New York Fishing Charters

New York has some fantastic fishing – both freshwater and saltwater. This is no big surprise when you consider that it’s the only state to touch both a great lake and the Atlantic Ocean. The Empire State has 127 miles of general coastline, but counting the shores of bays, sounds, and inlets, the state has 1,850 miles of tidal shoreline. Both inshore fishing and offshore fishing are popular pastimes for anglers here.

Off the coast of New York, in the Atlantic, there are several deep canyons, wrecks, and artificial reefs. In fact, there are more than 300 manmade reefs here. They’re made from scrap metal, pipes, concrete, tires, and old automobiles. These reefs have created cozy homes for several species of fish, including hake, scup, tautog, cunner, black sea bass, and fluke. Some species, like the sea bass, live inside old cars and trucks, while the flat flukes prefer to hide themselves in the sediment that gathers on the tops of the autos. Since all these species live in, on, and around the reefs, larger predatory fish are attracted. These include mackerel and tuna, along with others.

New York Fishing Guides

One of the most popular fish in New York is the fluke – for you Southerners, that’s summer flounder. These fish are plentiful, and they have white, flaky flesh. The state record fluke for New York weighed 27 pounds, 7 ounces. Not only does that particular fish hold the state record, it also holds the world record. Fluke hang on or near the bottom, and they love structure like rocks, wrecks, and reefs. As a result, they can be hard to land. You’ll have much better results with New York charter boats or party boats.

If you want to land a really big fish, head out to deep water with a New York charter boat that makes offshore runs. Among the deep underwater canyons, you’ll have the chance to hook up with bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore, dorado, and wahoo. The New York state record bluefin was a 1,071-pound monster. The record bigeye tuna was impressive, too, at 355 pounds. The largest yellowfin tuna recorded in the state weighed 239 pounds, and the wahoo that took the honors tipped the scales at 99 pounds, 4 ounces. Dorado, or dolphin, is a fun fish to tangle with, and the state record weighed in at 52 pounds. The record albacore weighed over 74 pounds. Prized fish like these didn’t get big by being dumb, so you might need some help locating and landing one. You can find plenty of assistance with New York fishing charters and guides.