Located on the North Shore of Long Island in Smithtown, the Nissequogue River is home to some excellent angling opportunities for saltwater boaters, anglers wading the top end for tidal trout, and the surf crowd.
Although in recent years the sea run brown trout action has slipped from what it once was, it is still worth a shot in the southern reaches of the river from the Kings Park launch site. If you plan on trying, nightcrawlers, trout worms or live killies are a good bait. Although the temperature will play a part, kayaking to the back portions of the river is probably the best bet. From the Smithtown Landing Golf Course to Landing Avenue was always one of the better areas for the browns.
As you move north of the famed “Bull” on Route 25A, there is a stretch of the river that produces a mix of brookies, rainbows and browns. The best area is Whites Pool, located just south of Caleb Smith Park and also south of the “Bull.” The falls that lead to Whites Pool are from Phillips Mill Pond in Caleb Smith Park. This area is tidal, but mainly freshwater as opposed to the more brackish water north of Landing Avenue. Trout to 2 pounds can be had for anglers dunking worms, flies or small spinners. This fishery is best in the early stages of the year when the water is cool, or during the fall. Whites Pool can get quite crowded, so try to fish it on off-days, like the middle of the week.
Moving back towards the Sound, but still inside the mouth of the river, flounder and stripers make up the bulk of the action in the spring. Fish the islands that dot the area from the launch ramp to the golf course. I have found one to two hours after low tide best for flounder. The sun heats the mud and shallows, making the flounder a bit more active. Don’t expect a bail job, but you do have a shot at filling your two fish limit. For stripers and blues, fish the shorelines with small popping plugs or Fin-S Fish style soft plastics. In fact, if sand eels are present the small Tsunami sand eel is the go to bait.
Fluke and stripers will show during a typical year right after Memorial Day, with the best area between the mouth and the first bend, just before the yacht clubs. Small bucktails, squid and spearing combos work well, as do killies on the fluke. For bass, small bucktails, metal lip swimmers and minnow style plugs all account for action. I prefer the last of the incoming water, and first hour of the outgoing.
As the fall approaches, stripers make up the bulk of the catch, with bass hanging around until after Thanksgiving. If you’re looking for larger stripers, however, October is the month. Large bass over 30 pounds readily take live eels after dark on the slack tide, or sandworms on the dropping tide by day. A small tin boat or kayak allows you to work the shoreline casting metal-lip swimmers in the early a.m. A calm day, top of the tide and early a.m. timeframe can put you into some solid action with quality bass.
For the surf crowd, the mouth of the river will see runs of chopper blues in the fall, with bass from school size to the big boys in the fall. For the blues, large Charlie Graves style tins or pencil poppers are your best bet, while bass will take soft plastics like Bass Assassins and swim shads, as well as SP Minnows, Yo-Zuri Hydro Minnows, Mag Darters and bottle plugs after the sun goes down. Weakfish action has been pretty slow the last few years, however, if the cyclic fish do show, slim profile Yo-Zuri style or Bomber swimmers or smaller soft plastics draw their attention. The best time is probably the high water drop in the early a.m. or late at night.
The Nissequogue River offers anglers a plethora of opportunity from trout action on the sweetwater side to “cow” stripers on the salty side. It is easily accessed and offers ample parking.
