Taking a side trip from New York to Captree is always a traveler’s itinerary. Captree provides relief from the daily grind in the Big Apple. This island is a census-designated place located in the township of Babylon and Islip in Suffolk County. The Great South Bay, Jones Beach Island, and Fire Island surround the island.
Captree is a jump-off point for fishing activities like deep-sea fishing, crabbing, day-trip, and tours. It takes pride in its public fishing fleet on Long Island that tours you around the beautiful bays.
The Captree State Park provides fishing and boating access to the Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Sightseeing boats, open boats, dive boats, or charter boats are available for your fishing excursion.
Captree has two piers for crabbing and fishing. It also offers tourists recreational facilities, restaurants, a marina, and a boat launch.
Read more and find out about our fishing guides in Captree.
Do I Need a License When Fishing in Captree?
You might be wondering if you need any equipment or license when spending your time on the island. A fishing license and equipment are not required when fishing in Captree. The boat crew will handle the stuff you need to go to the Atlantic Ocean or on the Great South Bay. You can go there any season and time of the day because fishing is open all year round.
Best Captree’s Fishing Trips
Here are some fishing trips to take on when you are in Captree.
Long Island Surf Fishing
Known as the surf fishing capital in the world, Long Island is a perfect getaway for anglers. The island has numerous surf fishing spots. Each site possesses unique features and structures.
You can catch a line in Montauk in May, where fish migrates because of cool water temperatures. Trophy stripers are a big catch during this month. Sand eels are easy to catch in June. August is the best month to do rock hopping in Montauk.
South Shore is another fishing spot in Long Island teeming with grassy back bays and open sandy beaches. Take the boat charter from the island to Robert Moses in May and June for sight fishing.
The North Shore is a perfect spot for light tackle. However, most of the fishing sites on the North Shore require a lot of walking. Take a Celtic Quest fishing boat from Port Jefferson.
Long Island surf fishing has many options, such as Jones Beach Fishing Pier, Magnolia Pier, and the Hempstead Lake State Park.
Some anglers offer casting lessons where you pay for a certain amount. You will learn the basics of casting, tying knots, safe wading practices, and lure selection.
Captree Pier Fishing
The Fishing Piers in Captree provide an avenue for catching fluke, blue crabbing, and snappers. You can reach the piers via Jone’s Island and start fishing after parking your car. You can head out for a full day or a half-day trip.
Captree has two piers, a long dock, and a small pier. The slow current in the long port is excellent for scooping blue craw crab. Dozens of anglers catch a line at the long port to fill their coolers with crabs and flukes.
Bring along a hand net and a couple of traps. July and August are the perfect months for blue crabbing. Snappers congregate on the pier from late July until September.
The small pier at Captree overlooks the Fire Island Bridge. The dock is a haven for blowfish, blackfish, sea bass, snapper blues, small flukes, and blue claw crab. Fishing on the small pier is great for a family outing. The port has many amenities, restaurants, and recreational areas for kids.
Captree Party Boat Fishing
Party boat fishing is a popular way of catching fish in coastal fishing spots. If you target bluefish, fluke, blackfish, sea bass, and striped bass, look for Captree party boat fishing.
Trips are available throughout the week. You can take a boat for a six-hour journey in the morning or afternoon. The price of boats varies for kids, adults, and seniors. The cost includes baits and rods.
Party boat fishing is perfect if you are on a tight budget. Most of these party boats can accommodate 35 passengers. Don’t forget to pay the customary tip of 15 to 20 percent for the crew.
A fishing trip is a popular option for excursions, team-buildings, parties, sightseeing, and celebrations. You will enjoy watching the seascape as the boat travels at a slow pace.
Captree Charter Fishing
A charter fishing boat will take you to the spot where game fish congregate in Captree fishing grounds. There are many charter boats available from Monday to Sunday in Captree.
Public charter boats can carry up to 100 passengers. If you want more people on a trip, this is the cheapest option. You can take a whole day trip or a half-day fishing trip. Fishing for species depends on the season.
A private charter boat has a minimum number of passengers. There are only 5 to 6 people on a personal charter fishing trip. If you are on a budget, this is not a suitable option.
Fishing trips are allowed regardless of the weather as the boats are well-maintained and operated by an experienced captain. During the journey, you can eat your food or may order from the crew for food. Leave all your worries to the boat captain.
Top Captree’s Fishing Spots?
Captree offers a lot of fishing opportunities for anglers. Walking to the fishing grounds is a common sight in Captree. Fish are everywhere, but it pays to know the best spots for fishing to catch large amounts of crabs, tuna, flukes, or sea bass.
Check out the list of the best fishing spots in Captree.
Captree Fishing Pier
Captree has two piers. To reach the long port, you have to pass at the end of the Jone’s Island. The long pier starts at the dock’s end. It is spacious with benches where you can fish from both sides of the pier.
When you head out for a day or half-day trip, the long pier serves as your vantage point. If you want to see the breathtaking view of the Fire Island Bridge, go fishing at the small harbor.
Captree State Park
Captree State Park is home to several fishing boats for scuba diving, sightseeing, and fishing trips. Feel free to go fishing or crabbing at the park because a license is not a requirement. After crabbing, a full-service restaurant offers meals, refreshments, and drinks if you get hungry.
In going to the Captree State Park, you must travel 48 miles from Manhattan. You will pass by the Southern State Parkway to take you to Exit 40 at Robert Moses. From there, drive east. You will pay a parking fee upon reaching the park.
