August 4, 2003
The tuna situation is starting to get serious. For the most part, right now there is no reliable tuna
fishery in Montauk. There have been a smattering of longfins and yellowfins taken on the edge
or on day boats fishing out around 500/500, but for a charter boat to fish out there, he has to add
on a surcharge of about $200 to the base price of an offshore trip, and nobody wants to do that if
there isn’t a reasonable expectation of producing some fish. There are also some bluefin
wandering around along the 43700 line, but that isn’t a reliable fishery either, and often the fish
are seen but not caught. But, at least that close to the Point, a switch can be made to shark
fishing.
Speaking of sharks, right now it seems like there are more makos being taken than bluesharks. In
fact at least one mako a trip almost seems to be a guarantee, and two or three isn’t out of the
question. The main area still seems to be east of the Butterfish Hole and inside the 43700 line.
The striped bass fishing is experiencing a temporary lull right now, although that varies from day
to day and tide to tide. The same thing happened last August. Every day some boats catch their
limits, while others struggle, only to swap places on the next trip.
Fluke are still the kings when it comes to bottom fishing, with lots of action in the rips. The
south side is still slow, and you hardly ever see anyone fishing anywhere west of Caswells. I
guess the seabass fishing is ok over toward Block Island, but locally. it leaves a little bit to be
desired.
I assume that everyone knows the state regulations when it comes to striped bass, at least as far
as size and possession limits. However, there are also federal regulations, and the bottom line is
that you cannot fish for nor posses a striped bass in federal waters. That was pointed out to one
of the party boats recently when it was ticketed for having stripers on the boat in those waters,
namely at the Sub Buoy. Much of the waters we fish for bass in are actually federal, not state.
That includes anywhere east of the west end of Midway Rip. Think about the live eel fishing in
the late fall. One of the prime spots is the Alaska Rip, which comes under federal jurisdiction,
and the Sub Buoy has been THE spot for the night bass fishing boats. I’m pointing this out so
that you will at least be aware of the regs and able to make an informed decision when it comes
to choosing your fishing spot.
If you would like to have these reports sent to you directly, just drop me a note at
CaptGene@MontaukSportfishing.com. And for more information about fishing in Montauk, you
can give me a call at 800 280 5565 or check out
http://www.montauksportfishing.com.
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Montauk Sportfishing Report 8/4/03 
