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Fire Island Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Fire Island: surf fishing on a National Seashore barrier island, from Robert Moses State Park and Democrat Point at the west end.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 6:23 PM
Air / High
54 / 58 F
Wind
NE 15 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8515186, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Fire Island rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 15 mph, steady pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 58. Tides: high 6:07 AM and 6:23 PM, low 12:24 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 64 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:26 AM-11:26 AM and 9:55 PM-11:55 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

BluefishExcellent

Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Tomorrow: Similar at 59 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

New York requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $25.00 for residents, and salt water needs its own licence here. What a New York licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with DEC before you keep anything. The season dates for New York, read off the agency, are on the New York seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8515186 (Fire Island Coast Guard Station). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH6:07 AM2.2 ft
LOW12:24 PM0.3 ft
HIGH6:23 PM2.1 ft
Sat
LOW12:38 AM0.2 ft
HIGH6:49 AM2.3 ft
LOW1:15 PM0.2 ft
HIGH7:06 PM2.1 ft

Long Beach tide chart: the week and the month β†’

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low58 / 49 F
WindNE 15-20 mph
Pressure1028.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:13 / 18:01
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~64 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Fire Island this week

The best day on Fire Island this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:26 AM-11:26 AM and 9:55 PM-11:55 PM
Minor period
3:48 AM-4:48 AM
Sun
07:13 to 18:01
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 17 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Fire Island: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Peak harvest: May-Oct, most in Jul-Aug (NOAA)

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are sharp-toothed schooling predators that move up and down the Atlantic coast with the seasons and feed in surface blitzes on menhaden, silversides and squid. Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

When to come: the Fire Island calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 64 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~64 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Fire Island today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 22 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 61 F, wind to 20 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 19 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New York requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Free NY recreational marine fishing registry for anglers over 16; New York saltwater seasons, sizes and possession limits apply (see DEC). No commercial fishing in the National Seashore.

Access

Robert Moses State Park (vehicle fee in season); Democrat Point 4x4 access with a State Parks beach vehicle fishing permit; piers by the park office reached from Field 3.

About this water

A barrier island off Long Island's south shore, Suffolk County, New York, with Fire Island National Seashore and Robert Moses State Park; tide station NOAA 8515186 (Fire Island).

Fishing Fire Island: the full guide

Fishing the National Seashore

The National Park Service says surf fishing on Fire Island can be enjoyed all year, with some of the best fishing in spring and fall. Anglers over 16 need the free New York State recreational marine fishing registry, New York's saltwater seasons, sizes and possession limits apply, and commercial fishing is not allowed inside Fire Island National Seashore. When ferry service is limited, either end of the island can be reached by car, with parking fees or a recreational driving permit where required.

Robert Moses State Park and Democrat Point

Robert Moses State Park, at the south end of the Robert Moses Causeway, has nearly five miles of ocean shoreline at the island's western end. Democrat Point, just west of Field 2, draws anglers for its 4x4 drive-on access and shores facing both the Atlantic and Fire Island Inlet. From Field 3, an underpass leads to a boat basin where anglers fish or crab from the long piers in front of the park office.

Park permits

New York State Parks sells a 4-wheel-drive beach vehicle fishing permit ($80 with a New York driver's license, $125 out of state) and a night sport fishing permit ($35 or $60), both online only, plus a 7-day sport fishing permit regionally; fishing permit holders get special 24-hour parking from April 1 to December 31.

Wilderness

The National Park Service notes that the 1,381-acre Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness on the seashore is the only federally designated wilderness in New York State.

Common questions

Do I need a license to surf fish Fire Island?

Anglers over 16 need the free New York State recreational marine fishing registry, according to the National Park Service.

Do I need a permit to drive onto the beach at Democrat Point?

Yes. New York State Parks requires a 4-wheel-drive beach vehicle fishing permit, sold online ($80 with a New York license, $125 out of state).

Is fishing good at Fire Island right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Long Island Sound30 miSandy Hook41 miSaugatuck Reservoir43 miRaritan Bay52 miLake Zoar55 miLake Lillinonah58 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 8515186 β€” Fire Island Coast Guard Station
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 11 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.6280, -73.2555 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.