East End Fishing Report: August 28, 2026 — Snappers In, Fluke On, Bass Still Snoozing
The Short Version
Full-on late-summer mode out here. The back bays are alive with snappers and cocktail blues, fluke fishing has hit its stride on the ocean side and in Napeague, and the porgy bite remains ridiculous. Meanwhile striped bass are deep into their summer slumber — a few around, but don't build your day around them. Offshore, the tuna and mahi are the story.
Back Bays & Beaches
The snappers are in — those young-of-the-year bluefish are filling the coves and harbors, feeding hard on spearing. They're running 4 to 5 inches now, and if you've got kids, this is the easy, fun fishing that hooks people for life. Grab a light spinning outfit, a bobber, and a snapper hook and go. Cocktail blues have joined the party too.
Gerard Drive out in Springs has been a consistent producer for the casters. Blowfish and blue-claw crabs are showing up in better numbers, so bring a trap and a net if you want to round out dinner. Inside Three Mile Harbor and along Sammy's Beach, small bluefish and schoolie bass have been running, and there's been enough life in the wash — bluefish and hickory shad — to keep surf casters busy.
Fluke
This is the one to target right now. The flatfish bite has really taken off, with the Napeague stretch and the ocean side both fishing well. You'll still weed through shorts to find keepers — the 19.5-inch minimum makes you work — but the quantity is there. Cedar Point has continued to give up fluke for the bay crowd when the wind and tide cooperate for a drift.
Montauk and the Block Island grounds have been holding a mountain of fluke, though a lot of them run in that 16-to-18-inch band. Grind through them and the keepers come, and there's been some quality sea bass mixed in on the same bottom.
Porgy
The scup bite is as good as it gets. After a dismal spring in the Peconics, the porgies showed up in force and never left — big fish in the mix, some pushing three pounds. The water around the Cedar Island (Cedar Point) Lighthouse has been paved with them; drop a hi-lo rig on sliced skimmer clams and it's lock-and-load, double-headers included. Montauk is chockablock too, with full limits the norm around the Lighthouse and along the south side.
Striped Bass
Don't say we didn't warn you. As the water temps climb, the bass have gone quiet — the usual summer scarcity. You can scratch out a few schoolies inside the harbors and along Sammy's Beach, and a handful of surfcasters are dunking clams from the ocean beaches, but the better daytime action is on fluke, sea bass, and porgy right now.
Offshore & Mid-Shore
The offshore scene is carrying the summer. Mahi have shown up and the tuna bite remains upbeat. The canyons have been the standout, kicking out solid yellowfin along with bigeye and bluefin when the weather windows open for the long run. Closer in, the mid-shore grounds have loaded up with sand eels, drawing whales, dolphins, and giant bluefin — recreational-size fish have been showing sporadically through the usual haunts, with plenty of mako and brown sharks around too. Cranking diamond jigs and trolling spreader bars remain the go-to for the bluefin.
Docks & Boats
The Montauk Boatmen and Captains Association wrapped its second annual Bluefin/Fluke Blowout, with nearly 30 boats in the mix. In the fluke category, Capt. Paul Giangreco of the Fisherman II edged out Capt. Frank Shea of the Infinsible, with Capt. Frank Mayer's Bad Daddy taking third; Giangreco also weighed the biggest flatfish at 7.8 pounds. On the bluefin side, Capt. Sean McSwiggan of the Lady Grace topped the field ahead of Capt. Ben McCarron's Push the Limit and Capt. Mike Larson's Trophy Hunter. McSwiggan also landed the tournament's largest bluefin at 86.9 pounds.
Earlier in the run, Capt. Rob Aaronson's Oh Brother! put clients on a fine mixed bag of fluke, sea bass, and porgy — near limits on a good day. Capt. Hugh Chancey of Chancey Charters loaded up on jumbo porgies to three pounds, and Capt. Tom Cusimano's Sea Wife IV has been working the bluefin with jigs when the fish cooperate.
Bottom Line
Target fluke and porgy inshore, chase snappers and cocktail blues in the back if you've got kids aboard, and if you can make the run, the tuna and mahi are worth the fuel. Leave the bananas — and your striped bass expectations — at the dock.