Montauk Fishing Reports

Twing.com - interesting new community search

2008-01-31T07:23:00.000-05:00

There's an interesting new search site available for people looking for more fishing reports in Montauk and elsewhere. Since many reports are posted in bulletin boards (forums, bbs, etc.), this site searches only that type of content across many communities.

The site is called Twing and it just went live in "beta" recently. Here's an example of a query I ran for Montauk fishing. The goal of the site is built into the tagline: Twing - Search and Discover Communities.

Searching or browsing the directory will show you that it has a wide range of discussions available across multiple verticals. Fishing is only one topic available that is near and dear to my heart :-)

(Note: Yes, I do work for the company so drop me a note if you have any suggestions. But remember, it's in beta so work continues...obviously.)

Montauk Fishing Report - August 21, 2007

2007-08-23T14:48:00.000-04:00

From Capt. Gene of Montauk Sportfishing. Thanks to him for the weekly updates! This report includes inshore and offshore fishing reports...

We had a little taste of fall on Saturday with a fairly strong little north wind. Only a few boats got out in the morning, but most were able to get the afternoon in. I always expect the first sign of fall the last week of August or so, but it’s here early this year.

Long range boats heading out towards the edge are coming back with mixed reports. Sunday afternoon I spoke to two captains just back. One had a mix of albacore and yellowfins, ten in all, and the other one mahi. If you go over them you catch, often in multiples. If you don’t, you don’t. The blow on Saturday mixed the water up considerably lowering the water temps down as low as 68 degrees or so. Otherwise everything else is the same, with all the action below the 450 line.

Shark action remains fairly steady with a good amount of small makos being caught daily along with some bluesharks. Most of the boats are fishing east of the Butterfish Hole and inside of the 750 line, and they are seeing a fair amount of draggers out there as well. A couple of giants have been brought into Montauk this week, all from southeast of Block Island.

Inshore things remain a little picky with both the stripers and fluke. Trolling seems to be producing the best bass, although there are some boats catching on the live scup or by bunker dunking. But there just don’t seem to be a lot of bass around, and boats have to work pretty hard to put a trip together. Fluke fishing is producing a lot of fluke and some very nice ones, but it seems that the fluke population has been pretty much picked over. There doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of edible ones left.

Montauk Fishing Reports - August 13, 2007

2007-08-17T11:53:00.001-04:00

Submitted by Capt. Gene of Montauk Sportfishing - Includes Star Island Mako Mania shark tournament results plus inshore and offshore details

The shark huggers were out in force on Saturday for the Star Island Makomania Tournament. All eight of them, smiling and waving at all the cars driving past them on their way to see the “needless slaughter” of a half dozen or so sharks. They were there for all of an hour on Saturday, but not on Friday.

Before the captains meeting on Thursday there were thirty-eight boats signed up for the tournament, but they still wound up with sixty-eight entries. To me that is mind boggling, seeing as how the forecast was for conditions that would rate at least a six on Capt Phil Lewis’s old “hideometer”. And the forecast was right. The results are as follows;
1st Place Mako - SHARK TALE - 156 lbs

2nd Place Mako - SILVER FOX - 134 lbs

3rd Place Mako - CHAS’N TAIL - 114 lbs

1st Place Thresher - REEL GAMES - 171 lbs

2nd Place Thresher - REEL GAMES - 151 lbs.
The mako fishing is excellent right now. You’ll notice I didn’t say shark fishing. There are lots of makos around, but no big ones. Many are under a hundred pounds down to what we call “toenail clippers”

Way offshore the tuna bite is till OK, but you have to get below the 450 line, and you’ll do even better down in the 300’s. There is nothing in closer.

Inshore, the fluke bite died off a bit. It was red hot all week, and for the edible kind, but by the weekend it slowed a bit. It may have been because of the conditions resulting from Friday’s blow.

The striped bass fishing is either good or difficult depending on who you talk to. For the last couple of years we’ve had a slow period in July with fishing improving as we got a little into August, so hopefully things will start to get more consistent soon.

