Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is home to the annual "Martha's Vineyard's Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby."
Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass Fishing
One of the most famous places to fish for striped bass is the island of Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast. Martha's Vineyard is home to the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, which is held in the fall of each year. Fishermen come from all over to fish in this Derby, not just to win the prize, but to win the prestige and bragging rights that come with the prize.
In his book, Reading the Water - Adventures in Surf Fishing from Martha's Vineyard, Robert Post tells stories of 16 fishermen and their experiences in fishing for striped bass on the island, and especially in the Derby. Not only do these fishermen use all the tricks in the book to catch stripers, but many go to extraordinary lengths to conceal any information they glean on where, and on what, the stripers are biting.
Martha's Vineyard Fishing
David Kinney's new book, The Big One tells the story of a bunch of hardcore anglers during the 62nd(2007) annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby contest. Throughout the September and October contest, David Kinney, a Pulitzer prize-winning Philadelphia journalist and Haddonfield, NJ resident, traveled on the shore and the water documenting the drama of the most celebrated fishing contest on the East Coast.
In his book, Striper Hot Spots, Frank Daignault picks Martha's Vineyard as one of the best places to fish for striped bass, and describes a number of specific spots on the island that are the very best for surf fishing. These include: Wasque Point, Squibnocket Point, Menemsha, Gay Head Cliffs/Pilots Landing, and Lobsterville Beach. These are labeled on the above map. He also lists Vineyard Bridges.
Matt Malowski, who writes a column about striped bass fishing on Martha's Vineyard for "On the Water" magazine, identifies Middle Ground, West Chop, Makoniky Head, and Lucas Shoal as hot spots for striped bass fishing from a boat. These are all on the north side of the island.
More About Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
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Martha's Vineyard is a 89.48 square-mile island off of the southern coast of Cape Cod. Located in the U.S. State of Massachusetts, Martha's Vineyard makes up most of Dukes County.
It is a popular vacation spot due to its natural beauty and many attractions. The island features pristine beaches, and its surrounding waters attract popular gamefish, including striped bass, bluefish, bonito, and false albacore.
The island was named Martha's Vineyard by the English explorer, Bartholomew Gosnold, who sailed to the island in 1602. Gosnold's mother-in-law as well as his daughter, who died in infancy, were each named Martha.
Like the nearby island of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard was brought to prominence in the 19th century by the whaling industry, sending ships around the world to hunt whales for their oil and blubber. The discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania produced a cheaper source of oil for lamps and led to an almost complete collapse of the industry by 1870. In the twentieth century, tourism became a mainstay in the island economy. The Vineyard grew as a tourist destination primarily because of its very pleasant summer weather (during summers, the temperature rarely breaks 90 degrees F.) and many beautiful beaches.
The island now boasts a year-round population of 15,000 people in six towns. In summer, the population swells to 100,000 residents, with more than 25,000 additional visitors coming and going on ferries every day. The most crowded weekend is July 4. In general, the summer season runs from June until the end of August. The fall striped bass fishing season starts in earnest in September and runs through the month of October. Martha's Vineyard Airport links the island to the mainland with scheduled air carrier service from US Airways and Cape Air. The easiest way to Martha's Vineyard if you are flying would be from the Providence Airport.
B&Bs on Martha's Vineyard
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
The August 31 2007 issue of the New York Times covered bed-and-breakfast inns on Martha's Vineyard. The six B&Bs they featured were: The Mansion House, The Charlotte Inn, Lambert's Cove, The Inns at Menemsha, The Beach Plum Inn, and The Outermost Inn. The locations of these B&Bs are shown on the map on the right.
The owner of the Mansion Inn, Sherman Goldstein, is an avid fisherman. He might be coaxed into showing you his collection of encased rare fishing lures. Chris Parsons, the chef at the Charlotte Inn, is a fourth-generation fly fisherman.
Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod from space.
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