Edgartown Light / Edgartown Harbor (Memorial Wharf)

Edgartown Harbor has a public fishing pier that is a great place to take the kids. People of all ages come here to catch squid after dark in the spring, scup and snapper bluefish, and mackerel and butterfish in the late summer and fall. When the bonito and false albacore arrive, this pier will get busy with many island fisherman trying to catch a fish to enter in the annual fall fishing derby. This is a good place for a beginner to watch and learn about bait fishing techniques for bonito! Keep your eyes open and see how the derby winners catch these speedsters by capturing mackerel or butterfish before first light, then live-lining these tasty morsels to the bonito and albacore that make their appearance in the early to mid-morning hours. This can be a frustrating place to land fish because of the many anglers, boat traffic, docks and piers, and other obstructions. Tempers can flare here at derby time, so be considerate of other anglers, but if you can endure the crowd, you'll have as good a time watching the fishermen as you will catching fish.

Chappy Beach

A great spot for False Albacore and an occasional Bonito. There is plenty of room here for both fly and spin fishermen but it gets congested when the fish are in. Get there early and respect anglers fighting their fish up and down the beach. Also, watch out for the boat traffic that can become heavy and result in lost fish and frayed tempers. Spin fishermen do well with Hammers, Deadly Dicks, Swedish Pimples and other small metals. To get there, take the Chappy Ferry across the Edgartown Channel, and walk to the left.

Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse

Off of North Water Street, a short walk from the Harbor View Hotel. Usually not a spot for Stripers or Bluefish, but Bonito and False Albacore are often in abundance here. An incoming tide is usually the best.

Big Bridge

What can we say about the Big Bridge? Known locally as Anthier's Bridge, this is the spot that was featured in the film "Jaws" where the shark goes "in the pond"; in this case, Sengekontacket Pond on the Edgartown/Oak Bluffs town line. In the summer, teenagers jump from the bridge into the water to cool off and impress each other. Swim under the bridge with a diving mask and you'll see why people fish here. Stripers of all sizes hang out around the bridge supports, and plenty of big fish are taken here each year. Drifting a live or dead herring is a sure-fire technique in the spring, and drifting an eel at night is a pretty good bet, too. Plug casters can choose broken-back swimming plugs for day or night fishing, and a simple white bucktail jig is a must-have for strictly daytime fishing. Don't forget the Yo-Zuri Metallic Sardine! Flyrodders can make a killing here if there aren't too many anglers. Sand Eel flies and medium sized deceivers will take the lion's share of fish here. Outgoing water is best in the spring as the warm water from the pond flows out into the sound. Later in the season, both tides are good. If you are here on a bright afternoon, you may be able to see fish swimming around under the bridge, especially if you stoop low, wear polarized glasses, and shade your eyes. Be courteous to other anglers, lots of fishermen of different skill levels come to fish the Big Bridge. If you see an angler who needs a little help, offer your assistance to him or her. I'm sure each of us remembers the days when we were beginners, too!

Little Bridge

A popular spot with some local anglers who just want to grab a few minutes of casting before work, this spot where outgoing water flows into the sound from Sengekontacket Pond holds plenty of small stripers, especially in early June. This is another good spot for a beginning light-tackle angler or fly fisherman. This spot is rarely crowded, and presents the beginning angler a good opportunity to learn to read the water. Bonito and 'Albacore will sometimes make brief appearances here in the fall as well. Fish small lures or flies, and keep casting. Fishing bait on the left side of the inlet (looking out) on an outgoing tide can produce fish at times, too. Flyrodders sometimes find fish just inside the pond on an incoming tide, so don't be afraid to take a look around.

East Chop

Mostly private property but if you can get access and deal with the climb up and down the hill it's a very good place to fish. Stripers and Bluefish hang right in close to shore. Fish the last few hours of a falling tide with broken-back lures and other small swimmers. Jumping minnows and pencil poppers also work well here, especially at first light.

