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Enter fishing area via Ditmars Boulevard pedestrian bridge [A]
or parking lot [B]. Click map for more details. |
There are many pleasures to be found in Flushing Bay: a tree-lined promenade, boating, and many pleasant fishing spots along the Flushing Bay Promenade, which stretches from LaGuardia Airport to Shea Stadium. Many choose to fish near the parking area adjacent to the World’s Fair Marina [B]. One angler reported catching a 25 pound striped bass in 2004. And in October 2005, a Community Board 3 member watched as good sized blue claw crabs were pulled out. (Asked about the quality of the food provided, they suggested that a moderate amount was not detrimental, and that the quality was improving all the time.)
Take the #7 train to Willets Point to get within 1/4 mile. If you’re arriving by car, entry is most easily achieved from Shea Stadium, driving west under the parkways. It’s a bit tricky and you’ll probably go in a circle a time or two on your first visit. But be persistent, it’s worth it.
There are also a good number of people fishing near the LaGuardia Airport end of the Promenade. It's easiest to use the pedestrian bridge on Ditmars Boulevard to access this spot. The 23 and 48 city buss routes will drops you off right at the corner of 27th Avenue and Ditmars. A 24 hour donut shop just opened at this end of the Promenade. NOTE: Fishing is BYOB - bring your own bait, no shops are nearby. For the best time to fish, you might want to check the Willets Point Tide Information.
Beyond fishing, the view of nature is bountiful. Much wildlife can be spotted here. The white swans are my favorite. In 2004 a young hooded seal was glimpsed at the Flushing Bay Marina. But there’s some people watching here too with bicycles, joggers, skaters, and strollers passing every few minutes. Numerous benches and 17 water fountains make this easy.
Depending upon the wind direction, you might see the jets coming and going from LaGuardia Airport. Interestingly, you’ll find jet noise providing an occasional low roar, with a consistent light roar from the adjacent Grand Central Parkway more bothersome – but bearable.
Flushing Bay also offers a history lesson. It’s here that Nathan Hale was captured on September 21, 1776 by Roger's Rangers (also known as the "Queens Rangers").
The one downside to the spot is a strong odor that sometimes presents itself at low tide. Caused by a poorly designed sewerage system and the "finger," a water calming feature built for the 1964 World's Fair, this problem has been a priority of Queens Community Board 3 for many years. Some progress will arrive with the opening of a new sewerage system in late 2006. But a lot more work needs to be done before the Bay returns to the way Nathan Hale experienced it. If you’d like to join the effort to clean the Bay, a good place to start is with the Community Board’s Flushing Bay Committee.
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