New York Metro &
Northern New Jersey

Cold NW Winds Make Life Interesting
for NY/NJ Region Flyfishers
Striped Bass Come Under Attack in New Jersey

Northwest winds in the 20-30 knot range forced many of the regions fly fishermen to seek out sheltered waters. Those willing to put in the time managed to find fish. The wind caused dirty water and an influx of sea weed along the north shore of long Island and a continued algae bloom in Jamaica Bay, but the south shore bays and inlets continued to produce.

Bill 2165, supported by The Seafood for Consumers Coalition and by commercial interests, has been introduced into the New Jersey legislature. It would open striped bass to commercial netting for the first time since 1991. New Jersey decided to do away with a bycatch fishery for striped bass in 1952 because it was simply a guise for a directed net fishery. The recreational community has worked very hard to return striped bass to a viable recreational fishery, being one of the few species where our management efforts have paid off. All recreational anglers in the Garden state should contact the sponsors of this piece of misguided legislation, Assemblymen Nicholas Asselta (609/691-3004, Fax 609/691-3234) and Anthony Impreveduto (201/348-1134, Fax 201/348-1362), immediately and urge them to withdraw the bill. Additional information can be obtained from Tom Fote of theJersey Coast Anglers Association and from the New Jersey Federation of Sportsmens Clubs. Don’t let the resurgence of the striped bass fishery lull us into a false sense of security. Fight for game fish status for Morone saxitalis

Don't forget to send me your own reports, and until next week...

Tight Lines!

Bob Woolley

New York & New Jersey's Fisheries

Western Long Island Sound

Large schools of bunker continue to attract large bluefish to the western end of the sound. However, the recent fall-like weather pattern certainly put a damper on things. Water temps in the sound have dropped and Ken Kuhner of The Cold Spring Fly Shop feels that it may result in good fishing lasting into July. Reports of small bay anchovies and alewives have been circulating so small silvery patterns should remain in the arsenal. Stripers are in Little Neck Bay according to some reports but I have not heard of anyone taking them on flies. Most of the people I talk to have shifted their efforts elsewhere, so Little Neck should not be overlooked. Try the back bay area on the parkway and Douglaston sides either side of high water and the point in front of the fort on the incoming. The fort is still off limits to the public, so if you stay until high tide you’ll have to bushwack your way out. “Flyboy” was fishing at Cold Spring Harbor when an 18 pound striper ate the bunker pattern he was throwing; “It hit in 2 feet of water and was halfway to Norwalk (CT) before I turned him”. Poppers are also producing in Oyster Bay and Cold spring Harbor. Breezy point, both inside and from the jetty holds fish and the should be available to flyrodders now that the wind has finally abated.

I got up yesterday and, noticing that the flag on the roof of the 107th Precinct was hanging motionless, decided to give Jones Inlet a try. Nothing was happening inside the inlet so I walked out to the jetty at the end of Jones Beach. My first cast off the East side with an olive/chart/white flash tail Clouser on an Int. Line produced at solid take that I could see in the clear water. Landing the fish was an adventure as the top of the jetty is some 16 feet above the water and slopes down at a 60 degree angle, not a place for night fly fishing. Switching my efforts, to the west side near the end of the jetty produced bass up to 30 inches on almost every cast for 45 minutes. Watching 3 or 4 stripers compete for the fly was the high point of the day. They moved on when the tide started to flood so I packed it in and went home.

On the boat front, I was out with Perry Lisser a couple of times but all we managed were a couple of schoolies and a scary ride back in pea soup fog on Sunday. Large bass and blues are being taken in deep water on chunks

Eastern Long Island Sound

The East end of Long Island continues to be the destination of choice with both the north and south forks producing good results. Salty Flyrodders VP Jaiem Fleischmann sent the following report:

“I went out to Greenport this weekend. The almost full moon may have put the fish off their usual pattern. At least I hope that's the case and not the recent cooler weather. While I did well, things we're not as good as they have been.

Saturday evening I fished Corey creek. Using yellow deceivers, I picked at bass until dark, then under a bright moon switched to a white deceiver. I continued to pick at bass and even got my first weakfish of the year. But the action was slower than it had been despite plenty of bait (spearing and sand eels) around. At the top of the tide I left Corey to try other areas. I met up with my surf fishing friend Tim Murphy and we fished the creeks at New Suffolk on the out going. While fish were breaking, there was no real concentration of fish in spite of all the bait present. We picked up a couple of bass for a few hours, then decided to head over to Goose Creek. Again, same thing. Lots of bait in evidence but only a hand full of fish seemed to be work the area. In the morning we went back to Corey for the incoming and picked at bass and blues until about 7am. Largest bass was about 25" and the blues ran about 3 pounds. Still lots of bait showing but few fish. I didn't see any cinder worms however”.

Jack Denny and I were out in many of the same places Friday night with similar results; lots of bait but fewer fish. We did see one school of bass coming up the shoreline in the moonlight, moving like albies and bumping into our legs as the blew up into the pond. I had another bass almost beach itself at my feet while chasing something. Hey, night fishing can be fun. Dawn found us farther east where I got my first bluefish of the year. Not having pliers a with me, it escaped with a just tied Clouser in the olive/chart/white flash tail pattern that has produced well for me this year. Since my T & T 9wt was returned for repair, I was using a 9wt Loomis GLX with a Sci. Anglers Int. Striper line, the clear one, which proved to be a good combination. The Loomis casts effortlessly and the Sci. Anglers line shoots like a bullet. Others who have used it say they have allot of trouble with tangles but I didn’t find that to be the case.

John Papciak was in Montauk for 4 days and said that, although things were slow, he did catch a huge bluefish that took a 5 inch yellow deceiver. John thought he was into a 30 pound bass. (I for one think that bluefish, pound for pound, will outfight a striper every time. Maybe the genetic engineering folks could put their efforts into developing 40 pound blues). John was in a wetsuit as the ocean temps are still very cold out there.

Glen Mikkleson of Atlantic Flies told me that the sound side held good bass before the wind, which blew in large amounts of weed. Both Shinnecock and Morriches continue to produce outstanding fishing. Capt. Ken Turco of Lucky Strike Charters found good schools of bass under working birds inside Shinnecock Inlet and that large pods of bay anchovies were being ravaged by bluefish as the bait drifted out with the tide. However, the recent cool and windy weather has lowered water temps. by several degrees.

Sandy Hook - Raritan Bay

People fishing the north Jersey coast should not overlook the rivers. Bass to 28 inches are in the rivers and channels from Sandy Hook to Barrnegat Bay. Pack Clousers, big herring flies, and bay anchovy patterns. Cover all the ground you can on the outgoing tide. While the source of the above information would not divulge his spots, anyone with a USGS map of the area should be able to locate likely places to fish. Pebble Beach in Raritan Bay also holds fish, especially if one is willing to hike to the right. Be sure to go around the drainage ditches out in the water as the all contain deep mud

Capt. Dino Torino of Fin Chaser Charters (718/356-6436) says he continued to satisfy his customers last week. He and his partner Frank Cresitlli had good striper action at Breezy point and NY Harbor continues to provide good action.

Island Beach State Park

John Bushell of Betty and Nicks in Seaside Park reports that gill neters are decimating the weakfish that have recently moved into the bay. The bay is still producing fish and fly casters should try the usual spots; areas 7, 15, and 21. Don’t park on the bay side unless you are allowed to do so. It’s only a short walk from the lots on the road to the bay. Spots like the sedges, Oyster Creek, the 40 buoy, and Barrnegat Inlet are good places to try, as well as Pt. Pleasant Canal at night.