If you’ve ever wanted to catch stripers blitzing baitfish along the beaches of New York, we’re about to reveal the best striped bass shore fishing spots for one of the Empire state’s most iconic sport fishing experiences.
This handful of beaches also will serve you well during the less-frantic but often more reliable spring months, when the stripers are leisurely moving their way back north into cooler summertime waters after wintering in the Chesapeake Bay and the Mid-Atlantic.
If you were going to pick one state that’s the most striper-obsessed, you’d be hard-pressed to leave New York out of the conversation.
New York literally sits at the epicenter of both directions in this annual striper migration.
Informed anglers can intercept this moveable feast and have some of the most memorable fishing days of their lives casting into the surf as long as they’re armed with accurate information and the right equipment.
You need to know where, when and how to catch these challenging game fish at the peak of their annual migrations. You’ve come to the right place.
I’ve fished these annual runs for most of my life, and I’m about to share the most important tips that can make the difference between a day of just standing in the surf or battling powerful striped bass in the breakers.
So if you want to have a fall to remember, landing powerful striped bass from the beach in some of the region’s most beautiful locations, follow the steps in this article to give yourself the best shot.
It’s also worth noting that successful striper anglers also tend to land fair numbers of bluefish along the way. This fellow predator is gorging on the same baitfish the stripers are gobbling.
When to Catch New York Stripers
Fall is my favorite time of year to fish for stripers, because if you play it right and get a little lucky, you can have frantic, action-packed hours full of battles you’ll never forget.
But springtime striped bass fishing can be more forgiving and less rushed. It can produce some of the biggest stripers of the year. And it’s what comes first on the calendar.
Let’s take a look at both seasons.
Spring Striper Fishing in NY
The difference between the spring and fall migrations is that in the spring, these fish mosey up the coast feeding as they go.
The best time to catch them in the spring is from April through June, when they often feed along the surf line.
As a rough means of guessing their arrival, anglers look for the water temperature to reach the magical 50-degree mark. When inland waters warm to that point, the stripers aren’t far behind in the spring.
At this time of the year, the pace is more casual. Yes, stripers are escaping warming water temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic where they winter over. And yes, they’re following bait, but they are not in a terrible rush.
That is the main difference between the fall and spring runs. In the spring, you’ll see those first schoolies coming up from the Mid-Atlantic.
Spring stripers will often feed within casting distance of the beach on and off for several months. They won’t necessarily push offshore until water temperatures become too warm.
So, a school of striped bass might hang out off the coast of Long Island for weeks at a time until longer summer days and increasing air temperatures push them farther north or offshore.
In the spring, the best times to hit the beach are almost exclusively at first and last light.
During mid-summer, these fish are either offshore or feeding only at night in the surf, and by early December they’ve all returned to the Mid-Atlantic.
Fishing the Fall Striper Run in NY
Every year, between the end of September and the beginning of December, a wild, colorful migration is on the move from Maine to Maryland.
This southward migration brings striped bass mixed with bluefish, and the host of baitfish that these big predators are chasing. And this all happens right along Long Island’s coast as the leaves are changing in New York.
Stripers have already summered in the cooler waters and are now racing the calendar back southward toward their warmer spawning grounds.
Some striped bass do spawn in the Hudson River each spring, but it’s a minority of the stripers in this fishery compared to those that spawn farther south.
At any rate, those fish drop out of the warming river by June and join the rest of their kin in the ocean.
You can’t get around it: The fall run is short-lived.
The single most crucial element when it comes to regularly catching striped bass from the surf in the fall will be your timing.
It does not and will not matter what you are throwing, how long you are fishing, or how knowledgeable you are if you are not fishing from regions of the coast where large schools of stripers are migrating through, headed south.
Unlike the spring, in the fall there absolutely is a rush for these fish to get south.
Once those night temperatures start dropping into the 40s and 30s, lowering inland water temperatures with each night that leaves frost on your windshield, the push is on.
The stripers start exiting more northerly areas like the coast of Maine by the end of September. The biggest numbers of stripers are likely to reach New York from early October through mid-November.
Striped bass feed primarily on sand eels, peanut bunker (juvenile Atlantic Menhaden), mackerel, anchovies, and mullet.
These baitfish won’t hold out this far north when inland ocean temperatures get too cold. Any longtime Northeast resident knows that fall is always a short season with abrupt change. Once those temperatures start dropping and the leaves start changing, it’s only a matter of time before winter has a deadlock on the region.