The recession that the charter boats are going through is getting fairly serious. Typically August is the busiest month, with September having the best overall fishing. When I had my boat I would often leave a day or two open during August just to be able to catch my breath, but nobody has to do that now with virtually every boat sitting at least a couple of days each week. Normally I don’t use a cellphone, but during the summer months I get a prepaid one and have calls forwarded from my regular phone to the cellphone when I am out. This year things are so slow, that I don’t even bother to carry the thing around anymore.

Montauk Fishing Report - August 6, 2007 - sharks, tuna, stripers, fluke

2007-08-17T11:51:00.000-04:00

This report comes from Capt. Gene Kelly of "Montauk Sportfishing", includes inshore and offshore fishing reports for Montauk.

That was a crappy little bit of global warming early in the week. I went offshore on Monday and spent the whole day in the tower, something I rarely do, but it was the only cool place on the boat.

The offshore fishing is continuing pretty good, with a good amount of yellowfins and albacore, and a surprising amount of wahoo (that usually signal their presence by biting off your lure) and blue marlin. There are also lots of mahi. But, you have to make the run at least out as far as the 450 line. Anything much closer than that is probably a waste of time, although that can always change.

The shark fishing is staying the same, a couple or three blue sharks a trip, with occasional makos thrown in. Star Island is holding their Mako & Thresher Mania Tournament this Friday and Saturday. I wonder if the shark huggers will show up?

Inshore the fishing is improving, especially with the fluke. There have been plenty of fluke being caught all along, but this week the quality jumped up considerably with lots of folk catching their limits of eating size fish, and it doesn’t seem to matter where you fish. Pick a spot that has been good to you in the past and you’ll probably do OK.

Striped bass fishing is improving as well, with charter boats starting to come back with limit catches. Live scup are catching as is trolling. But be careful with the porgies. A couple of boats got ticketed again this week for shorties.

Montauk Fishing Report - July 16, 2007 - MBCA Shark Tournament

2007-07-19T13:25:00.001-04:00

This report brought to you by Capt. Gene of MontaukSportFishing. It includes the results from the MBCA shark tournament.

Threshers rule!

The MBCA had its charity shark tournament (six $1000 awards to local college gowers) and it was all threshers all the time. One 108 lb mako was weighed in and no blue sharks, along with eight threshers ranging in size from 143 lbs to 518 lbs. The following are the results;

#32 ADIOS Thresher 518 lbs

#15 DOUBLE HEADER Thresher 515 lbs

#20 HURRYUP Thresher 425 lbs

#29 JOY SEA Thresher 364 lbs

#25 ARC ANGEL Thresher 355 lbs

#5 TUNA TANGLER Thresher 250 lbs

#5 TUNA TANGLER Thresher 202 lbs

#3 RIDGE RUNNER Thresher 143 lbs

#1 FINEST KIND Mako 108 lbs

Overall the shark fishing has been excellent with three to four fish being caught about average, mostly bluesharks, but there have also been hammerheads, a tiger along with the usual makos and threshers being caught. And, more and more school bluefins being seen every day, as well as some being caught. Nice sized fish too, forty to fifty pounds.

Inshore, the fluke fishing is great, even if the eating isn’t. Lots of fish in the rips with lots and lots in the almost keeper size, along with occasional eating size fish.

Bass fishing is kind of up and down, with no rhyme or reason. One tide it’s great, the next it’s difficult. Parachutes and the big tubes are doing the job for the wire liners, but more boats are using the live scup. Bigger but fewer fish are on the baits. Also, I heard about the DEC checking out some boats for short scup, so be careful out there.

Montauk Fishing Reports - Inshore/offshore - July 9, 2007

2007-07-10T14:09:00.000-04:00

A call-in fishing report to me from Colin was an interesting one. He was using bucktails (with rind) in Fort Pond Bay looking for Striped bass, but started catching fluke! A lot of fluke! Within a couple of ours he had about 20 with many being "close" to keeper size. Thanks for the report colin. Send your pictures next time.

