Meridia

Long Island Flats Fishing

Status: active | Rating: 5/5 (2 reviews)

Sight fishing for striped bass on the flats of Peconic Bay and Gardiners Bay. We pole a 17-foot Maverick skiff in skinny water — this is bonefishing, Northeast style. Fly and light spin tackle. Limited bookings, April through November.

Details

  • Species: Brown Trout
  • Tags: Fly Fishing, Spin Fishing, Saltwater, Sight Fishing, Advanced, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Half Day, Full Day, Catch & Release, Poling Skiff / Flats Boat

Waters Serviced (1)

DestinationType
Catskill Mountainsregion_colloquial

Reviews (2)

Andrew Kinney5/5Bonefishing in New York

Derek poles the flats like a Keys guide. Spotted a tailing striper in 18 inches of water, made one cast, strip-set — 28-inch fish. This is the most exciting fishing on the East Coast.

Chris DeSilva5/5Sight fishing stripers is addictive

Spent 6 hours on the poling skiff. Derek spotted every fish before I did. Caught 4 stripers on the flats on a crab pattern. This is the future of Northeast fly fishing.

FAQ — Long Island Flats Fishing

Raw guide data (JSON)
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  "id": "09521f6b-1d4d-4fe3-9259-e9e3b80c6b85",
  "organizationId": null,
  "name": "Long Island Flats Fishing",
  "guideName": "Captain Derek Payne",
  "slug": "long-island-flats-fishing",
  "bio": "Sight fishing for striped bass on the flats of Peconic Bay and Gardiners Bay. We pole a 17-foot Maverick skiff in skinny water — this is bonefishing, Northeast style. Fly and light spin tackle. Limited bookings, April through November.",
  "yearsExperience": 12,
  "city": "Greenport",
  "stateProvince": "NY",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "isVerified": true,
  "status": "active",
  "createdAt": "2026-03-23T22:16:17.655Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-29T16:38:42.883Z",
  "reviews": [
    {
      "id": "7d93cc19-8426-4b2b-be33-c45103cc12f4",
      "guideId": "09521f6b-1d4d-4fe3-9259-e9e3b80c6b85",
      "authorName": "Andrew Kinney",
      "rating": 5,
      "title": "Bonefishing in New York",
      "body": "Derek poles the flats like a Keys guide. Spotted a tailing striper in 18 inches of water, made one cast, strip-set — 28-inch fish. This is the most exciting fishing on the East Coast.",
      "tripDate": null,
      "verified": true,
      "createdAt": "2026-03-29T16:38:43.447Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-03-29T16:38:43.447Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "a28bd834-803f-461f-b807-860b537969e0",
      "guideId": "09521f6b-1d4d-4fe3-9259-e9e3b80c6b85",
      "authorName": "Chris DeSilva",
      "rating": 5,
      "title": "Sight fishing stripers is addictive",
      "body": "Spent 6 hours on the poling skiff. Derek spotted every fish before I did. Caught 4 stripers on the flats on a crab pattern. This is the future of Northeast fly fishing.",
      "tripDate": null,
      "verified": true,
      "createdAt": "2026-03-29T16:38:43.447Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-03-29T16:38:43.447Z"
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  ],
  "credentials": [],
  "geom": null,
  "tags": [
    {
      "slug": "fly-fishing",
      "name": "Fly Fishing",
      "tagType": "fishing_style"
    },
    {
      "slug": "spin-fishing",
      "name": "Spin Fishing",
      "tagType": "fishing_style"
    },
    {
      "slug": "saltwater",
      "name": "Saltwater",
      "tagType": "water_type"
    },
    {
      "slug": "sight-fishing",
      "name": "Sight Fishing",
      "tagType": "technique"
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    {
      "slug": "advanced",
      "name": "Advanced",
      "tagType": "ability"
    },
    {
      "slug": "spring",
      "name": "Spring",
      "tagType": "season"
    },
    {
      "slug": "summer",
      "name": "Summer",
      "tagType": "season"
    },
    {
      "slug": "autumn",
      "name": "Autumn",
      "tagType": "season"
    },
    {
      "slug": "half-day",
      "name": "Half Day",
      "tagType": "trip_format"
    },
    {
      "slug": "full-day",
      "name": "Full Day",
      "tagType": "trip_format"
    },
    {
      "slug": "catch-and-release",
      "name": "Catch & Release",
      "tagType": "trip_format"
    },
    {
      "slug": "poling-skiff",
      "name": "Poling Skiff / Flats Boat",
      "tagType": "boat_type"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "id": "9677d76a-deaa-40c3-a0ec-c259910379f9",
      "question": "What is flats fishing for stripers?",
      "answer": "Flats fishing involves poling a shallow-draft skiff across sandy or grassy flats in Peconic and Gardiners Bay, sight-casting to individual striped bass in 1-3 feet of water. It's the same technique used for bonefish in the tropics — incredibly visual and exciting.",
      "sortOrder": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "f6001dcf-f942-4ee0-9a23-37a25812da11",
      "question": "When is the flats season?",
      "answer": "The flats fishing window runs from mid-May through October, with peak sight-fishing from June through September. Calm, sunny days are best — you need to see the fish. We book limited trips to keep pressure low on the flats.",
      "sortOrder": 1
    }
  ],
  "destinations": [
    {
      "slug": "catskill-mountains",
      "name": "Catskill Mountains",
      "type": "region_colloquial"
    }
  ],
  "accommodations": [],
  "species": [
    {
      "slug": "brown-trout",
      "commonName": "Brown Trout",
      "category": "freshwater",
      "seasonality": null,
      "notes": "Not targeted — saltwater flats"
    }
  ],
  "reviewCount": 2,
  "avgRating": 5,
  "imageUrl": null
}