Coastal & Freshwater Angler Command
Dedicated tactical intelligence for local surfcasters, inshore boaters, and fly anglers across Long Island Sound boulder fields, South Shore ocean sloughs, and glacial spring creeks.
Strong moving water and solunar alignment. Target inlet jetties and sound boulder rip lines for feeding blitzes.
Long Island historical baseline
Falling barometer at 29.98 inHg (+10 pts) — Feeding trigger ahead of coastal front
Active Minor Feed Window (+10 pts) — Moonrise / Sunset transition
Ebb Tide Moving Current (+8 pts) — Driving peanut bunker through sound channels
Light NW breeze 11 mph (+4 pts) — Favorable drift along North Shore points
Solunar Feeding Periods & Daylight Windows
Long Island Species Seasons, Regulations & Tactics
Striped Bass
Morone saxatilisSlot Limit: 28" – 31" total length. 1 fish/day bag limit. Non-offset circle hooks mandatory with natural bait.
Montauk Point rips, Sound rocky boulder fields (Port Jeff / Orient), South Shore ocean beach sloughs, inlet jetties.
Throwing needlefish, yellow pencil poppers at dawn/dusk, drifting live eels in rips, bucktails with pork rind.
Tautog (Blackfish)
Tautoga onitisLong Island Sound: Oct 11 – Dec 9 (3 fish at 16"). NY Marine District: Oct 15 – Dec 22 (4 fish at 16").
Submerged rocky boulder piles, breakwalls, artificial reefs, deep bridge abutments, rock jetties.
Sticky green crabs, Asian crabs, or white crabs on tog jigs (1/2 to 2 oz) or traditional Virginia rig; instant hookset on tap.
Black Sea Bass
Centropristis striataSept 1 – Dec 31: 6 fish bag limit, minimum size 16.5".
Artificial reefs (Smithtown Reef, Moriches Reef), deep ocean wrecks in 50–100 ft of water, gravel humps.
Diamond jigs with teasers, clam belly strips on hi-lo rigs, vertical bucktailing with Gulp grubs.
Fluke (Summer Flounder)
Paralichthys dentatusClosed winter/spring. Summer season: 3 fish bag limit, minimum size 19" (or 19.5" east of 72°30').
Deep channel edges, inlet drop-offs, sandy shoals, bay flats flanking moving water.
Off-season stock preparation. Spring/Summer: bucktails tipped with spearing and squid ribbons or Gulp swimming mullets.
Scup (Porgy)
Stenotomus chrysopsPrivate boaters: 30 fish at 10.5". Shore anglers: 30 fish at 11". Party/charter: 30 fish (40 fish bonus Sept–Oct).
Gravel bottom, boulder fields, mussel beds, public fishing piers (Cedar Beach, Captree, Shinnecock).
Small #1 or #2 hooks with seaworm pieces or clam slivers on high-low bottom rigs.
Bluefish (Cocktail & Chopper)
Pomatomus saltatrix3 fish bag limit (any size) for private anglers; 5 fish for party/charter.
Sound tide rips, inlet mouths, ocean surf, Great South Bay bridges.
Steel leaders with poppers, Kastmasters, Hopkins spoons, or diamond jigs.
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoidesSuffolk County freshwater: 5 fish harvest (12" min) June 15 – Nov 30; Catch & Release all other dates.
Lake Ronkonkoma, Belmont Lake, Upper Lake Yaphank, Forge Pond, Peconic River weedlines.
Slow-rolled lipless crankbaits, suspending jerkbaits, Ned rigs, or drop-shot soft plastics worked slowly on deep drop-offs.
Trout (Brown, Rainbow, Brook)
Salmo trutta / Oncorhynchus mykissSuffolk County Streams: Connetquot River & Carmans River have special fly-fishing-only & catch-and-release reaches. Check DEC rules.
Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Carmans River (Southaven Park), Belmont Lake, Upper Lake Yaphank.
Pheasant tail nymphs, woolly buggers, midge patterns, small spinners, or floating mealworms in permitted waters.