Anyone can submit reports to me at info@fishingmontauk.com

The following is from Capt. Gene Kelly of Montauk Sportfishing. He recaps the offshore shark and tuna bite, as well as, the inshore action.

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I usually post these reports on Monday morning, but a last minute decision to go fishing changed that.

Offshore the waters are in the mid to upper sixties and green, with eelgrass floating in it and as many inshore birds like terns and seagulls as shearwaters and petrels. But there are sharks too, with enough bluesharks still around to provide action along with occasional makos and threshers. Tuna sightings though are very few and far between.

The last of the early season shark tournaments is this weekend, being held at Star Island on Saturday and Sunday. This is sponsored by the Boatman’s and Captain’s association, and most of the proceeds go toward college money for local kids. It looks like you will be safe from the sharkhuggers, so stop by and buy something.

Inshore things are going well. If we had last years fluke regs it would be great as there are lots of fish less than an inch short around, especially out in the rips.

Bass fishing is steady, with trollers and live baiters doing well. Everything is working, but catches are kind of up and down, with some days and tides better than others. But I guess that’s fishing.

Montauk Fishing Report - July 2, 2007 - shark tournament results

2007-07-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

The following montauk fishing report is brought to you by Capt. Gene Kelly of MontaukSportfishing:

I guess the shark huggers have decided that they have done enough to stop the “cruel shark tournaments”, since they were no where to be found at the Marine Basins tournament this weekend.
There were plenty of sharks though. Ninety-seven boats fished and weighed in eighteen threshers, five makos and a number of bluesharks. The following are the results;
LARGEST SHARK OVERALL - 519 LBS - THRESHER - TRUCE
1st Place Mako - 299 LBS - ULTIMATE
2nd Place Mako - 224 LBS - TUG N TOW
3rd Place Mako - 172 LBS - CRACKED OAR
1st Place Blue( tie) - 264 lbs - WHASSUP
1st Place Blue ( tie) - 264 lbs - OFF DUTY
3rd Place Blue - 256 lbs - ON THE EDGE
1st Place Other - 519 lbs - THRESHER TRUCE
2nd Place Other - 490 Lbs - THRESHER - PANCHO
3rd Place Other - 465 Lbs - THRESHER - FINCASTLE

Overall the number of sharks being caught each day has dropped off as the main body of bluesharks are moving east, but the threshers and some makos will be here for a while now. It would be nice if there were more makos, but what can you do? Now that the bluesharks are moving out, I can go shark fishing. The owner of the boat that I run would rather sit and wait for one exotic than catch a bunch of bluesharks.

Inshore, things are progressing nicely. Bass are being taken with regularity by the trollers and the scup dunkers are starting to take their share. The fact that there are guys fishing with live porgies is an indication of how good the porgy fishing is. For the last couple of years that kind of fishing didn’t get started until late July or so.

I finally found some doggies while trying for seabass at Rocky Hill, but they sure aren’t around like they have been for the past couple of year, thank God. Guys drifting in the Frisbees area have been doing OK with a mixture of fluke and seabass. And at times better than just OK. It’s just a matter of being there at the right time, mainly on the flood tide. Out in the rips there are fluke, but for me it’s not would it should be as far as numbers are concerned.

I was checking out the EEZ line on the GPS and made a pleasant discovery. The west end is around 14639-43869, but then it shoots north, instead of curling to the west like I assumed. This means that the Alaska Rips are in state waters. That’s one of the main places for late fall bassing and if it was out of bounds would have really hurt.

Montauk fishing report - June 25, 2007

2007-06-27T12:32:00.000-04:00

The following montauk fishing report is brought to us by Capt. Gene of MontaukSportfishing. Sharks, Striped Bass, fluke, seabass, porgies

Motauk Marine Basin has it's shark tournament this weekend. I wonder if the protesters will be there. They can certainly get closer to the action at the Marine Basin than they did at Star Island. Overall the shark fishing is pretty good with lots of blue sharks, and occasional, very occasional threshers. Not much if anything in the way of makos though, even though the mid sixty degree water is right. And, I haven't heard about any bluefins being sighted yet.

