Great South Bay Fishing Hot Spots

Here’s everything you need to know about Great South Bay Fishing Hot Spots. Find all the information it in this article.

Looking east from Nicoll Point in Heckscher State Park one might think the bay is endless. New York offers visiting anglers a wealth of opportunities. From the hiking trails of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the beaches of the Grand Strand, see for yourself all of the adventure that South Carolina has to offer.

The most reliable summer weakfishing is for the smaller fish that often school on the flats off Sayville, Blue Point and Hecksher State Park. Many are below the legal size limit, but there can be bigger fish in the mix. Great South Bay, as its name suggests, is the largest of all the South Shore bays. Its western border, imprecisely defined by a string of marsh islands, is somewhere near Amityville.

Great South Bay

The key according to Mike is to wait for the “tug” not the bite. The tug is when the blackfish has inhaled the bait to its back crushing teeth, making for an easy hook-set. Both spots however are early fall spots, so if you plan on heading there, hit them as early in the fall season as possible. Once mid-November rolls in, these spots become fairly quiet. There is a wealth of knowledge to be found at your local tackle shop if probing the shore for blackfish is your game plan. For this piece, I picked the brains of several local shops – North and South shores – in search of tips and tricks that will aid in your success.

This environment provides a fantastic feeding ground, and therefore fishing grounds. Anglers can look to catch snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, tarpon, cobia, grouper, snapper, and sharks here. While most natural baits will work, shrimp, cut mullet and squid are among the top options. If you’re after spot tail bass, the best time to fish is with an incoming or outgoing tide. Packing your tackle box along with your luggage on your next South Carolina vacation?

Map Of Great South Bay Near West Sayville

Black bass, bluegill and rainbow trout are among the most popular varieties of fish caught here. Visitors who wish to stay overnight can make reservations online for the park’s Lakeview Campground. Angling opportunities extend well beyond New York City limits. About 12 miles southeast of Manhattan, 10,000 acres of national park and salt-marsh habitat exist smack in the middle of sprawling, overdeveloped Queens, New York.

Most anglers will use a two-hook rig with different baits. The captain also likes one bait per hook as opposed to doubling up a piece of clam and sandworm on a single hook. If you want to use two baits, use two hooks and bait them separately.

East End Bait & Tackle, Hampton Bays

Then, a few herring slip through the channels, and a few lingering stripers encounter them there. We had two solid hookups in maybe four hours, one with a big fish, the other with a small one. And we would have found more if violent thunderstorms hadn’t roared in from the west.

Scott feels the outgoing tide is the best timeframe to be there, with a simple hi/lo rig tipped with a small whole green crab, or a larger green crab cut in half. If the current is slacking, or slack, a blackfish jig is a better option. Work the jig as close to the old bridge pilings as possible. In the inlet, stay close to the rocks at the base of the jetty. There’s not nearly as much going on during the winter on the Great South Bay as there is going on around the bay.

The Great South Baylong Island, New York

About 85 percent of New York State is private property and that is where most hunting occurs. Most private property is posted against trespass, but many landowners will allow access if people ask permission. Hunters should ask permission on private lands whether or not it is posted.

This wild ecosystem offers a variety of fishing options, freshwater, brackish and saltwater depending on where you are on the river. Fish the freshwater creeks, brackish estuaries, or the salty inlet near the Atlantic Ocean; anywhere along the river and you’re certain to see some great fishing. Many anglers will kayak fish the Loxahatchee River, getting close to the mangroves to find snook, redfish, and trout. Tarpon is another top species targeted in Loxahatchee River, especially closer to the Jupiter Inlet.

Great South Bay: Starting With Flounder

Located on the Saluda and Reedy Rivers in South Carolina’s western Piedmont region, this 11,400-acre reservoir has an excellent bass and crappie fishery, along with a nice population of striped bass. If you don’t have a boat, try fishing from the pier or the banks of Lake Greenwood State Park. In Great South Bay, the 50-degree mark usually hits near April 15, but a milder winter such as we experienced this year could accelerate the start of good fishing. Scott commented that you want to fish the outgoing water in the spring. The ocean water is much colder than the bay, so the outgoing, flush with warmer bay water is the time focus your effort.

Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle, Northport

At 151 square miles the Great South Bay is the largest shallow saltwater bay in New York State. As one might expect a body of water this size is a significant part of life on Long Island. Thousands enjoy it for summer recreation, it supports a thriving marine transportation industry, and a few stubborn baymen still earn their living on it.

New Yorks Top Fishing Locations

On the westside of the state, where civilization meets the Everglades, you’ll find , Florida. This chain of islands stretches from Marco Island to the mouth of Lostman’s River, over 40 miles on the edge of the Everglades. The islands are mostly mangrove islands and oyster bars, creating fishing grounds that are hard for anglers to resist. Backcountry fishing at its finest, anglers can go kayak fishing with light tackle, sight fishing on a skiff, or fly fishing in the shallows. At night, once the bay quiets, weakfish often move up onto the flats to hunt crabs and grass shrimp.

Biscayne Bay

It’s home to a wide range of fish including flounder , striped bass and porgies. Although catching a fish isn’t guaranteed, this spot rarely lets down it’s fishers. At just under 750 acres, there’s plenty of room for boaters to explore.

Tackle Tip: Gulp Tidbits

An angler boats a striped bass in Jamaica Bay, alongside one of JFK Airport’s runways. Crescitelli likes to fish ambush points where water rips around obstructions. He’ll start with small poppers right up against visible structure.

Winter On The Bay

While thousands of commuters rush to work in the city, anglers in Great South Bay stalk fish on vast white-sand flats, away from the hustle and bustle. Exeter Reservoir Exeter Reservoir is a 20 acre lake in Rockingham County. This is a trout pond, there is shorebank access on the north section of the lake. Tips, tactics, gear reviews for everything from bass and bluegills to stripers and bluefish – if it’s fishing related, we cover it. Bluefish tend to swim around the Bay is loose groups where they like to hunt on schools of bait fish. The adult Bluefish can be a very powerful and aggressive fish with quite an appetite.

Surf: Extend Your Season

They’re small, easy to get to, and perhaps a little quieter than the state parks like Jones Beach. And, beaches on the Great South Bay have much smaller waves than the ocean beaches making them a lot safer for kids. Your local town hall is the best way to find out about beaches in your area. There’s Tanner Park in Copiague, Green Park in Lindenhurst, Marina Park in West Islip just to name a few, and Corey Beach in Blue Point notable for deliveries by Flo’s Famous Luncheonette. Montauk, regarded as one of the best striper fisheries in the nation, attracts fly and light tackle anglers from all over.

“Most of the time, they smash it right up on the rocks on that first pop,” he says, but less aggressive fish require a swimmer or twitchbait. Crescitelli recommends the Guides Secret Baby Bottle Pop and Slim Twitchy. For visiting anglers, there’s more to New York than Broadway. Exciting fishing abounds in the Big Apple’s inshore waterways.