After several days lost to Hurricane Erin, offshore fishing is rebounding across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. While the storm scattered the fleet and kept many boats at the dock, tuna and billfish action has returned strong, with the tuna and marlin seemingly right where we left them before the blow.
New England Bluefin
The giant bluefin bite has picked up substantially around Cape Cod with fish coming from the Regal Sword, Cape Cod Bay, and Stellwagen Bank. Live mackerel have been working east of the Cape, while bunker have been the hot bait inside Cape Cod Bay. Crab Ledge is holding fish as well.
Farther north, anglers are spotting jumpers in Ipswich Bay and finding scattered fish on Jeffreys Ledge and Boone Island.
The Canyons
Canyon fishermen are finding yellowfin, bigeye, and the occasional sword. Clean water is pushing into Hydrographer and Veatch, fueling solid action on both tuna and mahi. The Hudson and Tom’s Canyon produced mixed results for the Mid-Atlantic Tournament fleet, though a handful of standout yellowfin and bigeye catches were reported. Captains expect fishing to improve as the westward-moving water mass (which shifted more than 30 miles this week) continues to settle into the canyons. There were also a good number of wahoo reported in the canyons this week, with fish to 90 pounds reported.
White Hot White Marlin Fishing
The Mid-Atlantic Tournament was heavily disrupted by weather, but the white marlin bite was nothing short of spectacular when conditions allowed. Crews reported double-digit releases throughout the week, with a body of marlin stretching more than 100 miles from Baltimore through Wilmington, Spencer, Lindenkohl, and Tom’s.
The winning fish included white marlin in the 70–75 lb range and a large blue marlin that claimed second place in Ocean City. Captains described it as “some of the best marlin fishing in years,” with bait-rich water holding steady from 100 to 1,100 fathoms.
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Midshore Tuna
Closer to shore, the bite has slowed. Sporadic yellowfin have been hooked around the Triple Wrecks areas, with a handful of fish taken on jigs and poppers off the Virginia. The once-productive bluefin bite near the shipping lanes south of Long Island has tapered off, though anglers expect another push of fish around the September moon.
There’s been less effort on the tuna grounds south of Block Island, with more New England tuna fishermen shifting gears to giants. The smaller bluefin are still there, feeding on sand eels, and fishermen remain hopeful that some yellowfin will move in.