Long Island, Metro NY - East End Fishing Reports

Over at Double D Charters in Montauk, Captain Dan reported that Chris Weiss landed a double-digit fluke on Friday, highlighting what has remained a productive late-season bottom-fishing bite. Dan expects the fall fishing to break wide open once the stretch of northeast wind settles down, with striped bass action likely to improve quickly as conditions turn more favorable. Early October bass dates are already filling up, so anglers looking to get in on the fall run should make plans soon while limited availability remains.

From the Ebb Tide, the September 19 fluke trip produced another solid harvest from the migration chute despite a stiff easterly and less-than-ideal conditions. Tippy Toe Chris took the pool with a 6.5-pound fluke, and several anglers managed limits while steady action kept fish coming over the rail throughout the morning. The September 18 Block Island fluke and sea bass trip was another productive outing. Big Nate put together a stellar day with a limit of fluke and a mixed bag of other fish, while John continued his three-day fishing vacation by adding two more fluke and plenty of fillets to his catch. John from Chester, New Jersey, won the big-money pool with a 5-pound, 14-ounce fluke, while birthday boy John from Patchogue was able to land his birthday fluke.

Captain Keith from the Fin Chaser reported another strong stretch of Block Island bottom fishing. Porgies have been plentiful, while anglers willing to stay on their game have been rewarded with jumbo sea bass. Larry Turner highlighted one trip with a standout sea bass, while Wayne Prince put both jigs and bait to work on another outing and landed several quality fish. The action remained consistent throughout the week, with anglers boxing limits of jumbo sea bass and porgies and, on some trips, finishing early after filling their coolers. Uncle Danne and Rich Rajpaul shared top honors on another productive day, with both anglers landing quality sea bass. To reserve a trip or find more information, visit myfinchaser.com or call (516) 643-0940.

Captain John from Fishemlite Charters let me know he is currently booking trips for the upcoming fall striped bass and blackfish seasons. With water temperatures beginning to cool and more bass starting to filter into the East End, the prime fall portion of the season is getting closer. Call (516) 312-0372 for more information.

Captain Savio from Fishooker Charters reported that Markus Wilmers and Teo had a blast Saturday catching albies, bluefish and sea bass. The week before, Richie and his son, Richie Jr., also enjoyed excellent action with the albies. Savio said these speedsters have been fishing well around the Point, with small tins and epoxy jigs doing much of the damage. Call (631) 766-3478 for fall charter information.

Mike from the Lazy Bones said they are still concentrating on fluke fishing for the time being but will make the transition to striped bass once the fall run gets underway. With the bass beginning to show in scattered areas, that switch could be coming soon. Call ahead for reservations at (631) 500-0580.

Over at Marlena’s Yacht Club, they reported a steady mix of sea bass and porgies around Montauk Point, while fluke are still being caught off the Radar Tower. Cocktail bluefish remain plentiful around the Point as well, keeping rods bent when the bottom fishing slows. Following the recent blow, they are hopeful that tuna will push back into the area and that cooler water and changing conditions will bring more striped bass into the Montauk rips.

Will from the Montauk Anglers Club reported large numbers of albies around the Point and along the north side, while more bluefish have been holding along the south side. Fluke fishing has slowed somewhat, but a few resident striped bass are beginning to show on both sides of the Point, which is an encouraging sign heading deeper into the fall. Some giant bluefin have also been caught on the inshore numbers, with recreational-size tuna mixed in. Sea bass and porgy fishing continues to be consistent.

Jill from the November Rain reported that bottom fishing continues to be the main focus. After a couple of weather-related cancellations early in the week, first-timer Ben King and his buddies enjoyed a productive half-day charter, filling their coolers with sea bass and porgies. Paolo Cassina and his group of four saw similar action the following morning, putting together another quality catch of sea bass and porgies. That steady bottom bite continued into the afternoon for Vinny, Pat and their friends, who focused on sea bass and added several quality fluke to the box. Tim Schweitzer returned later in the week with a group of five and found good sea bass action before topping off the catch with a few fluke. The week wrapped up with first-timer Justin Massa and his buddies, who normally fish farther south but chose Montauk for this year’s boys’ weekend. The sea bass were a little pickier that day, but jumbo scup more than made up for it, providing enough fillets for a big fish fry. November Rain has some open dates during the first week of October for striped bass and bottom fishing. Call (646) 335-7315 to book.

