Welcome to the Offseason Chronicles, a new weekly series running from November through April. Each week we'll deliver member stories, tactical insights, gear breakdowns, and preparation strategies to keep you sharp and ready for 2026.
Combined with The Insider Series, Offseason Saturday Surprises, The Weekly Spot, The Member Spotlight Podcast Series and our 2026 Live Zoominar Series, we're working hard to create the most comprehensive offseason experience MFCC has ever offered.
By MFCC member Dan Nahorney
The 2025 bluefin tuna season was quite the rollercoaster - from frustrating regulations at first, to an epic bite, then for the first time, a sudden closure of the recreational fishery that had everyone wanting more.
In this comprehensive season analysis, we'll break down what made 2025 unique: the regulatory challenges that shaped the fishery, the Carolina connection that set the stage, the prime locations and proven tactics that produced fish, and the lessons that will help you prepare for an even better 2026.
Read on to discover where the fish were, what they were eating, which techniques worked best, and how you can apply these insights to your 2026 game plan.
On an epic day on the water MFCC member Anthony Besaw (pictured) and MFCC member Chris Gonyer teamed up on a white-hot tuna bite in mid-July. The two anglers went an amazing 11-12 on bluefin and 0-2 on White Marlin. We'll cover all the details below in the rest of this post.
Early Season Anticipation and Carolina Connection
Hearing reports from the Carolinas this spring had anglers on My Fishing Cape Cod anxiously awaiting the bluefin tuna's arrival in our waters.
Chomping at the bit to get the season started, Daniel Rice took the honors of starting the 2025 Bluefin Tuna Season thread on April 11. In his post, Daniel noted an incredible bluefin tuna bite on North Carolina's Outer Banks, not only by charter boats but also in the surf and from anglers in kayaks!
Commercial fishermen in North Carolina had a great season compared to past years, and combined with the number of recreational fish that were caught by anglers not aware of reporting regulations, this made accurately measuring the catch challenging for government officials.
While that kind of action got Cape-based anglers excited, it likely had a role in how soon the season ended in our waters.
MFCC member Dan Rice took the initiative back in April to start the 2025 Bluefin Tuna Season Thread which proved to be a valuable resource for tuna intel and networking.
Aboard a late season MFCC trip with Captain Cullen Lundholm of Cape Star Charters, My Fishing Cape Cod members Danielle Rea and Gary Aho landed this 92” bluefin.
Regulation Challenges and Changes
The first set of regulations seemed to affirm the huge catch in southern waters - one fish between 27" and 47".
"I am personally not burning the gas to chase a single 40-inch fish," noted MFCC member Mike Lucas at the time of the posting. Luckily, after some discussions in our nation's capital, more realistic regulations arrived as the fish were migrating north.
The regulations were revised: for private vessels with HMS Angling permits, one bluefin tuna measuring 27" to less than 73". For charter/headboats with HMS charter/headboat permits, when fishing recreationally, two bluefin tuna measuring 27" to less than 73", of which only one fish could be a large school/small medium bluefin tuna (47" to less than 73").
Member Logan Bird pictured with his 82” bluefin caught at the Sword near the end of the season. Logan reported that there were many short-lived feeds of tuna and whales, and that each feed happened about 100-200 yards south of the other.
Member Bob Canal proudly displays a nice tuna caught on a canyon trip aboard the Viking Fivestar out of Montauk. Bob reported great action with yellowfin and a couple of good size big eye tunas in the first three hours on jigs.
Fishing Strategies and Techniques
As Evan Eastman of Eastman Sport & Tackle pointed out, the bluefin season usually plays out the same way every year, based on water temperatures and where the bait is. The season often starts with fish on the surface, and then as the water warms, the fish commonly go deeper, forcing anglers to switch tactics to trolling spreader bars and/or jigging.
In terms of 2025 successful fishing strategies, Phil Howarth reports selling more spreader bars, with skirted ballyhoo rigs also working well this year.
