Long Island and NYC Fishing Report
Mark from Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle in Northport reports: “It’s a little early, but there are a few schoolies being caught here and there in the back of the North Shore bays. The bait of choice is minnow-style plugs, such as SP Minnows and Mag Darters. Most of the bait in the back consists of spearing. Otherwise guys are trout fishing locally with earthworms and spinners.”
Ethan at White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports: “I haven’t heard much, but in the back bay, white perch and schoolie bass have been chewing. If you’re looking to catch white perch, curly tail grubs and trout magnets are the key. We anticipate that the first trickle of migratory fish should come into the area at the end of April. The bridges, and Smith’s Point should be fishing well by then!”
Chaz (@mtkill_) in Montauk reports: “March was pretty good. I hit a lot of freshwater and brackish spots. The species count is crazy already. White perch, crappie, striper, carp, pickerel, bluegill, brown trout, walleye, and smallies. White Hollow Fleyes have been perfect for mimicking white perch or alewives.”
Brandon at Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh reports: “There are some blackfish in the local bays, otherwise guys are fishing freshwater and chasing bass, stocked trout, and bluegill in Twin Lakes. We’re still a ways out from any major saltwater action. No bait has entered the local inlets, but it should start picking up by the end of April.”
Bill Falco (@fishlongisland) of Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “Spring is in the air, and the fish are biting! Freshwater action is starting to blow up all over the island. Yellow perch, crappie, walleye, pickerel, trout, smallies, and largemouth are all out and about, looking to start eating well. Fish small and slow to improve your chances of hooking up. The perch and crappie are eating small jigs, fished under a float. Trout are going crazy on wax worms, red wigglers, PowerBait dough, Kastmasters, and inline spinners. For the walleye and bass, 3- and 4-inch swimbaits have been working very well; add an underspin for enhanced visibility and vibration. In the salt, flounder season and the short-but-sweet spring tautog season is open, and stripers are up next. The bass are starting to poke out of their usual early spots—lots of schoolies, and a few larger fish. Bigger fish are showing up in Jersey and way west. Poppers, jerk shads, and small swimbaits excel this time of year.”
Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) in Eastern Long Island reports: “I’ve been getting on some largemouth during the day, especially on the warmer days. The slow-rising Shadow Rap jerkbait in perch color is all I’ve needed to get bit. Walleye fishing at night is also super productive. Again, the Shadow Rap in perch or black/silver patterns have been the best options. I’ve basically been working the lure the same for both walleye and bass—slow, with 1-2 twitches and a pause. Most of the hits are on the pause.”
Paul from River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin reports: “People have been fishing around the North Shore, in the western bays. We need a warm spell to get the water temps up. I just saw my first osprey this morning, which is a good indicator that spring fishing is about to heat up. I prefer a low tide in the spring around 11 or 12 to let the mud warm up; once the tide starts coming in during the afternoon, the fish start coming up on the mudflats. In freshwater, the rivers are in good shape. The Connetquot has been crowded but it’s been good. The fishing season is just beginning, but it’s looking like it should be a great spring.”
From the Western Long Island Sound, Nick Cancelliere (@nick_onthewater) reports: “Holdovers have been feeding more actively in the western back bays of the Sound as temperatures ramp up, but those nightly lows have kept a lid on things. Still, there’s fish to be caught on SP minnows during the peak flood and early parts of the outgoing tide, especially in shallow areas that get plenty of sun during the day. On the freshwater side of things, largemouth bass have been biting aggressively in their pre-spawn mode. Likewise, stocked trout can be found in most ponds and won’t pass up a spinner, spoon, or PowerBait dough. The real fun is yet to come as those Hudson and Chesapeake fish start to spawn. Just a few more weeks and we should all be catching migratory fish!”
Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) in the Western Long Island Sound reports: “I’m finding fish in the North Shore bays up to 35 inches; finding moving water is key. The last two hours of the incoming into the first two hours of outgoing are great. Slow-moving baits are essential, as the water temperature is still in the mid to low 40s. The bait I’m seeing is mostly spearing, and some small schools of bunker. The plug doing the job has been the Daiwa SP-17F in chicken scratch pattern. Light leader in the 15- to 20-pound-test range is crucial as the water is fairly clear.”
Aaron Diener (@aarondiener) in the Greater NYC area reports: “Last week I woke up twice at sunrise looking for bunker and didn’t see any; I’m assuming they’ll be moving in this week. After I get back from trout fishing tomorrow, I am going to hit the salt again. Water temps after this week’s higher 50-degree weather should help. SP minnows, Joe Baggs Swarters, 1-ounce NBLNs, and Danny plugs will be in my bag.”
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Andddd were back! While it’s early in the season, I’ve been fishing hard every night in the back bays. This time last year, striper fishing was lights out, but the cold winter has made our early season holdover run difficult. That said, I’ve been lucky enough to find fish to 14 pounds on SP Minnows. The key has been fishing near warm-water outflows on the outgoing tides.
The inconsistency in weather (cold and rainy) has made for a challenging bite. Each time we get a decent warm spell, some brutally cold nights set us back a few paces. In my plug bag, I’m currently fishing all minnow-style plugs and small shads. By mid-April, things should heat up nicely. On the freshwater side, I had an epic night on April 1 chasing walleye with my good friends Sean Conway and Andrew Bernat. Pulling up to our spot, we were immediately into walleye up to 22 inches on jerkbaits. The key is a hard twitch-and-pause retrieve. The total count for the night was near 10 fish!
As the water heats up, I’m excited to throw some big metal lips and Red Fins. For my own sanity, I’m happy to be back in the salt doing what I love.
Long Island & NYC Fishing Forecast
Don’t forget to service those reels, change those hooks, and slap on some new braid. Spring patterns will be in full swing in a matter of weeks. As of April 1st, spring tog season is open in the NY Bight and LI Sound regions. If you’re into togging, there are plenty of charter boats preparing to get out there and fish. For gear, I’d recommend the standard 7-foot medium power rod with 20-pound braid, 20- to 30-pound leader, and some light jigs. If you’re looking for bass, it’s going to be a grind, but there are holdover fish milling around the back bays. Expect these stripers to be anywhere from schoolie size to 20 pounds. Try throwing minnow plugs on an 8- to 9-foot setup, which should keep it fun and sporty!
Ideal areas to focus your efforts consist of warm water discharges and shallow mud flats. The fish are cold and lethargic, but on the right day or night, they will chew. I’d time your outings on or after a warm day. Muddy backwaters tend to hold and absorb heat, which makes for comfortable staging conditions for stripers. As for your plug bag, be sure to carry a range of minnow style plugs including the SP, Swarter, Crystal Minnow, Hydro Minnow, and Mag Darter. I personally prefer blurple, chicken scratch, and bone/white patterns. As a rule of thumb, if you’re bumping bottom with your plug, try using a shallower diving minnow such as a Hydro Minnow. These plugs ride higher in the water column and will provide you with a better presentation during lower tides.
In regards to freshwater, the local lakes and ponds around Long Island are full of trout, pickerel, bass, and walleye. These bodies of water are much warmer than your local bays. Lures like X-Raps, Shadow Raps, and other small, suspending jerkbaits should fool largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, pickerel, and walleye into chewing!
Looking ahead, it would appear we’re going to get some rain for the remainder of the week. Temps will be as high as 60 and as low as 30. Again, we just need consistent warm weather to really get things moving! If you can get out on a 60-degree day or night, you just might smoke a good fish!