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Seal Watching Montauk Winter December
Harbor Seals Return to Montauk Each December If you're in Montauk in December, you're timing it right for one of the quieter, stranger pleasures the town…
The Montauk Blog
Written Here, Through the Winter
Notes on surf, fishing, lodging and the long quiet months — the things that don't fit neatly into a guide page.
Reading for October
The best months. Fishing and off-season writing first, because that is what October is for.
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98 posts, in-season topics first.
Women-only Fishing Charters Montauk
Why Women-Only Fishing Charters Matter in Montauk If you've spent time at the docks in Montauk, you know the fishing culture here can feel…
Montauk Fishing When It Is Raining
Fishing in the Rain: A Montauk Reality If you wait for perfect weather to fish in Montauk, you'll spend half the year on the couch. Rain is part of the…
Early Morning Fishing Charters Montauk
The Reality of Pre-Dawn Fishing Charters in Montauk If you're planning a fishing charter in Montauk, plan on waking up early. Very early. Most boats…
Waders And Gear For Montauk Surfcasting
What You Actually Need for Montauk Surfcasting Surfcasting in Montauk isn't complicated, but it rewards the person who shows up prepared. If you're…
Lake Montauk Fishing For Largemouth Bass
Lake Montauk and the Largemouth Bass Lake Montauk sits in the center of the peninsula, separated from the Atlantic by a barrier beach and accessible via…
Montauk Fishing In November And December
Fall Striped Bass and the Winter Transition November is the last real fishing month in Montauk before the shallow-water season compresses into something…
Best Fishing Charter Captains In Montauk
Who Runs the Good Boats Montauk's fishing charter scene exists in a tight ecosystem. Captains know each other, they know the boats, and they know which…
Montauk Fishing Regulations And Bag Limits
New York State Saltwater Fishing Rules You Need to Know If you're planning to fish in Montauk, whether from a charter boat, your own vessel, or the rocks…
Blackfish Fishing Montauk Fall
Blackfish Season Opens in October When September winds down and the water temperature drops, the blackfish—also called tautog—move into Montauk's rocky…
Bonito Montauk August And September
Bonito in Montauk: August and September Peak Season If you fish in Montauk, August and September are when bonito season arrives with real urgency.…
Porgy Fishing Montauk Summer
Porgy Season in Montauk: What You Need to Know Summer porgy fishing in Montauk is reliable, accessible, and honest work. Starting in June and peaking…
Sea Bass Montauk June Through October
Sea Bass Season in Montauk: June Through October If you fish in Montauk, you already know that striped bass gets the attention, but sea bass is the…
Bluefish Bite Montauk Summer
The Bluefish Run: What You Need to Know Bluefish show up in Montauk waters when the ocean hits around 60 degrees, typically late May or early June, and…
Tuna Fishing Charter Montauk Season
When Tuna Season Opens in Montauk Big eye tuna fishing in Montauk runs roughly June through November, with peak action in July and August when the fish…
Fluke Fishing Montauk Summer Guide
Summer Fluke Season in Montauk Fluke fishing in Montauk runs from May through September, but June and July are when you want to be here. That's when the…
Surfcasting For Striped Bass At Montauk Rocks
Surfcasting for Striped Bass at Montauk Rocks If you want to understand why people fish Montauk seriously, stand on the rocks at Ditch Plain or Shagwong…
Private Charters Vs Party Boats Montauk
Private Charters vs Party Boats: What Actually Matters in Montauk If you're planning to fish Montauk, you'll face the choice between booking a private…
Montauk Party Boat Fishing For Beginners
What to Expect on a Montauk Party Boat Party boats in Montauk are democratic vessels. You'll share a day on the water with thirty to sixty other…
Striped Bass Fishing Montauk Spring And Fall
Spring Striped Bass: The First Run April and May bring the first serious striped bass fishing of the year to Montauk. The fish move through the waters…
False Albacore Run At Montauk Point Fall
The False Albacore Run at Montauk Point Every October through November, something happens at Montauk Point that gets anglers talking from the docks to…
Party Boats Versus Private Charters Out Of Montauk Harbor
The Party Boat Experience Party boats, or head boats as old-timers call them, depart Montauk Harbor most mornings year-round. You show up at the dock,…
Surfcasting For Striped Bass From The Montauk Rocks
Surfcasting for Striped Bass: The Real Montauk Game If you want to understand what serious anglers mean by Montauk fishing, spend an evening surfcasting…
