Question about current direction

[Crabman]

I've begun to do a lot more inshore fishing and fluke has been my targeted fish. I'm not new to fluke fishing but the back bays were my choice while the ocean was mainly for tuna and stripers on bunker pods. With that said, can someone explain the direction of the current in the ocean about three miles offshore. I've heard many talk about the current off the Fire Island Reef as coming in or going out. While it's obvious in the bays and inlets, which way does the current go in the ocean? Does it flow north/south or east/west? I know there's a westerly sweep along the beach but I don't think that's current. Can anyone explain?

 

[Leprechaun]

Along the ocean beaches of the south shore of LI, tidal direction is West on the incoming and East on the outgoing. This doesn't take into account occasional weird currents that might slightly modify the drift direction, but in general, this is the way it works.

 

[NoFlukenName]

What Lep said. It's also not unusual to have delays/non-confluence between the current at the top of the water column and the current at the bottom. There are times, with no wind, the boat is barely moving but your line is scoping out like crazy.