Howarth also noted that anglers fishing out of smaller center console boats also reported a good season using poppers and jigs. This "run and gun" approach is becoming more popular, as anglers scale down to spinning gear, making the smaller rec fish a lot of fun to catch.
Tyler Putney of Flatliner Charters reports a good year jigging for recreational-sized fish, particularly using butterfly jigs. Tyler also reported good luck using chatter lures on spreader bars, particularly with the sand eel color. Bluefin were commonly found deeper in the water column, likely due to the abundance of sand eels throughout the region.
MFCC member Mark Burton worked to land this 98”, 440-pound giant with Tyler Putney of Flatliner Charters, whom I consulted with to write this article.
Anthony Besaw reported several successful tuna trips this season. Here is evidence proving that sand eels were a primary food source for bluefin tuna this season.
Prime Locations Throughout the Season
In terms of successful locations, bluefin were first reported in the early part of the season in the canyons, then moving closer to our waters, south of Martha's Vineyard and south of Block Island by late June to early July. A three-week stretch in the Claw area was exceptionally strong, said Eastman.
The Regal Sword also proved to be a prime fishing area, with fish moving in closer to Crab Ledge as the season progressed.
As Tyler Putney noted, there were a lot of boats targeting the large biomass of recreational fish. Because the fish were located south of the Vineyard and Block Island, they attracted not only Cape-based anglers but also those from Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.
Turbine construction seemed to play less of a role this year, as it was less frequent.
MFCC member William Shine reported two solid outings aboard Dying Breed Sportfishing during that epic stretch south of the Vineyard. On this day they went 10-for-12 on jigs.
Patrick Yanovitch shows the successful result of a yellowfin tuna mid-August trip south of the lanes. They filled the bag in a few hours, going 5-for-7 and adding some mahi-mahi.
Bait Availability and Late Season Activity
As for chasing the giants, menhaden seemed to be in lower numbers this year, but anglers consistently reported no issues finding mackerel to use for live bait. And while anglers in the surf and in Cape Cod Bay were frustrated by a lack of bluefish in our waters, Putney reported a lot of bluefish on the southside of the Cape this fall.
Bluefin were also reported just outside of the Chatham inlet later in the season. After the season was closed, Howarth reported giants chasing menhaden across Cape Cod Bay, as they commonly do later in the season. One good bit of news is that the commercial menhaden catch will be reduced by 20% in 2026, hopefully increasing the numbers of one of the bluefin's primary food sources.
Member Matt Malloy shows the successful result of a long haul down to southwest corner of The Dump on a beautiful day. He caught the tuna on a skirted ballyhoo.
Pictured is the result of a successful tuna trip that MFCC members Tim Donnelly and Scott Silver had in mid-July at the Claw with Cape Cod Offshore.
Looking Ahead: Preparing for 2026
Overall, the 2025 season was a bit frustrating for both anglers and tackle store owners, first playing the waiting game, then experiencing epic conditions, and then facing the abrupt end. Asked to describe the 2025 season in one sentence, Eastman said, "It was very good for the short period it was open. Tackle shop owners got whipsawed - we sold everything and then restocked and didn't sell anything else."
Given the fast-moving fish and unpredictable future for the bluefin fishery, a key to a successful 2026 season is getting ready well in advance of when the fish arrive. Working with a knowledgeable tackle shop can help cut the learning curve and point out proven techniques that can help put fish in the boat. "A good shop understands offshore fishing," says Howarth.
For tuna anglers, if you managed to get out during that epic three-week stretch during July south of the Vineyard, then you hopefully have some great memories to relive as you await the 2026 season.
Tight lines! 🎣
Dan Nahorney
PS-Watch for other articles in this season analysis series. And then during the depths of winter, we'll be putting together a series of preparation and planning posts on everything from a calendar of early-in-the-year fishing shows to information on getting your boat ready for tuna season. Stay tuned!
That was an amazing 3 week stretch in July for sure Dan. Thank you for the recap.
These reports and pics help me deal with the winter blahs. Thank you Dan.