Striped bass fishing is kind of up and down, with some days or tides excellent and others a bit of a struggle. And live porgies aren't the answer, as those guys aren't do much. I don't think there are enough of the larger fish around right now.

It's a similar situation with the fluke. Get to the right place at the right time and you can do alright, but otherwise it's kind of picky. Seabass are mixing in with the fluke. I'm kind of leery about mentioning this, but the doggies are not the same kind of problem that they have been for the last couple of years. I hear occasional complaints, but nothing that can't be dealt with.

You can take this with a grain of salt. I know I did. A couple or reputable captains have told me about a boat fishing at Gardiners Island that caught a fluke that had been filleted. No meat on either side. It's internals were OK. I know that I have filleted fluke that were alive that kept wiggling after I was finished, so I guess it is possible. I assume that it was short fish.

You don't need a grain of salt for this one. A Rhode Island charter boat was ticketed for fishing in the EEZ at Southwest Ledge this week The fine is supposed to be $1200. They're watching!

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Book A Montauk Fishing Charter now! at Fishingmontauk.com

Montauk Shark Fishing Tips, by Capt. Kevin Shea

2007-06-20T12:52:00.001-04:00

I wrote this little bit back in 2005. This is not the complete article, but you can find the whole thing here: Montauk Shark Fishing

Montauk Shark Fishing Tips, by Capt. Kevin Shea
"Shark fishing is like watching the grass grow". That was the comment from a great mate that worked on my boat last yeat. Thanks to Doug S. for the great quote! By the way, if you're looking for shark charter info, I have a complete page available including tournament dates and rates.

Well, it's a lot more fun than watching the grass grow, but there are times when the process is a slow one. So, I like to say that shark fishing is a lot like, well, fishing. Like any other type of fishing, there are good days and bad ones.

When to fish for sharks
It just so happens that June water temps usually climb to a point that these toothy predators begin to inhabit our waters in Montauk. It's always a good idea to watch water temperatures closely before you go shark fishing. In the early days of the season, look for warm water temperature breaks. When summer kicks in heavy, look for colder water among the hot, flat offshore waters. If I had the choice of when to fish for sharks, I'd choose the last week of June through the first week of July OR the first 2 weeks of October.

Where do we fish for sharks?
There are numerous shark spots within striking distance of boats leaving from Montauk. These spots range anywere from 10 to 55 miles from the point. The most important things about your location are structure and water temperature. A structure can be a rise or dip in the sea floor. Since shark fishing is normally drift fishing, chart your drift, based on wind and tide, to follow the edges of the structure you choose. From Montauk, there are excellent shark fishing spots to the east, southeast, south and southwest.

What to bring on a shark fishing trip?
When chumming for sharks (most popular) your gear should be able to handle a fish over 300 lbs. It is not uncommon to hook into a shark that exceeds this weight. Whatever gear you choose and depending on wind and tide, you should fish with 3 - 5 baits in the water. That means, you will need just as many rod/reel setups. I recommend the following tackle:

Rod: 50 to 80 lb. class rod
Reel: Penn Senator 9/0 or higher
Reel: Penn International 50 or 80
Fishing Line: 80 - 100 lb. Mono
Hooks: 12/0
Leaders: 12 ft., 200 lb. test wire
Gaff
Flying Gaff Quality Wire Cutters
Balloons or floats
Chum Bags
EzTwist - Dubrow
Tail Rope: 7ft with secured loop
Tag stick and tags
Harness AND safety straps
Outrigger or flatline clips

Don't forget bait and chum:

Flat of Bunker
Flat of Mackerel
Fresh Bluefish (if available)
Live bluefish (if available)

let me list some other important things to bring on a shark trip:

Food - don't forget to pack snacks
Sunscreen - drifting in the sun and heat can set in a serious burn if you're not prepared
Cold drinks - Beers are fine (for everyone BUT the Captain), but don't forget to bring non-alchoholic drinks to keep you from dehydrating.
A Hat
Sunglasses
A sweatshirt - yes, it can be cool out there, even on sunny days.
...

