July 31st Fishing Report

Oh where to begin…Let’s start with the obvious… Fishing is still awesome!  Blues, bass, bonito, black sea bass, and fluke are all in our fishery.  All are accessible, fun and available. Many beach fishermen this time of year get jealous of the boat guys because of their access to the open water, but beach guys, remember, this is when most of the great beach “funny” fishing begins to happen.

What’s “funny” fishing? It is when the bonito and the albies begin to show.  While the albies are still likely weeks away we have a lot of bonito in our water and many more to come, and while many people jump on their boats and run right to the bonito bar, the jetties and Great Point are just as good destinations.  Our island’s best beach fishermen in fact tend to make Great Point home for the next two months as this is when Great Point lights up with “funny” fish, particularly in the early morning.   

IN fact, daily I get the question of “where should I go beach fishing?” and without hesitation I tend to say Great Point in the early morning or evening.  In August, when we have the sand eels in thick, it is the most consistent fishery we have from the beach.  You can also catch a mixed bag of blues, bass and bones.  If the point is inaccessible to you though, no worries we have tons of other areas to fish as well.  Smiths Point area, from the access point all the way to the point, is also fishing tremendously well and is holding all three species as well.  If you want to target massive bluefish, Nobadeer to Tom Nevers has been great as well as Quidnet on the east side.  Getting the drift... fish are all around the island.  While the waters have warmed a ton, there are still bass being caught in the twilight hours and at nighttime.  Perhaps the best location to target these guys from the beach if you can not get to either point is “point of breakers” right near surfside, in the white water.

From the boat, blues in particular have been more than plentiful and they are huge! Particularly on the east side of the island off of quidnet and on the south side of the island from Surfside to Ton Nevers.   If you are targeting these fish, bring PLENTY of lures as they will crush your gear, but honestly it is worth it.  They are a ton of fun and plentiful.  There are plenty of other spots to catch blues as well, not just the gaiters: Great Point Rip has them, most the western rips are full of bluefish as is old man.  WIth all the bait in our fishery the blues are all around us with a variety of sizes as well.  This is the time of year where if you see small terns, you will find sand eels, and likely there are blues, sea bass or even bonito under.

Bonito… WHile the bonito bar is typically the most consistent spot to go, it has been good to this point, but not great.  The bar fishes best on an incoming tide and there have been plenty of blues/bass there and some bonito, but the weather has just been incredibly inconsistent, so tough to have a few good days there to get on them. This fishery should firm up over the weekend though.  As mentioned before though, there is a ton of bait on the jetties and in the harbor and everything is setting up to have another stellar year of harbor bonito fishing.  This is a ton of fun as these fish set-up just like albies and it takes patience and skill to SLOWLY creep a boat on them and hit with a good cast to frothy fish.  The chase is worth it though, when you hook up.

And never forget our bottom fishing.  Sea bass are now all over the west end as well as Sankaty and the south east corner.  When the sand eels get here, they are typically everywhere on the outer edges of the island and this year is no exception.  Our Fluke fishing is still strong too, particularly east of the island.  If you are in the market for some dinner fish, this is recommended.  

My last point is I have heard numerous stories of boats stuck out in the fog this year.  This has been an incredibly difficult weather summer, particularly with all the humidity and the pop up thunderstorms.  Please always monitor the weather before you leave on a boat trip and while you are out there.  I am on the water 10+ hours a day and check the weather 5-7 times a day even on the most beautiful days to monitor likelihood of fog rolling in as well as storms.  We have had more “unexpected” thunderstorms this year than any year I can remember.  As amazing as the water is make sure you are prepared!  For when you are, the memories and experiences are always worth it! 

July 14th Fishing Report

I love the fact our fishing community is so engaged these days.  I also love the fact the we have Bluefish again this year.  I regularly hear reports of people catching multiple bluefish from the beach on any given night. 

Bluefish will always hold a spot in my heart, because it was the first fish that I could remember catching. I can still smell the day 35 years later.  It was a stormy summer day with west wind and I was sitting on the beach of Great Point. I was five years old and casting into the wind.  Low and behold after a few casts, my line went tight and everyone around me went crazy. I felt like a hero for the day. 

Bluefish for me are so fun because they are so visual.  Generally, I target these fish with a top water plug. Personally, I love fishing a Hopkins because you can cast it a mile.  Once it lands, reel it as fast as you can and watch the plug skipping across the water.  My favorite feeling is watching the Bluefish’s initial chase.  The dolphin up behind the plug and inevitably miss the plug a time or two before line goes tight.  This is why I love to fish.

