Martha's Vineyard Fishing Report Today

This is Artificial Lure with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’re sitting on a classic early-summer pattern around the Island: light southwest flow this morning, building to a 10–15 knot southwest breeze by afternoon, with air temps in the low 60s at first light pushing into the low 70s. Humidity is up but not oppressive, and seas are modest: generally 1–3 feet outside, with a bit more chop in the rips as that breeze stacks against the tide.

Sunrise is right around 5:10 a.m., with sunset close to 8:20 p.m., so you’ve got a nice long window, but the best bite has been in the low light. Early dawn and the last hour before dark are money right now, especially on the south shore and around the rips.

Tides today favor the morning crew. Around Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs you’re looking at an early morning high followed by a strong outgoing through mid-morning; over on Wasque and Middle Ground, that falling water has been the trigger. The fish have been setting up on the edges when the current really starts to move, then spreading out as it slacks.

Striped bass remain the main story. Schoolies are everywhere, but there are legit slot and occasional over-slot fish in the mix. Shore guys have been picking bass off State Beach at first light, along South Beach, and up-Island around Squibnocket and Menemsha, especially on a moving tide after dark. Boat anglers working Middle Ground, Hedge Fence, and Wasque rips are finding good numbers when the tide stands up and the bait gets pinned.

Bluefish are in better than they were a few weeks back. You’ll find them crashing sand eels and squid off the south shore and in the rips, with some choppers showing in the evening along Norton Point and off East Beach on Chappy. Not wall-to-wall blues, but enough to keep things interesting and to chew through a few leaders.

There are also fluke scattered along the south side. Drifters working from off Katama toward Great Point in 30–60 feet have been putting some decent doormats in the box when they commit to a steady drift. Inside, scup and sea bass are still very much on the menu around structure: rock piles, wrecks, and the shoals around the north side.

On the bait front, the buffet is classic Vineyard June: sand eels thick in spots, squid around the rips and off the south side, plus small baitfish tight to the beach at dawn. Match that and you’re in business.

For lures, keep it simple:

– Small to mid-size soft plastics in olive or bone on light jigheads for schoolie bass.

– Needlefish plugs and slim metal for the surf when fish are on sand eels.

– Pink or amber soft plastic squid imitations and bucktail jigs in the rips.

– For blues, anything that shines: Kastmasters, metals, and inexpensive topwater pencils you don’t mind getting shredded.

– For fluke, bucktail jigs tipped with squid strips or Gulp in chartreuse or white are doing the work.

Best bait right now:

– Fresh or frozen squid strips for bass, blues, and fluke.

– Sandworms or sea worms for shore-bound anglers targeting bass and scup around the jetties and rock piles.

– Cut mackerel or pogies if you can get them, especially after dark for larger bass.

A couple of hot spots to circle:

– Wasque and the surrounding rips on Chappaquiddick: solid bass with a shot at blues when the tide stands up. Work the edges, don’t plow through the middle, and keep an eye on that current.

– Middle Ground and the shoals off Vineyard Haven: schoolie-heavy but great action, with some bigger fish mixed in at dawn and dusk, especially on the outgoing.

From the sand, focus your effort pre-dawn and after dark on South Beach, Norton Point, and the rocks around Menemsha. Keep your presentations low and slow if the water’s clear and the moon is bright.

That’s it from Artificial Lure here on the Vineyard. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’re sitting on a gentle weather window around the Island right now: light southwest breeze building through the day, seas modest, and air temps cruising in the 60s early, pushing toward the 70s along the south side by afternoon. Skies are mixed clouds and sun with just enough chop to keep things looking fishy.

Sunrise hit just after 5 o’clock this morning on Island time, with sunset coming just before 8:30 this evening. That gives you long low‑light windows on both ends of the day, which is exactly when you want to be working the beaches for stripers and blues.

Tides around Vineyard and Nantucket Sound are running a typical early‑summer set today. Figure a predawn high tide on the south side, with water dumping out through mid‑morning, then a mid‑afternoon low, and another push of incoming into and through dusk. If you can, plan to fish the last two hours of the incoming and the first of the drop at your chosen spot; that’s when the bait stacks and the gamefish get competitive.

