Martha's Vineyard - mid/late June

[greenlander]

I'll be spending a week on Martha's Vineyard (Chappaquiddick to be precise) in mid/late June (around the 20-25th I think).

I'd welcome any feedback from those who know the area in terms of what I can expect that time of year.

I'm thinking that bass and blues and fluke might all be present?

 

[vcregular]

They don't call it Bassachusettes for nothing!

If you are on Chappy, you are surrounded by fishy water. If I were to make one suggestion, and that is if you will be traveling with a vehicle equipped with 4wd, it is to get a beach permit from the Trustees of Reservations. They manage a huge swath of land on Chappy, and with the permit it greatly increases your areas that can be accesses.

Send me a pm with an email, and I can fill you in on a bunch of locations. Myself and a group have been heading up there - Chappy - for a week in early-June for a long time.

That said, check out this article for some of the ongoing erosion issues on Chappy, and especially a world renowned bluefish-bite rip.

Erosion

 

[Swattie87]

Yeah I've been up there around the 4th of July a couple of times. Stripers and Blues were most of the action. This was on spinning gear, not fly, but loads of fun. We caught a couple legal sized Stripers one year...great on the grill that evening.

 

[Fishidiot]

Late June should be prime time.

 

[marcq]

I was there last August. I can't wait to go back. I work up every day and would walk down to bass taking sandeels and small bait fish off the top. It was early morning and night. You could here bass destroying bait on the top. I caught my biggest bass on the fly there. I went out with a surf fly fishing guide. It was 180 and he really knew his stuff. He had a lot of local knowledge. He used a few methods to. He went out of Larry's bait and tackle. Here are a few spot around the island too.http://www.larrystackle.com/locations.aspx

 

[YoughRiverGuide]

Been fishing the Vineyard since I was a kid. You'll be there at the right time: June is, without a doubt, the best month to fish bass up there. I saw somebody posted a link for Larry's. It's a good shop, but I'm partial to Coops, if for no other reason than he's a friend and I grew up fishing with most of his guides. My nephew guides for him as well. You really won't have to leave chappy to fish, but there are some other fantastic beaches for flyrodding as well that you might want to check out. Best best is to hit up a shop when you get there to see where the fish are.

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

It might be a little late this year. They've had bass up there for more than a month already. Your best bet will be around the big and little bridges at night, at the lighthouse point in Edgartown, and maybe the mouth of Tashmoo. Also, if you can get to the West end, a walk around Menemsha at night can be highly productive. The question will be how long will the bigger ones hang out before heading north to the Great Marsh.

 

[greenlander]

SurfCowboyXX wrote:
It might be a little late this year. They've had bass up there for more than a month already. Your best bet will be around the big and little bridges at night, at the lighthouse point in Edgartown, and maybe the mouth of Tashmoo. Also, if you can get to the West end, a walk around Menemsha at night can be highly productive. The question will be how long will the bigger ones hang out before heading north to the Great Marsh.

Man, I hope not. We'll be headed up the 20th.

 

[vcregular]

The fish will be there. And imo there is no reason to head up island. The bass always show up on the Vineyard in April, so as far as them being there for a month or so already is nothing out of norm as far as I am concerned. If anything, you might have to fish a bit more at night.

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

There is PLENTY of reason to head upisland. PLENTY.

 

[greenlander]

SurfCowboyXX wrote:
There is PLENTY of reason to head upisland. PLENTY.

?

Can you elaborate?

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

The fish are almost always bigger up island. There is a lot more structure closer to shore, and it's just spookier. Aquinnah, Squibnocket, the north shore coves and points, Philbin Beach, Dogfish Bar...

 

[vcregular]

Fish to 36" out on Poge when I was just up there last week. Lots of fish around. No reason to leave chappy imo. Besides getting up-island will be a PIA come late June - an hour or so trip, not to mention a $20 or so round trip on the chappy ferry. Go with sparse clousers - all white, all yellow, and chart over yellow. You will find fish.

Weather and tides were brutal while we were there, but there were more than enough blues and bass around. Bassachusettes.

 

[afishinado]

Weather and tides were brutal while we were there, but there were more than enough blues and bass around. Bassachusettes.

Yeah, I was on the Island this past Labor Day with a hurricane inland and another out to sea. Brutal, but the fish were still there, at least at Menemsha.