Vineyard Haven Jetty / Eastville Beach

This jetty is a favorite spot for Bonito and False Albacore in the fall, and it can get crowded at times. Small metal lures and white bucktail jigs can be deadly here, as can the usual bonito and false albacore fly patterns. Fish can be here at anytime, but the top of the tide might be a good time to try, especially with a Northwest wind which traps bait along the west side of the jetty where the moving water is. Fish will often show here at first light.

Eastville Beach is a small beach adjacent to the jetty that flyrodders especially can enjoy on warm spring evenings. Really big fish rarely come from this spot, but fly fishermen and light spin fishermen can have a ball with the stripers here while avoiding the crowds of spots like Lobsterville Beach, etc. If you're staying in Oak Bluffs or Vineyard Haven and only have a short time to fish after dinner, Eastville Beach is the place to go. Once again, be respectful of property owners. Don't climb up on private docks or cross any backyards in your efforts to cover the water.

West Chop

This is also mostly private property, but the Sherrifs Meadow Foundation owns a patch of land from which you can access the shoreline below. Parking is limited however. There is a lot of structure here that holds Stripers. Fish live eels, crystal minnows and broken-backs at night - poppers at first light and dusk. Soft plastics like Sluggo's and Hogy's also work well here.

Lake Tashmoo Inlet and Jetties

The inlet to Lake Tashmoo can be a great place for beginning fly rodders to try their stuff. This is a small inlet that often has plenty of small stripers (and some big ones, too!) working the bait along the rocks. Wading anglers can also fish the flats on the left as you look up into the pond - take care to avoid the holes and dropoffs, but fish the edges of them with a Deep Sparkling Sand Eel or Chartreuse/White Clouser for best effect. Concentrate on any areas where the tide sweeps over a flat into deeper water. Bonito and False Albacore come to this inlet in the fall...Bonito arrive at the very end of July, and can be taken with a live mackerel, bucktail jig, or small metal lures by spin fishermen. Flyrodders should use small white deceivers or sand eel imitations. False Albacore arrive mid-September. This is one of the minor spots for false albacore, but as a result this spot doesn't get too crowded, either. Albie addicts use a small bucktail jig or metal lures, flyrod albie junkies choose a small white deceiver to imitate the silversides which get thick here in the fall. If the fish are on sand eels try a Chartreuse/White Epoxy Minnow or Green Sand Eel. Have a couple of white bunny flies in the box; bonito and albies will go nuts for these at times. Page's Slim Jim is another good bet for anglers chasing these speedsters. The last three hours of incoming water coming just around daybreak is the best situation to fish for the Bonito and 'Albacore, so study your tide chart carefully to determine when the best times will be.

The upper end of Lake Tashmoo is the home of the fabled worm hatch. This special event usually happens sometime mid-May, and can last as long as two weeks, or as short as two or three days. Seven days of consistent action is about average. Worms begin to swarm in late afternoon, often around 5 PM, and the fish begin to feed on them and continue until around dusk when the action usually tapers off. Bring some worm flies! Larry's has the best worm flies on the island, so be sure to pick up a few. You'll want to fish this spot with a canoe or small boat - trying to fish the "hatch" effectively from shore is usually a heartbreak, although folks have taken some good fish from shore from time to time. If you want to fish from shore, walk along the beach to the right of the boat ramp for 100 feet or so into a small bay. This area has worms and feeding fish at times. Anglers can also walk to the left of the ramp for as much as a 1/4 mile or so. Please respect property owners rights - you can fish as long as you stay at the waterline, but getting up onto private docks or wandering across lawns will ruin it for all of us, so please be considerate. Look for the rises and cast to them, or cover the water when fish are not in evidence. The worm hatch is a neat event, but timing is critical. Please call us mid-May at 508.627.5088 for the most up-to-date information.