Fall False Albacore Run At Montauk Point
The False Albacore Run That Saves Fall If you're a striper fisherman in Montauk and September arrives, you're already thinking about something else:…
Booking Your First Montauk Fishing Charter
Booking Your First Montauk Fishing Charter If you've decided to book a fishing charter in Montauk, you're committing to one of the few things this town…
What To Bring On A Half-day Montauk Charter
What You Actually Need on a Half-Day CharterA half-day charter in Montauk runs four to five hours, which means you're not offshore long enough to need…
Peak Season Montauk Booking Strategies
Book Your Montauk Summer Six Months Out If you're planning to visit Montauk between Memorial Day and Labor Day, start looking at where to stay in…
Off Season Rates And Deals Montauk
Why Winter and Early Spring Matter More Than You Think If you've only visited Montauk in July or August, you've paid peak prices for a completely…
Winter Storms Montauk February
February Nor'easters: What Montauk Residents Actually Deal With February in Montauk is not a time for casual beach strolls. This is when the Atlantic…
Hurricane Season Montauk September October
Hurricane Season in Montauk: September and October Reality If you live in Montauk year-round, hurricane season isn't something you ignore. The Atlantic…
When Seals Arrive Montauk Winter
When the Seals Come to Montauk Every winter, Montauk becomes home to hundreds of harbor seals that haul out on rocks and sandbars to rest between feeding…
Montauk Weather Patterns By Month
Understanding Montauk's Weather Patterns Montauk's weather is shaped by its geography: the Atlantic Ocean dominates the climate, and the tip of Long…
Best Season To Visit Montauk
Summer is crowded but alive June through August transforms Montauk into something between a small city and a parking lot. The weather is warm, the ocean…
Montauk In June Water Temperature
June Water Temperature in Montauk: What to Actually Expect If you're planning a Montauk trip for June, you need to know the water situation upfront. The…
Montauk In May Early Summer
Montauk in May: The Sweet Spot Before Summer May is when Montauk shifts from sleepy spring to something electric. The water is still cold—usually around…
Montauk Summer Crowds July August
July and August: When Montauk Gets Loud If you live here year-round, you know the shift happens fast. Memorial Day weekend opens the gates, but July is…
Montauk Spring Break March April
Spring Break in Montauk: What Actually Happens in March and April Spring break in Montauk is not Panama City Beach. This is the off-season shoulder…
Montauk In December Quiet Holiday Escape
December in Montauk: Why the Quiet Season Matters If you've only seen Montauk in summer, you're missing the version that locals actually live in.…
Montauk In November Rain And Off Season
November Rain and the Real Montauk November is when Montauk stops pretending. The summer renters are gone. The Labor Day weekenders have forgotten us.…
Montauk In September Water Temperature Warmest
September is peak water temperature in Montauk If you're planning a trip to Montauk and swimming comfort matters, September is the month. After eight…
Montauk In October Shoulder Season Case
October in Montauk: When the Town Remembers Itself October is the month Montauk stops pretending to be a theme park and becomes a real place again. The…
Memorial Day Weekend In Montauk: What To Expect
Memorial Day Weekend in Montauk: The Season Officially Starts Memorial Day weekend—the last weekend of May—marks the unofficial opening of summer in…
What Is Open In Montauk In February
The Reality of February in Montauk February in Montauk is not a tourist season, and that's the point. The summer crowds have vanished, the holiday…
Montauk In October: The Case For The Shoulder Season
October in Montauk: Why the Shoulder Season Gets It Right October is when Montauk becomes itself again. The summer crowds who choke Edgemere Road and…
Watching Surfers At Ditch Plains As A Visitor
Why Ditch Plains is the Best Free Show in Montauk If you're visiting Montauk and want to understand what the town is actually about, skip the overpriced…
Montauk Surfboard Repair Shops
Where to Get Your Board Fixed in Montauk Surfboard repair in Montauk exists in that strange space between necessity and luxury—some days you absolutely…
Surfing Montauk In February
Why February is a Serious Surfing Month February doesn't get the hype that September does, but it's one of the best surfing months in Montauk if you're…
October And November Peak Season At Ditch Plains
October at Ditch Plains: The Best Waves of the Year If you time it right, October is Ditch Plains at its absolute best. The Atlantic hurricane season…
Summer Flatness At Montauk And What To Do
