A Shore-Based Angler’s Haven Tom Schlichter, Guest Author

With more than 1,500 miles of coastline, New York’s marine district offers tremendous opportunities for shore-based anglers to score with stripers, bluefish, false albacore, fluke, Catch Your porgy and black sea bass. Generous stretches of Marine & parklands allow access to some of the best fishing action on the eastern seaboard. Coastal A four-wheel drive beach permit is necessary to License Plate go off-road or on the beaches within the parks, More than $1 billion worth of and a night fishing permit is necessary to fish in economic activity to coastal these locations after dark. communities comes from marine sportfishing. Senator The Fishy West End Owen H. Johnson and Gateway National Recreation Area allows anglers chartreuse bucktails combined with squid, Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeny to tangle with south shore stripers, bluefish, and spearing or sand eels. Look in the water along sponsored legislation in 2002 fluke, in the shadows of Manhattan. Fishing from the concrete edge and one may find a few tasty that created a new motor Breezy Point Jetty is usually good, especially when blue claw crabs. The locks operate around the vehicle license plate to benefit tide timetable at Sandy Hook and the key is to the marine and coastal districts. false albacore are around from Sept. to October Residents and visitors of the and they provide a good fishing fare along the cast immediately after the locks close or before Empire State enjoy exceptional entire shoreline. A special permit is necessary to they open. sportfishing, and a portion of th park here from March 15 to Labor Day. Long Island Sound Appetizers these license plate sales will be Surf fishing is a year-round hobby at Jones Beach Several parks provide public access on the north used to increase awareness, promote conservation, and fund State Park, offering its mix of bluefish and striped shore. The Sagtikos Parkway leads to Sunken research on marine resources. bass that are taken on bucktails, diamond jigs, Meadow State Park, where there is fast action for surface poppers or cut bait. Bottom fishing with anglers casting for schoolie blues and stripers on “New Yorkers can show their squid strips at Jones Beach Pier in Parking Field bucktails, tins, and poppers, and for fluke and support for maintaining, preserving, and improving the #10 offers a better chance to catch fluke, porgy, porgies on bottom-bouncers with squid stripes. marine environment” black sea bass, and cocktail blues. Occasionally, a large bluefish or keeper bass may Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney Anglers use Robert Moses State Park to cast in be caught close to the mouth of the Nissequogue 11th Assembly District Fire Island Inlet where school bass, cocktail blues River on cut bunker or herring chunks. and fluke abound. They also probe the rough and Plan a trip east into wine country to Wildwood Residents can purchase these tumble ocean surf in search of cow bass, monster State Park, where anglers spend the summer special license plates at the blues and doormat fluke. Cut bunker and herring bottom fishing for porgy in the daytime. Stripers DMV issuing offices, or online chunks account for many of the bass and blues and blues respond well to swimming shad, tins, at www.nysdmv.com, or contact caught during the summer months, while poppers and poppers, from spring to fall. Wildwood is (800) 364-PLATES. and tins take top honors during the fall. Striped well attended by beach enthusiasts in summer, bass are receptive to plugs worked after dark but it offers superior action and a fair degree of “New Yorkers can take pride in inside the inlet. Bluefish smack bucktails, tins solitude in early spring and late fall. the marine resources, and help and poppers in receding tide, and fluke gobble up Orient Beach State Park allows surf fishing to protect the environment for bucktails and strips of squid fished on the access to Gardiners Bay, Plum Gut and Long many generations” bottom. Sharp anglers can rack up excellent Island Sound. The possibilities for bass, porgy, NYS Senator Owen H. Johnson scores on fluke at the marina fishing pier located and the occasional fluke, can appear endless 4th NYS Senate District just east of the station house. and these sites hold many memorable fishing The Fisherman’s Pier at Captree State Park is a trips. Anglers work bucktails, tins, and poppers, More information may be ‘must’ for a day of relaxing bay fishing. Anglers between the northside boulders, and southside obtained from: jetties. Casting Deadly Dick® tins and small white visit Captree for its excellent party boat fishing. Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney They also fish the piers that provide access to grubs could land a fiesty abacore in late Sept. to 270-B North Wellwood Avenue prime waters east of Robert Moses Bridge. early October. Lindenhurst, NY 11757 Hot Shinnecock Action! Tackle Options (631) 957-2087 Shinnecock Canal is a strong contender for the A sturdy 9 to 11 ft spinning set-up spooled with Senator Owen H. Johnson title of ‘hottest fishing action’. Fish use the 17 to 30 lbs test line is adequate to work the 23-24 Argyle Square channel to move between the north and south south shore beaches. Big plugs, large poppers, Babylon, NY 11702 forks. Early spring offers good chances for 2-3 oz tins, and bottom-fishing rigs using chunk (631) 669-9200 schoolie bass and blues, a smattering of big fish, bait with 4 to 8 oz sinkers are usual for these Adapted with permission from and the occasional bonus weakfish. Fluke arrive areas. Fishing inside the bays and along the Assemblyman Robert Sweeney’s Office. in summer and many keepers can be caught on north shore requires medium weight, 7 to 9 ft. squid and spearing combos, or white/pink/ spinning outfit with 14-20 lbs test line. 14