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
246
Reviews
292
Fishing Reports
Verified
Our Team
Thomas L.
Captain
Thomas L.
Captain

My Charter Listing

Rockaway Fishing Charters

Excellent
5.0 / 5
(246 reviews)
Angler's choice
New York City
 5 bookings in the past week.
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $500

Fishing Reports

Family fun
Family fun
Jun 25, 2025 New York City
A great family came out for our weekday evening trip and had a great time in great weather. Many fish were caught and everyone had fun.
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Shark Boss
Shark Boss
Jun 22, 2025 New York City
On our Shark Boss special young Dave landed a 200+lb Thresher Shark all on his own. It took an hour to reel in and get tied up. A big fish his Grandfather and him had been looking to catch, with several trips over the years on many different boats being unfruitful. Well they finally got it on the Goinโ€™ Fishinโ€™ of Rockaway Fishing Charters. And had a bonus Shark also until it chewed through 400lb line. Great day.
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Shark Boss
Shark Boss
Jun 22, 2025 New York City
On our Shark Boss special young Dave landed a 200+lb Thresher Shark all on his own. It took an hour to reel in and get tied up. A big fish his Grandfather and him had been looking to catch, with several trips over the years on many different boats being unfruitful. Well they finally got it on the Goinโ€™ Fishinโ€™ of Rockaway Fishing Charters. And had a bonus Shark also until it chewed through 400lb line. Great day.
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Busy weekend
Busy weekend
Jun 22, 2025 New York City
We had a bunch of trips with fun groups and many different species of fish this weekend.
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Rainy day
Rainy day
Jun 16, 2025 New York City
We had a rainy day today with some rough ocean conditions. We managed some fluke, dogfish, sea bass, skates , and sculpin. Wasnโ€™t a great day but everyone had a good time.
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Rainy day
Rainy day
Jun 16, 2025 New York City
We had a rainy day today with some rough ocean conditions. We managed some fluke, dogfish, sea bass, skates , and sculpin. Wasnโ€™t a great day but everyone had a good time.
Continue reading

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
5.0 / 5
out of 5 stars from 246 reviews
See details
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (1417)
Great experience
Great experience
Great experience
+1414
Angler rating
243
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%
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Showing:
5 of 246 reviews
Gregory N.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Tom was a great captain and was very pleasant

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip โ€“ Porgy/Seabass (PM) on September 1, 2024
Myself and four of my friends booked this charter with Tom. He took us around to a bunch of spots where we caught small sharks,...
Gregory N. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
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Kam B.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Best Charter in NY

VERIFIED   7 Hour Trip โ€“ Captain's Choice on August 4, 2024
Captain Tom and First Mate Rob gave us the perfect charter fishing experience. As someone who has fished the local area both...
Kam B. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
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Isaac L.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Tom

VERIFIED   NEW  4 Hour Trip โ€“ Captain's Choice (AM) on June 29, 2025
really nice captain and crew, got a bunch of nice fluke.
Isaac L. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
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Robert M.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Thank you!

VERIFIED   Memorial day 1/2 day am on May 26, 2025
Had a great trip! Took my son for his 10th birthday. Had a great time. The captain and mate were awesome. The boat is comfortable...
Robert M. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
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Brennan K.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Awesome Experience

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip โ€“ Captain's Choice (AM) on May 10, 2025
Me and my friends had a blast.ย  Captain and his mate are great guys and super knowledgeable.ย  Had no problem putting us on...
Brennan K. recommends Rockaway Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
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