You can’t complain about the start of this fishing season, with both the weather and local marine species being cooperative.
Striped bass are pouring out of the Hudson and heading east both in the Sound and along the South Shore beaches. It has been a decent start to the winter flounder season and there are bluefish showing in the New York Bight.
We also hear that the sea bass regulations have become final and the season will run May 22-Sept. 12 with a 25-fish bag and 12.5-inch size limit.
Reports of nice flounder action in Jamaica Bay off Plumb Beach, the MP Bridge and in the back at the Silver Hole. You will find bass from the Canarsie Pier to the Roundhouse and out to the Breezy Jetty.
There are bass being caught in the Narrows at 69th Street Pier and at the Verrazano Bridge. Also try off Staten Island’s south side and over to Sandy Hook.
In the Sound, there are reports of both flounder and bass in Eastchester Bay and a flounder bite in the Orchard Beach Lagoon.
It is pretty much the same story from anglers fishing inside Jones and Fire Island Inlets with good action on both flounder and striped bass. Moriches Bay also has given up some fat winter flounder this past week.
For those of you fishing the East End, there is a court fight going on against New York State’s saltwater fishing license. At the moment, there is a temporary injunction against the enforcement of the license in Southampton town and most of East Hampton Town, except for some of the waters around Montauk.
The Trustees of the towns say that decrees dating back to the colonial era preclude the state from requiring the fishing license.
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