With the weather being warmer than it has been in what seems like forever, last Friday and Saturday, many anglers finally got out for the first time. The striped bass action has been getting better in the back bays and harbors around Long Island. The Hudson River has also been producing keeper-size striped bass as well. With the ponds and lakes recently stocked with trout, the freshwater action has been consistent. Trout have not been the only freshwater species anglers have been reporting, there has also been some good reports of pickerel and carp as well. Here is the word this week from the shops around Long Island and NYC.

Keep you in the dark, and so it all begins. | #WhiteWaterOutfitters #SaltwaterFlyFishing #NightShiftCrew #WeakSelfPhotographyGame

A post shared by Jeff Lomonaco (@jefflomonaco) on Apr 18, 2018 at 11:14pm PDT

In Brooklyn at Stella Maris Bait and Tackle, Stretch told me anglers have been reporting keeper flounder at the 69th street pier. He said anglers have also caught striped bass at that location as well. He said he has also heard of striped bass being caught in Jamaica Bay. As far as blackfish go, there have been some decent action offshore. Clams and crabs have been the bait of choice.

I stopped in River Bay Outfitters yesterday to see of what reports Paul has heard lately. Paul said he was out yesterday at a local pond and caught a nice pickerel on the fly rod. He said the trout action has been pretty good since the restocking. One of his regular customers was in the shop and said he was up at the Croton River and did very well with trout.

At Causeway Bait and Tackle in Wantagh, they report there have been a few schoolie striped bass being caught in the back bays locally. Blackfishing has been slow in the back bays around the bridges. They said your best bet is still the local ponds and lakes that are yielding better catches and more action.

Got our before the season opened and got a keeper along with @_fishinthecity_ and @_.marco.711 lost two nice fish but me and eric managed to get the two keepers we where looking for while Marco was playing the numbers game not to long before the big boys role through #springrun #strippedbass #holdovers #bronx #brooklynfishingclub #brooklyn #queens #manhattan #april #onthewatermagazine #thefishermanmagazine #tightlines #kayak #kayaking #kayakfishing

A post shared by Nick (@the_extreme_fishing_show) on Apr 18, 2018 at 3:36am PDT

Also on the south shore, the crew at Bay Park Fishing Station got a report from their customers Frank and Mike that the crew headed out to the Raritan Bay and caught two nice sized bass weighing at 17.65lbs and 12.85lbs. They used green-and-white Mojos to catch them. These fish should start moving west once the water temperatures warm up.

At Captree Bait and Tackle, reports of winter flounder have been coming from the party boats. On the warm sunny days when the shallows heat up, the action has been best. They have also heard of schoolie striped bass in the inlets and in the back bays in the canals.

Putting in the time and i got rewarded. The night time thump got me addicted?? #fishing #stripedbass #surfcasting #sp #nightshift #overtime #dedication #addicted #nightfishing #guycotton #onthewatermagazine #thefisherman

A post shared by Dennis Macklin (@surfrat_4life) on Apr 18, 2018 at 11:03pm PDT

Talked to Jeff today at White Water Outfitters he said, there have been a few holdover striped bass being caught in their area of Long Island. Trout in the area has been decent as well since the restocking. Jeff himself got a couple of nice striped bass himself last night on the fly rod.

Rick at Harbor Marina of East Hampton said, cold and windy conditions persist across “The Peconics and Gardiners Bay”. In spite of the challenging conditions, local sharpies are picking schoolie Striped Bass in the back-water estuaries of the Western Peconic Bay. A few boats are finally in the water here on 3 Mile Harbor and they are starting to explore the spring Blackfish season. It has been so long without a spring Blackfish season that there has not been a great deal of interest so far this year. The Harbor Marina Ships Store is loaded up with Bait, Tackle and Supplies, so stop by if you need a hand getting ready for the upcoming season. Things should start to turn on with a few warm and sunny days.

At Miller Place Bait and Tackle, Jim told me the trout action has been very good at the Upper Lake in Yaphank. Closer to the shop in the local harbors, they have been hearing of reports of schoolie bass action on small plugs from the surf.

Terminal Tackle in Kings Park said things have been quite as of late. They did however hear of a couple of winter flounder caught in the Huntington area.

I talked to Carmine at the Camp-Site, he said the striped bass have been moving slowly into the area from the west. Schoolie sized bass have been caught from the shore in the harbors on small lures, while the few boast out have been catching larger sized fish. He has also heard of reports of white perch at the outflow of the Connetquot. Anglers have also been finding success with carp and trout in their area as well.

Fishing Forecast for Long Island

While Thursday was not the most beautiful day to head out there and wet a line, this weekend looks to be better. It looks like the temps will continue to climb over the weekend and into next week. This should mean no matter what type of fishing you are doing the action should only get better. Look for more striped bass to move west over the weekend and into next week. It is not out of the realm of possibility that the bluefish might be showing up soon. Last year around Jones Beach they showed up the first week of May which is not that far away. Freshwater should remain a solid bet for the weekend and you can target a variety of fish. All of the local shops are stocked full of everything you might need for this weekend. Have a great weekend everyone and make sure to send in your photos of your catches to photos@onthewater.com.