This article is continued on page 2 here

Montauk Fishing Report - Star Island Shark Tournament Results

2007-06-19T09:45:00.000-04:00

The following report is provided by Capt. Gene Kelly of MontaukSportFishing. You can see is full report at www.montauksportfishing.com/report.html

Here are the results of the 2007 Star Island Shark Fishing Tournament which was held this past weekend:

First Place Overall - 374 lbs - Thresher - THREE G’S
First Place Mako -372 lbs - F.I.S.H.
Second Place Mako - 215 lbs - OH BROTHER
Third Place Mako - No other makos caught
First Place Blueshark - 273 lbs - LUCIA
Second Place Blueshark - 259 lbs - HYPERACTIVE
Third Place Blueshark - 257 lbs - DORADO
First Place Other - 374 lbs - Thresher - THREE G’S
Second Place Other - 359 lbs - Thresher - TUNA TANGLER
Third Place Other - 300 lbs Thresher - PISCES III

Overall the fishing was pretty good with a lot of bluesharks caught, and the fish are in closer than you might expect to find them this early in the season, as close as twenty miles.

Inshore the bass fishing is very good, although how good depends on who you talk to. One captain told me that Saturday was tough. On an all day trip he caught about fifty bass, but could only keep eleven of them, one short of the limit. Another captain on a half day trip on Saturday morning had his limit in the first two hours with fish up to thirty pounds.

Some live baiting with porgies has started with at least one charter boat and one private boat that I know of giving it a shot. It wasn’t very good although they each caught a couple of fish.

Fluke fishing is just OK right now. There are a fair amount of fish in the rips, but not very many that you can eat. The south side is slower, but a better chance at a keeper.

Striped Bass in the surf

2007-05-14T13:27:00.001-04:00

So, I was hearing about the bass making their way around the south side earlier this week. I decided to get my gear ready and sneak out to the beach for a couple of casts on Mother's Day (yes, i was back in time for the proper celebration). Anyway, as I was getting my gear together I noticed my big reel wasn't feeling right and really needed a clean! Oh man, I was not prepared! So, I grabbed my little rod with 12lb test on the reel and headed for Ditch Plains beach around 5am.

I was working th jetty and vacinity for about an hour. Another guy showed up and fished the jetty as well. I had no hits so I worked my way west towards the cliffs. The tide just started going out and I started hitting schoolie stripers with a plain white bucktail (no rind). Well, it was great with the light pole. The fish were small but plentiful...nothing bigger than about 25". I had about 20 landed in an hour and a half.

A great morning. Oh, and by the way, if you didn't get the hint...the bass are here! We should start seeing boats take fish in the rips anyday now.

Capt. Kevin
www.fishingmontauk.com

Striped Bass in the surf

2007-05-14T13:27:00.000-04:00

Captain Mike Brumm

2007-01-19T17:02:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, this is not a fishing report. I have been informed that Capt. Mike Brumm of the Daybreaker has passed away. Another great loss for Montauk and the entire Charter fishing industry.

Captain Bill Ricca

2006-11-14T11:56:00.000-05:00

I received notice from Jack Yee that Captain Bill Ricca passed away this past weekend. It is a sad day for the Montauk fishing charter fleet. Bill was the Captain of the Alyssa Ann and had an excellent reputation as a Charter Captain. He will be missed.

Rumor: Gosman's restaurant is for sale

2006-11-12T15:36:00.000-05:00

I thought it would never happen, but there is a rumor that Gosman's is for sale. The price is supposed to be about $55MM and you get all the restaurants, commercial fishing pier, some hotels, a vacant lot and a couple of houses. All in all, it doesn't sound like a bad deal. I know I could turn it into more. Any investors want to get in on it? Let me know.

It is sad, however. The family name has been in that spot for about 50 years. It's an historical place for me since I have memories going back to when I was a little kid eating outside at Gosman's watching the fishing boats go in and out of the harbor. I guess change is inevitable.

Here are the news articles I found about the "rumor".