Because the seasonal change is an abrupt one, the migration can happen relatively quickly, with large schools of fish moving hundreds of miles in a few weeks’ time.
Cold snaps move those schools of baitfish into a migratory pattern. As they school up and head south following the shorelines, they provide a nutrient-rich target for stripers that are following the same path.
While fishing in low-light conditions is close to a requirement in the spring, the fall striper bite can occur during the bright light of day, although mornings and evenings are still often better.
Where to Catch Striped Bass in New York
Montauk
There is not a town in the world that can rival the infatuation for stripers that exists in Montauk.
Montauk, which sits at the easternmost end of Long Island, is perhaps the most hallowed surfcasting ground on the planet, and certainly the epicenter of the striper migration as far as shorebound anglers are concerned.
Picture that your town had one grocery store and that grocery store had one cash register. Now imagine how busy that checkout aisle would be between the hours of 5 and 9 on a given Friday afternoon. You’ve got a central location, with limited access, providing food that people need for survival.
When it comes to striped bass, Montauk Point is that single grocery store. Technically, yes, these fish could take alternate routes on their southward migration from Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut back down to the Mid-Atlantic, in the same way you might find sustenance in a gas station convenience store.
However, the vast majority of migratory fish are rounding the easternmost point on Long Island as they head south.
And because these fish are chasing baitfish like sand eels and peanut bunker, they are more apt to stay tight to shore where they can more easily corral baitfish against the beaches.
Not only do inland waters provide stripers the means to corner their next meal, but protected waters also stay warmer than offshore waters in the cooler fall months. They attract more sea life as a result.
There is no beach or stretch of sand in all of the United States that is more iconic, or more closely associated with a beloved game fish, than Montauk Point is with striped bass. Every year tournaments are held, and prizes are awarded.
Anglers who range from plumbers between shifts to millionaires with houses in the Hamptons all flock to Montauk to take their crack at intercepting the fall migration of striped bass.
If you were to attempt to describe the fall run of striped bass with a single image and were looking for a place to take that photo, your best bet would be beneath the lighthouse at Montauk Point State Park. Here you’ll see fishermen in waders and wetsuits, hobbling along the rocks, heaving bucktails and plugs into the surf.
Each year can vary in terms of timing, but as a general rule of thumb, mid-October through Early November is typically a great time to visit Montauk in pursuit of stripers from the surf.
Montauk also is a home base for many other types of fishing, include fleets that chase tuna, sharks, cod, fluke and more game fish.
More: Complete Guide to Montauk Fishing
Montauk Point
Fishing Montauk can be a precarious endeavor simply because of the nature of the environment. Montauk Point is almost all rocks, which can make for difficult walking.
The best bet for the novice surfcaster is hip waders with boots that either have cleats or an attachment like Korkers that can be worn over a wading boot.
Korkers strap on to the bottom of your wading boots and have studs on the sole for better traction on what might otherwise be slippery rocks. Picture small nails pounded through the bottom of a boot, so as to gain traction on a rock’s surface.
It is worth noting that while you might see seasoned surfcasters swimming out to and climbing on rocks in the surf to get a cast farther out, this can be a dangerous proposition for someone without experience.
It is best for novice surfcasters to learn to fish from shore, in water shallower than hip-deep, before attempting to go any further.
Wave size and frequency can vary, so keep yourself at a point on the rocks where you can retreat to dry land in a hurry if need be.
Expert Montauk surfcasters who have done this every day of the season for years on end will climb on a rock and step to the front so that when a wave washes over it, it pushes them to the back of, but not off, the rock.
If this sounds like something that is very difficult to execute without getting tossed like a ragdoll onto the beach by a giant wave… trust me, that’s because it is.
Shagwong Point
To the north and west of Montauk Point proper, you’ve got a beach called Shagwong Point. Shagwong is another famous, specific surf spot in Montauk that can be an easier point of entry for novice surfcasters.
Unlike the point proper, Shagwong features more of a sand beach and will be more forgiving to someone just getting their surf legs, so to speak.
It’s a bit of a hike to get from the loop in Highway 27 that ends beneath Montauk Point, but fishing along the way, while carefully navigating the terrain, of course, can make it easier.
