Canyon

Hudson Canyon

The biggest canyon on the coast. Hudson Canyon, off the New York Bight, is the largest and most famous submarine canyon on the East Coast, a legendary big-game ground for tuna, billfish and swords.

Hudson Canyon is the giant of the East Coast canyons, a vast submarine gorge off the New York Bight and the most storied big-game ground in the region. Its enormous structure and the warm water that reaches it draw yellowfin and bigeye, marlin, swordfish and mahi. For most New England boats it is a long haul to the southwest, but its reputation is earned.

The canyon

Fish the edge, the fingers and the tips of the canyon where the shelf drops away and current and bait concentrate. As always offshore, the productive spot is wherever the best water, warm and blue with life, is hitting the structure.

How to fish it

The full canyon playbook: troll the edge by day, chunk overnight in a slick, deep-drop for swords, and work the pots and weed lines for mahi.

Tip Hudson is big, so let the temperature breaks narrow it down. Do not just run to the canyon and troll, run to the best water on the canyon, where the warm blue edge and the bait line up on the structure.

Canyon-run safety The canyons are a long run into deep, open ocean, usually an overnight or multi-day trip far beyond help. Go in a capable, well-found boat, watch the weather window closely, carry proper safety and communications gear (EPIRB, life raft, redundant electronics), and file a float plan. This is serious offshore fishing.
Regulations Tuna are federally managed highly migratory species requiring an HMS permit, with category, size and retention rules that change through the season. Confirm current rules with NOAA Fisheries HMS before fishing.
From the page to the water

Learn it here, land it out there

Reading is a great start. The fastest way to get good is a day on the water with someone who does it every day.

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Note: fishing regulations (size limits, bag limits, seasons, permits) change often. Always confirm current rules with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (saltwater), MassWildlife (freshwater), or NOAA Fisheries (offshore/HMS) before you keep a fish.