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Anglers spread along a Menemsha jetty beside the green channel marker on a hazy afternoon, sailboats moored across the water. The rods go on the jetties; the town beach keeps a designated swimming area.
Martha's Vineyard shore fishing spot by spot: the Oak Bluffs pier, Memorial Wharf, State Beach, Menemsha, Lobsterville, Dogfish Bar, Squibnocket, Lambert's Cove, Tashmoo, Cape Poge, Wasque, Norton Point and South Beach, with legal parking, resident-only rules, hazards and a monthly calendar.
On Martha's Vineyard the fish come within casting distance of almost every shore. The hard part is the shore itself. Much of it is private, a lot of the best up-island water has parking that belongs to residents in summer, and the beaches on Chappaquiddick and at Norton Point changed in 2026 in ways older guides have not caught up with. So this guide starts with the legal way in. For each spot it covers how to get there and where you can park, what gets caught and when, a tide or time pattern where a local source backs one up, what to watch out for, how it suits children, and the nearest tackle shop. Everything was checked on October 2, 2026 against the state Division of Marine Fisheries, the towns, the county, the Trustees and the Derby. What anglers and tackle shops report is labelled as just that, and where we could not find a rule or a pattern, we say so rather than guess.
Where things stand on October 2, 2026: the Derby runs until 9 PM on Saturday, October 17, and the Derby-only angler parking in Aquinnah ends with it. The Chappy ferry keeps its summer hours, 6:30 AM to midnight, through that Saturday and switches to winter hours on October 18. Wasque is closed to beach vehicles, the Trustees' permit currently lets you drive Cape Poge only as far as the Jetties, and a Land Court order of September 28 has closed the trails north of Division Lot 1 to permit holders. Norton Point is open to vehicles with a town sticker from 9 AM until dark, but the breach that opened on New Year's Day means there is no driving through to Chappaquiddick.
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Anyone 16 or older fishing in salt water in Massachusetts needs the state's recreational saltwater fishing permit, from the shore as much as from a boat, whether or not you keep a fish. It costs $10, the same for residents and visitors; anglers 60 and over pay nothing but still need the permit. Buying online through MassFishHunt adds a $3.38 fee ($2.89 for the free permit), the permit runs to December 31, and a copy on your phone counts. Children under 16 need none. The 2026 limits that come up most from shore: one striped bass a day, 28 inches to less than 31, with inline circle hooks whenever you fish whole or cut natural bait; five bluefish; and five bonito and false albacore combined, each at least 16 inches. Fluke season closed after September 23, black sea bass close after October 14, and tautog rise to five a day from October 15. The state keeps the full table on its saltwater fishing regulations page, and our Martha's Vineyard fishing guide and fishing page cover the season as a whole. If you are here for the Derby, the Derby visitor's guide has the rules and the weigh-ins; for every shore spot below, the Derby's shore division counts fish caught from the shores of Martha's Vineyard or Chappaquiddick. Every size and bag limit, month by month, is in our fishing license and rules guide.
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The pier next to the Steamship Authority ferry dock in Oak Bluffs was built for recreational fishing and opened in 2014, a $1.2 million project paid for with saltwater permit fees. The state says it was built to provide "an accessible location for all," and the MV Times calls it one of the only wheelchair-accessible docks on the island. The town manages it under an agreement with the state's Office of Fishing and Boating Access. It sits in the middle of town, so the easy way there is on foot or by bus; we found no parking set aside for the pier itself. Jumping off it is prohibited, and the town and the state have posted newer no-jumping signs after years of summer friction between jumpers and the people fishing.
What's caught: the state describes consistent fishing from scup in the late spring to albies and bonito during the Derby in the fall. At the library's family sessions the children mostly catch scup, with the odd puffer, sea bass or flounder. Watch for: jumpers in July and August, and the big landing net that Dick's Bait and Tackle donates to the pier every year, which is there for fish. With children: the best spot on the island, with a flat deck, rails and the Oak Bluffs library's free family fishing on the first Friday of July, August and September, 9:30 to 11:30 AM, rods, gear and bait provided and no registration needed. Nearest tackle: Dick's Bait and Tackle, 108 New York Avenue, Oak Bluffs, (508) 693-7669.
Two anglers at the rail on the Oak Bluffs waterfront, one with a rod out over the water, as the Steamship Authority ferry Nantucket comes in to the wharf. The town’s fishing pier sits right beside the ferry dock.
