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Montauk Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The End: America's surf-casting mecca, where the fall run becomes a religion under the lighthouse.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 10:36 PM
Air / High
81 / 82 F
Wind
W 12 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8510560, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Montauk lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 12 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 82. Tides: high 2:42 AM and 3:29 PM, low 9:20 AM and 10:36 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 72 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 77 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8510560 (Montauk). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH2:42 AM1.9 ft
LOW9:20 AM0.6 ft
HIGH3:29 PM2.7 ft
LOW10:36 PM0.4 ft
Sat
HIGH3:47 AM1.9 ft
LOW10:26 AM0.6 ft
HIGH4:39 PM2.7 ft
LOW11:37 PM0.4 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp81 F
High / Low82 / 70 F
WindW 12-17 mph
Pressure1008.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 64%
Sunrise / Sunset06:17 / 19:15
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 82/70 F, wind 15 mph, rain 64%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Montauk: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

When to come: the Montauk calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Montauk today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 15 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Bluefish led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 16 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New York requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

NY requires (free) marine registry. Striped bass: one fish 28-31 inches under the coastwide slot. Wetsuit-and-korkers culture on the rocks: real gear matters here.

Access

Montauk Point State Park (the rocks under the light), north-side coves, Ditch Plains, and the harbor jetties.

About this water

Montauk, Suffolk County, NY. The eastern tip of Long Island: "The End", surf-casting's American home water.

Fishing Montauk: the full guide

The rock at the end

Montauk Point is the cathedral of American surf fishing: boulder fields under a 1796 lighthouse where stripers, blues and albies corral bait against the rips every fall. The town's harbor fleet doubles the menu: fluke drifts, sea bass wrecks, and offshore tuna, but the wader-clad faithful on the rocks are the soul of the place.

The blitz calendar

September: false albacore burning through bay anchovies: light tackle heaven. October: the main striper push: white water, mullet and bunker, plugs at dawn under working birds. November: last big fish on sand eels as the water cools through the 50s. Summer offers fluke, resident bass at night, and the quiet bayside flats few visitors notice.

The fall run capital

Montauk's October is the East Coast's great convergence: striped bass, albies, and blues corral bait against the point's rips while gannets dive-bomb the show. Surfcasters in wetsuits work the boulder fields under the lighthouse; light-tackle boats leapfrog the blitzes. When the run peaks, fish feed within a cast of the beach for weeks: saltwater fishing's most reliable spectacle.

Common questions

What makes Montauk's fall run special?

Geography: every migrating fish on the coast must round the Point, where rips concentrate bait against the boulders. On the right October morning, acres of striped bass blitz within casting range: nowhere else on the coast is it this reliable.

Is fishing good at Montauk right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Block Island22 miPawcatuck River24 miNinigret Pond27 miWatchaug Pond27 miPoint Judith33 miGardner Lake33 mi
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