Manhasset Bay Fishing Guides
A sheltered north shore bay off western Long Island Sound, fished for striped bass, flounder and tautog from a working waterfront that has launched boats for a century.
Guides on the Manhasset Bay
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About the Manhasset Bay
Manhasset Bay runs south from Long Island Sound between the Sands Point and Kings Point necks, a deep, narrow, well-sheltered bay with Port Washington at its head. It has been a boating harbour for well over a hundred years, and the practical consequence for anglers is that the infrastructure is excellent: marinas, launches, bait and charter captains are all within a short distance of water that fishes. Being tucked behind two necks also means the bay stays workable on days when the open Sound is unfishable, which gives it a value out of proportion to its size.
Striped bass are the main quarry, moving into the bay on the flood to work the mussel beds and the drop-offs along both shorelines, and holding around the mooring fields and the deeper channel through the middle. Winter flounder were once the signature fish here and still provide a genuine early-season fishery in better numbers than most of the western Sound. Tautog hold on the rock and hard bottom near the mouth, scup and black sea bass come through in summer, and summer flounder work the sand in the lower bay. Bluefish push in when the bait does, and blue crabs are abundant enough through late summer that many families fish for nothing else. The bay is small enough to learn in a season and varied enough to stay interesting.
The gauge at Port Washington North reports tidal elevation rather than temperature or flow, and on a sheltered embayment that is the right reading. It tells an angler when water will be moving over the bars and across the mussel beds, which is when the bass feed, and it gives the amplitude that decides whether a given spot will fish at all on a small tide. The best sessions are built around a moving water on either side of high, and the bay’s shelter means a planned trip rarely gets cancelled by wind. Spring and autumn are the strongest months.
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Access
Port Washington - the town at the head of the bay, with launches, marinas, bait and the gauge itself.
Manorhaven - the waterfront village with the most convenient public launch for small boats.
Sands Point - the eastern headland at the mouth, with rock and hard bottom that holds tautog.
Kings Point - the western headland and the deeper side of the bay entrance.
Hempstead Harbor - the next bay east, a useful alternative when Manhasset is crowded.
Long Island Sound - the open water beyond the mouth, where the bay fishery connects to the larger run of fish.
Glen Cove - the regional boating base east along the shore, with additional charter options.
Seasons
Spring: the strongest season, with winter flounder available early and striped bass arriving to feed on the mussel beds through April and May.
Summer: scup, black sea bass and summer flounder take over, with stripers holding to the early and late tides and crabbing at its best.
Fall: bass feed hard on outgoing bait and bluefish push into the bay, making this the second peak of the year.
Winter: quiet and largely closed down, with occasional holdover bass for anglers fishing the deepest channel water.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Manhasset Bay?
Anglers target Black Sea Bass, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Scup, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, Winter Flounder on the Manhasset Bay in New York.
Where can you access the Manhasset Bay?
Port Washington - the town at the head of the bay, with launches, marinas, bait and the gauge itself. Manorhaven - the waterfront village with the most convenient public launch for small boats. Sands Point - the eastern headland at the mouth, with rock and hard bottom that holds tautog. Kings Point - the western headland and the deeper side of the bay entrance. Hempstead Harbor - the next bay east, a useful alternative when Manhasset is crowded. Long Island Sound - the open water beyond the mouth, where the bay fishery connects to the larger run of fish. Glen Cove - the regional boating base e...
When is the best time to fish the Manhasset Bay?
Spring: the strongest season, with winter flounder available early and striped bass arriving to feed on the mussel beds through April and May. Summer: scup, black sea bass and summer flounder take over, with stripers holding to the early and late tides and crabbing at its best. Fall: bass feed hard on outgoing bait and bluefish push into the bay, making this the second peak of the year. Winter: quiet and largely closed down, with occasional holdover bass for anglers fishing the deepest channel water.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Manhasset Bay?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New York agency site: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/saltwater-fishing/regulations