NY Bight tautog opens October 15 on the last day of the post-storm window
The NY Bight ocean tautog season opens October 15 and runs through December 9. The viable post-storm departure window from south-shore Long Island and NJ ocean inlets is October 13 through 15; a second system builds Friday night October 16. Thursday is both the opener and the last offshore day before the next blow. NJ tautog opened October 1.
The New York Bight ocean tautog season opens October 15 and runs through December 9, with an additional partial window through December 22 for specific modes and areas. The opener falls on Thursday of this week. Connecticut and New York summer flounder (fluke) seasons close after October 15 on the same date. NJ tautog opened October 1 and remains in season through the fall.
The NY Bight tautog fishery is primarily offshore structure: ocean wrecks and rock piles in 40 to 120 feet of water, accessible from Manasquan Inlet, Barnegat Light, Ocean City NJ, and south-shore Long Island ports including Shinnecock and Montauk. This differs from Long Island Sound tautog fishing, where fish hold on rocky bottom, bridge pilings, and nearshore structure in shallower protected water. NY Bight fish run larger on average; the offshore trip crosses open ocean zones that require current conditions and inlet bar checks before departure.
Current 2026 season rules for the NY Bight are at the New York DEC recreational fishing regulations page. NJ tautog rules are at the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife site. Rules differ between states; the three-nautical-mile state water boundary matters when a boat crosses state lines. An ASMFC draft addendum addressing overfishing signals in the NJ-NY Bight tautog stock is pending updated harvest data and has not been moved to public comment; 2026 limits are not affected. The ASMFC tautog species page at asmfc.org covers the addendum status and stock assessment background.
The Columbus Day storm advisories lift from NJ ocean and NY Bight south-shore zones through early Tuesday morning, October 13. The NWS offshore forecast package from Sunday evening shows 5 to 20 knots with seas 3 to 6 feet for the Mid-Atlantic offshore corridor Tuesday through Thursday. A second system builds Friday night, October 16, returning the same corridor to 25 to 35 knots with seas 7 to 14 feet. Thursday, October 15, is the opener and the last day in that gap. The NWS Thursday afternoon package at marine.weather.gov on October 15 is the check before any Friday commitment. Current zone text is at weather.gov/phi for the NJ coast and weather.gov/okx for the NY Bight south shore.
On the water: Rules and conditions can change quickly. Confirm current regulations and official marine forecasts for your exact trip.