Eastern Long Island Fishing Report
- Keeper tog are chewing crabs on jigs.
- Warm temps and light wind made for perfect back bay conditions.
- The freshwater fishing remains solid, stocked ponds remain a lock and load option.
- Bunker are trickling in with larger bass in tow.
Mark at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports:
“Lots of bass are being caught and blackfish are in shallow chewing well. There are currently bass up to 20 pounds being caught in the back harbors at night. The wind died off, and the temperatures went up, which triggered a feed. Minnow plugs such as Hydro Minnows and SP Minnows, and of course, soft plastics, have been the ticket. As for tog, green crabs and fiddlers cut in half and rigged on a jig are doing the trick”
Jeff at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports:
“A couple of guys are picking holdovers and a ton of bunker around but not much on them. In the freshwater scene, largemouth and pickerel are eating alewives, so suspending jerkbaits and large swimbaits are the ticket to big fish in the ponds.”
Bill at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports:
“Striper season is officially open, and they must have gotten the memo because they’re here! Bass are being spotted up and down the south and north shores. Shads, swimming plugs, poppers, darters, and jigs are getting smacked hard by migrating stripers. Fly guys are having a blast tossing clousers and deceivers at them and hooking up regularly. White perch action is picking up again, too. These feisty little cousins of the striped bass are a blast on light gear. They’ll eat worms and they love crushing small jigs.
On the freshwater side of things, all of the local lakes have been stocked with trout, and fishing is on fire. Inline spinners, spoons, small jigs and of course a worm and bobber rig will have them on the end of the line all day. Yellow perch and bluegill are starting to school up in the shallows and are slurping down worms left and right. Inline spinners and small jigs also work very well. Walleye are lurking the darkness and smashing jerkbaits and swimbaits for the few anglers chasing them. They love a bright-colored paddletail. ”
Captain Dave Flanagan of North Island Fly in Smithtown reports:
“I’ve been seeing loads of spearing in the Huntington area. I have yet to see a pod of bunker, but I have seen osprey returning to nests with them, so they are around. I know of schoolies to fish just over the slot size being caught in most of the usual spring time spots from oyster bay through port Jefferson’, but not every tide has been producing.. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some steady fishing by this weekend. I also know of a fluke already caught locally, as well as some spring blackfishing. I’m sure there are already schools of porgies and the weakfish shouldn’t be far behind. Looking forward to starting my season next weekend. I have a handful of days left in May and still some decent availability for the month of June”
From the North Shore, Sean Conway reports:
“I’m finding a steady pick of fish in the late evening. It has been primarily large schoolies and over-slot bass. I’ve been finding the best action using minnow-style plugs (like Daiwa SPs and Yo-Zuri Hyrdo Minnows). A slow sweeping technique has been the most productive retrieve. Fish are hitting the plug at the end of the cast, right as you begin the retrieve.”
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As for my endeavors, I spent another week on my boat in the western Sound. Torrential downpours followed by inconsistent weather made for some funky fishing. That said, water temperatures climbed from roughly 52 degrees at the end of last week to 56 as of April 17th. At the end of last week, the south wind and incoming tide slicked out the bay making for perfect back bay conditions. Creeping an SP Minnow in bone white during the day was fruitful, with fish to 10 pounds.
Once the weekend hit we were faced with gnarly 40mph winds and dense rain, which washed out this past Saturday. Come Sunday the 15th, a west wind and incoming tide made for a wind-against-tide situation, so the back bay was kicked up the for most of the day; however, my buddy Ben and I toughed it out and caught a dozen fish to 12 pounds on the fly.
The most conducive technique for the job was dredging 4-inch white Deceivers with full-sink 8 wt line in 15 to 23 feet of water. We simply cast up current, allow the fly to drop back and scope out, and begin a slow strip back to the boat. Most of our action came in during the outgoing tide in the late afternoon.
At the beginning of this week, a sudden spike in warm temperatures seemed to have stunned the fish a bit, so the daytime bite was non existent and fish had lockjaw. That said, when temps stabilized at night, slot-class stripers began to chew deep into the outgoing tide.
As the full moon approaches on April 23rd, I’ll be looking to swing monster Beast Fleyes through the creek mouths in hopes of landing a giant spring bass. Over the next few weeks, an influx of porgies and bluefish should begin to trickle in, and come May 1st, the entire island will be lit up with fish. I’m most looking forward to hitting the south shore beaches for mega bluefish.
» Check out the Western Long Island & NYC Fishing Report
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
Daytime temperatures should remain in the high 50s to low 60s, and night temperatures will hover in the high 40s to low 50s. Based on the colder nights, the daytime bite should be strong. Fishing near creek mouths during outgoing tides should bring a nice pick of fish. When water is released out of shallow warm creeks, the surrounding water will warm 1-2 degrees which can make a huge difference in fish activity. As temperatures warm up and bunker flood the backwaters, slow-rolling plugs on the surface will pay dividends in attracting larger fish. Three productive surface swimmers are the Sebile Magic Swimmer, Cotton Cordell Red Fin, and Danny plugs. The key is to reel fast enough to engage the plug into its typical side-to-side waddle. These plugs can be fished in either the daytime or nighttime. That said, if your looking for some consistent action, you can’t go wrong with the SP Minnow, NLBN, or Hydro Minnow. As for freshwater, the largemouth, pickerel, and trout continue to feast. If you’re looking for a giant largemouth, stick to big swimbaits!
The Eastern Long Island Fishing Report is compiled and written by writer/blogger and fly-fishing industry professional, Jack Larizadeh (@jack.lariz).
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