Cape Cod tuna update points anglers to Crab Ledge and Regal Sword

Bruno Demir and Eddy Kooyomjian put fresh eyes on Cape Cod’s tuna grounds in a July 11 live report that pointed anglers east of Chatham to Crab Ledge and Regal Sword. The same run covered striped bass and bluefish at the Monomoy Rips, keeper-size fluke in Nantucket Sound, and recreational bluefin tuna offshore, giving crews a real weekend blueprint instead of a vague summer buzz.

The report had the feel of a family fishing day, with the group loading up their children and working a Saturday route through Monomoy and toward Nantucket. That matters on Cape Cod because the choices are never just about what is biting, but about how far you want to run, how much fuel you want to burn, and whether the day is built around tuna or around a mixed bag with the kids on board.

For the bluefin crowd, the important detail was location. East of Chatham remains the center of gravity, and the named grounds are doing the heavy lifting. Crab Ledge and Regal Sword are the kind of markers local boats actually use when they talk tuna, which is a lot more useful than hearing broad talk about the South Side. Recent fishing forecast coverage also put bluefin activity east of Chatham in the excellent column for early morning and evening bites, which lines up with the report’s timing and geography.

That fishing lane sits beside Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, a 7,921-acre federal refuge on the southeast corner of Cape Cod in Chatham. The refuge spans North Monomoy, South Monomoy, Minimoy Island, and the mainland Morris Island unit, and that layout shapes where boats stage, where they run, and how quickly the traffic stacks up when the summer bite gets hot.

The tuna update also landed inside a changing rules window. NOAA Fisheries adjusted Atlantic bluefin tuna recreational angling retention limits effective June 1 and running through December 31, unless later modified. For anyone planning a run east of Chatham, that means the bite and the regulations are moving together, and both matter before the first rod comes out of the holder.

The community angle was the other reason the report resonated. The return of Fluke vs Cancer tied the fishing day to a fundraiser for Boston Children’s Hospital, which says community fundraising supports breakthroughs, family support, and services for children and families. Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center says it serves pediatric cancer and blood disorder patients with specialized care and support services, and the recurring campaign has already shown it can raise real money, with past totals above $2,000 in its first year and $5,000 in a later one.

For Cape Cod anglers, the July 11 update was useful because it matched the way people actually fish the season: inshore species at the rips and sound, tuna on the outer grounds, and a family-and-fundraiser rhythm that makes the whole day feel bigger than a single hookup. The message was plain enough to act on this weekend: if you want bluefin, think east of Chatham, and think Crab Ledge and Regal Sword first.