Anglers have been catching Bluefish from every corner of our little Island. Perhaps the most productive fishery has been from Surfside Beach in the evenings.  I’ve heard of multiple fish caught in Madaket, Miacomet and Tom Nevers. So go where you have access!  Eel Point also continues to be very good from the beach.

We heard of a crazy story from Eel Point this week, and I guess this should not come as a surprise since it has been a different kind of year. Terrence Boylan was fishing from the beach with a Roberts Bounder.  He was fishing topwater when there was an explosion at the end of the line. My guess is he could only think it was a Bluefish until a four foot thin, silvery fish explodes out of the water. My understanding is that it danced on the surface several times.  This fish measured in around four feet and was initially labeled as a Needle Fish, but has since been identified as a Houndfish. Houndfish are relatively rare in shore, but if you push offshore a bit, you’ll find some.  Especially with the warm water we have and the south wind that keeps pushing more and more warm water on us.  My guess is we’ll hear more of these stories in the coming weeks. You never know what you are going to catch!

Striped Bass are still around, but if you are targeting them from the beach           , my advice is to go in the low light hours.  The south shore is still the easiest fishery, but the fish continue to be on the smaller side. If you want to fish well into the night, the harbor has been your best bet. We’ve also had some good reports in the last couple of days on the east side of the Island, where we usually have some cooler water.

From a boat, Great Point is back to it’s old ways. It’s holding a lot of fish! There are even some bass in the mix, but for the most part it is Bluefish.  To target Striped Bass, our suggestion is to fish moving water to the east or to the west of the Island. The rips have a ton of bait moving through them and the water is cooler. These fish sit just below and pounce on the bait.  Bigger swimming plugs have been the most productive.

While it seemed as if the Island went a little Bonito crazy in June, we expect this fishery to become productive in the next week or two. The bait is setting up well and so are the water temps.  Be prepared with a metal in your bag or small swimming plug.

Expect the unexpected in the next few weeks.  It should be fun!  Go wet a line!

July 7th Fishing Report

Dear Fishermen and Friends,

As we are getting towards Mid-July waters have started to warm and as a result our fishery is changing. This change is not a bad thing, in fact in the last three days we have been inundated with fresh bait. We have had the second wave of sand eels and the fish are feasting. Most everywhere you look on the water, the terns are having a field day and when you see terns, there is often fish below! Now most know the warming waters lead to less bass, while true, it also has led to more bluefish than we have seen in the last 6 years. We are again hearing many anglers boasting about catching blues every cast off the beach. The south shore in the last few evenings has been like the "old times."

This does not mean that Striped Bass are gone, just the opposite in fact, they are still here, just not as thick. If you pay attention while at the beach you will see them swimming through your legs eating sand crabs. You can catch these fish during the day, you just need to have patience and get away from the people.

That said, If you are focused on Striped Bass these days, your best bet is to find moving, active water or/and to fish at twilight/night. The South Shore continues to hold a decent number of fish, especially with all the bait. Generally, target these guys in low light situations, because that is when they are most active, but guys are catching them all day if you know what to do. These fish are tight into the shore, in very turbulent water, so you’ll need to fish at a 45-degree angle and focus on the crashing waves. 

In order to target the big fish, it's best to fish at night. Bigger bass are smarter and generally sit in the deeper colder water during the day and come up into the shallows at night. These fish stalk their prey slowly, so no need to rush your retrieve. Whenever anyone asks me how fast to retrieve a plug at night I always go as slow as you can go and then go half that speed. Seriously, just the smallest movements get the biggest strikes. Ask Chuck Duce, who landed a fat 37” fish in the harbor this week. Chuck is an incredibly patient and experienced fisherman. He’s been fishing these waters all of his life. Don’t let this fish fool you, many nights he goes without catching a fish, but that is why he is rewarded. There is nothing like having experience in our or any fishery. We all have a lot to learn and time on the water is the best teacher. Great work Chuck!

As the bass inshore are getting more selective, we feel very fortunate to have so many Bluefish around the Island. In recent years, this has not been the case. We have had fewer and fewer fish. While it doesn’t seem like the old days, its pretty darn good. If you are fishing on the East or South side of the Island, there are lots and lots of slicks. A slick is an area where a school of Bluefish are eating and the remnants look like an oil slick on top of the water. It also has a very distinct sweet smell. If you see a slick, stop and fish right near it with a top water plug. You’ll love the action it produces! 

There are also a lot of Bluefish at Great Point and in the inshore rips. Great Point has long been a fun destination for anglers who are comfortable on their boat fishing the rips but don’t want to run too far offshore. In recent years, this historic fishery has felt more like a desert, this year has been the opposite. A friend was telling me that he caught four species at rip in a matter of a few hours. He boated several bluefish easily. He caught a handful of bass and caught a Black Sea Bass as well. Lastly, he caught two keeper Fluke!

And if you are looking for bass and are comfortable on the boat, Monomoy still has them as do the western edges as well as old man. We still have lots of bass around the island, you just need to go find them. That said, great point is producing as well.

The bottom fishing continues to be very very good. It’s exciting for us at the shop as it feels like the pendulum is swinging. For years, it felt like we had to convince people to bottom fish, these days we are seeing anglers ask us more and more what they can do to get into it. The easy bet is to fish the east side of the Island. Fish in 25-30 ft of water anywhere from Wauwinet to Sankaty and drift with the tide. Make sure to mark every fish you catch, as you’ll start to see a pattern. Fish concentrate over structure. While you may not see it on your depth finder, there is likely a pile of cobble laying on the ocean floor attracting the fish. 

Our fishery is changing by the day and we urge you to adapt, because that is the fun part of fishing. Our favorite thing to do is to explore and figure it out. Go wet a line and enjoy this amazing stretch of weather.

Go wet a line.

June 24th Fishing Report

Dear Fishermen and Friends,

Bait, Bait and Bait. Without Bait, you don’t have a fishery. Without food, you can’t get customers to a restaurant. When people ask where do we go fish. Fish where the bait is, because then you’ll find the fish.  How do you know where the bait is?  First, look for birds. Birds don’t just fly for exercise; they are generally working a food source.  Often though, we find bait without birds. Bait generally gets pushed by the currents and falls into predictable patterns.  If it’s your first time on the water, you may not know yet what the patterns are, but you will.  Usually look for moving water. Any time the tide is moving is good for fishing, when the tide is slack, there is nothing to push the bait and they can disappoint. 

I’m bringing up bait because I can’t remember having so much bait in our fishery. I’ve fished here for twenty years, which is not long, but in speaking with a lot of friends, they agree.  We have loads of sand eels inshore, Bunker, Squid, Herring, and Mackerel. The variety and quantity are insane.  We are very confident that the large amount of big bait is because of the lack of squid boats so bait is getting through and naturally.  Does this finally prove our point?!   As for the mature sand eels, our guess is the warm pop in March pushed a lot of the offshore bait inshore to reproduce early. 

With all this bait, we have seen Tuna inshore, Mako’s leaping in the rips, a surge of Bonito, more Striped Bass than I ever remember seeing and mostly feeding top water and what feels like a lot of Bluefish compared to recent years. It feels like a National Geographic show out there.

Bluefish are making a comeback!  And we love it.  The easiest place to target these classic Nantucket fish is from Dionis. You can fish these guys from the beach, but from a boat it is super fun as there are acres of them. You’ll get all top water action. Great Point is now holding plenty of Blues and Bass.  We have also been seeing big slicks east of the Island.  These are bigger fish and hopefully the start of bigger biomass of blues coming into our waters.  The timing is right as we typically see Bluefish around Nantucket in full force by early July. Keep your fingers crossed.

Striped Bass continue to be most people’s focus these days. There are tons of people fishing the South Shore. People are consistently catching fish from Madaket to Tom Nevers, but it is a more of a steady pick and the fish are still pretty small. The Sewer Beds and Madaquecham have been your best bets. But go wherever you have easy access and look for deeper water or good troughs. Whenever fishing a new stretch of beach, I stand up on the dunes and do my best to read the water.  Unless I know it pretty well, you’ll often then see me walking the beach while fishing to see where fish might be congregating. The harbor is also still holding good numbers of fish as is the outside of coatue.  The best bet for bigger fish is in the late evening or at night.

From the boat, look for moving water.  The rips have been extremely productive. This includes both the western and eastern rips as well as the water up near Monomoy. The best bet is to look for birds on the edges and you’ll know where the bait is.  If you are uncomfortable fishing that moving water, good for you!  Stay in your comfort zone.  The east side of the Island, specifically down near Sankaty, has had acres of fish and bait on the surface. Without a major weather change. This should hold.  By the way, when we are seeing fishing like that, those fish are sure to push up on the beach as well. Especially at night. 

Lastly, a fish that Nantucket is known for from Anglers on the east coast, but actually doesn’t get respected enough from most visitors to the Island is our Fluke Fishery.  This is only accessible from the boat, but it is so much fun and so good!  Many people think of a 10lb Fluke like a 50 lb Bass.  It is a fish of a lifetime. I think I saw Bob Decosta post in Social Media this week, that fish has eluded him after all these years.  And that guy can fish! Anyway, we are hearing of some big Fluke being caught these days and fish that are in that range. In fact a great friend, Norm Frazee landed a fish that weighed in at the Anglers Club at exactly 10 lbs, on Fathers Day.  You deserve it my friend!

Go enjoy our evolving fishery. It is so much fun out there right now. 

July 19th Fishing Report

It’s the time of year where we really settle into summer. Our fishing in June is consistently amazing, but the weather is consistently crazy. The only predictable pieces of the 4th of July week are crazy crowds and plenty of fog. This past week has felt like a giant breath of fresh air as our weather feels like summer, our water temps have risen and the crowds have subsided to the point where you might have a little more free time to go fishing!

The best news of the week is that Bluefish have enjoyed this consistency as well and they have pushed into our local waters. In order to manage expectations, the numbers are still not like five years ago, but any population of fish at this point is really welcome! Our best action seems to be off of Dionis, both from the boat and the beach. These fish are 3-4 pounds and are pretty hungry. For the most part, they are feeding off of the Sand Eels coming off of the flats, having said that, there is no need to “match the hatch.” Bluefish are aggressive by nature and will attack most lures with good action. On lazy days, swim a metal just under the surface. On other days, fish top water and wait for the explosion. Remember to always use a leader since these fish have teeth. A lot of people are still using wire leaders, a nod back to the old days, but I always recommend using an 60 - 80 lb mono leader as this still gives you the opportunity to catch a bass and when you are landing the Bluefish, it is much easier on your hands.

We are also seeing decent numbers of Bluefish in all of the usual spots around the Island. Great Point Rip has just starting filling in and we have fish up and down the East Side. We are seeing some of our bigger fish on the East Side, but they are still patchy. From the beach Quidnet has been the best producer, but a few fish have also been caught at point of breakers and those willing to walk out to the tip of smith point have had a good deal of success.

From the boat, we continue to see more and more people catch a ton of fluke. Fluke fishing and sea bass fishing has become a key piece of this fishery. They are plentiful, provide dinner fare, and are fun to catch. Much of the great fluke and sea bass fishing is taking place on the east side of the island, although the west side has huge moving schools of sea bass that are sitting under birds south of muskeget.

It seems like in every article we write, we share the “cool things” we saw on the water this week. Well, This week a few whales have shown up on the South Shore again! It is so fun to watch these magical creatures in their natural environment. Over the last couple of years, we’ve been spoiled to see whales somewhat consistently in shore. Also cool, we saw a Pelican earlier this week in Miacomet Rip. It’s been a few years since we had those Pelicans living at Great Point. So fun!

We are also still seeing plenty of stripers as well. Both boat and beach fishermen continue catch in strong numbers. Many of the fish are still small closer to the shore, but they are plentiful and available. Those looking for bigger fish and are on the beach should focus their efforts at night time, while if on a boat, you should try and get on a charter and run east or north of the island where there are a good number of large fish. Monomoy shoals has been perhaps the most consistent producer this season.

Fishing is awesome right now...

There are not too many ways to say it, but fishing is excellent right now. Simply excellent. If you are up here for the week, please make sure to find a way to get out on the water. We can not say it enough. This is the best bass fishing in years and the bluefish are coming in thicker and we even saw another bonito today…. Honestly. please find a way to get on the water, whether it be from beach or boat. You won’t regret it. For sepcifics, stop into the shop as for where to go. Go wet a line!

June 27th Fishing Report

It is with a heavy heart that I write this fishing report as one of our fishing community is still on the high seas fishing. I will not recap what happened, but the entire fishing community and island has been saddened all week with the disappearance of Vitaly Filiutovich. As with all moments of sadness, there are many ways we can handle it and we hope that rather than hide and be scared of the “what ifs”, that the Nantucket community will pick up their rod, grab their kids and get out and go fishing.

It is the end of June and all of us who live here are exhausted from making this island perfect for ourselves and those who call Nantucket home in the summer. Those coming to visit us are exhausted from the stresses and toil of the real world, school and all of life’s stresses. It is a perfect moment for the ENTIRE Nantucket community to count their blessings for how fortunate we are and to forget about the to do lists and to find time for what matters most…. family, friends and…fishing.

As you have read in the reports all season long we are having the best striper season in memory. This is largely because of the large amount of bait in the water. Now one might ask, we have been hearing about bait being overfished for years, why is it now so solid? The big reason is the squid laid their mops early and many of eggs were able to hatch before the squid boats got to them and thus our water now has immature and mature squid in it, which is a striped basses dream. Our water also has some herring, as well as mature and the first signs of immature sand eels. An early Spring helped our baitfish and both fishermen and stripers are benefiting.

Our fishery is also starting to fill in with Bluefish, Fluke and SeaBass. I would not say these fish are thick yet, but they are coming and the fluke in particular are getting more and more abundant by the day and are definitely worth fishing for.

From the beach, the southeast side has a lot of fish, but also a lot of weed. Most of the fishing right now is focused on the south shore from Tom Nevers to Cisco. Throughout the whole stretch fish any spot that looks fishy. What does that mean, well, wherever there is a shallow spot or white water, fish on the down-tide side of that shallow spot. If this doesn’t make sense, come in and ask…. But there are lots of fish and they are still aggressive. These fish are attacking bombers as well as soft plastics.

From the boat, the western edges are still producing as are the southeastern edges. Both have a ton of fish and are loaded with life. As discussed with a friend this week, there is “an explosion of life” out there. There have even been a few whales spotted on the south side. Great Point has been producing as well, which is exciting. It has not been hot and heavy, but it is producing. bluefish and bass. Sankaty has also been good to fishermen who are fsihing down deep. Those looking to push to cape cod, there are also bass up at hankerchief shoal.

As you go fish this coming week, please make sure to stay safe. We hope everyone takes this week to relax, celebrate and be thankful for what they have and where we live and please donate some positive thoughts to our fellow fisherman Vitaly.

June 13th Fishing Report

We always look forward to the middle of June, specifically June 15th as this is the date when stripers typically start coming into their full glory. Well goodness me, these fish have outperformed so far this year and are here and are active. The island is now officially surrounded with fish being caught off the south shore and east side as well as the harbor and the north shore. If you take a boat around the island you will find piles of birds every couple of miles and under those birds are sand eels and squid and stripers and some blues chasing them around.

If you are not here and love stripers, find a way to get here and if you are here and are working too hard, take the time off!

As for where to go: If you are in a boat, just drive around the island. The western edges have fish, miacomet rip has fish, old man has fish, sankaty has fish and great point has fish. Great point is not as consistent as the southern edges, but there are fish there. And likely, on your way anywhere, you will see piles of birds on bait…Fish these as well. If you are fishing in an edge, you are going to want to fish something with a higher profile, a Squid fly pattern, 9-10 inch Hogy or Albie Snax or Sluggo. Try and leave the treble hooks at home as the single hooks work and are way better for the fish. if you are fishing birds, go for a low profile lure such as a small hogy paddletail or a deadly dick, something that mimics the sand eels. ***Remember, the reason the bass are so active in the rips this time of year is because they are chasing the squid, but in the open water, they can not catch the squid so they are after the sand eels.

If you are a beach fishermen, you are in luck as daily we are hearing people catch multiple fish in an outing. Again, the south shore has been hot. Cisco/Nobadeer and Sconset are the two access points we would push you too. As for what people are using, its is a mixed bag, but small weighted soft plastics have been key. Bombers work as well, but can cause some serious damage. Also, don’t be afraid to throw something on the surface such as an Atom Popper.

As for size of these fish, we are hearing of some fish in the mid to high 30’s being caught, which is awesome, but most of the fish people are catching are schoolies. As many of you have heard, this winter striped bass were deemed to be “overfished” which is a technical term meaning that fish are not reproducing at a fast enough rate to replace the amount of fish being extracted from the fishery. The simple explanation is that for years we have been over-harvesting the breeding fish To the naked eye, it seems that the Striper population is incredibly healthy, but the problem is that we do not have enough big fish to reproduce. We have heard from regulators that they plan on adjusting regulation in the Fall, until then, it is up to anglers to fish in a way that reduces mortality and to be thoughtful about keeping fish.

None of the above is meant to discourage fishing, more to be mindful while doing so. We have an incredibly special fishery that it is up to us to maintain. Keep fishing and tell us the stories.

May 31st Fishing Report

We love Spring Fishing, We love Spring Fishing, We love Spring Fishing! You just never know what you are going to get. Just last evening I got texts/emails from 4 different friends telling me of them catching fish at Dusk. This got me fired up for fishing today. A slow start led to a strong finish and we had an awesome day catching stripers in the sun on the surface. Than the greatest gift of all, I am greeted at the dock by my wife and son and I say we are going to catch James a fish. Well an hour later, three fish on the line and 7 fish missed we still have the skunk on the boat but boy are we laughing and having fun.

I share all of the above, because what makes Spring so much fun is the unpredictability. Some days are awesome, some are ok, but you are always moving and hunting and no matter the results with the fish so close to shore, the fishing scene is always gorgeous and worthwhile.

As for Locations: we are starting to hear of stripers being caught on the South Shore and Low Beach even produced a #releaser on Wednesday evening. We have yet to hear the South Shore get hot and heavy, but this sounds like the start of it. Both harbors are still producing very well, especially in the evening hours. It is hard to point to specific location as most of the shorelines have fish, anglers must be willing to walk them and work them. If possible this weekend, we heavily suggest trying to get out to coatue and work both the bends and the exterior shoreline.

As for size, fish are all over the place. The smallest fish I caught today was 16 and the largest 27. It is awesome not knowing what you are going to get, hence the unpredictability of Spring.

As for what is working: Most anglers are still fishing soft plastics heavily and these are working, but anglers moving on to poppers, walk the dog lures and stickbaits/twitchbaits are getting rewarded. Stickbaits/twitchbaits stay below the surface and dance up and down with a twitch of the rod, much like a soft plastic. Walk the Dogs and poppers are just fun, especially in the evening when fish are active and hunting the surface. It is easy to be a one trick pony, but we highly suggest varying up a lure and its color if fishing slows up.

As for the flies, this is the time of year to throw a fly rod if you have one. The fish are in the shallows and they are active feeding on smaller bait. If you target a sunny day and you find the sand on the points of coatue and eel point you can certainly sight fish, but fishermen are mostly blind casting in 2-3 feet of water and are doing very well. This time of year, you don't need to go fancy, clousers are king. White and olive and if you want some fanciness chartreuse.

Also remember in the Spring, in the shallow water, you rarely want to have a consistent retrieve. Twitch the rod tip, reel more slowly than you are accustomed to and let a lure “die” for a second or two and when you do this, you will often get a hit. This is true for both fly and spin.

Now that the advice is over, go fish, please. Keepers(releasers) and shorts are being caught, fish are active and moving and whether you catch a fish, miss a hit or enjoy the sunset, we can just about guarantee your time on the water will be worth it.

May 23rd Fishing report

We love Spring on this island for so many reasons, none the least of which is the awesome skinny water fishing, and this Spring has yet to disappoint us, in fact it has been just the opposite, awesome. Most of the fish are concentrated on the north shore and the harbors, which is typical for this time of year, but what has been different is how long the big bait has stayed around. Both harbors and the north shore are loaded with Mackerel. This has made a difference thus far as usually the fish come to our shoreline this time of year to rest, warm up and feed some. The fish this spring are feeding heavily and already showing some girth.

In the last two days we have heard confirmed reports of Keepers being caught. Wednesday during the day John Colten go the first and Capt. Cam followed up in the afternoon and than last night a bunch more were reported including a 36 inch bomb!! We have caught plenty of fish in the 25-27 inch range as well, so we have some size around.

As to where to fish, there is no secret spot. Both Madaket and the main harbor have been producing as has the north shore. Do make sure you know what the tide is as many spots in the harbor only fish well around the high tide, while some only fish well around the low. Bottom line, the fish need 2-3 feet to feel comfotable, but much more than that, they can struggle pinning bait. So our recommendation is to fish mid to high tide ad find a shoreline that you know and are comfortable with and make sure to work the stretch to its entirety. Do not stand in one place. We learned this advice from the late David Goodman years ago, always be moving and exploring.

The last comment is what to fish…this is always the question. With heavy amounts of mackerel around we are pushing anglers to higher profile lures such as the sebile, the waxwing, or a larger stickbait. Anything with a lip will dig too deep and not have enough action. Believe me, we love soft baits: sluggos and albie snax, but right now, higher profile baits seem to be outproducing the soft baits. ALSO, if you find some flat water, go to the surface, something that will push water. You will love the hits you get.