| January |
Tautog |
Crab on rocky structure |
Tautog on Canal rocks and nearshore ledges; limited other options |
| February |
Tautog |
Green crabs, rock crabs |
Best tautog of winter; wrecks and rocky nearshore structure |
| March |
Striped Bass (early), Tautog |
Bucktails, soft plastics |
First bass reports from the Canal; tautog still strong |
| April |
Striped Bass, Black Sea Bass |
Canal fishing, sea bass on structure |
Bass arrive at the Canal in April — one of the most anticipated events in NE fishing |
| May |
Striped Bass, Fluke |
Canal plugging, drift fishing |
Bass at full stride in the Canal; fluke season opens |
| June |
Striped Bass, Bluefin Tuna |
Canal fishing, offshore tuna |
First school bluefin at Race Point; bass throughout the Cape |
| July |
Bluefin Tuna, Fluke, Bass |
Offshore tuna, drift fishing |
Peak bluefin at Race Point — sometimes visible from the beach |
| August |
Bluefin Tuna, False Albacore |
Offshore tuna, cast metals to albies |
Albies begin appearing in late August; bluefin offshore at peak |
| September |
False Albacore, Striped Bass |
Cast metals/epoxy jigs, topwater |
Albie run peaks; fall bass migration starting — exciting month |
| October |
Striped Bass, False Albacore |
Canal plugging, topwater surf |
Peak fall bass run; the Canal and outer beach produce trophy fish |
| November |
Striped Bass, Bluefish |
Bunker chunks, plugs |
Late-season trophy bass through mid-November; bluefish migrating south |
| December |
Tautog |
Crab on rocky structure |
Tautog returns as stripers depart; Canal fishable on calm days |