The yellowfin fishing rages on off New Jersey and Long Island, with boats finding fish on the chunk and on jigs. Boats have reported catches of as many as two dozen yellowfin. The fish can get picky under big fleets, at which point, scaling down to 30- or 40-pound-test fluorocarbon leader helps fishermen continue to get bites.
Bluefin came blasting back onto the scene on Cape Cod, with a mix of fish from 40- to 90-inchers feeding on sand eels east of the Cape. With both recreational and commercial fishing closed, there were few boats on the grounds catching and releasing the bluefin. Jigs and live baits were the best bet, as overly aggressive shearwaters made surface lures and stickbaits nearly impossible to fish. The life on Cape Cod’s tuna grounds is incredible, with huge pods of whales, immense flocks of shearwaters, and big schools of bluefin tuna.
The big story offshore is the transition toward Hudson Canyon, with the remnants of a long-lived eddy pushing west and influencing fishing patterns. While the Edges and the canyons have been producing, activity is moving closer to the Hudson Canyon, the prime fall tuna location.
Marlin are still present up to the end of September, especially in the 180–70 fathom range near the canyons. Daytime swordfishing has not yet turned on this season, but mahi fishing remains strong across the canyons. Tilefish activity is slowing as water cools, while giant tuna remain scattered along Point Judith, CIA grounds, and south of Shinnecock.
Canyon trips continue to yield bigeye tuna on divers, jigs, and trolled plugs, with fishermen reporting some of the best fishing for bigeye that they’ve ever seen.
Headboats heading to the edge are putting up good numbers of yellowfin, and as the action moves toward Hudson Canyon, expect to see more of the Jersey boats loading up.
Thresher Sharks are feeding well from Northern New England down to Montauk. They’ve been a nuisance to fishermen hoping to hook giant bluefin, but are good eating, and one of the coolest looking predators in our waters.