Updated: Thursday, June 11, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, June 18, 2026
This Montauk fishing report covers mid-June, when the striped bass run is in full swing around the Point. Stripers are the lead target, stacking around the Point, the rips and the south-side beaches on bucktails, jigs and bunker. Tide is the condition to plan around: the rips fish best around the tide changes, while the beaches turn on at first and last light. Fluke, sea bass, porgies and bluefish fill out the menu.
What’s Hitting
Striped bass are the headline and should stay strong through June. Expect bass around the Point, in the rips and along the south-side beaches, taking bucktails, jigs and live and chunk bunker on the moving tides.
Summer flounder (fluke) are a strong option over sandy bottom and along structure edges, with keeper-class fish coming on drifted rigs. Black sea bass stack on the wrecks and reefs for steady bottom action and good eating, and porgies (scup) crowd the rock piles for fast action that suits anglers of all ages.
Bluefish mix into the bass blitzes and run the beaches, adding toothy, fast-paced fun. Offshore, early-season tuna and a few mahi begin to show at the deeper edges for boats that catch a weather window.
Where to Find Them
Start at the Point and the rips. A rip forms where tide pushes over uneven bottom; the turbulence disorients bait, so stripers set up just downtide of the rip line to feed. Work the south-side beaches at first and last light.
For the bottom bite, drift the sandy bottom and structure edges in the surrounding waters for fluke, fish the wrecks and reefs for sea bass, and work the rock piles for porgies. Expect bluefish anywhere the bass are blitzing and along the beaches.
Tides & Conditions
Timing the tide matters more than anything else in mid-June. Focus on the tide changes in the rips, when shifting current pushes bait into the turbulence and bass feed hard. Fish the beaches in the low light of dawn and dusk.
For fluke, a moving tide keeps drifted baits sliding across the bottom where flatfish ambush them; slack water means a slow drift and fewer bites. Offshore runs depend on the weather windows, and when the wind keeps boats close, nearshore bottom fishing is a reliable fallback.
Tackle & Tactics
Carry bass, fluke and bottom rods and switch as tide and wind dictate.
- Stripers: bucktails and jigs worked through the rips, or live and chunk bunker on the moving tide.
- Fluke: Gulp-and-bucktail combos and squid-minnow rigs drifted on the moving tide.
- Sea bass and porgies: standard bottom rigs over the wrecks, reefs and rock piles.
- Bluefish: plugs and jigs, with heavier leader because their teeth cut light line.
Local Intel This Week
Montauk Point State Park gives shore anglers access to the rocks around the Point, the place to work bucktails toward the rips at first and last light. Montauk Harbor is the main boat base for the rips and the offshore runs.
Shagwong Beach on the north side and Napeague State Park to the west add beach access for low-light casting along the sand. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Fish the rips around the tide changes and work the beaches at low light, but keep the fluke and sea bass gear aboard. When the bass slow down or the wind keeps you close, switch to the bottom instead of running around looking for breaking fish.
Planning a trip to Montauk?
This report tells you what happened. ReelAI tells you what to do about it — a briefing for your date, your target species and how you're fishing, built from our reports plus live NOAA and USGS data.
Powered by ReelAI — fishing.digital's intelligence layer. Answers are generated from fishing.digital reports and public NOAA, NWS and USGS data, and may be incomplete or out of date. Regulations and marine safety information are summaries only; always confirm with the responsible authority before you fish.
