How to catch striped bass on the Long Island Sound.

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) — "stripers," "linesiders," "rockfish" — are the reason most of us fish the Long Island Sound. Here's how Captain Skippy Charters targets them, plus what you need to know before booking a half-day trip to catch one yourself.

Seasonal patterns on the LI Sound

• Spring (late April – early June): Stripers migrate up the East Coast and pour into the central Long Island Sound chasing bunker (menhaden) and sand eels. Fish are hungry after the winter, water is cool, and both boat and shore fishing are excellent.
• Summer (June – August): Bigger fish move deeper and hold on structure — ledges, humps, and drop-offs. Early morning and evening bites are best; midday you're looking for deep water and current.
• Fall (September – October): The "fall run" — arguably the best striper fishing of the year. Cooling water pushes bunker back through the Sound and stripers chase them on the surface. Blitzes happen.

Techniques we use on charter

Trolling tube-and-worm. A red-and-black tube trailing a live sandworm behind a wire-line setup — the classic Long Island Sound method. Covers water fast, tells us where fish are stacked, and works from spring through fall.

Jigging. Bucktail jigs or metal jigs dropped over structure. Great in summer when stripers hold deep on the ledges. Requires more feel than trolling but the takes are heavy.

Live-lining bunker. When the bait is around, we snag a bunker, put it back down on a live-lining rig, and drift it near structure. Trophy-fish technique.

Plugging. Topwater plugs — pencil poppers, spooks, swimming plugs — worked during the fall blitz or over shallow structure at dawn/dusk. Visually exciting.

Best structure on the central Sound

From our Mount Sinai dock we work the ledges of Old Field, the rocky drop-offs at Crane Neck, the Middle Grounds humps, and the sand-and-rock shoals from Rocky Point east to Wading River. Every one of these has produced 30+ pound fish for us.

NY State regs (know before you go)

New York State recreational striped bass regulations change seasonally. As of the 2026 season the recreational slot is one fish per angler per day at 28"–31" fork length (check the NY DEC saltwater limits page for the current year). Captain Skippy stays current on all regs and we only keep what's legal — everything else is safely released.

Tag & release opportunity

On our charters, you can also tag and name an over-slot striped bass through our Gray FishTag Research partnership. Real citizen science — if your fish is recaptured, you'll hear where it traveled.

Ready to catch one? Book a half-day trip or call/text 631-252-6536.