Freshwater Streams & Kettle Ponds Telemetry
Connetquot River near Oakdale
State Park Blue Ribbon Trout Stream • USGS #01306460Carmans River at Yaphank
Spring-Fed Sea-Run Trout River • USGS #01305000Peconic River at Riverhead
Estuarine Tidal Freshwater Reach • USGS #01304500Nissequogue River near Smithtown
North Shore Tidal / Trout Stream • USGS #01303800Long Island Regional Fishing Reports
North Shore Boulder Points: Stripers & Big Blackfish on Crabs
Tog sharpies are hammering limit catches of blackfish across the shallow boulder fields from Crane Neck to Mount Sinai. Green crabs and Asian crabs split on 1-oz jigs are out-producing rigs in 18-32 feet of water. Striped bass blitzes pop up around dawn outside Port Jefferson harbor on peanut bunker.
Outer Beach Surf Blitzes: Slot Bass Chasing Sand Eels
Surfcasters walking the sloughs between Robert Moses Field 2, Democrat Point, and Gilgo report steady slot bass action. Heavy needlefish and diamond jigs with green tubes casted past the outer bar are getting intercepted on the outgoing tide. Onshore south winds are stacking bait right into the wash.
Inlet Rips & Bridges: Heavy Current Drifts & Sea Bass on Reefs
Shinnecock and Moriches Inlets have provided outstanding drifting opportunities at night. Live eels drifted through the shadow lines of the bridges produce keeper linesiders to 38 inches. The artificial reefs in 60-75 ft of water are holding solid sea bass and jumbo porgies on clam.
Fall Trout Stocking Blitz Across Suffolk County Rivers
NYS DEC has completed major fall stockings of 2-year-old Brown and Rainbow Trout (12–15 inches) across the Connetquot River, Carmans River, Argyle Lake, and Belmont Lake. Fly anglers fishing Connetquot are experiencing heavy strikes on size 14 Olive Woolly Buggers and beadhead nymphs.
Official NYS DEC Bulletins
NYS DEC Marine District: 2026 Striped Bass Slot Regulations in Full Effect
Striped bass harvest remains restricted to the coastwide slot limit of 28" to 31" total length. Only non-offset circle hooks are permitted when using natural bait to minimize release mortality.
Official NYS DEC Regulations Portal →Fall Trout Stocking Complete for Long Island Lakes & Spring Streams
Suffolk County freshwater waters stocked with prime brook and brown trout across Connetquot, Carmans, Belmont, Upper Lake Yaphank, and Carlls River.
Official NYS DEC Regulations Portal →Tautog (Blackfish) Fall Season Open: 16-Inch Minimum Size Limit Enforced
ECO officers actively monitoring boat ramps and jetties. Daily bag limit is 3 fish in LI Sound and 4 fish in NY Marine Waters. Minimum length: 16 inches.
Official NYS DEC Regulations Portal →Shellfish Bed Runoff & Harvest Status
Automated bacterial runoff tracking for conditional harvest beds. Suffolk County enforces mandatory closures when rainfall reaches or exceeds 0.50" to 0.75" in 24 hours.
Water quality clean. Under 0.50" runoff threshold. Approved for recreational clammers, oystermen, and commercial shellfishing.
Under 0.50" runoff threshold. Certified commercial and non-commercial shellfish harvesting active.
Under 0.75" Peconic estuary threshold. Safe water quality parameters.
Hard clam and oyster harvest beds open in approved state waters.
Inlet Bar Crossing Hazard
Sound & Ocean Boat Drift Velocity Calculator
Glacial Aquifer & Water Table
Long Island Tackle Shop & Marine VHF Network
Bait: Fresh bunker chunks, seaworms, green crabs for fall tog.
● Live Bait in StockBait: Live eels, diamond jigs, heavy bucktails, offshore squid.
● Fleet Active in RipsBait: Clam bellies, spearing, live killies, sea bass jigs.
● Reef Fleets SailingBait: Squid strips, spearing, green crabs, Gulp swimming mullets.
● Open Boat Schedules