Captain Tom from the Sea Wife IV reported a busy week on the water. On Wednesday, Mike, Jim, Tom and Chris headed offshore, where the tuna were nonexistent, but they were able to put some quality mahi-mahi in the boat while enjoying beautiful conditions. From Thursday through Saturday, Brian Simonetti, Kenny, Dave, Gerard and Jim limited out on sea bass each day, highlighted by Brian’s 4-1/2-pound fish. The crew also caught plenty of fluke, including a good mess of keepers, along with several bluefish and a pile of scup.On Sunday morning, Andrew, Frank, James and the rest of the crew braved the incoming weather and managed to get the trip in before conditions deteriorated. They finished with a limit of sea bass and added some scup to the catch. Sea Wife IV has open dates available for the prime fall striped bass, sea bass and blackfish seasons. Give Captain Tom a call at (631) 680-1025 to book a trip.

Mike from Star Island Yacht Club said bottom fishing remains consistent around the Point, with good numbers of porgies and sea bass keeping anglers busy. Striped bass fishing has not really taken off yet, but bluefish have been active on both the north and south sides of the Point. Albies and bonito are also still cruising through the area, giving light-tackle anglers plenty of opportunities when conditions allow.

Captain Jim from Tailwrapped Sportfishing reported that the tuna bite dropped off drastically during the past week, although mahi remain around in good numbers. Bluefish have been dominating the Montauk rips and have been willing to hit just about anything thrown their way. Black sea bass and porgies are also holding in strong numbers. With water temperatures beginning to drop, Jim is hopeful that the striped bass will soon arrive off the Point in greater numbers. Tailwrapped is currently booking October trips for the fall run.

Captain Mike from Trophy Hunter Montauk Charters reported albies, albies and more albies around Montauk. Doug Mason from Setauket fished aboard the Trophy Hunter and landed his first false albacore on a fly rod. In other customer news, the Kentucky Krew of John, Dan and Paul booked the boat for three days and put together a nice Montauk mixed bag. They caught albies on epoxy jigs around Montauk and the North Fork, along with bluefish, sea bass, fluke and porgies on metal jigs near the Montauk Lighthouse. On the tournament front, the Montauk Anglers Club Members Tournament recently concluded, with the Trophy Hunter crew finishing third in both the bluefish and scup divisions. The fifth annual Members Fall Tournament is now underway, and the crew is eagerly awaiting opening day of tautog season. Call or text 917-468-3361 to book your fall dates.

From the Viking Fleet of Montauk, Capt. JR reported a very productive Saturday afternoon aboard the Viking Starlite. The boat found plenty of action with sea bass, porgies and fluke at nearly every stop. Most of the fluke were shorts, but a couple of keepers made it into the coolers and everyone went home with a nice fish dinner. Six-year-old Flynn Johnson of New York City took the pool with a 3.5-pound fluke. The Viking’s Block Island Fall Jumbo Porgies and Knothead Sea Bass trip also produced steady action. Capt. Dave reported that the trip started with a 1-1/2-hour drift loaded with big, hard-fighting porgies. Once the tide began ripping, the crew switched over to anchoring offshore and continued picking away at quality porgies and sea bass. Jerome Coston of Queens won the pool with a 2-3/4-pound porgy, while Vish Sanke took the edible pool with a 4-pound triggerfish. Call the Viking Fleet at (631) 668-5700 or visit vikingfleet.com for reservations.

Captain John of the Shinnecock Star reported a great September 18 trip with the Huntington anglers. There was plenty of action throughout the day, with a few keeper fluke mixed into the catch along with a couple of bonito and a false albacore that grabbed the jigs. Cousin John once again took the pool. The fish were caught on a variety of tackle, but Captain John noted that simple hook-and-sinker rigs baited naturally provided nonstop action. A couple of the keeper female fluke were also beginning to show signs associated with the fall migration. The Shinnecock Star plans to continue targeting fluke right through the October 15 season closure, weather permitting. Call (631) 728-4563 to book a trip.