When the Summer Swells Disappear July and August at Montauk bring something every local surfer dreads: flat ocean. The summer wind patterns shift, the…
Spring Swell At Montauk
Spring Swell: What Actually Happens in Montauk Waters Spring brings something real to Montauk's coastline that has nothing to do with tourism boards or…
Montauk Beach Break Vs Point Break
Beach Breaks: Ditch Plains and Turtle Cove Ditch Plains is Montauk's primary beach break, and if you've never surfed here, you're missing what most…
Best Sunrise Surfing Montauk
Why Early Morning Surfers Know Something Others Don't There's a particular quality to Montauk before 7 a.m. that most visitors never experience. The…
Riptides And Currents At Montauk Point
How Montauk's Currents Actually Work If you've been to Montauk Point, you've felt it—that sideways pull in the water that seems to move you east without…
Shadmoor And Turtle Cove Expert Breaks
Shadmoor and Turtle Cove: Where Montauk's Best Surfers Go If you've spent time at Ditch Plains and found yourself wanting something more technical,…
Hither Hills Beach Break For Learning
Hither Hills: Where Beginners Actually Learn to Surf If you're thinking about learning to surf in Montauk, forget the intimidating beach break at Ditch…
Surf Lessons Montauk Point
Where to Take Surf Lessons at Montauk Point Montauk Point has become one of Long Island's most reliable teaching spots, and for good reason. The waters…
Montauk Sand Bottom Beach Breaks For Beginners
Where Beginners Actually Learn to Surf in Montauk If you're thinking about learning to surf in Montauk, forget the image of paddling out at Ditch Plains…
Where To Rent A Surfboard In Montauk
Where to Rent a Surfboard in Montauk If you're driving out to Montauk for a few days and don't want to haul a board in your car, renting makes sense. The…
Lineup Etiquette At Ditch Plains
Respect the Lineup: Unwritten Rules at Ditch Plains Ditch Plains is Montauk's most consistent break and also its most crowded. If you're paddling out for…
Surfing Montauk In Winter
Winter Surfing at Montauk: What You Actually Need to Know November through March is when Montauk's surf gets real. The Atlantic throws winter storms at…
Montauk Surf Forecast And Swell Windows
How Montauk's Swell Works Montauk sits at the end of Long Island's North Fork, which means the beaches face northeast and pick up swells that travel…
Best Time To Surf Montauk August Through November
Why August Through November is Prime Surfing Season If you've only surfed Montauk in summer, you've missed what locals know: the real season starts in…
Ditch Plains For First Time Surfers
Ditch Plains: Where Most First-Timers Learn to Surf If you're planning to learn to surf in Montauk, Ditch Plains is the obvious starting point. The beach…
Montauk Surf Spots Beyond Ditch Plains
The Real Montauk Lineup Isn't Crowded in Winter Everyone knows Ditch Plains. Every summer tourist with a surfboard rental hears about it, sees the packed…
Wetsuit Thickness By Month In Montauk
Water Temperature Through the Year Montauk's water temperature swings dramatically from month to month, and getting your wetsuit thickness right makes…
When Montauk Actually Gets Good Surf
When the Atlantic Actually Shows Up If you're planning a Montauk trip around the hope of good waves, you need to understand that Montauk's surf season…
Surfing Ditch Plains For The First Time
Why Ditch Plains Works for Beginners (When It Works) Ditch Plains is the obvious choice for your first time surfing in Montauk, and there's a reason…
Things To Do In Montauk With Kids
Beach Days That Actually Work With Kids The best thing about Montauk with children is that much of it happens outdoors on the beaches. Ditch Point is…
Montauk In Winter February February Quiet
February in Montauk: Quiet and Honest February is when Montauk stops performing. The summer crowds are gone. The holiday weekend traffic has cleared.…
What To Do In Montauk When It Rains
Indoor Stops That Make Sense Rain in Montauk doesn't mean staying in your rental. The town is small enough that you can move between places without much…
Hiking Bluffs At Camp Hero
The Bluff Trail at Camp Hero State Park If you've never walked the bluff trail at Camp Hero State Park, you're missing what might be Montauk's most…
Camp Hero State Park Radar Tower And Trails
The Radar Tower: Montauk's Most Visible Mystery If you've driven out to Montauk Point, you've seen it—that enormous white radar dome sitting on the bluff…
Montauk Point Lighthouse Museum And Climb
Montauk Point Lighthouse: The Museum and the Climb If you've driven to the end of Route 27, you've seen it: the red and white striped tower at Montauk…
Sunset Spots In Montauk That Are Not Navy Beach
