Long Island offers two coastlines, a great deal of structure and a calendar dominated by the spring and fall striped bass migrations. Between them sits an excellent summer bottom fishery for fluke, porgies and sea bass.
Related: Long Island Fishing Guide · Long Island Weekly Fishing Reports
| Month | Top Species | Peak Technique | Conditions & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Tautog, Cod | Wreck fishing, green crabs | Limited inshore options; wreck trips for cod |
| February | Tautog, Cod | Wreck fishing, crabs | Late winter; tautog peak window offshore |
| March | Tautog, Striped Bass | Crabs, bloodworms | First school stripers show in the back bays |
| April | Striped Bass, Winter Flounder | Bunker, clams | Striper run building; winter flounder in the bays |
| May | Striped Bass, Fluke, Porgy | Bunker, bucktails | Stripers in force; fluke season opens |
| June | Fluke, Striped Bass, Porgy | Bucktails, live bait | Fluke fishing strong; sea bass season opens |
| July | Fluke, Porgy, Sea Bass | Bucktails, clams | Peak summer bottom fishing |
| August | Fluke, Porgy, False Albacore | Bucktails, epoxy jigs | Fluke move to structure; albies arrive late month |
| September | False Albacore, Striped Bass, Fluke | Epoxy jigs, plugs | Fall run begins; albies peak at the inlets |
| October | Striped Bass, Tautog, False Albacore | Plugs, crabs | PEAK fall striped bass run |
| November | Striped Bass, Tautog | Plugs, green crabs | Fall run continues; tautog fishing excellent |
| December | Tautog, Striped Bass | Crabs, bottom rigs | Season winding down; tog on the wrecks |
Best Months to Visit Long Island
Striped bass: October–November for the fall run, May for the spring. Fluke: June–August. False albacore: September–October. Tautog: November–December.