Bryce from White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reported good numbers of albies around Shinnecock Inlet, providing fast-paced opportunities for anglers throwing small metals, epoxy jigs and other compact offerings. The tuna bite has slowed, although a few fish are still being encountered. Fluke fishing remains solid inside Shinnecock Bay, with a mix of shorts and keepers, while some striped bass are now beginning to show inside the bay and around the inlet.

Kenny from Tight Lines Tackle in Southampton reported that porgies and blowfish are still being caught throughout the Peconics. Albies remain plentiful around Montauk and Shinnecock, while Spanish mackerel and bluefish continue to move through Shinnecock Inlet. Sharks are also still present along many of the East End ocean beaches. Kenny has also been hearing about more striped bass being caught farther north and east in Rhode Island and Connecticut, another encouraging sign as the migration begins progressing toward Long Island.

Capt. Phil Kess of the Fishy Business in Orient reports a good variety of species going into the box including plenty of jumbo black sea bass, porgies, stripers and bluefish. There are still some dates open for the remainder of the season; however, with blackfish season fast approaching now is the time to grab your day which promises to be yet another great blackfish season. To seal the deal give Capt. Phil a call at (516) 316-6967.

Capt. Rich of the Nancy Ann in Orient, reports a good week with jumbo black sea bass finally showing up in big numbers and filling the ice box with boat limits, some big porgies are mixing in with the biscuits. Bluefishing remains excellent with plenty of slot size striped bass going into the box as well. All in all it’s a great mix bag of species being converted into big bags of delicious fillets. There are still a few open dates available to come and enjoy some great catches including excellent black sea bass fishing. The 2026 blackfish season is all booked up; however, Capt. Rich and Nancy has put together a list of people who would like to fill in for some blackfish charters that are an angler or two short of filling out a charter. If you are interested and able to fill in on a charter on short notice or fill in whenever needed you can give Rich and Nancy a call or text them with the words “Fill In” with your contact info and you will be ready to rock and roll. To join the fill in list or set up a charter give Capt. Rich and Nancy a call at (631) 477-2337.

Capt. Paul Ripperger and Captain Rachel Jannace Johnson of the Tide Hustle in Greenport reports another fine week with plenty of tasty fillets going home with Tide Hustle patrons. The variety of different trips each day has resulted in a variety of species bending rods and hitting the fillet table by days end. Porgies, jumbo black sea bass, fluke, triggerfish, weakfish, blowfish, kingfish and bluefish are all being converted into beautiful fillets. The hot bite will only get hotter as we roll into October and add blackfish into the equation. The Tide Hustle is sailing from Brick Cove Marina in Greenport every day, weather permitting starting at 7 a.m. and returning back to the dock between 2 and 2:30 pm unless they are on an extended trip which returns at 4 p.m. The Tide Hustle is the newest addition of the East End open boat operation and is owned and operated by both Capt. Rachel and her husband Todd Johnson. Open boat trips are limited to 15 anglers with a 100 feet of rail space to roam in. Although walk Ons are welcome when the boat is not filled, a reservation is strongly suggested to guarantee your spot on the rail. The Tide Hustle is also available for charters, also limited to 15 passengers. For further information or to book your spot on the rail you can give Capt. Paul a call at (631) 522-2002 or Captain Rachel at (631) 384-6294.

Craig from WeGo Bait and Tackle in Southold reports a solid bay bite with porgies, kingfish and blowfish leading way from Jessup Neck to Roses Grove. Summer weakfish to four pounds can be found slamming hi/low rigs baited with squid strips or Berkley Gulp. Bluefishing has been excellent at the Race and Plum Gut employing diamond jigs and bucktails with some slot size striped bass in the mix. There has been a large spread of false albacore, Spanish mackerel and green bonito along Mattituck to Fishers Island hitting Epoxy Jigs and Deadly Dick lures. Black sea bass fishing broke wide open this week with a lot of jumbos making up catches. Pigeons Rip has been best during slack tide with diamond jigs or clam baited high/low rigs producing best. Porgies has been red hot from Rocky Point to the north side of Plum Island and has been best using worms and clams. Snappers and crabs continues to be strong at all of the local piers and docks.