Lamberts Cove Beach

Off of Lamberts Cove Road. Off limits during the high season except to those holding permits. A good spot for fly fishermen. Walk the shoreline in both directions until you find fish. Expect the fish to be moving around in here a lot. A great spot to fish at dusk as the sun sets over the Elizabeth Islands.

Menemsha Hills Reservation

This is a very long walk from the parking lot of this property owned by the Trustees of Reservations. If you can take the walk on a dark night this is a great spot to fish as structure abounds and holds Stripers and Blues. Live eels & Sluggos are best, but big Danny type swimmers fished very slowly also work well. The last three or four hours of either tide produce well here.

Menemsha

Menemsha is the last working fishing village on the island of Martha's Vineyard, and this is a great place to watch the boats come and go. The inlet to Menemsha Pond, the pond itself, the jetties, and the beaches outside the jetties all provide excellent opportunities for a variety of gamefish and angling techniques. Spring action can be great with plenty of small stripers, and sometimes good schools of bluefish right around the jetties. Folks fish here in the summer for scup and fluke as well. Menemsha is one of the best places to find bonito and false albacore in the late summer and fall. For bonito try a live mackerel, small white bucktail jig (1 oz or less), Swedish Pimple, Yo-Zuri Metallic Sardine, or other small metal lures. For false albacore try the same lures. The fly rod can be especially effective here when the fish are close. Be sure all your equipment is in good working order - rods and reels must be in tip top shape to land these speedsters from shore. Incoming water brings bonito and 'albacore right between the jetties, especially at first light. Outgoing water puts fish on the outside, but feeding well on the bait that gets swept out of the inlet. The boat ramp on the Lobsterville side is a good place to launch a boat out of Menemsha to go fishing at any time. Night fishermen should take a look around the docks in the harbor late in the evenings. Squid, mackerel, sand eels, silversides, feeding stripers, cunners, crabs, and a whole host of other critters make this harbor a virtual saltwater stew. Just watching the action is great fun, and clever flyrodders can pick up stripers by dead-drifting small clousers to feeding fish. Don't miss the show under the lights here if you're in the area on some late spring night.

Lobsterville Beach / Dogfish Bar

Lobsterville is perhaps the most famous beach on the island for the fly and light tackle angler. Plentiful baitfish, favorable water temps, a gentle tide, and accessibility make this beach a favorite for many anglers, especially in the spring. Stripers and Bluefish work these waters beginning in late May, and continuing on through the summer. June is the best month for consistent action, and any fisherman trying saltwater fly fishing for the first time should give this spot a try. Dawn, dusk, and night fishing produce the best catches here, but fish can be here at any time. Baitfish can often be found in profusion in the spring, especially sand eels and herring, so be sure to have some of these fly patterns at the ready. When bait concentrations are thick, fish feed selectively, and anglers may need to try a variety of fly patterns to be successful. You may be treated to the sight of a small whale or two feeding in the sound here, and sharks sometimes cruise the beaches at dusk and dawn. False albacore run the beach starting in mid-to-late September, and this is a gorgeous spot to chase them. Concentrate your efforts for albies around the Lobsterville Jetty at the east end of the beach, and in the middle of the bowl formed by the curve of Lobsterville Beach. Southwest to West winds are the most favorable winds for the average right-handed caster here, Northwest to Northeast can make this spot sloppy and difficult to fish as the wind blows in your face and piles weed up in the water along the shoreline.

Dogfish Bar is a special spot for light tackle anglers, too. Park at the west end of Lobsterville Beach, then get ready for a hike. Walk west along the beach for approximately 25 minutes. Dogfish Bar is a series of sand flats that extend out into Vineyard Sound, and these flats are home to millions of sand eels. Low light conditions produce the best action, so look for foggy and rainy days as well as dusk, dawn, and night fishing to provide you with the right conditions for Dogfish Bar. Coming to low tide in the early morning hours during June can give you access to fish feeding in very shallow water. Casting to tailing stripers in twelve inches of water in the middle of the night is a real blast. When you hook up, be ready for the run! Dogfish Bar is a real nice place for the light tackle angler to look for some good fishing after dark when conditions are favorable.