Montauk Inlet Picture

2006-11-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

I took this shot of the Montauk inlet a few weeks ago when the storm came in. I can tell you there was no boat fishing that day. Check out the wave hitting the far point of the east jetty. That spray is at least 12 feet high. The specs on the picture are sand and spray.

Blackfish are hot in Montauk now

2006-11-10T13:53:00.000-05:00

From what I hear, blackfishing is hot right now. Both the party boats and charters are hitting into some great fishing for togs. If you've never been blackfishing before, I recommend taking a run at them. It's quite a thrill to bring up a heavy hitter. If you have done some blackfishing...you know exactly what I mean.

Here are some more recent montauk blackfishing articles listed on Accoona's news search.

Stripers are also keeping everyone happily busy. However, I havn't heard of any herring or gannets hitting the area yet. That means the season is gonna stay strong for quite a while. For the charter guys...I pray for nice blue skies this weekend...for the surf guys, I pray for a noreast blow. Being involved in both makes that a touch decision.

Capt. Kevin

Wild picture of Montauk Inlet

2006-10-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

So, last friday the wind kicked HARD after a bought of rain. It went from about 15 kts to close to 45kts in about 15 mintutes. The water was, relatively, calm minutes before I took this picture. It was blowing so hard from the NW that I rode over to the inlet. I took this picture and have not adjusted it in any way. It was just before sunset and this is a COLOR picture of the inlet. Pretty cool!

Montauk Surf Report (late for 10/19 - 22 2006)

2006-10-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

It's a late one...sorry.

Was with my son Killian (picture below) at the Ditch Plains beach on Friday before the big blow. There was a blitz on the verge, but I didn't have my pole so I watched people pick at a bass and blues blitz. It was a great site, the fish were coming onto the shore and it ran from the jetty all the way to the cliffs. It lasted more than 1 hour and I had to go.

Most fish caught were blues, but I knew there were bass mixed in because I could actually see all the fish coming up onto the beach. The water was boiling in pockets all over the place.

Anyway, I fished the rest of the weekend at Ditch and had my way with the blues from 5 to 10 pounds. I didn't get a striped bass, but then again, the real season is just starting.

Sunday was pretty awesome. The water was so calm you could see the pockets of fish on the top moving through the water! No birds necessary to point them out.

Here's some more news about montauk fishing on Accoona. Check out the filters on the right on their news search. Pretty cool stuff.

Montauk Surf Fishing Report (Blitz!)

2006-10-10T20:08:00.000-04:00

I heard there was a 4 HOUR blitz off Turtle Cove yesterday. That's a nice long time to be in the fish. Congrats to anyone who was there. Save a few for me!

Oh, I found a new search engine called Accoona that let's you search business data. So, I did a search for businesses in Montauk under the search term 'montauk fishing'. Here are the results of that search.

Anyway, I'll be in full swing next weekend hitting all the usually places. I just hope the fish do then what they did today :)

Capt. Kevin Shea
www.fishingmontauk.com

Montauk Fishing Report (late September 2006)

2006-10-10T20:04:00.000-04:00

(From Capt. Gene Kelly of MontaukSportfishing)
There was a rumor going around during the week that the DEC was going to have a boat on the water on the weekend measuring porgies. East Hampton’s boat was out there alright, but no boardings took place as far as I know, maybe because it was a little too sloppy.

The bass fishing is just alright right now, mainly because of the numbers of bluefish. They’re pretty unavoidable.

The MBCA’s annual bass tournament gets under way next week. All you have to do the participate is fish on a boat that is in the tournament. No $$$. Biggest fish at the end of the season wins. There is also a weekly pool that you have to pay to enter. You can enter at any marina.

The falsies have been around for a couple of weeks now, but not in great numbers. That changes on Sunday when they were all over the place. They seem to like a southwest wind, which we had plenty of.

Bottom fishing for porgies and seabass is excellent over by Block Island, but there are lots of shorts.

Offshore, in the early part of the week the yellowfins and longfins wrere cooperating nicely with just about every boat catching a minimum of a half dozen, all around the 400 line. Thursday we had a northerly blow and Friday the weather was great, but things had changed some. Some boats did well, and others couldn’t get a sniff. Then Saturday and Sunday were pretty crappy, so I don’t think anyone was out there. Weather is becoming more of a problem.

