Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Update: February 27, 2025
- Holdover striped bass biting in the back bays, now free of ice
- Most water should be ice-free, but some stubborn skim ice may be around where the sun doesn’t shine.
- Pickerel and largemouth bass should be very willing players with this warmer weather.
- Stocked trout continue to bite on the rivers, pond trout should have renewed enthusiasm and be more accessible
This warm stretch of weather really brought the winter doldrums to the peak. When winter is actually winter, and we get fishable ice, its actually not so bad, as we saw just weeks ago. Now, however, it’s the usual mix of mud, ice, and rain that comes with a mild winter.
While most water should be clear by now, some ponds that are tucked into the foliage still have skim ice. I’ve been hammering the same spillway over and over for dink largemouth and the occasional perch or bluegill in my local water. But the back bays are wide open for holdover fishing, and the rivers don’t freeze up. So there’s plenty of water to cast into, even if its not necessarily in your backyard. Also, cod trips aboard the party boats will be much more pleasant if the weather holds. We’re only a day away from March, which means the spring transition is almost upon us, if not already given the temperature shift.
Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
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Long Island Fishing Forecast
We’re riding a rollercoaster of up-and-down temperatures. However, it looks like the warmer weather is winning out. I don’t know if it will precipitate another blast of arctic weather, and neither does the weather man for that matter. Consistent overnight temperatures above freezing should really put the blowtorch on any remaining skim ice, and every bit of water on the island should be open for business.
If you’ve been putting off holdover fishing—now is the time. Otherwise, largemouth bass and pickerel should really be fired up, pickerel especially. I like to throw a swim jig with a crawfish or paddletail trailer on warmer days, then fall back on a jerkbait with a snap-snap-pause retrieve on colder days. The weather has got me back to fishing morning and night bites, rather than just mid-day lunch bites.
This Saturday I’ll be manning the OTW booth at the Ward Melville Fishing Expo with my coworker and OTW Assistant Editor, Matt Haeffner. Stop by and grab some freebies and talk fishing with us. We’ll also have some special offers for an OTW magazine subscription, and pre-registering for the Striper Cup! I hope to see you all at the show.
February 13, 2025
- Party boats sailing for cod this weekend.
- Above-freezing temperatures likely to create sketchy conditions for ice fishing. If you want to ice fish, heading upstate is a safer bet.
- Connetquot River still offering consistent fishing no matter the weather.
- Good bite for white perch and holdover striped bass in the estuaries, which should be clear of ice.
Ice fishing on Long Island is a sketchy proposition with warmer weather incoming. A safer bet is anywhere clear of ice with moving water, like the Connetquot or Carmans rivers. Estuaries should be holding white perch and holdover striped bass as well.
It’s also worth mentioning the King Cod has a trip scheduled for Saturday, 2/15 with a few spots still available. They’ve posted a few pictures on their Facebook page of customers who brought home a nice pick of cod from a recent trip. The Super Hawk out of Point Lookout is also planning to sail this holiday weekend on the 15th, 16th, and 17th for cod and ling. Reservations are required over the phone.
Otherwise, I would suggest heading upstate or into New England where they’ve had consistent cold and great ice fishing—probably the best in years. Check with local shops about whats biting and where there may be safe ice.
Here’s what local anglers have been posting on social media:
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Long Island and NYC Fishing Forecast
With warmer weather in the forecast for this weekend, a brief ice-out period may provide the opportunity to hit up ponds and lakes that have been inaccessible for much of the winter. We have some wet snow coming on Saturday and Sunday, which should lead to great fishing for trout on rivers like the Connetquot, or bass and panfish in the newly-thawed ponds. As of right now, it looks like some freezing temperatures will hit us again next week.
The up-and-down temperatures will make ice fishing opportunities scarce and skim ice a constant obstacle to overcome. For consistency, your best bet is the rivers and streams, where trout are thriving in the cold water and still being caught on wet flies; other productive areas worth trying are places with moving current like brackish estuaries that hold white perch and winter holdover striped bass. Hair jigs and small soft plastics worked slowly over bottom in deeper pockets of slow-moving current should get the job done.
Anglers are left with only one other option to wet a line over the next week or so, and that’s with a headboat trip for cod and ling.