Pilot's Point Landing

Pilots Point Landing A long walk toward the light but can be very rewarding as big stripers can sometimes be found here and there is very little fishing pressure. Eels and big swimming plugs are your best bet. Park in the Lobsterville parking area. Try the middle of a rising tide and don't ignore Dogfish Bar on the way down.

Gay Head/Aquinnah Beach

Gay Head Beach Another long walk from the lower lighthouse parking lot. This spot is often overlooked because of the walk but is a very good spot for Stripers. As you walk under the cliffs, start fishing as soon as the lighthouse comes into view above you. There is a lot of structure here so eels and shallow running big swimmers fished slowly are the ticket. A flooding tide and southwest wind is best.

Philbin Beach

As you proceed down Moshups Trail from the Gay Head Light, the Philbin Beach parking lot is on your right. Park at your own risk between dusk and dawn and work the beach from directly out in front and towards the cliffs. This is a particularly good late season spot for schoolies as this seems to be their last stop before migrating out of here. Small poppers at first light will usually produce.

Squibnocket Beach

Accessible off South Road in Chilmark but not during the day in the summer. The best fishing is at night with eels and large Danny type swimmers. Baig fishermen also do well here right in front of the parking lot with cut bait and fresh squid. The mussel bar down the beach to the right is also very good. Get on the bar at low tide and fish until the tide pushes you off. The infamous Squibnocket Bass Stand is all the way out to the far point on the right but this is a long and dangerous walk over a boulder-strewn shoreline and should not be attempted alone or without a wading staff. Some very large fish can be caught throughout this entire area, but you'll have to work at it. This area is not for the faint of heart.

Long Beach / Tisbury Great Pond

The winter entrance can be accessed by Deep Bottom Road, just past the Airport off South Road. The Trustees of the Reservations own and manage this area and there is a fee during the day. There is a long drive to the Trustees visitors center and another long walk tothe beach. A good spot for bait casters using fresh squid. Eel slingers also do well here as do anglers fishing big swimmers. This spot can be very dangerous when the pond is open and the water is running out. Be very careful and do not attempt to wade into the opening as the combination of a strong current and soft sand can quickly throw you off balance.

Right Fork - Katama

A bait dunkers paradise. This entire stretch of beach is the place for fishing the bottom with live eels, cut bait and fresh squid. Dusk and dawn are best, but this spot can be fished during the day, especially in the fall. It can appear crowded but there is plenty of room to fish. The fall will also produce an occasional blitz of Bluefish and/or Stripers for the lure and fly fisherman.

Left Fork - Katama

The same as the Right Fork and don't overlook the area in between. There is an old World War II bunker that can sometimes be seen at low tide. This spot can old some big fish.

Wasque Point

Erosion has taken it's toll on this famous spot and reduced the size of it considerably, but it is still a great place to fish particularly during mid to late May when the Bluefish arrive lean and hungry after their long migration and blitzes occur. Fish the ebbing or West running tide with two to three ounce metals, Roberts Rangers and Spoffords Ballistic Missiles. Lime green, red/white slash are your best color bets, but on a bright sunny day a chrome Roberts will usually out-fish everything else. If you lack a four-wheel drive permit, exit the Chappy Ferry and drive to the very end of the main road. During the day, there is a small fee to access the fisherman's parking lot. From there it is a short walk down a well-defined path and stairway to the beach. A good spot to bring the family for the day as admission gets you access to another area of the reservation as well. Caution - when blitzes occur or the fishing is hot, this place can get wild. Watch the veterans and be mindful of how you cast and fight your fish, and make room for anglers walking fish down the beach. False Albacore, Spanish Mackerel and Bonito can also be caught here in the fall.

