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
(249 reviews)
Angler's choice
New York City
 Last booking: 7 hours ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $500

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
5.0 / 5
out of 5 stars from 249 reviews
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (1446)
Great way to spend an afternoon
Great way to spend an afternoon
Great way to spend an afternoon
+1443
Angler rating
246
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
95%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 249 reviews
Nikkie L.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Pleasant experience with a helpful and kind crew

VERIFIED   NEW  4 Hour โ€“ Captain's Choice Evening on July 5, 2025
Tom made my familyโ€™s first fishing experience a wonderful time, providing us with everything we needed (plenty of fish) and...
Nikkie L. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You 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

Yihan P.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Amazing experience! The best captain in the world!

VERIFIED   NEW  July 20th noon on July 5, 2025
We caught so many large and rare fish! Both captains are so nice to help us with everything about fishing! Definitely will...
Yihan P. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied

Isaac L.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing Trip

VERIFIED   NEW  4 Hour Trip โ€“ Porgy/Seabass (AM) on July 5, 2025
Very nice boat, got a couple of small sharks which was really cool and a lot of fluke. Would definitely come back given the...
Isaac L. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied

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

A day of shark fest!

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip โ€“ Bass and Blues (AM) on October 27, 2024
We had a wonderful trip with Captain Tom and Rob yesterday morning! The ship is very well maintained and extremely clean! Captain...
Jing W. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Tom LaCognata Captain replied