Bluefin Tuna Fishing Out of Montauk: Season & Tactics
Montauk doesn’t get talked about with the same reverence as the canyons further offshore, but for bluefin tuna it doesn’t need to be. Between the Butterfish Hole grounds, the 30-fathom line, and the run of structure stretching out toward Block Island, “The End” puts giants and school-sized “footballs” within range of anything from a 23-foot center console to a 60-foot sportfisher. I’ve fished this water for the better part of two decades, and the anglers who catch consistently aren’t the ones with the biggest boats — they’re the ones who match their spread and their jig weight to what the fish are actually doing that day.
This is a season-and-tactics breakdown, not a fantasy. I’ll tell you where the fish show up, when, what to run, and what NOAA currently allows you to keep.
When Bluefin Show Up Off Montauk
Montauk’s bluefin bite runs in two distinct windows:
- June–July: The first wave of school and medium bluefin push through, often mixed in with yellowfin and albies on the same grounds.
- September–October: The stronger of the two windows and the one most local captains build a season around — bait gets pushed tight to structure as water starts to cool, and this is when the biggest fish of the year typically show.
August and November are the in-between months — fishable, but rated inconsistent by local guides compared to the two peak windows. If you’re planning a trip around this piece, build it around September into early October.
Where to Find Them
| Ground | Approx. Distance from Montauk | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Butterfish Hole | ~20–40 mi S (sources vary) | School/medium bluefin, chunking and jigging |
| 30-Fathom Line / Tuna Ridge / Coxes Ledge | Variable, S/SW of Block Island | Trolling and jigging school fish |
| CIA Grounds (south of Block Island) | 25–35 mi | Mixed trolling/jigging |
| Block Canyon / Atlantis Canyon / Hudson Canyon | 60–90 mi | Giant class bluefin, canyon trolling |
Sources disagree on the exact mileage to Butterfish Hole (estimates range from ~20 to ~40+ miles south of Montauk depending on the report), so treat it as a general area to search with your fishfinder rather than a fixed waypoint. The inshore grounds — Butterfish Hole, the 30-fathom line, and the CIA Grounds — are where the bulk of the school-and-medium bluefin bite happens and where the techniques below really shine. The canyons are a giant-class game with different tackle entirely (heavier leader, bigger reels, longer fights) and deserve their own trip planning.
Tactics: Troll First, Jig When They Go Quiet
Trolling is still the most efficient way to cover water and find fish. Run a 4–6 rod spread mixing spreader bars and daisy chains on the riggers with flat lines carrying rigged ballyhoo or a single trolling lure, at 3–7 knots — slower in cool, rough water, faster once things warm and calm down. This is exactly the kind of head-and-color game where the Magictail HooMagic Trolling Lures earn their keep: oversized bug eyes for a distressed-baitfish profile, glow-painted heads for low light, and heavy-duty tracking to 12 knots so the head doesn’t blow out when you adjust speed hunting for the right troll. For fish holding deep and ignoring the surface spread — which happens often once the football bite settles onto structure — the Joe Shute Bluefin Series 3oz is purpose-weighted to get down to marks that are ignoring everything up top, and the Joe Shute Deep 6 Series 5-3/4oz goes further, built to reach fish holding 20+ fathoms (120+ feet) down without needing to speed up the boat.
Rig either head with a fresh or brined ballyhoo — Dead Bait Solutions Bait Salt toughens the flesh so it survives repeated strikes and high-speed trolling instead of washing out after the first fish, and the Pre-Made Ballyhoo Pin Rig gets you from bait cooler to spread in seconds rather than minutes when the bite window is short. Once you’ve hooked up on a fish of any real size, the leader is not the place to save money: the Giant Bluefin Tuna Rig runs 25 feet of 180lb fluorocarbon to a 230lb Spro swivel and a 9/0 Mustad 7698DT — built to survive a sustained run from a fish that outweighs your cooler.
Jigging is the go-to move when marks are holding tight to structure or bottom and ignoring the troll entirely — a very common pattern for Montauk’s “football” bluefin working bait balls over structure. Drop a jig to the mark or the bottom, then work it back with a rhythmic lift-and-crank — a “one turn per pump” cadence rather than a fast, erratic retrieve. The Magictail Slim Jig Vertical Jigs fit this technique well: a slim, knife-edge profile that sinks fast on the drop and flutters on the lift, in baitfish-matched finishes (Sandeel, Sardine, Silver Glow, Pink Glow) across a 40g–220g metric range that lets you dial in depth control precisely instead of guessing between imperial jig weights. Match jig weight to conditions — lighter in calm water and slower current, heavier as the drift picks up so the jig still reaches bottom before you’re off the mark.
Federal Regulations You Need Before You Go
Bluefin tuna is a federally managed Atlantic Highly Migratory Species — state regulations don’t apply. Before you leave the dock:
- You need a valid NOAA HMS Angling Permit (or an HMS Charter/Headboat Permit if you’re running a for-hire trip) to target bluefin recreationally. This is separate from any commercial tuna permit.
- Effective June 1 – December 31, 2026, per-vessel bag limits are: 2 fish for private vessels, 3 for charter boats, and 6 for headboats, all in the 27” to under 73” curved-fork-length range, with only one fish per vessel allowed in the 47”–under-73” (large school/small medium) bracket. Fish under 27” cannot be retained, and trophy-class fish (73”+) are closed to retention for the rest of the year.
- Every retained or dead-discarded bluefin must be reported within 24 hours through NOAA’s permit shop app or by phone.
NOAA can and does adjust these numbers mid-season based on quota monitoring — check the current bag limit on NOAA’s Recreational Atlantic Bluefin Tuna page before every trip, not just once at the start of the season.
Related Reading
Not sure how much a legally-landed giant is actually worth, or want the full trolling-lure lineup for the rest of your tuna season? See How Much Is a Bluefin Tuna Worth? Market Prices Explained and Best Trolling Lures for Bluefin Tuna: Skirted Ballyhoo, Jet Heads & Daisy Chains. For the full spread lineup, browse the Tuna Fishing Tackle collection.