In our last post, we broke down the early Montauk tuna fishing season and the arrival of the mighty Atlantic Bluefin. Trolling spreader bars and dragging baits is a tried-and-true way to put early-season meat on the deck. But as the summer heats up, the offshore waters turn cobalt blue, and massive schools of bait push into our waters, the game changes entirely.
Welcome to the adrenaline-fueled world of Montauk tuna jigging and popping.
If trolling is a game of patience, “running and gunning” is a game of pure, unadulterated chaos. You aren’t waiting for the fish to find you; you are actively hunting them down. Here is what to expect when we break out the spinning gear on Moondance Charters.
What is Running and Gunning?
Running and gunning is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of setting a spread and cruising at five knots, we are on the hunt. Captain Sal is constantly scanning the horizon with gyroscopic binoculars and radar, looking for the telltale signs of life: massive flocks of diving birds, blowing whales, and acres of frothing whitewater caused by tuna pushing bait to the surface.
When we spot a feed, it’s throttles down. We race toward the action, cutting the engines just upwind of the school so we drift perfectly into the frenzy. You have a matter of seconds to make your cast before the school sounds. It is fast, visual, and wildly exciting.
The Popping Game: Topwater Explosions
There is absolutely nothing in Northeast sportfishing that compares to seeing a 60 to 100-pound Yellowfin or Bluefin tuna launch itself completely out of the water to smash a surface lure.
When the fish are actively feeding on the surface, we rely on heavy-duty spinning gear paired with large poppers and stickbaits. The goal is to mimic a fleeing or wounded baitfish.
- The Technique: You want to cast right to the edges of the busting school (casting right into the middle can sometimes spook them down). You sweep the rod to make the popper throw a massive splash of water, pause, and repeat.
- The Strike: The bite is violent. When that water erupts around your lure, the most important thing you can do is wait to feel the weight of the fish before you set the hook.
As we mentioned in our early-season guide, casting heavy lures with heavy gear takes practice. If you aren’t an expert caster, don’t worry—our crew will guide you on your form until you are landing your plug right in the strike zone.
The Jigging Game: The Vertical Tug-of-War
Sometimes, we mark massive schools of tuna on the sonar holding 50 to 150 feet down, but they refuse to come to the surface. Or, a surface feed sounds right as we pull up to it. That’s when we drop the jigs.
- The Technique: We use slender, heavy metal jigs that flutter and dart like injured sand eels or squid. You drop the jig down through the water column—often right to the depth Captain Sal is reading on the fish finder—and then work it back up using a rhythm of lifting the rod tip and reeling simultaneously (often called “speed jigging” or “pitch-jigging”).
- The Strike: Tuna hit jigs like a freight train, often on the fall. One second you are lifting your rod, and the next, it is doubled over, and your drag is screaming as the fish makes a blistering run for the bottom.
A True Test of Angler vs. Fish
Whether you are hooking up on a topwater plug or a metal jig, this is mano a mano fishing. You don’t have the luxury of leaving the rod in a swiveling rod holder and grinding away with a massive conventional reel. You are standing at the rail with a lightweight (but incredibly strong) spinning rod, using your own back and legs to beat the fish. It is physically demanding, incredibly rewarding, and highly addictive.
Ready to test your strength against the brawlers of the deep? The mid-to-late Montauk tuna fishing season is prime time for this spectacular topwater and vertical action. Book your offshore trip with Moondance Charters today, and let’s go hunting.