Montauk Pioneer - May 16, 2008

By mid-May, Montauk waters host more species of hard fighting and tasty denizens of the deep than you can shake a fishing rod at. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try! Here's a quick rundown of what's biting.

These bottom dwellers set up shop in wrecks and over reefs and structures feeding on crustaceans, squid and smaller fish. Fishermen this month are scoring by dropping clams, mackerel and cut squid to the bottom. Black sea bass are a schooling species, and once a school is located action can be fast and furious, with anglers often bringing them in two at a time. For their size, this species has a large mouth, so a 4/0 or 5/0 hook is perfect for them. The white flesh of the sea bass is quite delicious on a dinner plate, but be sure to know the regulations before bringing one home for the table. Right now, sea bass need to be 12 inches before they can be kept.

Scup season opens on the 24th of this month, but the Viking Party Boat Fleet will be running special trips to New Bedford, MA for porgies, so anyone looking to squeeze in some porgy fishing before the New York season opens can hop aboard. The trips will run daily at 5 am from May 16th to the end of June. These panfish are incredibly spirited fighters for their size. The first time I hooked a porgy on light tackle I expected to see a much larger fish emerge from the depths. Scup are notorious bait stealers, using their small mouths to tear bits of clam or seaworms from the hooks of hopeful anglers. It's for this reason that fishermen scale down their hooks to 1/0 baitholders when after scup. A word of caution, the spines on this species are extremely sharp, so care must be taken when handling and unhooking a freshly caught scup.

Fluke season opens on May 15th and many fishermen are chomping at the bit to chase after these fanged flatfish. The Viking will be running special all-day fluke trips during the first four days of the season. Drifting squid or mackerel strips and jigging with bucktails sweetened with either Berkley Gulp! or natural baits are choice methods for putting some delectable doormats in the cooler.

Striped bass fishing continues to improve this month with more plus-sized fish joining the mix as we get closer to June. Fishermen have many options for how they might target Montauk's most popular species. Surfcasting with lures is a reliable way to hook up around the point as well as south side locations such as Ditch Plains. Fishing with cut bunker is another successful method along the sandy town beaches. Boat fishermen have even more options. Some captains troll umbrella rigs and bunker spoons, while others prefer to drift with eels or live scup (as regulations allow). Vertical jigging with diamond jigs and chunking bunker are two more popular methods for duping stripers this month. Rumors of large fish arriving in New Jersey mean that Montauk is not long from seeing its first wave of cow bass.

Bluefish continue to chomp anything that moves, and their numbers and size seem to be increasing. Blues are not picky eaters, and anglers can score on a wide array of baits and lures.

With fishing improving by the day, it's high time to grab your rod and hit the water. Montauk's many species of fish are eating well, and with the right combination of know-how and luck, a fresh seafood dinner with have you eating well too.