Recent reports from local sharpies and tackle shops around Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and Menemsha all tell a similar story: **schoolie to slot stripers** still plentiful, with a few bigger fish mixing in after dark, plus **small to mid‑size bluefish** showing more consistently on the south shore rips and along State Beach. There’ve been decent **scup** and **sea bass** bites for the bottom folks in Vineyard Sound and off the reefs and rockpiles, with keepers coming on both bait and jigs.

Best producers for stripers off the beach right now are **soft plastics** on light jigs in natural sand‑eel and silvery baitfish colors, 3–5 inches, worked just off the bottom with a slow, steady retrieve. Old‑faithful **bucktail jigs** tipped with a strip of pork rind or soft plastic are still putting fish on the sand. At first light and last light, **small surface plugs** and spooks will draw explosive hits, especially around any nervous water or bird activity.

If you’re fishing bait, **fresh squid strips**, **mackerel chunks**, and **sea worms** are all solid producers. Fish them on simple fish‑finder rigs or high‑low setups in the deeper slots and troughs. For scup and sea bass, bits of clam, squid, or gulp‑style scented plastics on small hooks will keep rods bending.

Couple of hot spots to keep on your short list:

- **State Beach / Joseph Sylvia State Beach** from the Little Bridge to the Big Bridge: classic early‑summer stretch for schoolie and slot stripers with a shot at blues, especially around the bridges when the current is moving.

- **Wasque and the south‑facing beaches of Chappy**: when the current lines up, this is prime water for stripers and blues with a chance at something bigger pushing bait along the bars and cuts.

Boat folks working the edges of **Middle Ground** and other Vineyard Sound rips with small swimming plugs, sand‑eel jigs, and flutter spoons are finding mixed bass and blues, plus some sea bass hanging tight to structure.

That’s the word from around the Island. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.

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This is Artificial Lure with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’ve got a nice, fishy pattern setting up around the Island. Early morning started cool with light southwest breeze, building to 10–15 knots this afternoon with a bit more chop on the south side. Skies are partly cloudy, air in the 60s pushing into the low 70s, and just enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes honest.

According to the National Weather Service marine outlook, seas in Vineyard Sound are running 1–3 feet, a touch higher along Squibnocket and the South Shore. That makes boat and kayak work comfortable close to home, but you’ll want to watch the rips.

Sunrise was right around 5:10 a.m., with sunset about 8:20 p.m., so you’ve got a good, long light window. The prime feeding bites have been the pre‑dawn gray light and the last hour before dark, especially on moving water.

NOAA’s tide tables show a mid‑morning high and an evening low in Vineyard Haven today, so you’ll see strong current pushing through the normal chokepoints: Middle Ground, the edges of Menemsha and Quicks Hole, and the boulder fields off Squibby and Philbin. The outgoing tide tonight should really light up the rips.

Local reports from island tackle shops say the **striped bass** bite has been solid, with a mix of schoolies and plenty of legal fish, plus the occasional 30‑inch‑plus taken after dark. Shore anglers have been picking them along State Beach, the jetties at Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven, and the Menemsha shoreline. Boat crews drifting the rips around Middle Ground and Lucas Shoal are seeing steady action.

**Bluefish** have been in and out, but the last few days saw more consistent catches in Vineyard Sound and along the South Shore. Gators are still scattered, but 4–8 pound blues are chewing when the bait shows. A few short **fluke** and keeper **sea bass** have been hitting the coolers from drift boats working the sand and rubble east of the Island and off Cape Poge.

According to recent weigh‑ins reported by island shops, anglers are bringing in multiple stripers per tide, sometimes a dozen or more schoolies per angler with a couple of keepers in the mix, plus enough blues to keep things interesting.

Best lure choices right now:

- For bass at first and last light: small metal lips, SP Minnows, and 5–7 inch soft plastics in bone or olive on ½–1 oz jigheads.

- For daytime blues: 1–2 oz Kastmasters, Hopkins, or simple tin with a single hook; swap to wire or heavy fluoro leaders if you’re getting bit off.

- In the rips: bucktail jigs tipped with soft plastics or pork rind, bounced just off the bottom.

