New York Fishing Calendar

New York fishing, month by month

January

Cod

February

Cod

March

Cod

April

Trout, Salmon, Striped Bass, Tautog, Cod

May

Trout, Salmon, Flounder, Bluefish, Striped Bass, Weakfish, Northern Pike

June

Trout, Salmon, Flounder, Bluefish, Striped Bass, Black Sea Bass, Weakfish, Smallmouth Bass, Shark, Bluefin Tuna, Northern Pike, Swordfish

July

Salmon, Flounder, Bluefish, Black Sea Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Shark, Mahi-Mahi, Bluefin Tuna, Marlin, Swordfish

August

Salmon, Flounder, Bluefish, Black Sea Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Shark, Mahi-Mahi, Bluefin Tuna, Marlin, Albacore, Swordfish

September

Trout, Salmon, Flounder, Bluefish, Black Sea Bass, Weakfish, Smallmouth Bass, Shark, Mahi-Mahi, Bluefin Tuna, Marlin, False Albacore, Albacore, Swordfish

October

Trout, Salmon, Bluefish, Striped Bass, Black Sea Bass, Weakfish, Bluefin Tuna, Northern Pike, Tautog, False Albacore, Albacore, Swordfish

November

Bluefish, Striped Bass, Black Sea Bass, Bluefin Tuna, Northern Pike, Tautog, Cod, False Albacore

December

Striped Bass, Tautog, Cod

Before you book

• Striped Bass: Striped bass is closed in federal waters, more than 3 miles offshore, so trips fish inside that line. Many states also close spawning rivers in spring.
• Weakfish: Weakfish stocks are depleted, so the limit is 1 fish.
• Smallmouth Bass: New York bass harvest opens June 15. Before that it is catch and release with artificial lures.
• Northern Pike: New York pike season is closed March 16 to April 30, even for catch and release.
• Tautog: New York opens tautog in April and again from mid October into December. New Jersey adds January and February and is closed in March and from May through July.
• Albacore: Charters here that list albacore usually mean false albacore ("albies"), a fast inshore fish, not albacore tuna.
• Swordfish: Federal rules: 47 inch minimum (lower jaw fork length), and charters keep 1 per paying passenger, up to 6 per boat.

How this calendar is built

The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a New York charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.

The shaded months are general peak windows for New York and New Jersey, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check New York's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.