The 2024 Fall Blitz is on Big Time!! Literally thousands of Striped Bass are coming by Montauk right now. From Shagwong all the way past Town on the south side. Just about anything you throw at them they’ll eat! The full feeding frenzy is happening and you really don’t want to miss it. Catch and release can be a lot of fun, with the end result is the fish will live to fight another day. Striped Bass are a really tough and resilient fish, but they are not indestructible.
When doing catch and release try not to use a net, especially a polypropylene net, because it can scratch their equivalent of a cornea. The rubber mesh nets are much more forgiving and tangle much less, enabling you to release the fish more quickly. When you do release the fish point the head down towards the water and gently thrust it head first into the water. By doing this it triggers their instinct to start swimming immediately, and down they’ll go!
Striped Bass have no teeth, so instead of netting them simply reach over the side of the boat if the height permits, grab the Bass by putting your thumb into its mouth and grip down tightly, taking care to avoid the hook. This makes it easy to remove the hook quickly and you’re all ready to take that quick picture. Same goes for Black Sea Bass, put your thumb into their mouth and bear down on their bottom lip. Definitely do not use this technique with Bluefish, they have teeth that are razor sharp and plenty of them!!!
More inshore action this time of year is Blackfish (Tautog) anchoring is a must and green crabs, calico, hermit are all good for bait. Find a rockpile that hasn’t been hit yet and you should find them. Beginning and end of a tide is best, once the tide gets running hard it’s hard to feel the bite. Blackfish season is October 15 through December 22 Bag limit is 4 per angler, size limit 16 inches.
Offshore report is that there are still some giant Tuna hanging around the same location, it has been some Tuna season this year, no complaints there!!
Enjoy this great Indian summer, plenty of good fishing to come.
~ Tight Lines, Captain Skip
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