Best baits:

- Fresh squid strips and live eels after dark for bigger stripers along the rocks.

- Sand eels, if you can get them, fished on a fish‑finder rig in the troughs.

- Clam or squid on high‑low rigs for sea bass and fluke on the drifts.

A couple of hot spots to circle for today:

- **Middle Ground and Vineyard Sound rips**: Hit them on the ebb with bucktails and soft plastics for bass, with blues mixed in when the bait stacks.

- **Menemsha and the North Shore rock fields**: Waders and rock‑hoppers throwing swimmers and soft plastics at dusk have a real shot at a better‑class striper.

Fish smart: watch the birds, mind the bathers as the day warms up, and be respectful around the jetties and crowded access points. The fish are here; it’s all about timing that moving water and leaning into the low‑light windows.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’ve got a classic early-summer setup around the Island. Light southwest breeze overnight, building into 10–15 knots this afternoon with a little chop on the south side and Vineyard Sound. Air temps riding in the mid‑60s early, pushing into the low 70s later. Skies partly cloudy, good visibility, and the barometer steady enough that fish should stay active.

Sunrise came just after 5 a.m., with sunset coming just before 8:30 p.m., so you’ve got a nice long window, but the best bite is hugging low light and moving water. First light through about 8 a.m. and then again in the last couple of hours before dark are prime.

Local tide tables for Vineyard Haven show a predawn high, dropping to a late‑morning low, then filling back in this afternoon and evening. That falling water through mid‑morning has been the sweet spot, especially along current edges in Vineyard Sound and around the openings on Chappy. As that tide turns and starts flooding back in later today, expect a second push of fish tight to structure.

Striped bass are still the headliner. Word from island tackle shops is that schoolies up to slot, with a few over-slot fish, have been stacked along the north shore rip lines and around the bridges. The Sound side of East Chop and the deeper edges off West Chop have been giving up good numbers on the outgoing, with some boats reporting a dozen or more fish in a tide when they stay on the birds and bait. Over on Chappy, the Gut and Wasque have both seen solid bass action when the tide is cranking, though it’s very much a “fish the window” situation—dead tide equals dead bite.

Bluefish are around, but not wall‑to‑wall. Scattered pods have been showing off Cape Poge and occasionally sliding down into the Sound. When you find birds working and terns dipping on sand eels, be ready—those blues have been running 3 to 6 pounds, plenty of fun on lighter gear.

Fluke and sea bass guys are still doing well in Vineyard Sound. The drifts off Tashmoo and down toward Middleground have produced keeper fluke mixed with shorts, plus some nice humpback sea bass on the rockier patches. It’s not drop‑and‑stick easy every day, but patient drifts over the right bottom have been filling coolers.

For lures, keep it simple and match what’s here. Bass are keyed on sand eels and small squid, so soft‑plastic paddletails and straight‑tail sand eel imitations on 3/8- to 1‑ounce jigheads are money. White, olive, and amber have been hot. Small metal like Deadly Dicks and slender epoxy jigs will get you bit when fish are on tiny bait or when the wind’s up and you need some casting distance. At night, black or blurple needlefish plugs and soft plastics fished slow across the current are taking the better bass.

If you’re fishing bait from shore, fresh squid strips and live or chunked mackerel or pogies are top choices for bass, with bluefish happy to chew anything that bleeds. For bottom fish, classic fluke rigs tipped with squid and spearing, or a bucktail and teaser combo for sea bass, are hard to beat.

Couple of hot spots to circle for today:

First, **East Chop and the Vineyard Haven side of the Sound**—work the rips and current seams on that dropping tide with soft plastics or small metals for steady bass action, with a shot at blues when the birds bunch up.

Second, **the Gut and outer edges of Cape Poge on Chappy**—great mix of bass and occasional blues when the tide is moving hard; fish the seams, not the dead slack, and don’t be afraid to go a bit heavier on your jigs to stay down.

That’s the word from the water. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report.

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This is Artificial Lure with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’re sitting on a classic early-summer pattern around the Island. Light southwest breeze this morning building a bit in the afternoon, with air temps riding the 60s into low 70s. Skies are mixed sun and clouds, decent visibility, and only a light chop on Vineyard Sound and along the South Shore by midday. Sunrise was right around a quarter past five, sunset will be just before eight-thirty, giving you a long, workable day on the water.

