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

Capt. Pat Barrett of the Shamrock Charterboat in New Rochelle will begin sailing by mid-May and you can give him a call at (914) 552-3050 to set up your charters.

John at J&J Sports in Patchogue said as March comes to a close and April lies around the corner our local lakes such as West, Swan and Canaan have all been stocked with trout. All of these lakes have been stocked with both brown and rainbow trout with regulations allowing 5 a day but only two of those fish can be over 12 inches in length. The best way to target these fish would live bait such as nightcrawlers and wax worms both of these worms are a great bait for both trout and other species found in these lakes. If you prefer to use artificial baits Kastmasters are an excellent option. These lures come in both silver and gold colors and a variety of sizes and all are fitted with a small treble hook. Like live bait, this lure will catch other species found in the lakes such as bass, panfish and pickerel.

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.