Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Eastern Long Island
The Eastern Long Island Fishing Report is compiled and written by writer/blogger and fly-fishing industry professional, Jack Larizadeh (@jack.lariz).
Bill Falco at Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Yes, the bass are still here, and yes, there are still slots and over slots. It’s been an insane late fall run this year. The massive blitzes under clouds of birds, and schools of bait are just not stopping. These hungry bass are eating just about everything you toss at them. We’re selling lots of diamond jigs of course, but also bucktails, swim shads, SP Minnows, and darters. Poppers and spooks are still getting crashed on, too. Our doors are open and the stock of essentials for the rest of the bass season is here. We’re even still seeing some life on the open beaches—everything from little guys to slot-size fish are still around. Tog action seems to be just as great, judging by all the photos I see from customers that have been heading out. Everybody seems to be into jigging this year, and the tog certainly don’t mind. We’ve been getting into some fun hatchery river fishing at Connetquot. The boys and I took a trip there the other day, and the bite was hot. I was tossing big streamers all day, and getting nonstop hookups. My buddy, Chaz, was fishing a dry dropper setup and absolutely cleaning house with it. Risers-a-plenty and lots and lots of midge eaters. Vinny was swinging small streamers all day and doing very well, pulling fish out of all sorts of tight spaces. We’re going to start heading upstate for more trout fishing this time of year, as we usually do, until it gets too cold to even do that. We’ve fished many icy banks and drove many miles for little (and sometimes zero) reward—a desperate attempt to hold on to fishing through all 12 months—as we make fun of each other with, “That’s why they call it fishing!” and “It’s all for the experience!”
On The Water’s Assistant Editor, Matt Haeffner, showed up to town for the holiday last week. Matt hopped on the Nancy Ann IV out of Orient and reported: “The boat cracked ‘em on Saturday for the Nancy Ann’s last voyage of the year. I had the rough day of the group with 2 keepers out of the six fish I caught. Just one of those days. We fished around boulder piles in 60 to 80 feet of water on the incoming tide, with a mix of green crabs and white leggers on single hook rigs and slider rigs. We left the marina at 6:20 with an hour ride to the spot, which was within the NY Bight regulations, and the 10 of us reached a boat limit by 11:30 AM. The pool winner went 8 pounds 7 ounces on the scale by a hair—it was a close bout with 4 other contenders around the same size. Cold and windy conditions, but the tog were chewing well.”
Hilton at Whitewater Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “Tuna are still swimming around but they’re moving west and heading out into deeper water. There were some small bass on the south shore beaches late last week but they seem to have moved on. The blackfish bite is still phenomenal—the fish are chewing, all you need is a weather window.”
Phil at Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “There isn’t much happening for blackfish or bass, however, the squid fishing is great. There are tons of large squid in the Sound and they’re chewing jigs. If you’re looking to cash in on the action, you’ll need a strong green floodlight and some squid jigs. The green and white colored jigs seem to be doing the best, simply drop it down under the light and slowly work it through the column with pops.”
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This past week has been incredible. Usually, by December, the fishing tends to rapidly slow down; however, I’ve been on an incredible bite deep in the Western Sound. At nighttime, in 30-degree temps, I’m finding fish to 20 pounds eating 14-inch squid. The ticket has been slow-rolling soft plastics through the column, like white swim shads, Savage Gear Eels, and JoeBaggs Block Island Eels.
I’ve also dialed in a fly fishing bite with large, white Half-and Halfs, Deceivers, and even Beast Fleyes. The key to catching low-hanging fish has been 400 grain sinking line. This allows the fly to get down between 20 to 30 feet with ease. A couple strips and pauses will have the fish hammering it. That said, there is a ton of structure to get stuck on, so I’m always ready to wrench the fish off the bottom. Looking toward the future, I’m living day by day and trying to get out in between the gnarly winds and frigid temps. Hopefully the bite continues.
Eastern Long Island Fishing Forecast
While the Western Sound has been fishing well, the Eastern Sound is tough. If you’re keen on getting in on a bite, hop on blackfish charter before the LI Sound season ends (12/9). There are still a few tog kicking around in deeper water and they’re willing to participate. It might be frigid, but if you’re looking for action it’s your best bet.
In the surf the fish are getting smaller and the water temperatures are getting colder. That said, as one season ends, another begins. The offshore wreck fishing is going to be hot—cod, pollock, and even sea bass will continue to chew. If you’re looking to tap into a winter fishery, try your hand at deepwater wreck trips. It’ll keep a bend in your rod and some meat in the freezer.
I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. If you continue to fish, power to ya! But hey, I wouldn’t blame you for putting down the rod either! It’s been a long and fun season…
The Eastern Long Island Fishing Report is compiled and written by writer/blogger and fly-fishing industry professional, Jack Larizadeh (@jack.lariz).
Western Long Island & NYC
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).
- Striped bass still line the South Shore feasting on bunker and sand eels.
- North Shore stripers settle into the back bays gorging on squid, while the Western Long Island Sound sees an uptick in action at night on hard structure.
- Blackfish continue to bite; deeper structure has started to produce better.
- Ghost bluefin still on the bunker pods.
