STRIPED bass is king around Long Island right now, but you can classify the freshwater bass as the prince for those who like the sweetwater fishing.
Efforts to rebuild bass populations in Nassau County by prohibiting bass harvest continue to be successful, with a number of large bass having been reported from Upper and Lower Twin Pond, Massapequa Reservoir and Massapequa Lake over the last two years.
You can find excellent opportunities for black bass in the Peconic River and its impoundments – Lake Ronkonkoma, Fort Pond, Big Reed Pond, Fresh Pond and Blydenburgh Lake.
If you do fish the freshwaters of Long Island, you may want to participate in the angler diary program underway in the region that will be valuable in future DEC fishery management efforts. For more information, contact the DEC regional office at (631) 444-0280.
New York City residents also can experience quality bass fishing. Waters such as Prospect Park Lake, Kissena Lake and the Harlem Meer all provide excellent bass. Any fishing in New York City is strictly on a catch-and-release basis and other New York City Parks regulations also may apply. For a complete listing of bass fishing waters in New York City and Long Island, request the pamphlet “Fishing the Freshwaters of Long Island and New York City” from DEC’s Region 1 office at (631) 444-0280 or Region 2 office at (718) 482-4922.
With the exception of the Hudson and St. Lawrence, New York’s rivers are often overlooked when it comes to bass fishing. However, these flowing waters can provide some of the fastest action of the season.
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Anglers looking for smallmouth bass fishing in the streams of southeastern New York should consider the Walkill River and Lower Rondout Creek in Ulster County. These moderate-sized streams are accessible via canoe or wading and provide excellent opportunities for fly fishing, as well as other techniques. The Delaware River also provides substantial wade and boat-fishing opportunities for smallmouth, particularly the 50 miles between Callicoon and Port Jervis.
Despite continuous thunderstorms over Florida Bay, Joe Lopez completed his slam of fish (bonefish, permit, tarpon, redfish and snook) plus added four of the species toward his second slam to win the grand champion title in the sixth annual Rolex/IGFA Inshore Championship Tournament in Islamorada, Fla.
Lopez just beat out second-day leader David Collier, from Manhattan who had scored a slam by Tuesday but was able to add only two more species towards his second slam. Collier won the overall release championship title with 1,325 points.