The giants are still around, with a fish or two being taken every day or so.

In the Locals Surfcasting contest we’ve got a couple of fish on the board; Wader Division - Gary Apria - 26.66 lbs
Wet Suit Division - John Bruno - 35.40 lbs
Kids Division - Dillon Lackner - 4.34 lbs. Bluefish
Danielle Lackner - 4.08 lbs Bluefish.

The owner of the boat that I run has left for the season, and I’m in the process of putting it away. Then I’m also starting to get busy with the southern trips, so I won’t be quite as steady with the reports for the rest of the season.

Montauk Fishing Report: Striped Bass, Sharks, Tuna, Fluke

2006-07-24T14:55:00.000-04:00

(Sent by Capt. Gene Kelly of Montauk Sportfishing - Striped Bass, Fluke, Sharks, Tuna)

We had quite a variety of weather this past week. First was a couple of days of Global Warming, followed by a wannabe hurricane that passed offshore Thursday evening, which resulted in a real lousy forecast for Friday, which caused a lot of trips to be canceled. Of course the Friday weather was great. Then over the weekend there was a little southerly, making offshore fishing pretty exciting, especially on Sunday.

As far as the fishing is concerned I can almost just paste in last weeks report.

The bass fishing is pretty good, but there are a lot of shorts being caught, too many. There are also some nicer fish, mostly being caught on porgies. But using the porgies doesn’t give a lot of action since the baits are too big for the majority of fish that are here now.

The fluke fishing is unchanged, with a lot of shorts and occasional three to four pound fish. Some doggies are still around, but becoming less of a problem. The biggest news on the fluke front is that it looks like the regs will be tightened up even further next year. They are looking at reducing the overall fluke quota by 40% or more.

Shark fishing is sort of what we call “one bite” fishing. There are few bluesharks, so there is not a lot of action. But when that one bite comes it is likely to be either a mako or thresher. And, if you get that one bite, you are likely to get another.

I haven’t heard much about the tuna this week.
If you would like to have these reports sent to you directly, just drop me a note at captgene@montauksportfishing.com.

7/17/06

It’s hard to give a report this week, because in almost every case the state of the fishing depends on who I speak to. One guy does great, and the next does lousy.

The bass fishing is OK I guess, but you can’t expect a charter with six anglers to catch their limit on a half day trip. There are a lot of shorts around, and some decent fish. A lot of the trollers are using the big tubes to target bigger fish and avoid smaller ones, and if they pass over the right fish it works out. If not, it doesn’t. Live porgies are working too, but again if you don’t drift over the fish, you don’t catch. Also, porgies can be a little difficult to come by.

The fluke situation is somewhat the same. Some guys do good with some real nice fish, while others struggle and catch lots and lots of shorts. One good thing is that the doggies seem to be getting scarcer, but not completely gone yet.

For the most part shark fishing is what we call “one bite” fishing, although there are exceptions to that as well. The water has gotten a little too toasty for the blue sharks, so you can’t expect to catch a lot of sharks. However what you are likely to catch are makos or threshers. A good thing about shark fishing is that you don’t have to run very far. Much more than fifteen to eighteen miles and you are just wasting fuel, and we all know how expensive that can be.

The school bluefins are still around, although catching one is not a sure thing. Then again, you could also catch a dozen or so, although probably not be able to keep any. There is no hot spot as far as I know, and you can start fishing at the 800 line. A number of shark boats have caught them on the way to their shark spot, which as I said above is not very far out.

I haven’t heard of any boats fishing out at the 500 line yet, but I suspect someone will be going out there this week. The edge is producing a mixture of yellowfins, longfins and mahi, but it seems that the boats making that run haven’t bothered to fish much inside of the drop-off.

Montauk Fishing Report - Inshore Fluke, Bass and Offshore Sharks

2006-07-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

(From Capt. Gene Kelly of Montauk Sportfishing) Below he discusses the current Fluke, Striped Bass and Shark fishing status in Montauk.

