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I'll be in NYC on April 14th and 15th. I then will have one extra day to go have fun. I've heard there are fly fishing opportunities on Long Island, but couldn't find any trout guide info for the area. I guess my question is this: If you had a free day in NYC and wanted to fish, where would you go?
Thanks!
bill
i just ordered a new edition of freshwater fishing on long island by calling 1 631 444-0280. if you like i would be glad to mail it to you, or you could call them direct. let me know what you prefer.
mike
There are several spring creeks out on Long Island. The Connetquot is probably the best known -- 45 minutes from NYC. It's a fun place -- although some people might not consider it "real fishing". It very much like private water fishing anywhere. There's a hatchery on the premises.
It once was a private club, and still shows that heritage. You reserve a session up to two weeks in advance, cost is $20, and a NY fishing license. Two 4-hour sessions per day per "beat". That is if you can reserve one in April -- I think that's a busy time.
From NYC, you can be in the catskills in 2-hours easy. Opening day in NY is April 1, so you'll miss the worst of that. Beaverkill, Willowemoc, West and East Branches of the Delaware. April 16th is a little before the first big hatches, I think. Also, it's a Saturday, so they're going to be shoulder to shoulder in Cairn's Pool.
I'm a Jersey guy, and you could be in the Ken Lockwood Gorge in 45 minutes. You won't believe it's New Jersey. Lots of company there as well.
Another 30 minutes beyond the Gorge and you could be fishing some great places in Eastern Pennsylvania.
That's my opinion. Maybe it's worth 2 cents.
Bill,
You mnight consider a 2 - 2.5 hour ride up to the Catskill mountains. There are great rivers there and some of the best flyfishing in the Northeast.
jed
There are basically three rivers on L.I. that have good trout fishing. The Connetquot River in Connetquot State Park, the Nissequogue River in Caleb Smith State Park, and the Carmans River in Southhaven County Park.
The first two are run on a reservation system where you reserve a beat of the river for a four hour session and pay a fee ($15-$20 last time I checked). You are likely to catch quality sized fish here as they are regularly stocked. The Connetquot is the more well known of the two and consequently they have a lot of rules to keep the "crowds" from jeopardizing the fishing. The Nissequoque is more low key and more pleasant to fish.
On the Connetquot River you phone in your reservation and if you get one you are guaranteed a spot on the river, but you won't know which one until you get there. The spots are assigned on a first-come first-serve basis. There are people that line up the night before to ensure getting there favorite beat. I think there are around 30 beats to choose from.
On the Nissequoque River, you also phone in your reservation but you reserve a specific beat so there is no waiting in line. You can just show up at the right time and that's it. They only have about 8 beats on the river so they fill up fast though. They also have some ponds but fishing on the ponds is somewhat unpredictable. If you get an early morning session on the ponds in the spring you will do OK. Once the sun comes out the fish go deep and are pretty much unreachable due to the weeds. The ponds have casting platforms so there is no boat involved.
The Carmans River is more typical of public water with smaller stocked fish and also wild brook trout. No reservation is required but there is a nominal fee ($2) and there are no time limits other than sunrise to sunset. You can fish pretty much anywhere on the river if you fly fish.
If you are interested in fishing with a guide, I believe Dean at the Orvis shop in Greenvale does some guiding on the Carmans.
They are all beautiful rivers. Enjoy!
[This message has been edited by gadabout (edited 09 February 2005).]
If you don't have access to a car to escape NYC:
There's a stocked river in Tuxedo, NY (on the west side of the Hudson). A commuter train from NJ (I think you can get on the line from NYC... or at least take the ferry to NJ) stops right on a DEC parking lot. You could probably wear your waders on the train.
I've also heard about taking the train north out of NYC on the east side of the Hudson and fishing the Croton watershed. But I don't know anything about those streams.
Its strange to see all the river I fish on mentioned here on the board. But yeah what gadabout said sums it all up. grumps, where did you get that book? I've heard its sold at local tackle shops, do you know which ones imparticular?
tim
i had that brochure in my fishing file and it was dated 1984 so i called the dec at
1 631 444-0280 and requested a current issue, they took my name and address and will mail me one. it is not a very big booklet, but it lists all the ponds, whether they are public or private and the types of fish that they contain
mike
Theres a book for sale around here by,Tom Schlichter about all the great spots to go on the island. Go to [url=http://www.outdoortom.com:c29bd]www.outdoortom.com[/url:c29bd] to check it out. Supposedly you can get it in tackle shops around the island but I havn't heard which ones. Lake Ronkoncoma(sp) tackle shop has it I believe, that was the book I was refering to. But yeah the dec one helps out alot as well, the have all the same info online.
