Fishes Great South Bay
Estuary · Central Long Island, Suffolk County, the barrier bay behind Fire Island between Babylon and Patchogue · New York
Great South Bay Fishing Guides
The largest shallow saltwater bay in New York, running thirty miles behind Fire Island, with vast sand flats, dredged channels and a striped bass and fluke fishery within sight of the city's suburbs.
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Guides on the Great South Bay
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
About the Great South Bay
Great South Bay runs roughly thirty miles along the south shore of Long Island, held in behind the long sand barrier of Fire Island. It is the largest shallow saltwater bay in New York and one of the most heavily used estuaries on the northeast coast. The gauge at Watch Hill on Fire Island reports an unusually full set of readings, including tidal elevation, salinity, wind and barometric pressure, which together describe a system driven by more than tide alone.
The bay is genuinely shallow across most of its area, commonly under ten feet, with a bottom of sand and shell broken by dredged channels and by the deeper water near the inlets. Eelgrass beds have declined over the decades but still hold in places, and the marsh edges along the mainland shore remain productive. Because the bay is wide and shallow, wind pushes water across it and can change depth and clarity noticeably within a day.
Striped bass are the principal draw and are fished on the flats, along the channel edges and hard around the inlets when bait is moving. Bluefish are abundant and often aggressive. Summer flounder are a staple of the warm months and are worked over the sand and through the channels. Weakfish, blue crab, American eel, northern kingfish, black sea bass and blackfish all contribute to the mix.
The bay has a long working history, particularly in hard clams, and that history still shapes how the water is managed and used. Restoration work on shellfish beds and eelgrass has been substantial in recent years, and the health of the bay is followed closely by the towns that ring it.
Access is abundant from the mainland side, with town ramps, marinas and shoreline parks from Babylon east to Patchogue, and ferry service to Fire Island.
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Access
Patchogue - a mainland town with ramps, marinas, tackle and ferry service.
Babylon - the western end of the bay, with ramps and full services.
Watch Hill - the gauge location on Fire Island, with a marina and National Seashore facilities.
Fire Island National Seashore - public land along the barrier beach.
Bay Shore - a central mainland access with marinas and ferries.
Fire Island Inlet - the western connection to the Atlantic and a major fishing area.
Captree State Park - a developed access with party and charter boats.
Seasons
Spring: striped bass move in as the shallow bay warms ahead of the ocean.
Summer: fluke and bluefish carry the fishing, with bass working the channels early and late.
Fall: the best weeks of the year as bait pours out of the bay and bass and blues follow it.
Winter: cold and largely empty, with the fishery shut down until spring.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Great South Bay?
Anglers target American Eel, Black Sea Bass, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Northern Kingfish, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, Weakfish on the Great South Bay in New York.
Are there fishing guides on the Great South Bay?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Great South Bay. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Great South Bay?
Patchogue - a mainland town with ramps, marinas, tackle and ferry service. Babylon - the western end of the bay, with ramps and full services. Watch Hill - the gauge location on Fire Island, with a marina and National Seashore facilities. Fire Island National Seashore - public land along the barrier beach. Bay Shore - a central mainland access with marinas and ferries. Fire Island Inlet - the western connection to the Atlantic and a major fishing area. Captree State Park - a developed access with party and charter boats.
When is the best time to fish the Great South Bay?
Spring: striped bass move in as the shallow bay warms ahead of the ocean. Summer: fluke and bluefish carry the fishing, with bass working the channels early and late. Fall: the best weeks of the year as bait pours out of the bay and bass and blues follow it. Winter: cold and largely empty, with the fishery shut down until spring.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Great South Bay?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New York agency site: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations