The Lazybones is Montauk’s famous half day party boat and the cheapest, easiest way onto the water in the port. Captain Mike Vegessi has owned it since 1985, and the boat runs two half day bottom trips a day, for fluke in the summer and striped bass and bluefish in the fall, at $75 a head with the gear and bait thrown in. For a family, a first timer, or anyone who wants a few hours of bottom fishing without booking a whole boat, the Lazybones is the most accessible trip in Montauk.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.6 the Lazybones is a strong choice and ranks seventh in Montauk, the value and access pick rather than the top of the field. It suits a family, a first timer, or a budget half day. Where it sits behind the rest is the menu: it is a half day bottom boat only, with no offshore tuna or shark option and no full day, so it does one thing. It ranks just behind Push the Limit, which has a higher captain score and runs offshore. For the deep water, the private boats and the Viking Fleet are the step up: Crunch Time and Susie E II for a big sportfisher, and Moondance or TailWrapped for a tuna specialist. The full field is on the Montauk ranking.
The boat
The Lazybones is a half day party boat, an inspected passenger vessel that takes a walk on crowd for the bottom fishing. It is a well kept boat with 34 rods aboard and a crew that patrols the rail, and it is set up for exactly what it does: a comfortable few hours of bottom fishing close to home. It is not an offshore boat, and on a busy summer weekend the rail is full, which is the honest trade of a popular half day party boat. For the trip it runs, an accessible, sociable half day, the boat is well matched; for the deep water, it is the wrong boat by design.
The fishing and what you target
The Lazybones fishes the inshore bottom and the rips on a half day. In summer the target is fluke, the summer flounder, and the boat has a long record of putting anglers on them, often to the limit. In the fall it switches to diamond jigging for striped bass and bluefish, the Montauk fall run that the port is known for. Black sea bass and porgy fill out the bottom catch in season. There is no offshore fishing here, so for tuna or sharks you want one of the offshore boats. Striped bass run a one fish slot of 28 to less than 31 inches in New York, and fluke and sea bass have their own seasons and size limits, so confirm the current rules with New York DEC before you go.
Trips and prices
This is where the Lazybones earns its place: the fare is posted and cheap. The half day trip is sold per person, walk on, at $75 for adults, $70 for seniors 65 and over, and $55 for children 12 and under, with all fishing equipment and bait included and gratuity separate. The boat runs two trips a day in season, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Selling by the seat is what makes a few hours of fishing affordable for a family or a solo angler who would never fill a private boat, which is the whole appeal of a half day party boat. Our cost guide and the party boat versus private charter guide work the per person math against booking a private boat.
The crew
Captain Mike Vegessi has owned and run the Lazybones since 1985, a family operation with a deep local record, and the mates are the part that makes a party boat day. The sentiment is that of a long running, well run half day boat: reviewers describe a hardworking crew that nets fish, clears tangles, helps first timers, and fillets the catch, with the crowd on a busy day the recurring complaint. That spread is normal for a popular walk on boat, and the steady, positive record over decades is what holds the track record score up despite the party boat format.
Booking and what to know
Reservations are by phone only and strongly recommended, since the Lazybones is one of the busiest half day boats in Montauk and the rail fills on summer weekends. Arrive early to park and find a spot. Trips leave from 474 West Lake Drive on Lake Montauk, twice a day in season. Bring food, drinks, and a cooler for your fillets; the boat supplies the rods and bait, so you can walk on with very little.
How we scored it
The Lazybones scores 7.6: a long running, famous half day party boat with the cheapest, clearest fares in Montauk and a deep family record, marked down on a narrow half day bottom only menu and the crowded rail that come with a popular walk on boat. Value and transparency is its standout factor. See how we scored this boat and the Montauk ranking for the field.