters we have the opportunity to become involved in our local beach clean ups, fight for access rights and educate our future generation on the importance of beach conservation. To get involved, visit our website at libba.wildapricot.org”
Sakib Khan of the NY Hooksets in NYC told me:
“Herring fishing has been very slow but the fish are around. Recently I caught a couple of fish off one of the Long Beach fishing piers but haven’t seen any catches since. The piers have mostly been empty which is an indication of how slow the fishing is right now.”
Here’s what anglers have been posting on social media:
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If you have a catch you’d like to share, DM me on Instagram @nick_onthewater.
Happy New Year! May 2024 be your personal best, and I hope you catch your first fish of 2024 soon if you haven’t already.
I did some freshwater during the long weekend, starting with bass on Friday. Using an ultralight rod and a 1/10-ounce ned rig, I was able to entice two small bass into biting at a pond near my house.
On Saturday, I visited a pickerel haunt that has been very consistent. I hooked two chain pickerel in quick succession, first with a jerk bait and second with a top water lure. I got to view the awesome sight of the pickerel’s wake following slowly behind the lure as I worked it back to shore. On the pause, after a brief and dramatic silence, it slammed the walk-the-dog style lure and put up a great fight on a new ultralight rod I got recently.
The ability to get topwater blow-ups in the middle of winter is what makes pickerel my new favorite freshwater species. We’re fortunate to have a great fishery on Long Island for them that can really wash away the winter doldrums. There are several lakes that hold quality pickerel, which are listed in this article written by Matt Haeffner.
New Year’s Day, I visited a well-known lake near Commack and hooked my first fish of 2024 – a yellow perch. I used the same 1/10-ounce ned rig jighead with a black & blue Z-man TRD worm.
The great thing about the ned rig’s size is that you don’t eliminate the possibility of catching panfish. It’s also just a very relaxed way of fishing – you can’t be in a hurry when you’re fishing the ned rig. If you’re in a rut right now and none of your lures are getting bit, give it a shot, or just try downsizing in general. Micro-plastics and light hair jigs are very effective this time of year.
Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
It looks like old man winter is back from his nap. He was probably woken up by the fat lady singing on sea bass season. Some impressive catches were reported down to the very last day, and many anglers ended their 2023 seasons on a high note over the wrecks offshore.
While we’re still hitting highs in the 40’s this week, expect things to get much colder starting Thursday, with a snowstorm arriving Saturday into Sunday. We’ve been spoiled not having to worry about frozen guides for much of the winter so far, but that’s definitely something you’ll have to deal with until possibly the middle of next week, when its forecasted to get wet and warm once again.
The upcoming snow will put atmospheric pressure into the sweet spot that should supposedly make the fish more active. So I’d opt for throwing jerk baits this weekend. Freezing temperatures will likely ice over many of the ponds however, making your best bet bodies of moving water such as rivers, streams, or estuaries. Fishing during a snowfall is a peaceful, serene experience that you shouldn’t miss out on if you have the opportunity.
It would be wise to hit up the piers in search of herring during this weather window. Herring fishing has been spotty so far, but this storm may have the potential to ignite the bite and we might see some anglers landing ‘Christmas trees’ full of herring on their sabiki rigs. Likewise, in my last report I mentioned the abundance of spearing that have been seen in place of the herring and its a good bet the holdover striped bass will be in a biting mood as well.
Whatever you choose to target this weekend be safe, have fun, and stay warm. Thanks for reading, and tight lines.
The L.I./NYC Fishing Report is written and compiled by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).
The herring fishery has collapsed.