Long Island, Metro NY - Long Island Metro NY Freshwater Fishing Reports

Winter is here, but you would not know it by the temperatures we have enjoyed. As for freshwater fishing, the best bet is trout in some of the stocked ponds and the state parks. I stopped by Patchogue Lake in late January and the water was 47 degrees, which is cold, but not for brown trout. Walleye make another great choice in the cooler waters.

John at J&J Sports in Patchogue said there are several options for anglers. You can try your luck at Connetquot River State Park for fly fishing. Patchogue locals are reporting consistent catches of rainbow and brook trout using bead headed nymphs and wooly buggers. Also on the warmer days they are still doing some dry fly fishing. Large schools of brown trout can provide you with some light tackle action. West Lake, located right up the block from the shop, is an excellent place to start. Also as a reminder, West Lake was stocked twice last fall with brown trout. Anglers have not hit this lake that hard, so chances are good for action. Yellow perch can be another fun freshwater species to target in these slow months. A simple float rig with a piece of a nightcrawler is all that is needed to have a good shot at them. Many of the Perch get quite fat this time of the year so be ready for a nice fight on a lighter rod. The shop is stocking up on many of the fly fishing products for an enjoyable day at the park. They are open seven days a week, and also have live shiners in stock. One of our most overlooked species available at Lake Ronkonkoma and Fort Pond in Montauk are walleye. Walleye are active all winter and will readily take Rapala jerk style baits and Senko worms.

Over at River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin, Paul said we have been blessed with this warmer weather and plenty of water. Plus having all the streams open this year has given anglers a lot of opportunities. As of late January, the rivers are high but fishable. Look for the slower pools or fish the edges. Most times you will be fishing with nymphs or streamers but there will be times when there will be a midge hatch and that will bring the trout to the surface. The ponds are also producing with panfish and the stocked trout from the fall. The Connetquot as always is fishing very well but on nice days you can expect most beats to be filled. If you can fish in the middle of the week or on a nasty day you will be able to get some of the choice beats. Paul has been spending most of his time at the fly tying bench or getting ready for the upcoming shows. River Bay Outfitters will be having a booth at the Ward Melville Fishing Expo on Saturday, March 4th. Save the date of Saturday March 25th for the Fly Fishing Expo of Long Island. A full day of everything Fly Fishing. There will be something for beginners or experts. A great to start the season.

At Paulie’s Tackle in Montauk, shop regular Chris Albronda reported it was an excellent week to close out the 2022 reports. Chris said Fort Pond was hot as there were enough largemouth bass, smallmouth, and walleye to go around. Every spot he fished this past week produced one of the three. There were white perch, crappie, and yellow perch to be caught as well. Chris ended his week with some light tackle carp action. There is still a lot of fishing time yet, so hit the big pond for some great action.

At Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale, Billy said the local lakes have been stocked with trout, and they are very hungry! You can catch them with inline spinners, Trout Magnet jigs, Power Bait dough balls, and the old reliable worm and bobber. Fly guys, toss some meat at them or drift a nymph under a bobber and you'll be on 'em. Bass and pickerel are very active, and aggressively smashing lures like lipless cranks, swimbaits, jigs, and anything top water. Yellow perch and sunfish will chase inline spinners and small jigs around, plus a classic worm and bobber setup always gets the job done.

Ken from Tight Lines Tackle said he had a customer come into the shop showing him a photo of a huge Long Island largemouth that was just over 6 pounds on the scale caught in a local Southampton lake.

At Chasing Tails Bait and Tackle in Oakdale, Billy said the heat is on! The lakes and rivers we're used to are super warm, especially during the middle of the day. Bass and pickerel will be the most active in the early mornings, and in the evenings as the sun is going down. This is the ideal time to toss some topwater lures at them. Whopper Ploppers and frogs get absolutely hammered during this time. Mid-day you're going to want to go low and slow. A jig, or Senko dragged along the bottom will produce fish. Crappie, perch, and sunfish are all schooled up and plentiful. You can get at them all day long with the classic worm and bobber rig or get fancy with an in-line spinner or small jig. Light and ultralight tackle is ideal, and so much fun. Trout should be mostly left alone this time of year. The water heats up quickly, even in spring-fed rivers. Bring your thermometers with you and make sure the water isn't above 67 degrees, 70 degree water is very warm and can be fatal for a trout that has been caught. Most evenings and early mornings the water dips to 65 and under, so that would be your best time to go.