The Best Sunset Spots Beyond Navy Beach Everyone knows Navy Beach. Come summer, it's where half the East End congregates at 7 p.m., phones out, waiting…
Montauk With Kids: A Two-day Plan
A Real Two-Day Plan for Montauk with Kids Montauk works better with children than you'd expect, but not because of theme parks or arcades. The town is…
A Rainy Day In Montauk
When the Rain Rolls In If you're visiting Montauk in spring or fall, or even a summer week that catches an Atlantic low-pressure system, you'll…
Hiking The Bluffs At Camp Hero State Park
Walking the bluff edges at Camp Hero Camp Hero State Park sits on 695 acres at Montauk's eastern edge, and the bluff trails that run along its spine are…
Visiting Montauk Point Lighthouse: The Practical Guide
Getting to Montauk Point LighthouseThe lighthouse sits at the absolute eastern edge of Long Island, about 10 miles from downtown Montauk. If you're…
Eating Well In Montauk On A Normal Budget
Where Year-Round Locals Actually Eat If you're new to Montauk or just tired of the tourist markup at waterfront spots, there's a rhythm to eating well…
Montauk Restaurants That Stay Open In Winter
Winter Dining in Montauk: What Actually Stays Open Most visitors don't realize that Montauk's restaurant scene hollows out after Labor Day. The seasonal…
Breakfast In Montauk Before The Crowds
Why Breakfast Timing Matters in Montauk If you've ever been to Montauk in summer and arrived at a breakfast spot at 9 a.m., you know what I mean. Lines…
Where To Eat A Lobster Roll In Montauk
The Lobster Roll Equation in Montauk A lobster roll in Montauk is not an emergency—it's a requirement. The question isn't whether to eat one, but where,…
Best Lobster Rolls
The Lobster Roll QuestionThere is no single best lobster roll in Montauk. The place will disappoint you if you're looking for one definitive answer, and…
Montauk Motels Vs Rental Homes
Motels: Speed and Simplicity If you're coming to Montauk for a long weekend and want to keep logistics simple, the motel route works. You check in, you…
Hither Hills
Hither Hills: The Working MontaukHither Hills is not where people go to feel like they're in the Hamptons. It sits inland from the ocean, northwest of…
The Quietest Places To Stay In Montauk In August
Why August is the Loudest Month August in Montauk brings the full summer crush. The Hamptons overflow into our town. Families with school breaks flood…
Hither Hills Camping: What To Know Before You Reserve
Hither Hills State Park: The Reality of Montauk Camping Hither Hills State Park sits on 1,755 acres of oak and pine forest just west of downtown Montauk,…
Staying In Montauk In The Off-season
Why the Off-Season Matters in Montauk If you've only visited Montauk in July or August, you haven't really seen Montauk. The off-season—basically October…
Montauk Motels Versus Rentals: Which Suits Your Trip
Montauk Motels vs. Rentals: What Actually Works Every visitor asks the same question: motel or rental. The answer depends on what you're really doing…
Where To Stay In Montauk Without Booking A Year In Advance
Last-Minute Lodging in Montauk: What Actually WorksThe Montauk tourism machine wants you to believe you need to book rooms in January for July. That's…
A Quiet Beach Day In Montauk In July
Finding Quiet Beaches in July July is Montauk's busiest month. The beaches fill fast, parking becomes a blood sport, and the water warms to a tolerable…
Sound-side Versus Ocean-side Beaches In Montauk
Understanding Montauk's Two CoastsMontauk sits on a narrow strip of land where the Atlantic Ocean meets Block Island Sound, and where you plant yourself…
Beach Parking In Montauk And How To Avoid The Ticket
The Reality of Montauk Beach Parking Beach parking in Montauk during summer is not a casual affair. The town has precisely calibrated the number of…
The Best Montauk Beach For Small Children
Shepherd's Neck Beach for Young Kids If you have small children, Shepherd's Neck Beach is your answer. It's sheltered, relatively calm, and genuinely…
Beach Bars
Beach Bars in Montauk: What Actually WorksMontauk has a handful of bars positioned near sand and water, but the experience depends entirely on when you…
Getting Around Montauk Without A Car
Why You Might Skip the Car in Montauk If you're visiting Montauk during the warmer months or planning a short stay focused on downtown, you can manage…
Hampton Jitney Versus Driving To Montauk
Hampton Jitney vs. Driving to Montauk: A Real Comparison If you live west of Montauk and are planning a visit—whether for a weekend in summer or a quiet…
Taking The LIRR To Montauk
The LIRR to Montauk: What You Actually Need to Know The Long Island Rail Road runs directly to Montauk, which sounds great until you actually try it. The…
The Montauk Off-Season Letter
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