Tides around Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs are running the usual semidiurnal swing: a pre-dawn high, dropping to a late-morning low, then filling again mid- to late afternoon. The key windows today are the last two hours of the outgoing and the first push of the flood. Fish that moving water and you’ll do fine.

Striped bass are still the headliners. Schoolies are thick along State Beach and under the big bridge at Little Bridge, with enough keepers mixed in to keep it interesting. Night tides have produced some solid mid-30-inch fish on swimming plugs and soft plastics worked deep in the current. Out front, along Wasque and down around the Gut, the surf guys have been into bigger bass after dark on needlefish plugs and black bucktails tipped with pork rind.

Bluefish have been spotty but improving. Boats working Middle Ground and the rips off East Chop have found small pods of choppers smashing topwater in the rip lines when the tide stands up. When they’re fussy, metal spoons and epoxy jigs are outfishing the big noisy plugs.

Fluke and sea bass action has been steady in Vineyard Sound. Drifters bouncing bucktail jigs sweetened with squid strips are putting some nice keeper fluke in the box. Black sea bass are stacked on the rock piles and wrecky bits; squid and clams on high-low rigs are plenty, but small jigs with Gulp are taking the larger humpbacks.

Best lures right now:

- For bass: 5–7 inch soft plastics in sand eel colors, SP Minnows, mag darters, and slender needlefish at night.

- For blues: pencil poppers, small metal spoons, and epoxy jigs.

- For bottom fish: 1–3 oz bucktails with squid or Gulp, and standard bait rigs with squid strips or clam.

If you’re fishing bait from shore, fresh squid, seaworms, and chunks of menhaden or mackerel are the top producers. Keep your hooks sharp and leaders a little heavier if you’re expecting blues.

A couple of local hot spots to consider today:

- **State Beach / Little Bridge**: Work the bridge and adjacent bars on the dropping tide for schoolie bass and the odd keeper, especially first light and after dark.

- **Middle Ground shoal**: Excellent for drifting fluke and sea bass, with bluefish and bass pushing bait over the edges when the tide builds.

That’s the word from the Island. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’ve got a good early-summer pattern setting up around the Island. Light southwest breeze this morning, building 10–15 by afternoon, with air temps riding the mid‑60s to low‑70s along the water. Skies are a mix of sun and clouds, with a little haze over Vineyard Sound. Humidity’s up, but not brutal yet.

Sunrise is right around quarter past five, with sunset a bit after eight‑twenty in the evening, so there’s a long fishable window. First light and last light are both worth your time today.

Tide-wise, we’re on a typical Vineyard summer cycle: mid‑morning incoming setting up through the early afternoon, then a dropping tide into the evening. The stronger moving water around the top of the flood and first of the ebb is what you want to target, especially along the north shore and in the rips off the east end.

Striped bass have been the headline lately. Surfcasters are picking schoolies with the occasional keeper along the north shore from Menemsha over toward Lambert’s Cove, and around the bridge edges on the Lagoon and Senge. Boat guys working Middle Ground and Hedge Fence have been into good numbers of bass, mostly slots with a few overs mixed in when the tide really cranks. According to local tackle shops on the Island, there’ve been some solid nights where anglers have gone tight every drift.

Bluefish are around, but not wall‑to‑wall yet. Folks running the rips off Cape Poge and Wasque have found small pods—mostly 3–6 pounders—blowing up on sand eels when the tide stands up. A few have filtered along South Beach and Norton Point as well, enough to chew up a bag of soft plastics in a hurry.

Fluke fishing has been picking up on the Vineyard Sound side in 40–70 feet, with keepers mixed in with a lot of shorts. A few nice sea bass are still being taken on the deeper humps and rockpiles, though the easy pickings of early season are tapering.

For lures, keep it simple. In the surf, small metal and epoxy jigs in olive, sand eel, and silvery patterns have been hot, along with 4–5 inch soft plastics on 3/8–3/4 ounce heads. At night, black or blurple bottle plugs and needlefish are still putting bass on the sand. Boat anglers are doing well with weighted soft plastics, slim profile swimmers, and bucktail jigs tipped with a strip of squid for both bass and fluke.

