UTERScup fishing in Long Island Sound and Montauk
In Long Island Sound and Montauk, scup peak June–October and are around May–November, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. September: Every rock pile in the Sound and off Orient is loaded with porgies — clam on a hi-lo.
No note for October — see the months around it.
Scup in Long Island Sound and Montauk, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilNot here
- MayArrivingBig spawning porgies into Peconic and Gardiners Bay.
- JunePeakMontauk and the Race light up; fluke in the inlets. Eels at night on the Montauk rips; drift the south shore inlets and Peconic for fluke; chum for makos (release) and threshers off the south shore.
- JulyPeakFluke, porgies and sea bass; bluefin off Montauk. Hi-lo rigs and clam for porgies and sea bass on the Sound rock piles; bluefin on the sand eels south of Montauk; makos and blues on the chum.
- AugustPeakCanyon tuna; bonito and the albies' first arrival. Overnight trips to the Hudson and Block canyons; bonito on epoxy jigs at Montauk and the Race; mahi under the pot buoys.
- SeptemberPeakEvery rock pile in the Sound and off Orient is loaded with porgies — clam on a hi-lo.
- OctoberPeak
- NovemberLeaving
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish scup near Sheepshead Bay, Freeport, Captree
New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay and the lower Hudson; Long Island's south shore surf and inlets backed by Great South Bay and the Moriches and Shinnecock bays; the Peconic and Gardiners bays between the forks; Montauk Point's boulder fields and rips; and Long Island Sound — rocky reefs, harbors and the Connecticut river mouths on the north side, the Race at the east end. Offshore to the Hudson and Block canyons.
Fish Scouter charts 1,272 wreck, 3 artificial reef spots in the Long Island & the Sound map area — the kinds scup hold on.
What to use for scup
- SquidStrips on a bottom rig for snapper, grunts and porgies; whole on a deep-drop rig.
- BloodwormsA piece threaded on a #2 to 2/0 hook on a hi-lo or fish-finder rig — the striper, spot, croaker and white perch bait of the Chesapeake and the surf.
- Leader30–60 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook2/0–7/0
- Braid30–65 lb
Feeds in 50–78°F water, best at 58–72°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch scup in Long Island Sound and Montauk?
Peak season is June–October. Scup are in Long Island Sound and Montauk May–November. September: Every rock pile in the Sound and off Orient is loaded with porgies — clam on a hi-lo.
Where do scup hold in Long Island Sound and Montauk?
Look on artificial reef, wreck, ledge / hard bottom, fishing pier, dock / pilings, channel edge — around Sheepshead Bay, Freeport, Captree, Port Jefferson, Montauk, Orient.
What is the best bait for scup in Long Island Sound and Montauk?
Live bait: squid, bloodworms. Squid: Strips on a bottom rig for snapper, grunts and porgies; whole on a deep-drop rig. Tackle: leader 30–60 lb fluorocarbon, hook 2/0–7/0, braid 30–65 lb.
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All about scup · Long Island & the Sound, the whole year