Fire Island
Fire Island is rich in marine life, including fluke, bluefish, and striped bass. The Department of Environmental Conservation allows fishing on ocean beaches outside lifeguarded areas, bay shorelines, private vessels, piers, and docks.
Fishing on a boat 300 feet from the pier and on the Lighthouse Pier is prohibited. Enjoy a spectacular view aboard a chartered vessel while exploring a long stretch of beaches on the island.
Great South Bay
Fishing in Great South Bay is a great experience. Its lovely beaches teem with inshore creatures, such as snappers, stripers, flounder, fluke, weakfish, and blackfish. Boaters, sport fishers, bathers, and anglers converge on the bay to unwind.
Feast your eyes on the stunning view from the Nicoll Point to the Robert Moses Causeway Bridge. The bay spans more than 6 miles from the bridge towards the South Oyster Bay.
Captree South Shore
South Shore has more than a dozen beaches where game fishes abound. Fishing spots include ramps, jetties, and piers.
Some ramps require anglers to pay a parking sticker. Parking areas are sometimes limited to residents, so look where to park your car.
Fire Island Inlet
Fire Island Inlet is an excellent place for surfing, swimming, and fishing. The inlet connects to the Atlantic Ocean and Great South Bay on the south and Captree State Park and Oak Beach on the north. The Democratic Point is known for its 4×4 fishing area and bird sanctuary. The artificial barrier on the northwest side of the inlet mouth protects the erosion on its shoreline.
Atlantic Ocean
As the world’s second-largest ocean, the Atlantic Ocean is a perfect spot for deep-sea fishing because of its broad expanse. It has a designated fishing place where you can catch deep-dwelling and free-swimming species. These are the Northwest Atlantic (Area 21), Northeast Atlantic (Area 27), Western Central Atlantic (Area 31), Eastern Central Atlantic (Area 34), Mediterranean and Black Sea (Area 37), Southwest Atlantic (Area 41), and Southeast Atlantic (Area 47).
Robert Moses State Park
Robert Moses State Park boasts of its five-mile stretch of beautiful beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. The park is a surf fishing destination and crabbing. Catch fish from the pier or secure a permit for night fishing.
Activities in the park include boating, fishing, golfing, picnicking, and water sports. Their day-use boat basin accommodates 40 boats. Bait and pump-out stations are available for public use.
Port Jefferson
Also known as Port Jeff, Port Jefferson has several boat services, such as boat rental, party boats, and charter boats. Celtic Quest Fishing is one of the charters that transport passengers to catch game fish like sea bass, striped bass, fluke, herring, perch, salmon, sturgeon, and sunfish. Savor the taste of delicious meals at the local seafood restaurants.
Shinnecock Bay
Shinnecock Bay prides on its major inlets that connect to the Atlantic Ocean through the Outer Barrier. The bay is ideal for charter fishing, party boat fishing, surf fishing, tog fishing, and pier fishing. Blues, stripers, blackfish, porgies, striped bass, fluke, sea bass, and false albacore are fish you can catch at the bay.
Common Fish to Catch in Captree
Get yourself familiar with the type of fish before driving to Captree. The place is abundant in different species because of bays, inlets, and the Atlantic Ocean. Bring your family if you go inshore fishing at its two piers. There are benches you can sit on while crabbing. If you feel hungry, dine at the restaurants along the beaches.
Here are our top picks of what fish to catch in Captree.
Tuna
Tuna is an excellent fish in canning and food preparation, such as grilling, ceviche, sashimi, and salads. The sizes of tuna depend on the species, such as Atlantic bluefin tuna, bullet tuna, and yellowfin tuna. Anglers catch tuna in the deep-sea and inshore fishing in Captree.
Fluke
Summer Flounder or fluke abounds in the Atlantic Ocean and waters in Massachusetts and North Carolina. Trawling, surf fishing, and casting from the shore are some methods of catching fluke.
There are many cooking methods for preparing flounders like ceviche, broil, or soup. The white meat has an excellent taste after cooking. The ideal time to fish it in Captree is during the Fluke season, which begins on May 4 and until late September.
Tautog
Blackfish is native to South Carolina, Nova Scotia, and the Atlantic Ocean. Tautog inhabits coastal water with a depth of 1 to 75 meters. Fishing tautog in Captree is strictly regulated. Tautog is a popular table fish among anglers because of its delicate flavor.
Catch the fish in the rocky substrate near the shore. If you go fishing in winter, catch them in the middle of the bay or off the inlet. Tautog moves offshore in late fall.
Cod
Cod has flaky white flesh and mild flavor making it a popular food source. The meat of the Atlantic cod is an ingredient in making fish chips and canned fish. Drug companies use cod livers in producing cod liver oil.
Fishing in the northwest Atlantic has a quota of 23,000 tons, while 473,000 tons in the northeast Atlantic. Its global demand grows worldwide because of its savory taste and health benefits.
Seabass
Sea bass inhabits shallow waters and estuaries. They are abundant in Captree and its surrounding areas. Catching sea bass is not as easy as you think. You can go after this fish from a charter boat or surf fishing. The large catch of sea bass is from June until December.
Striped Bass
Striped bass is a target for sports fishing as they are easy to catch. They hide in waterways, bays, and inlets in Captree. Anglers catch them using different angling methods, such as surf casting, pier fishing, and trolling. You can use live or dead baits to catch the rockfish or stripers. The meat of striped bass is delicious and versatile to prepare.
Captree Updated Fishing Report Sources
- Captree Fishing Daily Updated Report