On the bait side, fresh squid is king right now for bottom fish and will take plenty of bass. Sand eels, if you can get them, are gold. Clam works for mixing in scup and sea bass. For chunking bass from shore, fresh menhaden or mackerel is the way to go after dark on the south side.

Couple of hotspots to circle today:

First, Middle Ground in Vineyard Sound—classic early-summer striper water when that tide is rolling, and a decent shot at a blue or two. Second, the Wasque/Cape Poge area—still one of the best bets for a mixed bag of bass and blues if you pick your tide and watch the bars and currents carefully. If you’re shore‑bound, the Menemsha area and the jetties around the Lagoon and Senge are both worth a tide.

That’s it from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’ve got a classic early‑summer pattern around the Island. Light southwest breeze this morning building to 10–15 by afternoon, mostly clear skies, and comfortable temps in the upper 60s to low 70s on the water. Sunrise hit right around 5:10 a.m., and sunset will be about 8:20 p.m., giving you a nice long window to work both low‑light bites.

Tides today run a decent mid‑range. Around Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs you’re looking at a pre‑dawn high, dropping to late‑morning low, then filling back in through the afternoon and into dark. Over on the south side, from Katama to Squibnocket, figure that tide to lag by roughly an hour. Current isn’t screaming, but there’s enough push to set up rips on the edges.

Striped bass are the main show. Schoolies are all over the north shore—Lagoon Pond outflow, East Chop, and the ferry channel—while keeper‑sized fish have been coming more steadily after dark. Reports from the local shops have bass into the low‑30‑inch class caught this past week on small needlefish plugs and 5–7 inch soft plastics swung in the current. A few bigger fish have come from boat guys working live eels around Middle Ground and Lucas Shoal after sunset.

Bluefish have been in and out, but they’re around. Folks soaking chunks off Wasque and the surf at South Beach picked up small to medium choppers, with the better action right on the turn of the tide. Nothing like the old days, but enough blues to bend a rod and chew through some leaders.

Fluke reports have picked up off East Beach and along the edges of Cape Pogue, with a mix of shorts and some solid keepers. Sea bass remain a good bet on structure—rock piles off Menemsha and along the north shore are holding a nice mix of keepers and jumbo scup.

Best baits and lures:

For striped bass from shore, think **low‑profile**. At first light and dusk, small white bucktails tipped with pork rind or soft plastics in bone, sand eel, or amber are money. Needlefish plugs and narrow metal spoons work well on the south‑side bars when there’s a bit of chop. After dark, a black or blurple swimmer or a slow‑rolled soft plastic can save a slow tide. From the boat, live eels and menhaden chunks still put fish in the box.

For bluefish, keep it cheap and tough—metal tins, epoxy jigs, and old‑school poppers, or just herring and mackerel chunks on a wire leader. Fluke are liking squid strips, spearing/squid combos, or Gulp grubs bounced tight to the bottom on light bucktails. For sea bass and scup, hi‑low rigs with squid strips or clams over rock and shell bottom will keep rods bent.

Couple of hot spots if you’re heading out:

First, **Wasque and the east‑end rips**. When that tide stands up you get a classic bass and bluefish mix, especially running small metals and soft plastics across the seams, or drifting bait. Fish it carefully—current can be nasty—but it’s been one of the better producers lately.

Second, the **north shore line from Menemsha to Cedar Tree Neck**. Work boulder fields with small swimmers and soft plastics on a flooding tide, especially evenings into dark. Boat anglers poking just off the rocks with live eels have been quietly putting up some nice fish.

Overall, it’s a “pick your window” kind of stretch: hit low light, fish the turning tides, keep your offerings on the smaller, more natural side, and you’ll find life.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Vineyard fishing report.

We’re in a nice early‑season groove now. Overnight we had light southwest wind easing into 5–10 knots this morning, picking up to 10–15 by afternoon with a bit of chop on the south side. Air temps are sitting in the 60s early, pushing into the low 70s later with decent cloud cover and good visibility. Sunrise slid in around 5:07 a.m., sunset will be just after 8:20 p.m., giving you plenty of light to work both ends of the tide.