East Beach

This entire beach can be good when the Bluefish are in. A good spot for bait dunkers in the fall as well. False Albacore, Bonito and Spanish Mackerel are also caught here in good numbers. There is plenty of room for everyone and the Trustees bathing beach is a good spot for walk-on anglers lacking a four-wheel drive permit. Drive to the Chappy Bridge and walk to the bathing beach.

East Beach Jetty

Wall to wall during the Derby as False Albacore and Bonito consistently visit this entire area. A four-wheel drive permit is required to get here. The last four hours of a falling tide are best, but any time the tide is moving you can usually find fish. First light is usually best. Late spring striper fishing is also good in this area and fly and spin fishermen do well here at night with swimmers and big flys.

Cape Poge

Cape Poge is legendary among striper fishermen on Martha's Vineyard. Fish of 50 pounds or more have been taken here in years past, and this is a great place to catch fish of any size. Extensive mid-depth flats over sand, grass, and rock bottom create ideal habitat for a variety of fish. A strong current sweeps past Cape Poge making for ideal feeding conditions as well. Access to Cape Poge is by boat or four-wheel drive vehicle. Please secure the required Trustees of Reservations oversand vehicle permit if you wish to drive on the beach here, and be sure to bring all required safety equipment as the sand can be soft on the approach to Cape Poge. Both spring and fall will bring large numbers of stripers to the waters around Cape Poge, and late summer into fall will find plenty of false albacore prowling these waters - a great bet for anglers with a boat rigged for light tackle.

Cape Poge Gut

Cape Poge Gut is a haven for flyrodders and surfcasters alike. This natural inlet to Cape Poge Bay has deep water and fast current, along with plenty of bait from the flats on both sides of the inlet. Schools of blues entertain anglers here when the timing is right, and anglers who can cast a plug to the middle of the "Gut" will be in good shape to take some nice blues when the feed is on. Choose a Ballistic Missile, Roberts Ranger, or metal. Sand eel imitations like the Stinger or Deadly Dick are good at the "Gut", and be sure to bring a few Yo-Zuri Metallic Sardines. Striped bass fishing at night can be very good on the flats just inside Cape Poge Bay, to your right as the tide is running in. Flyrodders will flock to the "Gut" in mid-September when warm water brings False Albacore into Nantucket and Vineyard Sound. Incoming water at daybreak is your best bet to find these speedsters at the "Gut", and makes for the excellent fishing that has given this place the nickname "Albie Alley". Small white deceivers, Chartreuse and White Epoxy Minnows, and green sand eel imitations will all do the trick at the right time. Switch fly color if the one you're using isn't working. White flies are often best when fish are feeding on silversides, chartreuse or green when fish are on sand eels. Don't hesitate to dead drift the fly if the current is heavy, and a sinking line will help pick up fish here when the surface is very choppy. A northeast wind can be a real bummer for flyrodders here in the fall, so keep this in mind. Left-handed casters will have an advantage in this situation.

Soft Side Cape Pogue Pond empties through this sluice. An incoming tide is usually best for False Albacore and Bonito but Bluefish and Stripers are also caught here on jigs, metals, small swimmers, plastics and live and cut bait. Early mornings and dusk are best. A popular but beautiful spot to fish if you have a four-wheel drive permit from the Trustees.

North Neck (Hard Side) This is the opposite side of the Gut, accessible off the Chappy Road. Take a left on North Neck Road (about a mile after you exit the ferry) and follow almost to the end. The Town of Edgartown maintains a small (ten car) parking lot there and the property is owned and maintained by the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank. No fee is collected and no permit is required. Walk up and over the cliff and access the beach via the stairway. An extremely popular fly-fishing spot so get the first ferry and stakeout your spot early. False Albacore pin the bait right at your feet here, but Bluefish and Stripers also frequent the area. Both tides produce but a dropping tide seems to be best for Stripers. Fly fishermen wade out to the deeper channel on the east side of the dock and fish the incoming tide.