I believe you can the Tom Schlicter book at the Camp-Site Sport Shop on route 110. There is also a nice stream guide to the Long Island rivers published by Long Island Trout Unlimited. I'm not sure where you can get it but you can probably find out from the following web site: [url=http://www.geocities.com/longislandtu/:da8ca]http://www.geocities.com/longislandtu/[/url:da8ca]
it's just like me to ask a question, and then not have the time available to read it until today...
thanks for everyone's response. Grumps, i appreciate you offer to send me the brochure, but i called that number and they are sending it to me directly.
i'd love to fish some of the other places you folks mentioned, but only will have the one day, so the long island streams sound perfect.
as the date approaches, i'll probably be asking for info on conditions, recommended flies, etc.
i do most of my freshwater fishing with a 5 wt or 1 wt. do you folks think the 5 will do?
thanks to all!
I would say the 5-weight is just right.
If you choose the Connetquot, here's some info.
The Connetquot can be tight casting. So the length of the 1-weight could be an advantage on some of the beats. There are some big fish in there, though. Some claim they don't fight that well, but I've seen some spectacular leaps by the Kamploops rainbows.
You can't wade above the hatchery, and there is brush along the stream except for those sections reserved for the 65 and older crowd.
You get to walk in. Not sure how far it is to the upper beats -- maybe a little over a mile. Just a guess.
You are encouraged to fish from the wooden platforms they've built along the stream. Even on the platforms, role casting is the norm.
Below the hatchery you can wade -- most people prefer those spots because it's easier to cast. But it's still tight and you'll probably roll cast a lot.
One other thing, weight on the leader is not permitted. I think the regs say weighted flies are not permitted as well. However, I have observed a lot of beadheads and coneheads in use. I use them myself, and I believe them to be ok.
In April, I think you can keep two fish. You are not allowed to return injured fish to the water.
I've never been there when the fishing wasn't absolutely great. But you *can* get stuck on beats that aren't as productive.
The woman at the gate will consult with you on which beat to choose. Take her advice.
Wherever you go, have a great time.
The five weight should be fine. Streamers work well in these rivers so I would definitely bring some. The five weight will help you cast the streamers. A six is not a bad idea either if you have one. I actually started fishing these rivers with a 7 weight which I feel is the ideal streamer line weight.
If you fish the Niss. or the Conn., some spots get pretty tight. I favor a downstream approach most of the time. You can drift a streamer down into places that that would be hard or impossible to reach with a cast. Also, in the Connetquot stretches that have no wading, your ways of reaching the fish are kind of limited. Drifting a streamer down from the platform or from one of the openings in the brush may be your only opportunity to reach some fish.
I should point out that the banks of these rivers are heavily wooded. Some stretches of the Conny have an open bank because the foot path runs right along one side of the river. If you do choose the Conny, keep in mind that you need to get there early if you want to secure a wadeable strectch. At one time the whole river was open to wading but they prohibited wading on the upper half of the river when whirling disease became a risk. Since the river flows through the hatchery, whirling disease carried on fishermen's waders could potentially infect all the hatchery stock. That is why they don't allow wading. Truthfully, I no longer enjoy fishing these upper stretches because of the inability to wade. The wadeable stretches are usually consumed by the first bunch of people that are in the waiting line. Consequently, I rarely fish the Connetquot anymore.
[This message has been edited by gadabout (edited 15 February 2005).]
Hextall...the river you mention is the Ramapo river it's open year round....the rail line actually follows it near Tuxedo/Harriman. it's with-in walking distance from either station...
bill
Saturday I got to sneak off for the 4pm - sunset session on beat 14. The Connetquot was as described...quite beautiful, with plenty of fresh air, wildlife (got to meet my first muskrat), and plenty of fish. The staff at the park were accomodating and helpful when I told them I was there for the first time.
The rainbows I caught were nice sized (12 - 20"), and hungry for the hatch that came up at about 6 o'clock. I had a wonderful afternoon.
The advice about tight casting was right on point. I finally got it through my head that I couldn't wave my 9' rod around like at home, and anyone who fishes that beat is welcome to the 4 parachute BWO's I left in the brush overhanging the shore while learning that lesson.
What is that nasty little thorn tree called, anyway?
In short, the members of this board sent me just what I needed to have a great time. Thanks to all for the advice and info.
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"Not the prettiest rod, biggest fish, best casting technique, or fanciest duds....but having more fun than words can describe!"
[This message has been edited by bill santner (edited 18 April 2005).]
That was your first encounter with the infamous multiflora rose, introduced into the NE from Korea in the 1800's to help prevent roadside erosion. It has bloodied many arms and legs, and punctured many waders in its time.
On the other hand, it has become the mother protector of many small streams locally, where only a brave few dare to venture forth. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif
14 is just below the hatchery, right? Glad you had a good time.
[This message has been edited by BigFlatBrook (edited 18 April 2005).]
yessir...right below the hatchery. and thanks for the info...i always like to know the name of something that makes me bleed.... http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif
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"Not the prettiest rod, biggest fish, best casting technique, or fanciest duds....but having more fun than words can describe!"