Tides around Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds are running a modest range today. Mid‑morning brings a building incoming on the north shore, with the ebb lining up late afternoon into evening. That evening drop on the Vineyard Haven and Lagoon side has been the most productive window, especially when it overlaps with the last hour of daylight.

Striped bass action has been steady, not insane, but worth the effort. Schoolies to slot fish have been working the rips and shorelines, with a few low‑30‑inch fish reported off East Chop and along the State Beach stretch between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. The last couple of days, locals have been picking away at bass around the bridges—Jaws, Little Bridge, and Big Bridge—on the outgoing, mostly in the dark or first light. Bluefish are starting to show more consistently outside the ponds and along the south shore, with some tailor‑size fish mixed in off Wasque and down toward Norton Point.

Fluke and sea bass are part of the picture now. Drifters inside Vineyard Sound have seen keeper sea bass over rock piles and scattered keepers on the edges, with shorts keeping people busy. A few nicer fluke have come off sandy drops near Middle Ground and Lucas Shoal when the drift isn’t ripping.

For lures, keep it simple and local‑style. Soft plastics on half‑ounce to 1‑ounce jig heads—albiesnacks‑style baits, paddle tails in bone, olive, and amber—have been doing most of the damage on bass. Bucktail jigs tipped with a strip of squid or Gulp are still the go‑to for sea bass and fluke. At night, skinny metal lips, bottle plugs, and black or blurple darters played slow in the current are taking better bass off the rocks.

If you’re fishing bait, fresh squid and live or freshly dead mackerel are tough to beat for stripers. Clam bellies and squid strips will keep you in business around the bridges and deeper holes. For sea bass and fluke, squid strips or spearing‑and‑squid combos on high‑low rigs will get bit.

Couple of hot spots to circle:

First, **East Chop to Vineyard Haven Harbor** on that evening dropping tide—work soft plastics or small swimmers along the current seams and boulder fields. Second, **the State Beach bridges** on a moving tide—light jigs, small soft plastics, or bait fished tight to the pilings can produce bass and the occasional blue. If you’ve got a boat, poking around **Middle Ground Shoal** with bucktails for sea bass and fluke is worth your time when the drift cooperates.

That’s the word from the Island for now. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’ve got a light early breeze out of the southwest, building a bit by late morning, with air temps hanging in the 60s and pushing toward the low 70s by afternoon. Skies are partly cloudy, a little haze over the Sound, and just enough chop to put some life on the surface. The Vineyard’s in a typical late‑spring pattern: stable barometer, no big fronts crashing through, which usually means consistent, if not crazy, action.

Sunrise is right around a quarter past five, with sunset a little before eight‑thirty this evening. That gives you long low‑light windows, and that’s when the bite has been best: first light until about 8 a.m., and again from about an hour before dark into full dark.

Tides in Vineyard Sound today are running early‑morning high, dropping through mid‑day, then a late‑afternoon push. That falling tide has been key on the north shore rips and the bridges. On the south side, the incoming tide has lined up nicely with the evening topwater bite along the bars.

Striped bass have been the headliners all week, with solid schoolies and a good number of slot fish mixed in, plus the odd bigger girl for those putting in the night hours. Surfcasters walking the north shore from Lagoon Pond out toward Makonikey have been into steady action. Boat anglers drifting the rips off Middle Ground and Lucas Shoal have reported bass stacked tight on the edges when the tide’s moving.

Bluefish are scattered but showing more regularly. A few gator‑class blues crashed the party off Cape Poge and along East Beach, mostly on cloudy evenings when the bait pinned tight to the shore. Nothing like years past, but enough to chew up your soft plastics if you’re not careful.

Fluke and sea bass are filling coolers for the bottom crowd. The shoals between Oak Bluffs and Falmouth, and out toward Hedge Fence, have been giving up keeper sea bass on jigs tipped with squid. Inside the ponds, scup are thick on mussel beds and rock piles—easy pickings for kids and anyone looking for a fish fry.

