UTERBlack sea bass fishing in Long Island Sound and Montauk
In Long Island Sound and Montauk, black sea bass peak June–October and are around May–November, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. July: Sea bass on the rock piles off Montauk, Orient and in the Sound; jigs and clam.
The fall run builds; tog season reopens. Stripers and blues on sand eels off Montauk and along the south shore; tog season opens on the Sound rocks (dates differ Sound vs Bight); bluefin close to the beaches some years.
Black sea bass in Long Island Sound and Montauk, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilNot here
- MayArrivingBunker stripers in the western Sound; blues and weakfish arrive. Live bunker in the western Sound harbors and Jamaica Bay; topwater on the flats; weakfish at night in Peconic; big porgies into Gardiners Bay.
- JunePeakMontauk and the Race light up; fluke in the inlets. Eels at night on the Montauk rips; drift the south shore inlets and Peconic for fluke; chum for makos (release) and threshers off the south shore.
- JulyPeakSea bass on the rock piles off Montauk, Orient and in the Sound; jigs and clam.
- AugustPeak
- SeptemberPeak
- OctoberPeakThe fall run builds; tog season reopens. Stripers and blues on sand eels off Montauk and along the south shore; tog season opens on the Sound rocks (dates differ Sound vs Bight); bluefin close to the beaches some years.
- NovemberLeavingThe Montauk blitz; big blackfish. Birds and bass at the Point and along the south shore beaches; green crabs on the Sound rock piles and the Montauk boulders for tog.
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish black sea bass near Sheepshead Bay, Freeport, Captree
New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay and the lower Hudson; Long Island's south shore surf and inlets backed by Great South Bay and the Moriches and Shinnecock bays; the Peconic and Gardiners bays between the forks; Montauk Point's boulder fields and rips; and Long Island Sound — rocky reefs, harbors and the Connecticut river mouths on the north side, the Race at the east end. Offshore to the Hudson and Block canyons.
Fish Scouter charts 1,272 wreck, 3 artificial reef spots in the Long Island & the Sound map area — the kinds black sea bass hold on.
What to use for black sea bass
- SquidStrips on a bottom rig for snapper, grunts and porgies; whole on a deep-drop rig.
- Live shrimpUnder a popping cork or free-lined, hooked under the horn on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook; on a jig head for the bottom. The universal inshore bait.
- Leader30–60 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook2/0–7/0
- Braid30–65 lb
Feeds in 52–78°F water, best at 58–72°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch black sea bass in Long Island Sound and Montauk?
Peak season is June–October. Black sea bass are in Long Island Sound and Montauk May–November. July: Sea bass on the rock piles off Montauk, Orient and in the Sound; jigs and clam.
Where do black sea bass hold in Long Island Sound and Montauk?
Look on artificial reef, ledge / hard bottom, wreck — around Sheepshead Bay, Freeport, Captree, Port Jefferson, Montauk, Orient.
What is the best bait for black sea bass in Long Island Sound and Montauk?
Live bait: squid, live shrimp. Squid: Strips on a bottom rig for snapper, grunts and porgies; whole on a deep-drop rig. Tackle: leader 30–60 lb fluorocarbon, hook 2/0–7/0, braid 30–65 lb.
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All about black sea bass · Long Island & the Sound, the whole year