Bigeye

[Let It Ride]

Hey all, I have a question I think you guys can help me with. I having only been fishing offshore for a couple years now, so I am still quite new to canyon fishing. I fish the canyons off Montauk and have been pretty successful with YFT, BFT and Albacore, but I have not raised any Bigeye. Can anyone shed some light as to lure selection, time of year, weather etc... Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

[Capt. Squiddly]

• June through October

• Twighlight hours (dusk or dawn)

• Squid bars (at least 4 in the spread), jets, birded green-machines

[flappyj]

thats a great question, i too would like some help tageting the bigeyes. i was thinking about a heavy subsurface missle type lures that would stay down under the rest of the spread and help raise em. thanks for the tips capt. im good with the bird/machines but looks like i will have to add a few more bars.

[waterman482]

well there's alot more to it than june to oct,squid bars and dusk,pat attn to water temps and breaks and water quality,depth of the thermocline and moon phase,i like to find 65-69 degree water with a good break in at least 350fathoms of water or deeper.usually medium horse ballyhoo with an islander have been good or the old faithfull moldcraft widerange or chuggers are very good for bigeyes they can be tricky but don't give up

[Tunaorlater]

Time, Time and more Time and you will get one. Once they are located they will eat most anything they come across(within reason), then its GAME ON!!

As far as where concentrate on the deep around sunset and sunrise for your best chances, although I did have one at 1 in the afternoon at the tip of the Hudson so you never know when they will show.

[RUNLATE]

11 to 13 inch spreader bars heavy jets,or heavy streakers 6-7 knot troll also a mini green machine bar will catch just about anything in the canyons up here if you have outboards put your flatlines back further. I caught 9 this year trolling in 500 fathoms south of the hudson all in a 2 week period,which is pretty good because the northern canyons dont see too many bigeyes anymore unless u are a longliner and fish 600-700fathoms which is where most bigeyes hang out up here. But alot of times bigeyes are luck they do not come up from the depths to surface feed often but when they do they come in force. If u are chunking at night i have caught 75% of my bigeyes 100-250ft down live squid or squirrel hake. I have also caught well on halloween colored braid plugs trolled under a spreader bar at certain times of the year when there was alot of bigeye mackerel in the canyons but just put your time in like everybody else and you will catch one sooner or later

[capbob66]

Time, Time and more Time and you will get one. Once they are located they will eat most anything they come across(within reason), then its GAME ON!!

As far as where concentrate on the deep around sunset and sunrise for your best chances, although I did have one at 1 in the afternoon at the tip of the Hudson so you never know when they will show.

Get yourself some Bigeye Rockets and troll around at about seven knots early morning or at dusk.

[Let It Ride]

Thanks for all the good advice, keep it coming. I don't think I have been doing anything too different, except targeting that specific depth and maybe a little different lure selection. I know it will happen in time, I just have never been the patient type, which doesn't go too well with fishing!

Mike

[whitey]

Since you fish out of Montauk you are in prime location to hit some of the best Bigeye grounds on the east coast (Fishtales to Hydro).

Find the bait schools that are in 100 fathoms or deeper and put your time in at dawn and dusk. We fast troll untill we find the bait and then slow down to 4 knots with 16 inch squid bars. Stay on the bait and pound it to death and you will get your shots. When trolling at dusk stay on the troll atleast 1 hour after dark and get on the troll atleast 1 hour before dawn.

Bigeyes will stay with longfin alot since they like the same conditions. If you find a pile of longfin stay with them and put out larger lures so you don't waste alot of time with the longfin. I pull 16 Inch jets and large Stalker Annihilators


Bigeyes will show up in your spread anytime from April to November so always be prepared. Durring the 2003 season out of Shinecock we caught our first 2 Bigeyes durring the 2nd week of May. As long as the water is there the bigeyes will be there too.

[RUNLATE]

Hey whitey u gotta love those annihilators i have one left and guard it with my life had 2 eyes on that lure this year i hope lee starts making them again