Long Island, New York Fishing Report - March 24, 2016

The stripers are back—at least in a few places around Long Island. Freshwater still offers the best odds of action, but the backwaters are stacked with bait, and stripers have been reported by Long Island anglers.

John at Hudson Park Bait and Tackle in King’s Park said there have been plenty of anglers trying their luck for schoolie stripers, and he’s heard a few have had success.

Paul at River Bay Outfitters had heard several reports of small stripers taken in the back bays, and one report of a larger fish taken in Little Neck Bay. Little Neck is a perennial hotspot for catching stripers early in the season. Paul said the bays are loaded with bunker and peanut bunker that never left last fall. He’d even heard a report of a bluefish being caught in Jamaica Bay.

The trout have been stocked, and the freshwater fishing is great Paul said. Most of the action right now is at the Connetquot or the trout-stocked ponds, but Paul said the Carman’s River is slated to be stocked next week, which will add another option for freshwater fishermen. Fly-fishermen venturing off the island to the Mianus are finding great dry-fly fishing, usually catching 6 to 8 trout in an outing.

Carmine at Camp Site Sport Shop in Huntington recommended the Connetquot for anglers with trout on the mind. He’d also heard reports about the stripers in Little Neck Bay. Anglers have also been catching herring in Oyster Bay Carmine reported.

The Carnasie Pier has been another herring hotspot reported the crew at Stella Maris Bait and Tackle in Brooklyn.  A few mackerel have been mixed in with the herring as well. Bunker have moved in, so “The food’s in the fridge,” reported the Stella Maris crew. It should only be a couple weeks before the stripers arrive in numbers. A few fish have been caught around the George Washington Bridge lately. Remember the striper season is catch-and-release only until April 15 for marine waters and April 1 for Hudson River waters north of the GW Bridge.

Winds kept the East End party boats at the dock this week. The Viking Fleet hasn’t sailed in over a week, but when they were able to get out, they found good cod action. It looks like the wind is going to once again hamper fishing efforts Friday and Saturday, but Sunday’s forecast looks promising.

Long Island Fishing Forecast

The striper action has been limited to the extreme western end of the island, specifically in Little Neck Bay. Fortunately, the freshwater and trout fishing has been good all around the island, and will be plenty to occupy anglers as they wait for more stripers to arrive and spread out around the island.

One of the best tactics for spring trout is dunking nightcrawlers after a rain. Rains wash worms into the ponds and trout make an easy meal of them. In addition to trout, a wriggling nightcrawler might attract bass, perch, bluegills or carp.