Best offerings right now:

- For bass at first and last light, throw **bone or blurple pencil poppers**, classic metal‑lip swimmers, and medium‑size swimming plugs like SP Minnows or Red Fins. Needlefish plugs at night have been deadly along the south‑shore beaches.

- Soft plastics—5 to 7 inch paddle tails and straight tails on 1/2 to 1 oz jig heads—are crushing fish around the bridges and in the rips once the sun climbs.

- For bait, **live eels** after dark around the rocks and bridge pilings are still the gold standard for a bigger striper. Fresh chunked mackerel or pogies on a simple fish‑finder rig will get it done too.

- For bottom fish, bucktail jigs with a strip of squid, high‑low rigs baited with squid or clam, and small metal jigs hopped off the bottom are all producing.

Couple of local hot spots to circle today:

- **Wasque and East Beach, Chappy** – On a moving tide, especially sunset into dark, bass push bait right up onto the bar edges. Sling a pencil popper or a metal‑lip tight to the white water. If the wind lays down, bring a lighter rod and work soft plastics along the drop‑offs.

- **Middle Ground and the Vineyard Haven side of West Chop** – Boat anglers drifting these rips on the dropping tide have been into mixed bass and blues. Focus on the seam where fast water meets the slicks. Vertical jigging soft plastics or bucktails has outfished trolling most days.

Inside the ponds—Senge, Lagoon, and Tashmoo—small bass have been all over sand eel imitations and small bucktails; great place to bend a rod if the outer beaches get crowded or the wind kicks up.

That’s the story around Martha’s Vineyard for now. Keep an eye on those tide changes, lean into the low‑light hours, and don’t be afraid to move if a spot feels dead after a tide swing.

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This is Artificial Lure with your Martha’s Vineyard fishing report.

We’ve got a classic early‑season pattern around the Island. Light southwest breeze building this afternoon, air in the upper 60s to low 70s, and mostly clear skies. Sunrise was right around quarter past five, sunset will be just after eight twenty. That long daylight window is great, but the bite is still best low‑light and tide‑turn focused.

Tides around Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs are running a mid‑morning high and an evening low. Think first light dropping tide and that evening push for your prime windows. Moving water is the whole story right now—dead slack has been slow.

Striped bass action has been steady, with a mix of schoolies and keeper‑class fish. Local shop talk has bass stacked along the ferry lanes and rips from West Chop down toward East Chop, plus solid reports along the north shore beaches. A few slots and overs have come from boat guys drifting eels at night and working soft plastics along the edges of the rips.

Bluefish have finally settled in with more consistent catches off State Beach and outside Cape Pogue. Anglers tossing metal like Deadly Dicks and Hopkins, plus big surface plugs, are finding choppers when the wind kicks up a bit and pushes bait onto the bars. Nothing huge, but enough 4–8 pound fish to keep things lively.

Albies aren’t in play yet this time of year, but there are whispers of early squid and small scup tight to the rock piles. Kids soaking squid strips off the docks are picking up scup and the odd sea robin—great way to bend a rod if the bass are being fussy.

On the lure side, you can’t go wrong with **white or bone soft plastics**—things like 4–7 inch paddle tails or straight tails on half‑ounce jigheads. Work them slow and near the bottom on the dropping tide. **Black or blurple swimmers** and bucktails shine after dark, especially around bridge lights and harbor mouths. For topwater, walk‑the‑dog spooks and smaller pencil poppers in bone or mackerel patterns have been drawing explosive hits at first light.

If you’re a bait angler, **fresh squid, sea clams, and live eels** are king right now. Fish them on fish‑finder rigs along the channel edges or just outside the breakers on the south side. A chunk of fresh bunker, when you can get it, is still the top ticket for a bigger bass at night.

Couple of hot spots to circle for today:

- **Wasque / East Beach** on Chappy: good current, classic structure, and a real shot at both bass and blues when that tide starts to hustle. Mind the rips and fish with a buddy if you’re wading.

- **West Chop to East Chop**: drift those edges by boat with soft plastics or bucktails; from shore, hit the points on the tide change and keep a plug in the wash.

If you’re land‑based and want an easier walk, State Beach between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown is worth a look in the evening, especially with a light southwest wind pushing bait toward the sand.

That’s the word from around the Island. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report.

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