Montauk is fishing its classic summer program this week. Striped bass have set up on the rips around the Point, fluke are stacked on the sand, and the first good push of summer sea bass and porgies is on the nearshore structure.
What’s Hitting
Striped bass are working the rips around Montauk Point on the moving tide, feeding on the current lines and along the beaches at low light. Fluke are stacked on the sand off the beaches and in the bays. Black sea bass and porgies are thick on the nearshore rockpiles and wrecks, and bluefish are around chasing bait.
Where to Find Them
Fish the rips off the Point and the North Bar on the moving tide for stripers, and the beaches at dawn and dusk. Fluke hold on the sand in 20–50 feet off the south side and in the bays. Sea bass and porgies stack on the rockpiles and wrecks nearshore.
Tides & Conditions
Water is warming through the 60s. The rips fish best on a hard moving tide — the current lines set up predictably around the tide stages, so time your drifts to the strongest flow. Calm mornings open the beach and the nearshore drift. Fog is a common early-summer factor. Sand eels, bunker, and squid are the key forage moving through the rips and along the beaches, and matching the bait the stripers are keyed on is often the difference on a hard-running tide. When the squid push in around the new and full moons, the bass and the fluke both feed hard on them.
Tackle & Tactics
For rip stripers, drift or troll a bucktail or a live eel through the current lines, or throw a jig on the beaches at low light. Fluke want a bucktail tipped with Gulp bounced on the sand. Sea bass and porgies eat squid and clam on a hi-lo rig over the structure.
Local Intel This Week
The East Lake Drive ramp and Montauk Harbor give access to the Point and the rips, with the Star Island ramps serving Lake Montauk. Stripers are concentrating on the rips off the Point and the North Bar, fluke on the sand off the south-side beaches. Always check current FWC/state and federal regulations and open seasons before keeping any fish — bag and size limits change through the summer.
This Week’s Tip
Drifting the Montauk rips, position your boat so your bucktail or eel swings through the churning water on the down-current edge of the rip line, where the stripers sit waiting for disoriented bait. Getting the drift lined up so the bait tumbles naturally into that seam is far more important than the lure you tie on.