East End Fishing Report: July 24, 2026 — Fluke Fire, Bay Stripers, and Sharks Taking a Cut
The Rundown
Summer's dialed in on the East End. Fluke fishing has turned on hard, bass and blues are stacked in the bays and along the beaches, and the toothy critters offshore are reminding everyone whose turf this really is. Here's what's biting and where.
Fluke: Best It's Been
The fluke bite has jumped a gear around Montauk and out toward Block Island. One Montauk skipper called a recent Block Island run arguably the best flatfish action he's seen for sheer numbers and clean fishing — averaging 30 to 35 fluke per angler, with 16- to 18-inch fish making up most of the pile. Plenty of keeper-grade doormats mixed in, plus some quality sea bass to round out the box.
The Ebb Tide Princess, under Capt. Anthony D'Arrigo, put together that Block Island trip and had the numbers to prove it. As he put it, he'd rather cull through fluke than pick through sea robins, scup, and shorts all day.
Closer to home, keep it simple: bucktails tipped with squid or a Gulp trailer worked on the drift over sand and structure. Fluke are also being taken around Cedar Point for the folks fishing the bay side.
Mind the Regs
Right now you can keep three fluke over 19 inches. Come August 1, the minimum jumps to 19.5 inches, so bring the tape and measure honest.
Bays & Beaches: Bass and Blues
Small bluefish and striped bass are running well inside Three Mile Harbor and along Sammy's Beach — good, accessible action for anyone working the bays. Out front, the ocean surf is producing for guys dunking clams, with bluefish and hickory shad also crashing the wash.
If you're chasing surf stripers, clam bait has been the ticket. Mrs. Sam's Bait and Tackle in East Hampton, run by Sebastian Gorgone, has been moving a lot of it — worth a stop for bait and the local read before you head out.
Sharks Are Taxing the Rips
Montauk anglers are once again paying the shark tax. One skipper caught a mako cleanly chopping a nearly-landed striped bass in half — that was the Sea Wife IV with Capt. Tom Cusimano. On the Ebb Tide Princess, a hooked sea bass became an appetizer for a roughly 250-pound dusky. It's the time of year — sharks push in close following bait and bass, and the waters off Long Island are now recognized as one of the few white shark nurseries in the world.
Bottom line: they've always been here. If you're getting bit off in the rips, crank a little faster and get your fish in the boat.
Tournament Watch
The Montauk Boatmen and Captains Association runs its Bluefin Tuna/Fluke Blowout from August 1 through 9, with weigh-ins at Westlake Marina and the Montauk Anglers Club. Details and registration are at montaukcaptains.org. Fitting, given both the fluke and the offshore bluefin action are heating up right on cue.
Tight lines this week — and keep an eye on the water behind your fish.