Located in the hamlet of Stony Brook Village is none other than the Stony Brook Fishing Pier. In actuality this pier is a true “Diamond in the Rough.” For anglers familiar with the pier and who know how to fish it are very well rewarded during the spring around the clock. The pier is located along the east side of Stony Brook Harbor with water flowing into the harbor and out of the harbor via Smithtown Bay. This stretch of waterway is connected to the infamous Porpoise Channel where surfcasters toss plugs and live eels along the channel during the night tides.
During peak tide, the currents flow strong along the waterway which makes this pier ideal for tossing poppers for stripers and bluefish. Years gone by saw sensational flounder fishing during the month of April. Unfortunately, those days are long gone at the moment, however stripers have filled the void. During the months of April and May a myriad of baitfish fill the harbor and the channel along the pier. The only set back is as the weather warms, boat traffic can be horrendous coming in and out of the harbor passing right past the pier. April is not so bad, however by May, the boat traffic can be impossible, especially on the weekends. The solution to the matter is fishing the pier during rainy days or during the night hours when boat traffic is nonexistent.
I strongly suggest fishing during the top of the outgoing tide during the dark hours starting by tossing 1 to 2-ounce bucktails in white during the period of the full moon, while black suits best during the new moon periods. Other colors you may like to play around with is yellow, purple and maroon. Once the tide does not allow the bucktail to hold bottom, poppers and swimming plugs should get the job done. The bass will slam the lure well into June before tapering off for the season.
The daylight hours during May and June sees some quality fluke, cocktail blues and quality porgies being landed from the pier. Speaking of landing, a long handle net with an extension large and strong enough to handle stripers to 40 pounds should be in your arsenal. The summer and early fall sees a lot of small porgies, blowfish and snappers. As the waters cool during the fall and the baitfish make their departure, stripers again make an appearance along with some gorilla-size blues.
If you plan on fishing here at night, you’re going to need to stop over at the Stony Brook Village Hall for a night fishing permit. Getting to the pier is simple by taking Route 97 (Nichols Rd) north to the very end, take a left to the end and take a right onto Main Street. Continue straight where Main Street becomes Shore Road. Take Shore Road to the End and you can park right in front of the pier. Be sure to clean up after yourself by picking up any trash you may have accumulated.
