Now that we have reached the end of the fishing season in NYC, there is a little bit of downtime before fishing will resume in the spring. While there are still some opportunities you could check out in between times, now is also a great time to start planning any fishing trips for next year.
It is still somewhat too early to determine migration patterns and population numbers, which will provide more insight into month to month fishing opportunities in 2023. But for now, you can start to consider tide charts and solunar calendars to give you a general idea of which times with month are likely to provide top fishing opportunities.
When to Fish According to Solunar Theory
There are many different factors that go into determining the best days and times of day to catch fish. The type of fish, temperature, weather, wind, and more will all determine what fish are present on a given day and how strongly they are biting.
The moon, sun, and tide are also believed to influence fish activity, called solunar theory. This is the idea that the position of the sun and moon in relation to a fish, the moon phase, and the level of the tide will impact movement. In solunar theory, when other factors like weather and light are not optimal but the sun, moon, and tide positions are, fishing will still be good.
You can examine a solunar table based on your specific region to determine when the best times to go fishing. These can give you the best days and even hours to go fishing in. For specific times for your region, you can use Solunar Forecast for a custom calendar.
The tide calendar can also give you a basic idea of the best times to go fishing. Based on this year’s tide calendar, the top days include:
- January 1-6 and 21-31
- February 1-5 and 20-28
- March 1-7 and 21-31
- April 1-6 and 20-30
- May 1-5 and 19-31
- June 1-3 and 18-30
- July 1-3 and 17-31
- August 1 and 16-30
- September 14-29
- October 14-28
- November 13-27
- December 12-26
Fishing on these days increases the chance that you will find fish active and feeding. Although many times your opportunities for fishing will depend more on when you have the time. Fishing on other days can still be highly successful and many people catch a plethora of fish around NYC regardless of the tide.
Part of this requires knowing where to go and what to look for so that you will have the best shot at a great catch. Joining a fishing trip aboard the Marilyn Jean, which often sails daily throughout the fishing season, can provide a great trip. You will spend less time having to wonder when and where to go for fish and more time catching and reeling them in. Watch our calendar for upcoming trips and the opportunity to join us on a memorable NYC fishing excursion.