Brandon Weitz from Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh told me: “The beach bite has slowed down but the boat fishing is still lights-out! The inlets are your best bet from shore. Most of the action is happening right outside the inlets and you wont have to go far in a boat. Fish are eating topwaters, flutter spoons, and pretty much anything you throw at them. We’ve had bass all the way from the Coast Guard station to the inlet. With fewer boats around you won’t have much competition! Even crazier than the bass is the fact that we still have a solid ghost bluefin bite going on. If you troll a ballyhoo right now, you’re very likely to hook into one. But the guys down in Jersey have been getting them on lures and lighter spinning tackle, with some smaller fish around 40 inches, which is a blast. It’s just incredible how this fall has been. Go enjoy it while it lasts and stop by Causeway if you need to re-up on tackle!”
Jamie from Bay Park Fishing Station in Oceanside said: “Bass bite is still on! Stripers from slot size up to 40 pounds are still blitzing like clockwork every morning. The bluefin bite continues to be reliable as well. This can change any day now, so get it while its hot. We will be open Thursday through Sunday for the rest of December, come down and get your holiday shopping done early!”
Josh Rogers from Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Very good ocean blackfishing continued this past week with fish up to 7 pounds. We have been bouncing around different wrecks in depths ranging from 40 to 80 feet, each producing quality keepers and plenty of short life to keep rods bent throughout the day. As the water continues to cool, and we start hitting 100-foot depths, the chance at landing a jumbo is better than ever! Only a couple weeks left of blackfish season, so get out there!”
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Long Island and NYC!
I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! We’ve reached December, and the bunker, striped bass, and ghost bluefin off the South Shore have stuck around. Blackfish continue to chew close to shore while the deeper reefs and wrecks have seen an uptick in activity. Meanwhile, squid have given the North Shore bass something to chase, and the back bays are holding plenty of life. Bring warm layers, there are fish to catch.
The South Shore has been incredible this fall. A lot of anglers found luck on Thanksgiving morning, my co-worker Matt Haeffner and buddies Nick Cherkas and Sean Conway got into an incredible blitz the morning of Turkey Day. You can read his full write-up about the hours-long blitz here.
Meanwhile, my buddy Jack has been on a good bite in the Western Sound on artificial eels. He’s caught quality bass up to 20 pounds just jigging those plastics beside structure, where the stripers have been staging up to ambush an easy meal. When he’s done chasing those larger fish, there’s always been a schoolie or even a slot-size bass waiting for him in the dock lights to be caught on the fly.
Despite the activity in the salt, the weekend after stuffing I decided to fish a beat on the Connetquot. It was a cold morning with frozen guides and stiff fingers. A few deer strolled in to where I was fishing and didn’t seem bothered by me, and I enjoyed their company and the peace and quiet. The surrounding foliage does a good job of insulating the noise from Sunrise Highway and I was fortunate to enjoy fishing around the beats with only two other anglers being there that morning. Even on my way out in the parking lot, I didn’t see many others on their way to fish the afternoon session.
The fish weren’t quite in a feeding mood, and it seemed like they were actually spawning (or attempting to), as occasionally you’d see some acrobatics upstream, and one fish I caught spilled a few eggs into the net. Streamers were short-striked, and nymphs were all I could get them to turn on. The larger rainbows wanted no part of any of it, and the morning was mostly spent hooking the smaller brookies and rainbows that didn’t know any better.
The river was in good shape despite the lack of rain, and it was flowing fast in some of the bends and chokepoints. There were plenty of fish to mess with on every beat, and it wasn’t hard to coax a bite despite the lack of activity. If you’ve never fished the Connetquot before, here’s a great article to get you started.
On my way home, I stopped at Hempstead Lake and, as expected, found the water levels much lower than usual. Combined with poor water clarity and ducks covering most of the water, it was just a snag-fest with every cast landing immediately into weeds on the bottom. It re-emphasized the unfortunate loss of Stump Pond at Blydenburgh Park. I’m going to have to do some exploring this winter and likely take a few trips Out East and upstate to get my freshwater fix.
Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
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Western Long Island Fishing Forecast
Your options are far from limited. Party boats continue to sail for striped bass, fishing until the closure of the season on December 15th. Blackfish season in Long Island Sound ends on December 9th, but continues until the 22nd in the NY Bight region. The way the inshore bite has been, I would consider a late-season blackfish trip if you’re looking to bend the rod some more and bring home fresh fish.
After that, you still have a brief open season for black sea bass and porgy (both close on Dec. 31), and boats from Montauk to Captree will be running wreck trips all season long. You can really fish the salt year-round if you want to. But those cold-weather 30-mile steams aren’t for the feint of heart. Personally, I shift my attention to freshwater this time of year.
I know plenty of anglers taking trips down to New Jersey, and that’s fine. They’re definitely in the middle of the same fishing we’ve been enjoying the past couple of weeks. But there’s still action to be had off the beaches here, and especially if you have access to a boat. Most boaters have hauled out, so you’re pretty likely to get a blitz all to yourself if you make it out there. Likewise party boat trips should have more elbow-room at the rail.
I’m having difficulty hanging up the salt rods and emptying my tackle boxes with all this consistent action. Plenty of opportunity out there—get after it! Thanks for reading, and tight lines.
The Western L.I./NYC Fishing Report is compiled and written by NYSDEC licensed kayak fishing guide, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater).