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Martha's Vineyard Fishing Report: Stripers, Tautog, and Squid Abound as Spring Fishing Heats Up
Published 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Hey there, fellow anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Martha's Vineyard fishing report for Monday, May 5th, 2025.
The spring fishing season is really starting to heat up around the Vineyard! After that unusually cold start to the year, water temperatures are finally climbing to where they should be, and the fish are responding.
Striped bass are making their annual migration into our waters right now. While we're not seeing the main body of the migration just yet, schoolies are being caught with increasing frequency, especially the holdovers in our rivers and salt ponds. The South Shore has been the hotspot for the first real striper action this season. If you're targeting these bass, try working small soft plastics or bucktail jigs slowly in the moving water around river mouths.
Tautog fishing has been absolutely stellar in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. Local anglers have been limiting out by targeting rock piles outside of river mouths, particularly during falling tides when that slightly warmer water washes out crabs and other crustaceans from the backwaters. Small green crabs with the legs trimmed have been the ticket to keeper-sized fish. Both jigs and traditional rigs are producing, so come prepared with both setups.
The big news is that squid have arrived in force throughout the area. They're showing up well under dock lights at night, so if you're looking to stock up on some fresh bait (or enjoy some calamari), now's the time. These squid will make excellent bait as we move further into bottom fishing season.
Speaking of bottom fishing, scup season opened on May 1st, and black sea bass season is just around the corner, opening in about two weeks in Massachusetts waters.
We're also expecting bluefish to make their appearance any day now, as they typically start showing up in mid to late May around the Vineyard.
For hot spots this week, I'd recommend checking out the rock piles outside of Lagoon Pond for tautog, and Wasque Point for early stripers. The river mouths along Vineyard Haven are also producing fish as bait moves in and out with the tides. Both bunker and herring are present in good numbers.
As for today's conditions: sunrise was at 5:34 AM and sunset will be at 7:51 PM. We've got overcast skies with temperatures in the mid-60s and a light northeast breeze around 5-8 knots. Tide is currently falling and will bottom out around 11:30 AM before the flood begins.
Remember folks, the fishing is only going to improve from here on out as we head into peak season. So get out there while you can, and I'll see you on the water!
This is Artificial Lure signing off until next time!
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
The spring fishing season is really starting to heat up around the Vineyard! After that unusually cold start to the year, water temperatures are finally climbing to where they should be, and the fish are responding.
Striped bass are making their annual migration into our waters right now. While we're not seeing the main body of the migration just yet, schoolies are being caught with increasing frequency, especially the holdovers in our rivers and salt ponds. The South Shore has been the hotspot for the first real striper action this season. If you're targeting these bass, try working small soft plastics or bucktail jigs slowly in the moving water around river mouths.
Tautog fishing has been absolutely stellar in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. Local anglers have been limiting out by targeting rock piles outside of river mouths, particularly during falling tides when that slightly warmer water washes out crabs and other crustaceans from the backwaters. Small green crabs with the legs trimmed have been the ticket to keeper-sized fish. Both jigs and traditional rigs are producing, so come prepared with both setups.
The big news is that squid have arrived in force throughout the area. They're showing up well under dock lights at night, so if you're looking to stock up on some fresh bait (or enjoy some calamari), now's the time. These squid will make excellent bait as we move further into bottom fishing season.
Speaking of bottom fishing, scup season opened on May 1st, and black sea bass season is just around the corner, opening in about two weeks in Massachusetts waters.
We're also expecting bluefish to make their appearance any day now, as they typically start showing up in mid to late May around the Vineyard.
For hot spots this week, I'd recommend checking out the rock piles outside of Lagoon Pond for tautog, and Wasque Point for early stripers. The river mouths along Vineyard Haven are also producing fish as bait moves in and out with the tides. Both bunker and herring are present in good numbers.
As for today's conditions: sunrise was at 5:34 AM and sunset will be at 7:51 PM. We've got overcast skies with temperatures in the mid-60s and a light northeast breeze around 5-8 knots. Tide is currently falling and will bottom out around 11:30 AM before the flood begins.
Remember folks, the fishing is only going to improve from here on out as we head into peak season. So get out there while you can, and I'll see you on the water!
This is Artificial Lure signing off until next time!
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.