I don’t know if the fluke fishing is improving or I’m getting used to the new norm. Around the Point, fluke fishing can be pretty good, although you have to be careful to avoid the doggies. Fishing the rips you can catch a fair number of fish. But, fluke eating isn’t too good because practically everything you catch is too small, and not just a smidgen small. A better choice might be to head over towards Eastern Plains Point at Gardiner’s Island. There the catching isn’t as good as down by the Light, but the eating is better, since most of the fish are of edible size.

A “uh-oh” is developing with the striped bass. They are getting a little difficult to find, and catching a limit is almost unheard of. You know there’s a problem when you hears captains on the radio looking for some bluefish to bend the rods with. The “Porgy n Bassin” is getting started, and you see a lot of boats drifting n dreaming. But it’s not a miracle cure. You can’t catch what isn’t there, and right now there just are not a lot of bass around.

Offshore the shark fishing is getting stabilized, with steady picks of blues, makos and threshers, all being caught in the normal haunts fifteen to twenty miles out. And with not an awful lot of pests like bluefish and doggies, although if you stay too short they might be a problem. The water is looking good too, nice and blue with some bird life, dolphins and occasional patches of bluefins splashing around.

If you would like to have these reports sent to you directly, just drop me a note at captgene@montauksportfishing.com. For more information about fishing in Montauk, you can give me a call at 800 280 5565 or check out http.//www.montauksportfishing.com.

Montauk Fishing Report: Montauk Marine Basin Shark Tournament Results

2006-06-26T15:15:00.000-04:00

(Capt. Gene from Montauk Sportfishing gives us the latest on the Montauk Marine Basin Shark Tournament, inshore striped bass and fluke, and the status of the charter business this year.)

Well, that was a lovely weekend. I don’t think we have to do any worrying about a drought this year.

The second shark tournament of the year is history. The Marine Basin tournament had a little over a hundred boats in it, about the same as last year, which is pretty surprising considering the weather. There are always a lot of boats that wait until the last minute to sign up, and then decide if they want in or not depending on the weather forecast.

The fishing was not an awful lot to rave about, with only ten fish weighed in, with no threshers - the first time that has occurred in quite a while. The sharks are still pretty far out for this time of year, with forty fathoms about the closest you can fish and expect any success, unless you count the doggies. I don’t believe I ever caught a dogfish while shark fishing, but this year they are quite common. And, to add insult to injury, any day now we will be receiving the notice that the commercial dogfish quota is filled.

The results are as follows;
1st Place Overall - 315 lbs Blueshark - FISH ON
1st Place Mako - 192 lbs - TUNA TANGLER
2nd Place Mako - 179 lbs - CAPT MARK
3rd Place Mako - 170 lbs - TIGER SHARK
1st Place Blueshark - 315 lbs - FISH ON
2nd Place Blueshark - 272 lbs - REAL NICE
3rd Place Blueshark - 247 lbs - MY DENISE

I’ve been in the charterboat game for around thirty years or so, and I’ve never seen the business so slow, and I can’t explain it. The striped bass fishing is great, and that is the main interest of most of the clients, so it can’t be that. Fluke fishing isn’t what it should be, and I can understand few people booking all day inshore trips, which are usually split between bass and fluke. But that doesn’t explain the lack of half day trips. And the head boats are doing even worse. On Friday The LAZYBONES and the VIKING were the only head boats that sailed. All the rest sat, and Friday is usually the second busiest day of the week.

It seems like the bluefins that were cavorting around near the fluke boats have moved on. At least I haven’t heard about them recently.

World Cup (of fishing?) not quite, but Shark Fishing in Montauk

2006-06-21T15:40:00.000-04:00

They might not be as internationally popular, but the Montauk Shark Fishing Tournaments are BIG news in the sportfishing world. The Star Island Tournament was the start and Darrenberg's (Montauk Marine Basin) Tournament is next weekend.

If you are in Montauk, make sure you stop by for the weigh-in's at the Marine Basin. Don't forget to bring your camera.

Capt. Kevin
Fishing Montauk