The stone jetties at the mouth of Oak Bluffs harbor are a short walk from the pier, and anglers fish them; we photographed a small group fishing from the end of the jetty on an August evening in 2026. We could not find any written town rule on fishing from the jetties, and none for the East Chop shore beyond them, which is mostly private homes above the water. The county lists Marinelli Beach on the East Chop side of the harbor channel, with limited parking and a foot path in. The posted signs are the rule, and every boat in and out of the harbor passes within a cast. With children: the rocks are slippery, so older children with an adult beside them. Nearest tackle: Dick's Bait and Tackle in Oak Bluffs.
Memorial Wharf, at the foot of Main Street by the Chappy ferry, is listed in the state's official saltwater guide as a public fishing pier, and in the fall it is fished hard. During the Derby a crew of regulars who call themselves the Wharf Rats fish it, and the leading shore false albacore of 2026, 13.70 pounds, was caught there in September by an angler live-lining a bait off the wharf. Lighthouse Beach, on the harbor next to the Edgartown Lighthouse, is a short walk from downtown and the other in-town choice. Both are on foot from Main Street; our parking guide covers where to leave a car in the village. The state gave Edgartown money in 2025 for lighting, fillet stations and washdown stations at Dock Street and North Morse Street; we have not confirmed that they are in yet.
What's caught: false albacore and bonito in September and October, squid in May, scup. Tide and time: squid come in to the Edgartown docks at dusk, and the jiggers fish them under the dock lights or with a glow light of their own (Vineyard Gazette, 2025); a Martha's Vineyard Magazine piece on squidding put the good hours at about 7 to 10 in the evening and 6 to 9 in the morning. Watch for: moorings, the ferry and boat traffic at the Chappy slip, and Derby crowds. With children: good for children you can keep close on a busy dock. Nearest tackle: Larry's Tackle Shop (258 Upper Main Street) and Kismet Outfitters (204 Upper Main Street), both up Main Street, and Coop's Bait and Tackle on the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road.
Picnic tables under the roof of Memorial Wharf, a jar of flowers on the nearest one and Edgartown harbor’s boats beyond the rail. The state lists the wharf as a public fishing pier, and its Derby regulars call themselves the Wharf Rats.
Ferry docks and town landings are working docks first. The Oak Bluffs Steamship wharf opens to children for two hours a year on Derby Kids Day: in 2026 it was Sunday, September 20, 6 to 8 AM, free for ages 4 to 14, and more than 200 fish came over the rail: lots of scup and black sea bass, quite a few fluke and a couple of puffers. The Gazette calls it a once-a-year chance to fish from that wharf, which tells you that the rest of the year it is a ferry dock, not a fishing spot. We found no written ban on fishing from the Vineyard Haven Steamship dock or the town docks, and no written permission either, so the posted signs and the dock staff have the last word. In Menemsha, Dutcher Dock is a working fishing dock where children dangle lines for crabs, well clear of the gear (our Menemsha Beach guide has more).
Joseph Sylvia State Beach runs two miles along Beach Road between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. Cars stay in the designated parking areas along the road, and nothing drives on the beach except licensed shellfishers on the pond side. The VTA bus runs along Beach Road, which makes this the easiest shore water to reach without a car; the bus route finder has the stops. The county's rules for the beach say nothing about fishing and we found no ban, and anglers fish from the Big Bridge and the Little Bridge over the two openings into Sengekontacket Pond. Posted signs prohibit jumping and diving, and the tidal current through the channel is strong; the jumpers are a summer sight best watched from the sand.
What's caught: local anglers report bonito and false albacore in the fall, and the MV Times photographed Derby anglers, a Kismet Outfitters guide among them, fishing State Beach in 2026. In late spring families cast for squid from the beach at sunset (MV Times, 2025). Watch for: fast water in the openings, boat traffic, summer swimmers, and the nesting areas roped off from April 1 to August 31. With children: the beach is the calm family side of the island; the bridges, with traffic behind and fast water below, suit older children with an adult beside them. Nearest tackle: Dick's in Oak Bluffs at the north end, the Edgartown shops at the south end. More about the beach itself in our State Beach guide.
Anglers with rods up at the rail of a State Beach bridge as a Route 13 VTA bus crosses on Beach Road. The bus makes this the easiest shore water on the island to reach without a car.
Menemsha Beach has free public parking that fills early on summer evenings; our Menemsha page has the details. Chilmark's beach rules keep fishing out of the designated swimming areas, so the rods go on the stone jetties at the harbor mouth rather than the swim beach. The seasonal bike ferry crosses the channel between Menemsha and West Basin on the Aquinnah side.