Ditch Plains Beach
If you find yourself giving Montauk a shot underneath the lighthouse, but walking on the rocks is growing tiring and difficult, consider the nearby Ditch Plains Beach. It’s at the end of Ditch Plains Road, which is south and west of Montauk Point.
Ditch Plains Beach offers potentially great fishing on Montauk’s south side, but with a sandier atmosphere. Whereas at the point you are climbing on table-sized rocks, Ditch Plains offers a sand beach and it’s a two-minute drive.
If you’ve got a north wind that is making casting from the Point or the north side of the island a challenge, you can put the wind at your back from Ditch Plains Beach. At the same time, Atlantic menhaden that swim into the wind to feed will more likely be near shore on this south-facing beach.
Montauk Fishing Tips
Lure Selection
Our number one recommendation for lure choice is a bucktail. It is just difficult to beat a chartreuse or a black bucktail fished in rocky striper water.
An important part of this lure’s appeal is especially helpful at Montauk: With a small, dense body, it can punch through winds better than most any offering, meaning it’ll be more apt to reach feeding stripers farther off the beach than a lighter lure.
Fish Location
A longer rod, of at least 9 feet, will allow you the greatest casting distance. While we do not encourage newcomers to swim out to Montauk’s rocks and climb on, we will tell you that the more distance off the beach you can cover with a cast, the better.
Stripers feel more comfortable in protected areas of the water where there’s structure or shade, or a drop-off they can disappear over quickly. Therefore, at least during daytime hours, they’re typically not going to be right on the beach per se.
Having that said, at night, fish will come in closer to feed. But during daylight hours you want to get right to the water’s edge and cast as far as possible to cover the most water.
Pro Tip: Braided lines and bucktails of at least ½ ounce will ensure you get the most casting distance.
Gear Selection
A longer rod is almost essential in Montauk. Surf rods of at least 9 feet, and often as long as 10 or 11 feet, are ideal.
You’ll want a rod rated for throwing lures up to 4 ounces because here again, you’ll have strong currents moving around large rocks.
Reels capable of moving a lot of line quickly are a good idea here, too, as you’ll need to “coerce” fish back to shore despite heavy currents and powerful tides.
Bait
Fishing bait is another option at Montauk, and a potentially effective one. Chunks of herring, mackerel, or even clam bellies or live eels are all striper favorites.
Underneath Montauk Light, you will see mostly lure fishermen, because swift currents will make it hard to hold the bottom for long with bait.
But on the town beaches of Montauk (Ditch Plains and Shagwong Point), it’s more possible to soak a clam belly or throw a live eel. Both baits would require similar equipment to what’s described above, just more patience.
When fishing bait, make sure to use circle hooks and an egg or pyramid sinker between ¾ and 3 ounces to hold the bottom, depending on wind strength and current speed.
Jones Beach State Park
If gas prices and potential crowds are having you rethink a trip all the way to “The End” (Montauk), then consider the Jones Beach area of Western Long Island for a surfcasting excursion.
Jones Beach State Park has a series of “Fields” with parking areas. Check the rules for the area you want to fish. You might be able to park and walk the beach targeting the same schools of fish that, in the fall, have rounded Montauk Point and are headed south.
The attraction at Jones Beach State Park is that the fishing will be slightly easier than what you’ll find at Montauk Point.
Because these are sand beaches, for the most part, it will be less necessary to strap Korkers to your boots and hobble over boulders than it is at Montauk Point.
As a tradeoff, it’s less likely you’ll see massive surface blitzes, or fish congregated as tightly at Jones Beach as you might at Montauk (although it happens every year). That said, you’re also much more likely to find your own stretch of sand to fish without competing for space on a given rock.
Jones Beach Fishing Tips
Lure Selection
Diamond jigs are a tremendously popular surf lure that have withstood the test of time. The jig is basically a thin piece of metal, with the fattest point in the center, that thins on either end. A single hook, with a piece of plastic or rubber tubing that covers the hook shank, hangs off the end of the lure.
The tubing acts like a bucktail trailer would, providing a little bit of extra color and flash to stripers in pursuit. Bright green or red tube tails are popular choices.
The jigs come in sizes that correspond to their weights. For example, an A-27 diamond jig weighs 3 ounces, an A-17 weighs 2 ounces, and so on.
Because of their polished metal surface, diamond jigs are a great imitation of baits like a sand eel or a peanut bunker. If they’re fished by jigging them in the surf, they look like a single, wounded baitfish, which is particularly attractive to feeding striped bass or bluefish.
