Long Island and NYC Fishing Report- December 11, 2025

Andrew Bernat (@tactical_bassin26) reports: “While bass fishing has slowed down, the squid bite has picked up! The local piers around Manhasset Bay, Hempstead Harbor, and Oyster Bay are loaded with squid. You can even get them during the day on pink and blue squid jigs, but the bite is always better at night if you have lights. During nighttime missions, I prefer pink or yellow jigs. The squid range in size from 5 to 7 inches, and although they’d make great table fare, I’m not eating them; it’s the perfect time to load up on fluke bait for next season. When I freeze squid, I typically put them in a plastic bag with salt water mixed in, which prevents them from getting too soft.”

Captain Jess Rogers of Gypsea Charters out of Brooklyn reports: “Super fishing this past week! We saw two double-digit tog hit the deck, with a couple just missing the mark as well. We have been targeting these bigger fish in deeper water as the temperatures drop. Patience is the name of the game, and some anglers were definitely rewarded. The two big ones weighed in at 10.12 lbs and 14.4 lbs. Congrats to the anglers! Only a couple weeks left to get in those tog trips!” 

Sean Conway (@long_island_fishing_guy) reports: “This week, the freshwater bite died off. While perch, crappie and walleye were plentiful lately, this week they went dormant. I believe that the super cold temps may have shocked them to some degree. Time will tell.”

Gary Huang (@gh_fishing26) reports: “As temps drop, fishing for NYC reservoir trout is heating up. With the majority of the fish done spawning, they are moving back into the open lakes, hungrier than ever and chasing alewives throughout the water column. Especially in the next week, anglers will be breaking ice off their guides and possibly navigating through some frozen edges, but the reservoirs likely won’t lock up entirely until after the new year. The week leading up to Christmas will see a slight warm-up that will keep trout relatively active before they settle into their mid-winter patterns. As always, heavier spoons and spinners will do the trick this time of the year, helping you cover more water and find some fish on the chew. It’s important to work your lures almost as slowly as possible without compromising action; just let the flash and flutter of the jigs do their thing. Also, be sure to hit the whole water column. Browns are typically closer to the surface at dawn, but they are notoriously unpredictable fish and could be chasing bait balls anywhere in from top to bottom.”

Mark at Cow Harbor Tackle in Northport reports: “This week we repainted the shop, and moved some things around! We are super excited for spring. We plan on bringing in more products, so stay tuned! The freshwater fishing up here has been decent, but it’s brutally cold!”

Bill Falco from Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale reports: “The winter cold is setting in, and the slow months are upon us. This time of year we like to go look for white perch, holdover striped bass, trout, and all sorts of freshwater fish. The white perch can be a lot of fun, especially on light or ultralight tackle. These cousins of the striped bass put on a great fight and tend to school up. They love jigs, and I have my best luck with marabou hair jigs, or curly tail grubs. The holdover stripers love small paddletails and jerk shads. Move slowly, because the fish are too. Trout action is great in all of the local stocked lakes, as well as in Connetquot Park. The stockers in the lakes eat everything from gold and silver spoons to smelly dough baits to worms. Connetquot Park provides fly fishing fun all winter long and is stacked with nice fish. Me and my buddy, Vinny Cagnina, fished there on Saturday and had an amazing time. He was swinging nymphs and I brought out the streamers. We had a blast pulling bulldog brookies and hammer rainbows out from their hiding spots. The lakes, on the other hand, are loaded up and they provide tons of fun for kids and family. Panfish like crappie, bluegill and yellow perch are schooled up and happily eating worms and little spinners.”

This week I spent my time getting my boat ready for shrink wrap. Cleaning out all of the hatches, organizing, and removing all the spare striper plugs from the boat is certainly a task. That said, I’m happy to kick off the fly-tying season! This year I’ll be tying plenty of tuna flies on heavy gauge Gamakatsu hooks. Most of the tuna style flies that I tie include long flatwing hackle, large eyes, and Squimpish hair. As for bass flies, I’ll be preparing plenty of Clouser minnows on jig hooks. These are killer springtime flies on the North Shore of the Island and in Raritan Bay.

When it comes to tackle maintenance, I promised myself I wouldn’t mess around anymore. I’ll be dropping off all my tuna and bass reels for service as soon as possible. Having your gear serviced as a new saltwater season is beginning—or worse, mid-season—is brutal!

It feels like in a week’s time, all of Long Island has frozen and with it, so has the fishing. It is seriously cold! If you’re brave enough to bare the elements, there are plenty of reservoirs, lakes, and ponds from north of NYC to the east end of LI with hungry trout, walleye, bass, pickerel, and carp. All it takes is a little research to find which waters hold your desired species and you’ll quickly learn about the excellent freshwater fishing opportunities around Long Island and the greater NYC area.

One great spot to hit is the Connetquot River. Whether you’re experienced or new to fly fishing for trout, the Connetquot River State Park Preserve is a fantastic place to fish in the winter. The river is home to populations of stocked rainbows, brookies, and browns. As far as fishing access, the Connetquot runs on a “beat system” in which anglers pay $25 for a 4-hour session. Each angler is assigned to their own section of the river, so you can enjoy some peace and quiet and have pockets of fish all to yourself.

Having been there, I must say you’ll probably catch more fish in 4 hours than you know what to do with! Keep in mind, the Connetquot is open to fly fishing only, so bring plenty of squirmy worms, small streamers, mop flies, and egg flies.