Ron Lulov East River Shore fishing New York City

East River, New York City: Who needs Walden Pond When I have my favorite sewer duct?

Stuyvesant Cove: The cove is a great access area for fishing. There were piers here many years ago and the debris from their piling bases provide structure that hold fish. There is a significant amount of clams, mussels, sea worms, crabs, weed beds, sandy and rocky bottom. The new pilings along the walkway hold a variety of fish.

This is an area that actually holds small fish that attract larger ones like the fluke above. Caught and released list here includes: stripers, fluke, flounder, blackfish, seabass, bluefish, weakfish, bergalls, herring, shad, eel, tomcod, snappers, sea robin and the dreaded red spotted Coney Island whitefish.

The pilings along the F.D.R. drive hold some nice blackfish. It takes some patience to ignore the bergall taps and wait for a solid thump. Clam and bergall slices do the trick. If you can scalp a small crab you are really in business. I have caught and released some nice lunker tog right on the pilings. Slack water on an early morning full moon tide is best.

Other good spots left of Stuvesant Cove on 20th Street and the F.D.R. Drive: Skyport's Seaplane Base, Waterside Plaza, Empire State Building, Ms. Tautog (males have white spot on side and a blunt nose), Stuyvesant Town, the new walkway of East River Park
Progies: Late July through early November seems to be fair game for porgy. There is enough structure and food to hold porgy in the sandy cove. I use clam and bergall slices on tiny number eight aberdeen hooks. They bend out before snapping the leader. Lots of fun on light tackle.
Fish the slack of the high tide. Small bits of clam with a bit of the barb exposed does the trick. The larger one seem to reallly attack bergall slices. You can buy worms but it is a pain to get down to Houston Street.

Small stripers, seabass and cocktail blues add to the fun. I had a three pound blue hit a number ten porgy hook with a tiny bit of clam just three feet from the bulkhead. Cute surprise on ultra light tackle. The leader parted as I tried to lift him. Catch and release anyway, so who cares.

The view from Stuyvesant Cove on East 20th Street includes United Nations building left, Queensboro Bridge, the southern tip of Roosevelt Island center, and the Big Alice Con Edison plant in Long Island City right. Snappers and cocktail blues are lots of fun here on small jigs and kastmasters.

It is an amazing sight to see a pod of snappers box a school of spearing right up against the seawall. The spearing flee into the sewer outlets or break water with a baby blue snapping at them. If you are lucky enough to be around when the spearing are in thick, then snag a few for some serious bait. Fresh spearing will get you snappers, short stripers, and great bait to live line for fluke and blues.

Seabass: Seabass are available most of the time spring through late fall.
There are usually a ton of babies in the area that hang around and hide in the pilings and in the weed beds. This is a wonderful sign that things are getting better. Most of them look pretty healthy too. Several years ago seabass would come up with many deformities. Notice the little bite taken out of the tail. There are enough clams and small bait to make the larger ones hang around.

EAST RIVER FLUKING FROM SHORE
If there are spearing or other small bait around then it is more probable that fluke are a realistic target. Just watch for the cormorants. If they are diving and coming up with spearing or peanut bunker, then there might be some fluke lurking in ambush. Fluke will follow the bait so watch for that moment of opportunity. Like any other fishing rule discard it after two bud lights.
First figure out where the sandy,not mucky, bottom lies. I cast small 1/2 ounce bucktails tipped with fresh snagged spearing or small bergall fillets. Shad darts work too. Bounce it along the bottom while walking uptown or downtwon with the current. This also brings hits from searobins, small blues, and even the dreaded red spotted Coney Island White Fish. Since its just catch and release anything is fun,