East End Fishing Report: August 21, 2026 — Snappers Fill the Back Bays, Fluke and Porgy Carry the Week

The Short Version

Full summer mode across the East End. The fluke bite has finally hit its stride, the porgy fishing is about as good as it gets, and the snappers are in the back bays. Striped bass are still in their July–August slumber, so don't waste your best hours chasing ghosts. Offshore, tuna and mahi are keeping the long-run crowd honest.

Inshore & Back Bays

Snappers — baby bluefish, now 4 to 5 inches — have moved into the local coves and back bays to hammer young-of-the-year spearing. Grab a light spinning outfit and a bobber; it's the easiest, most fun fishing of the year and a great way to get a kid on fish. Cocktail blues are mixed in, and Gerard Drive has been the consistent spot for casters.

Blowfish and blue-claw crabs are showing up with more regularity too, so it's worth bringing a trap or a light rig if you're poking around the harbors. Earlier in the season small bass and blues, plus hickory shad, were running inside Three Mile Harbor and along Sammy's Beach — worth a look on the moving water.

Fluke

Fluke fishing has really taken off. The Napeague stretch and the ocean side have both been producing, and Montauk is holding plenty of fish. The catch: you'll grind through shorts to find keepers on a lot of days, so bring patience and keep moving until you find the right drift. Wind against tide will kill your drift — if that's the situation, don't force it. Remember the minimum is 19.5 inches, three fish per angler.

Porgy

The scup bite is the story inshore. Montauk is chockablock — full limits are routine around the Lighthouse and along the south side, with jumbos up to three pounds in the mix. Over in the Peconics, the fish that no-showed all spring have finally arrived en masse; the Cedar Point / Cedar Island Lighthouse area has been paved with bottom, including some real slabs. Skimmer clams on a hi-lo rig, and a chum pot if you want to hold them under the boat. Private-boat limit is 30 fish over 11 inches.

Chancey Charters, with Capt. Hugh Chancey, put clients on a pile of jumbo porgies up to three pounds earlier in the run — when it's this good, don't overthink it.

Sea Bass & Bottom Mixed Bag

The sea bass are cooperating for the bottom crowd. Oh Brother!, run by Capt. Rob Aaronson out of Montauk, had a charter that essentially limited out on sea bass, porgy, and fluke — "the fish didn't have a chance," as he put it. Same boat put a first-timer on the biggest sea bass of a recent trip, so the bottom action is there for anyone willing to drop bait.

Striped Bass

Still slow. The bass have gone into their summer slumber and have been scarce through the heat. A few are around for the surfcasters dunking clam baits from the ocean beaches, but this isn't the time to build a trip around them. Fish the low-light windows if you're set on stripers, otherwise put your time into fluke and porgy.

Offshore & Mid-Shore

Bluefin have been hit or miss — some days on, some days off. Cranking diamond jigs and trolling spreader bars remain the go-to, and fish have been taken as close as a few miles from the beach. Sea Wife IV, with Capt. Tom Cusimano, went three-for-five on bluefin on a recent Sunday. Giant bluefin have started making appearances on the mid-shore grounds, along with a ton of sharks — mako and brown sharks seem to be everywhere right now.

The canyons have been the real standout, with excellent yellowfin, plus bigeye and bluefin in the mix when the weather windows open. Mahi have shown up offshore as well. There's a staggering amount of life out on the mid-shore — massive schools of sand eels pulling in whales and big pods of dolphins. If you've got the boat and the weather, the long runs have been paying off.

Tournament Results: MBCA Bluefin/Fluke Blowout

The Montauk Boatmen and Captains Association wrapped its second annual Bluefin/Fluke Blowout, with nearly 30 boats entered weighing their five biggest fluke and/or the combined weight of two bluefin.

• Fluke: Capt. Paul Giangreco of the Fisherman II edged Capt. Frank Shea of the Infinsible for the win, with Bad Daddy (Capt. Frank Mayer) taking third. Giangreco also had the largest fluke at 7.8 pounds.
• Bluefin: Capt. Sean McSwiggan of the Lady Grace took top honors over Capt. Ben McCarron of the Push the Limit, with Trophy Hunter (Capt. Mike Larson) third. McSwiggan landed the biggest bluefin at 86.9 pounds.

Organizers are hoping to see more boats in the youth division next year — good prizes on the line for the largest fluke and bluefin.

Bottom Line

Easiest fishing of the summer is right in front of you: snappers in the bays for the kids, porgies stacked on the bottom, and fluke finally showing up in numbers. Leave the stripers for the fall and put your time where the fish are.