Like a bucktail, diamond jigs are dense and can be cast a mile, which is particularly helpful when you’re targeting schools of feeding fish that might be 75 or 100 yards off the beach.
Next to a bucktail, a diamond jig can be one of your best assets in the striper surf, and Jones Beach is a great spot to put them to use.
And while bucktails are a good option anywhere in the striper surf, there are more options when you’re less likely to be hung up on rocky bottom.
I’d recommend coming to the beach with some more lures in addition to your selection of diamond jigs and bucktails. In particular, topwater poppers (pencil poppers) and plugs (Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper or Bomber Long A) come in handy if fish are visibly pushing bait to the surface.
Bait
Fishing with a live clam, live eel, or a chunk of fresh bunker is another effective method to catch striped bass from the beach.
You’ll want to rig up with an egg sinker between two barrel swivels, and a fluorocarbon leader of between 18 and 24 inches armed with a circle hook. (New York now requires that all bait fishing for striped bass be done with a circle hook.)
Pro tip: It’s best to keep in contact with your bait with a tight line. Otherwise, a number of species, like crabs, can easily pick your hook clean before you know it.
Gear
Here again, you’ll want a surf rod of at least 9 feet, plus a reel capable of holding at least 200 yards of braided line.
Fire Island
If you’re looking for an interesting day trip that can produce phenomenal fishing in a unique and colorful environment, consider catching a ferry from Bayshore out to Fire Island.
The number one draw for anglers visiting Fire Island is this: The ferry ride almost guarantees that you’ll lose 70 percent of the crowds that might find their way to mainland beaches when fish are in.
Fire Island is a 32-mile-long barrier island south of Long Island that is an environment unlike any other on the East Coast.
Unless you are a year-round resident with a vehicle permit, you reach the island by ferry. Know that the ferry schedule varies throughout the year, and can be limited in the fall. Take a close look at the schedule before heading over to plan out your return trip.
Towns throughout Fire Island have small shops where you can purchase any necessary snacks and/or grab lunch. Still, the island is seasonal to a far greater degree than the Long Island mainland, so it’s best to bring whatever provisions you need if you plan on staying for the day.
The incredible element about Fire Island, in the fall especially, is the solitude you’ll find when compared to other New York beaches.
While Jones Beach and Montauk are likely to be incredibly crowded on a nice weather weekend in the Northeast, the ferry ride prevents many anglers from venturing out to towns like Ocean Beach on Fire Island. So you can have a blitz almost entirely to yourself if you time it right.
This applies in the fall, only, as the island can be crowded with seasonal residents during the summer.
Like many of the South Shore beaches, the views, sunsets, and wildlife can be incredible, but on a nationally protected preserve with much lighter angling pressure, these elements are all the more amazing.
The stretch of sand near Ocean Beach has particularly promising drop-offs fairly close to shore and can be a good bet if you’re looking for a place on the island to start fishing.
Lures and Gear
The gear you’ll be using will be identical to what you’d employ at the nearby Jones Beach.
The only difference is you’ll want to condense the volume of tackle you bring so that it’s highly portable for the ferry ride and walking.
Robert Moses State Park/Democrat Point
Located between Jones Beach and Ocean Beach on Fire Island is Robert Moses State Park, at the westernmost end of Fire Island. The draw of Robert Moses is the bridge with the same name.
Although you are not permitted to drive the length of Fire Island without a seasonal or year-round pass for your vehicle, anyone can cross the Robert Moses bridge and drive to the state park and fish from its beaches.
(If you are interested in getting an over-sand permit, learn more about the regulations here.)
Lures and Gear
Democrat Point is simply the farthest westernmost point of Fire Island, so your approach here should be the same as it would be on the island itself.
Captree Fleet
We’re confident that if you’re careful, patient, and persistent and you time the run right, you’ll have a chance at fish from Fire Island.
However, if you do find yourself striking out and don’t want to retreat home without bending a rod, consider party boats like the Captree Princess that sail daily, weather depending, during the spring, summer and fall.
You can sail on a four-hour fishing trip for a moderate fee, which could provide some consolation if fish aren’t biting in the surf.
Catch More Stripers
Now that you know when, where, and have some notion of how to catch striped bass from the shoreline in New York, be sure to check out our full guide with techniques and tips for surfcasting for stripers.