Bluefin
The red hot bluefin action behind the scallop boats off New Jersey has cooled a bit since last week, but fish are still being taken. With the fish not as concentrated, trolling has been the best option lately, but once some fish are located, jigs are getting bit as well.
Moving north, Capt. Jack from Quaker Lane in Rhode Island said that south of Block Island, “chicken” mahi from 3 to 8 pounds are being found near the Fairway Buoy to the 30 Fathom Line. Jack shared that trolling green mirror birds with a single green machine stinger is working, as well as casting Deadly Dicks or Butterfly jigging. He also talked about finicky bluefin tuna in the 40- to 100-pound class on the outer edge of Mudhole all along Cox’s Ledge. Occasionally they will hit trolled offerings on the fifth wave crest back from the boat. Another species that Jack mentioned anglers seeing “finning” in the area are white marlin, which are feeding on halfbeaks like many other predators.
The 20-fathom line south of Martha’s Vineyard was holding good numbers of school-sized tuna earlier this week, but strong northeast winds have mixed the water up a bit and may have moved the bait and fish around for anglers getting out this weekend. Once again, trolling seems the best bet for locating these fish at the moment, but anglers are connecting on jigs and even topwaters.
East of Chatham on Cape Cod has been a bit slow lately. Captain Corey Stewart of the Hook Up in Orleans trolled up a 64-inch bluefin there this week. Captain Eric at the Hook Up said while the fishing is spotty, guys are getting a bite or two every time out, and some of those bites are coming from very big fish. A 760-pound giant bluefin hit a spreader bar east of Chatham this week.
Stellwagen Bank has a good number of mixed-size bluefin at the moment. On Wednesday, anglers trolling, live-baiting and running-and-gunning on the bank managed several 73-inch commercial-size fish as well as a number or recreational keeper-sized fish under 59 inches.
Sharks
The same waters that are holding bluefin south of the Vineyard are also offering a good shot at mako sharks. The makos are showing up in the chum slicks of anglers willing to withstand inundation by blue sharks.
Capt. Jack from Quaker Lane in Rhode Island said there are sharks everywhere in a triangle from Jenny’s Horn to Montauk to Nomans Island. He participated in last weekend’s Snug Harbor Shark Tournament, where their boat landed five makos between 80 and 150 pounds over two days. The crew was using a menhaden chum for an attractor and bluefish as bait.
Thresher sharks swept the prizes at the MCBA Shark Tournament in Montauk last weekend, with a 426-pounder claiming the top spot. Threshers have been feeding on bunker schools within a few miles of the South Shore of Long Island.
Canyons
Some ugly-looking water moved into the southern canyons, according to OTW Insider Captain Ed Berger. The yellowfin bite has evaporated with the good water, as has the hope of tying into some billfish. The Hudson Canyon is looking good, however, and some encouraging reports from the Canyon Runner fleet indicate that there are some nice 40- to 50-pound yellowfin as well as some white marlin feeding there. As for the canyons in reach of New England sporties, Fish Tails appears to have the best water, at least at last SST look. The few canyon reports I received on Cape this week indicated slow fishing with small yellowfin. The recent Northeast winds should break the pattern and hopefully breathe new life into the canyon fishing across the Northeast.