Episode Details
Back to Episodes
"Martha's Vineyard Fishing Report: Fall Blitz on Stripers, Blues, and Tog"
Published 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Just past sunrise here on Martha’s Vineyard, it’s Saturday, October 11th, and this is Artificial Lure with your latest local fishing intel. The morning’s calm and cool, with sunrise over the island at 6:49 AM—an earlier wake-up call than last month, but the bite is absolutely worth it. Sunset will be at 6:05 PM, so pack plenty of snacks and keep your headlamp handy for later.
Let’s talk tides—tide’s the ticket this time of year. Over at Barnstable this morning, it’s already on the move with a low tide at 9:16 AM following a monster 10.22-foot high tide at 2:57 AM, and then another big surge coming in at 3:10 PM, topping out at 11.53 feet. That late afternoon flood is prime time for fish on the move. Down island, at Lucy Vincent Beach, the tidal swing was dramatic yesterday—hit almost four feet at high—and you can expect the same today, so watch those beaches and boulder fields as the tide drops and fish stack up waiting for bait to get flushed out.
As for the weather, according to the National Weather Service, today’s going to be breezy, so strap your hat down. Winds look to start out of the southeast at 10 to 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots in the afternoon, with seas 2 to 3 feet. Tonight, that wind cranks up to 20, maybe 25 knots out of the east, and those waves will build—up to 5 to 7 feet after midnight. Translation: get your fix early, because the seas are going to get rude later. There’s even a Storm Watch kicking in Sunday afternoon through Monday—keep an eye on those marine forecasts.
Now, what’s biting? Reports from this week have the fall run in full swing from the canal to Nantucket Sound—stripers, blues, and the occasional monster tog are chewing. Lots of slot-size stripers around Menemsha and around the old pilings near State Beach. The Vineyard Derby is still buzzing in people’s ears, so there’s been extra scrutiny on the catch, but plenty of anglers are connecting on 28- to 36-inch linesiders from both boat and shore. Charter boats working the rips and rocky points are also coaxing up bluefish—some real gators out there—and the bottom specialists are finding black sea bass and bigger-than-usual scup in the deeper channels. The only thing missing is the false albacore, but don’t count them out—this wind could chase a few in.
As a local, I swear by the classics: bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp or soft plastic minnows for the stripers, deadly when bounced off the rocks or swept along the dropoffs. For the bluefish, a simple white or chartreuse popper will get their attention, and an epoxy jig or Diamond Jig does the trick for the jig-and-drift guys. For the tog and sea bass, a high-low rig with green crab or squid strip—deadly. Fly guys are doing work with Clousers and Deceivers in chartreuse and olive, especially around the tide changes.
Ok, where should you go? First, try the stretch from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown—the jetties and pilings hold fish all day, but peak with the flood tide. Second, hit the Gay Head cliffs—where the bottom drops off and the current picks up, you’ll find both stripers and blues stacked up. Third, for the bravest, the east side of Squibnocket Point on the outgoing; a big, shallow flat that can become a conveyor belt of bait when the tide’s falling—just be careful with the wind picking up later.
Finally, check your gear, grab your rain slicker, and go find some fish. The Vineyard’s firing right now—don’t miss this late-season blitz. Thanks for tuning in to the report—be sure to subscribe for daily updates, and keep your lines tight and your stories tall.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Let’s talk tides—tide’s the ticket this time of year. Over at Barnstable this morning, it’s already on the move with a low tide at 9:16 AM following a monster 10.22-foot high tide at 2:57 AM, and then another big surge coming in at 3:10 PM, topping out at 11.53 feet. That late afternoon flood is prime time for fish on the move. Down island, at Lucy Vincent Beach, the tidal swing was dramatic yesterday—hit almost four feet at high—and you can expect the same today, so watch those beaches and boulder fields as the tide drops and fish stack up waiting for bait to get flushed out.
As for the weather, according to the National Weather Service, today’s going to be breezy, so strap your hat down. Winds look to start out of the southeast at 10 to 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots in the afternoon, with seas 2 to 3 feet. Tonight, that wind cranks up to 20, maybe 25 knots out of the east, and those waves will build—up to 5 to 7 feet after midnight. Translation: get your fix early, because the seas are going to get rude later. There’s even a Storm Watch kicking in Sunday afternoon through Monday—keep an eye on those marine forecasts.
Now, what’s biting? Reports from this week have the fall run in full swing from the canal to Nantucket Sound—stripers, blues, and the occasional monster tog are chewing. Lots of slot-size stripers around Menemsha and around the old pilings near State Beach. The Vineyard Derby is still buzzing in people’s ears, so there’s been extra scrutiny on the catch, but plenty of anglers are connecting on 28- to 36-inch linesiders from both boat and shore. Charter boats working the rips and rocky points are also coaxing up bluefish—some real gators out there—and the bottom specialists are finding black sea bass and bigger-than-usual scup in the deeper channels. The only thing missing is the false albacore, but don’t count them out—this wind could chase a few in.
As a local, I swear by the classics: bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp or soft plastic minnows for the stripers, deadly when bounced off the rocks or swept along the dropoffs. For the bluefish, a simple white or chartreuse popper will get their attention, and an epoxy jig or Diamond Jig does the trick for the jig-and-drift guys. For the tog and sea bass, a high-low rig with green crab or squid strip—deadly. Fly guys are doing work with Clousers and Deceivers in chartreuse and olive, especially around the tide changes.
Ok, where should you go? First, try the stretch from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown—the jetties and pilings hold fish all day, but peak with the flood tide. Second, hit the Gay Head cliffs—where the bottom drops off and the current picks up, you’ll find both stripers and blues stacked up. Third, for the bravest, the east side of Squibnocket Point on the outgoing; a big, shallow flat that can become a conveyor belt of bait when the tide’s falling—just be careful with the wind picking up later.
Finally, check your gear, grab your rain slicker, and go find some fish. The Vineyard’s firing right now—don’t miss this late-season blitz. Thanks for tuning in to the report—be sure to subscribe for daily updates, and keep your lines tight and your stories tall.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.