Sports

TIME TO BATTLE THE BLUES AND BASS

THINGS are starting to pop in the New York Bight and the waters around Long Island with the arrival of hungry bluefish.

Blues and bass are offering some nice action for those wanting to get in some springtime fishing and we are also seeing the first weakfish of the season being caught.

To the west, Jamaica Bay was a hot spot for bass and blues with flounder fishing starting to wane. The same duo were taken off Nortons Point and into the Narrows.

Blues and bass were being caught across the harbor off Staten Island and into Raritan Bay. Stripers to 30 pounds were taken in the Hudson as far north as Albany. There was action by the Tappan Zee and down to Liberty State Park, so its been pretty much most of the Big H that has given up stripers the past week or so.

Flounder fishing has slowed down and probably due to all the bluefish, but there was still some decent fishing to be had in Raritan Bay and there were a few flatties taken in Jamaica Bay.

In the western Sound there was decent fishing for flounder in Eastchester Bay and Hempstead Harbor and blackfishing was on an upswing.

One of the more fun events is coming up in two weeks, the 10th Manhattan Cup put on by the Fishermen’s Conservation Fund. The main target is striped bass, but there are also awards for blues and weakfish and the fish are all caught in NYC waters. Sponsorship for four anglers is $2,500 and the fishing is followed by a great party on Chelsea Piers. For more info go to http://www.manhattancup.com.

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A free family fishing event will take place tomorrow from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (rain or shine) at the City of Albany’s Six Mile Waterworks.

Six Mile Waterworks contains a variety of warm water fish species. In addition, New York’s DEC staff will be stocking the reservoir with up to 2,000 rainbow trout prior to the event.

DEC staff will be on hand at the reservoir to assist people who are new to fishing and will have stations staffed to assist people with knot tying, rigging up, etc.

Those who want more info on the “I FISH NY” program should visit the DEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov.

ken.moran@nypost.com