Oak Beach Park, located off Ocean Parkway in the Town of Babylon, stands today as a prime fishing destination with a rich and rowdy past. Once the site of the infamous Oak Beach Inn (OBI), this property was known less for fishing and more for its all-night parties, loud music, and disturbances that plagued the quiet Oak Beach community for decades.
That all changed in 1999 when Suffolk County and the Town of Babylon’s Department of Parks purchased the nine-acre waterfront lot for $7 million. By 2003, the area was transformed into Oak Beach Park – clean, safe, and publicly accessible year-round. Most importantly for anglers, the old nightclub site is now home to a well-built fishing pier overlooking Oak Beach Channel, just two miles west of Captree State Park.
From Pilings To Pier
In the 1980s, access to the pilings behind the OBI was limited to insiders – employees and friends of owner Bob Matherson. By day, while the club was closed, they would fish the private transient docks for blackfish (tautog) up to 9 pounds. Today, those pilings are long gone, but the channel remains a steady producer of bottom dwellers, gamefish, and even the occasional southern visitor riding warm currents in from Fire Island Inlet.
The modern-day pier offers excellent access to that same productive water. With casting lanes toward the sandbar along the north side of Oak Beach Channel and solid tidal flow from nearby Fire Island and the Great South Bay, the pier now hosts a wide range of species from early spring through late fall.
A Month-By-Month Breakdown
January–March:
Blueback herring may show as early as January, though winter action has been spotty in recent years. Still, it’s worth checking after a mild December. February and March are generally slow.
April–May:
By late April, activity begins to build. Spearing and adult bunker arrive first, followed by bluefish, fluke, and stripers. May is peak spring action, offering fluke, bluefish, blackfish, blowfish, the occasional weakfish, and even winter flounder.
Target fluke on the outgoing tide using 3/8 to 1-ounce Spro Prime Bucktails in pink, white, glow, or chartreuse. Tip with squid strips or shrimp-scented Fishbites. Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullets in white also perform well. Cast toward the exposed sandbar at low tide.
Bluefish and schoolie stripers also move through in May. Diamond jigs with green or white tubes are deadly on choppers. When bass stay near the bottom, work a 7-inch Bass Assassin on a 1-ounce jighead. On topwater blitzes, switch to pencil poppers.
Winter flounder are present from mid-May onward. A simple worm rig on an outgoing tide can secure your two-fish limit, but bring extra bait – jumbo blowfish are common and aggressive this time of year.
June–September:
The summer months offer steady fluke action and surprise species like cocktail blues, weakfish, and even southern visitors such as jacks, triggerfish, and mackerel. These warm-water fish hit the same jigs and baits intended for fluke, providing added excitement and variety.
October:
October is one of the best months for mixed-bag fishing. Porgies are everywhere, snappers are thick, and baby chopper blues offer all-day action. Blowfish are abundant, and if you can find structure, blackfish fishing can be excellent.
Work green crabs on traditional blackfish rigs around submerged debris or cast near the groins just east and west of the pier. These rock piles drop into 16 to 30 feet of water and regularly produce tog until early November.
November–December:
As water temps drop, hickory shad and blueback herring return to the channel. Shad darts and sabiki rigs are effective, especially during the first of the incoming tide. Calm, overcast mornings often see the best bites.
What makes Oak Beach Park truly special is its accessibility and consistency. Whether you’re casting a 6-foot spinning rod or a 11-foot surf setup, the pier provides easy, comfortable access to a wide range of species without needing a boat. With ample parking and clear shoreline access, it’s a rare Long Island fishing spot that’s equally welcoming to beginners, families, and seasoned anglers.
While the Oak Beach Inn may be gone, the fish certainly aren’t. In fact, thanks to the transformation of the property, what was once a loud, exclusive party scene is now a quiet, inclusive hotspot for saltwater anglers. Whether you’re there for fluke, blowfish, stripers, or just a peaceful day with a rod in hand, Oak Beach Park delivers.
Directions: The park is located on the south side of Ocean Parkway, approximately two miles west of Captree State Park. Open year-round, dawn to dusk.
