INSHORE
The fluking action has steadily improved over the last week, with a few fish up to 9 pounds weighed at our weigh station! A handful of members here at Montauk Anglers Club returned to port with their daily limit of fluke. Most of the action is happening at the usual fluking grounds such as Cartwright, Rocky Hill, and the inner/outer Frisbees area. These spots are made of rock piles on the ocean floor that provide structure and shelter for these fish, so keep an eye on your bottom machines while drifting! Keeper seabass have been around, but not plentiful. There are plenty of smaller seabass that must be released, but an occasional “jumbo” will bite your squid or fluke belly on the rock piles! Tuna bellies also work wonders when seabass fishing. Porgy and bluefish can also be found wherever there is rocky structure or bait in the water columns. XL Porgies can be found at Outer Shagwong as well as bigger seabass, using a basic high-low bottom rig with chunk bait. Bluefish have been blitzing all around the point, chasing spearing and smaller shiners. Diamond jigs, bucktails, and even surface plugs have been catching these excellent fighting fish. If anglers have access to a smoker, I highly recommend harvesting bluefish, as they make great table fare!
OFFSHORE
With the recent closure of Bluefin Tuna, many anglers have been wondering what to chase offshore. Good thing there are more fish in the ocean other than Bluefin Tuna! Anglers with smaller/medium-sized vessels can still venture out and find Mahi Mahi on floating debris, sea turtles, and lobster trap high flyers. Most Mahi within the 30 fathom curve are smaller “peanuts”, but an occasional 15-20 pound bull will be herding the school. Anglers can also continue to target Bluefin Tuna, but should use the practice of a boatside release, instead of removing the fish from the water for a picture. Keep in mind that the mortality rate of these released tunas is very high! Venturing down further south, the canyon bite has continued to be very impressive, especially around the full moons. The closer canyons, such as Block, the Hudson, and Atlantis, have seen an incredible bite of Bigeye Tuna, with fish weighing up to 250 pounds being caught. Swordfish, Wahoo, big Mahi, Tilefish, Yellowfin Tuna, and even Blue Marlin are blitzing the closer canyons as of late. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Fair winds and following seas!
– Ben
