Captain
Tom LaCognata

Member since November 2018 New York City, United States
Background
Capt. Tom has been fishing for more than 45 years, so it's safe to say that he's got plenty of angling experience and knowledge under his belt! He's a local New Yorker, but has fished all over the States, as well as exploring the plentiful fisheries of Costa Rica, Mexico, and Aruba. He decided to turn his passion for angling into a career over 10 years ago, and has been running successful charters ever since. His favorite part of the job is seeing his customers have fun, and helping newbies and little ones learn the tricks of the trade. He loves helping kids reel in their first fish! Your captain also participates in tournaments, and won the prestigious Brooklyn Shark Tournament in 2016. As well as this, he has experience of battling seriously big game fish – he once hooked a whopping 500 lb Black Marlin, which took him 45 minutes to reel in!
Techniques
Bottom, trolling, drifting.

Hey, I'm Captain Tom LaCognata

New York City, United States
Background
Capt. Tom has been fishing for more than 45 years, so it's safe to say that he's got plenty of angling experience and knowledge under his belt! He's a local New Yorker, but has fished all over the States, as well as exploring the plentiful fisheries of Costa Rica, Mexico, and Aruba. He decided to turn his passion for angling into a career over 10 years ago, and has been running successful charters ever since. His favorite part of the job is seeing his customers have fun, and helping newbies and little ones learn the tricks of the trade. He loves helping kids reel in their first fish! Your captain also participates in tournaments, and won the prestigious Brooklyn Shark Tournament in 2016. As well as this, he has experience of battling seriously big game fish – he once hooked a whopping 500 lb Black Marlin, which took him 45 minutes to reel in!
Techniques
Bottom, trolling, drifting.
Anglers Choice
Verified
Our Team
Thomas L.
Captain
Thomas L.
Captain

My Charter Listing

Excellent
5.0 / 5
(272 reviews)
Angler's choice
New York City
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $500

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
5.0 / 5
out of 5 stars from 272 reviews
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (1641)
Captain Tom and Rob were great!
Captain Tom and Rob were great!
Captain Tom and Rob were great!
+1638
Angler rating
269
3
0
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
100%
Appropriate for children
98%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
96%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 272 reviews
Matthew P.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Captain Tom and Rob were great!

VERIFIED   NEW  Custom Trip on November 2, 2025
We went out November 2nd for stripers and wanted to cast & jig rather than troll and Tom and Rob were happy to oblige. They...
Matthew P. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied

Patrick D. P.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Amazing day!!! Highly Recommend it

VERIFIED   NEW  4 Hour Trip โ€“ Porgy/Seabass (PM) on October 5, 2025
We had an amazing day, boat and equipment was great and captain even better. Caught about two dozen porgies and bass and blue...
Patrick D. P. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied

Nathan R.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great evening of fishing! Highly Recommend!

VERIFIED   4 Hour โ€“ Captain's Choice Evening on August 31, 2025
I went on a trip with me and my father. We had an amazing evening of fishing. We started catching fish at our first stop and...
Nathan R. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied

Jiazhong W.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Captain went above & beyond

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip โ€“ Captain's Choice (AM) on May 18, 2025
Would like to thank the crew for going above and beyond to make sure weโ€™ve caught fish - relentless effort, total professionalism,...
Jiazhong W. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied

Hayden V. H.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Successful Bass Trip

VERIFIED   NEW  4 Hour Trip โ€“ Bass and Blues (PM) on October 26, 2025
Had a great time on our half day bass trip. Tom and Rob set us up trolling and everyone was able to land a fish. Would highly...
Hayden V. H. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied