Montauk is into its summer rhythm, with striped bass working the rips around the Point, fluke fishing producing on the sandy bottom, and porgies and sea bass stacking the structure. Bluefish are around, and the bait is thick. The End is fishing well from the rocks and the boat alike this week.
What’s Hitting
Striped bass are the headline, holding in the rips around Montauk Point and along the south side. Summer flounder (fluke) are biting on the sandy bottom in the sounds and along the beaches. Porgies (scup) and black sea bass are stacked on the structure and reefs, and bluefish are around the bait. The first bonito and false albacore are still a few weeks off but worth watching for.
Where to Find Them
Fish the rips around Montauk Point and along the south side for stripers on the moving tide. Fluke are on the sandy bottom in the sound, around the Point, and along the beaches. Porgies and sea bass are on the rocky structure and reefs. Bluefish are wherever the bait is — watch for birds and blitzes. The surf casters work the rocks at the Point for bass and blues.
Tides & Conditions
Striper fishing in the rips is all about the tide — the rips form and the bass feed hardest on the strong moving current. Fluke bite the moving tide on the sandy bottom. Porgies and sea bass chew the structure on the tides. Water is warming through the 60s. The morning and evening tides are prime; plan your trip around the current at the Point. Build your trip around the current at the Point — the rips form and the bass feed hardest on the strong moving tide, then quit on the slack.
Tackle & Tactics
Bass in the rips eat bucktails, jigs, and live eels worked in the current — fish the seams and the edges of the rip where bait tumbles through. Fluke want bucktails and Gulp or bait-and-squid combos on the drift. Porgies and sea bass take clams and squid on the bottom. For the surf, plugs and bucktails off the rocks at the Point produce bass and blues.
This Week’s Tip
At Montauk, fish the rips on the moving tide and target the seams. The bass stack on the down-current edge of the rip where the current concentrates disoriented bait. Drift a bucktail or live eel through the seam, keep it down in the water column, and let the current do the work. Slack water turns the bite off, so be there for the moving tide.