What's caught: anglers fish the jetties for stripers (with eels after dark), bluefish, bonito, false albacore and scup, and in May the lit Menemsha docks draw squid jiggers. Watch for: slippery granite, a strong current at the channel mouth and steady boat traffic. With children: crabbing off Dutcher Dock is the children's version; the jetty rocks are for older children with a hand nearby. Nearest tackle: Menemsha Texaco, 60 Basin Road, (508) 645-2641, on the state's list of bait and tackle shops and a Derby registration point. We have not confirmed what it stocks, so a call ahead is worth it.
Lobsterville Beach runs along Vineyard Sound on the Aquinnah side of the Menemsha channel, and its waves are usually small. Parking is the catch. The signed spaces at Lobsterville Beach and West Basin are for cars with an Aquinnah resident parking permit, one per household, and the county describes the parking as limited and for town residents only. Without a permit, the practical ways in are by bike, or across from Menemsha on the bike ferry while it runs. During the Derby the town lets registered Derby anglers park parallel to West Basin Road inside the marked boundaries. The Derby committee also asks anglers to keep to the designated paths, because the West Basin dunes have special significance to Wampanoag tribal members (our guide to visiting Aquinnah respectfully explains why), and the swim area by the West Basin jetty is closed to fishing from 9 AM to 3:30 PM.
What's caught: Lobsterville has a long reputation among fly anglers for stripers, and Matt Malowski's surfcasting guide for On The Water counts it among the up-island beaches that matter. Watch for: flats that flood as the tide comes in, no facilities, and the dunes. With children: gentle water, but a bike ride in and nothing on site. Nearest tackle: Menemsha Texaco, across the channel.
The small wooden dock at West Basin in Aquinnah, across the channel from Menemsha, with two center-consoles tied up and the dunes behind. Parking here belongs to Aquinnah permit holders, with a Derby-season exception for registered anglers along West Basin Road.
Dogfish Bar is one of two Vineyard shores the state owns to keep open for anglers (East Beach on Chappaquiddick is the other). The Division of Marine Fisheries bought it in 1996 and describes it as known for "unparalleled spring striped bass fishing and riveting fall false albacore fishing," with bluefish, bonito and Spanish mackerel common too. The state's directions: State Road toward Aquinnah, right on Lobsterville Road, left on Lighthouse Road, then right onto unpaved Oxcart Road, which runs along the beach. There are only five off-road parking spaces, no roadside parking is allowed, and the spaces are for shore fishing access only. Philbin Beach, on the Atlantic side off Moshup Trail, needs an Aquinnah permit for all access in season; new in 2026, registered Derby anglers may park in the Philbin lot between 5 PM and 8 AM while the Derby runs.
What's caught: spring stripers and fall false albacore above all, by the state's own account. Watch for: wading flats that anglers say flood fast with the tide, and no facilities at all. With children: not a family outing. Nearest tackle: Menemsha Texaco.
Squibnocket faces the Atlantic in Chilmark. From June 15 to Labor Day a Chilmark permit is required for all access, and the permits go only to residents and their renters; after Labor Day the beach is open to everyone.
What's caught: big-surf striped bass, by anglers' accounts usually on eels after dark. Matt Malowski's On The Water guide says Squibnocket "has produced more Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby winners than any other Vineyard location" (stripers have not been part of the Derby since 2020). It has been quieter lately: in August 2026 the Derby chair and Capt. Buddy Vanderhoop both told the MV Times that Gay Head, Squibnocket and Nomans have been much slower in recent years. Tide and time: Malowski's advice is to fish the white water. Watch for: boulders, heavy surf and a bottom that changes with every winter storm. With children: not a children's spot. Nearest tackle: Menemsha Texaco.
Boulders strung along the waterline at Squibnocket in late-day light, surf breaking among the rocks offshore. Chilmark permit holders only from June 15 to Labor Day; open to everyone after that.
From June 15 to September 15 West Tisbury limits parking in the Lambert's Cove lot and along Lambert's Cove Road to cars with a town beach sticker, sold to residents and renters; the county lists the beach as open to the general public after 5 PM, and a town bylaw closes the beach, the lot and the path from 9 PM to 7 AM in that season. Night anglers are the exception the town makes: a limited number of free night fishing parking permits allow parking in the beach lot from 9 PM to 7 AM, with applications at the Parks and Recreation shed by the West Tisbury School tennis courts, 9 AM to noon daily. The rest of the year the beach is open to everyone. Our Lambert's Cove guide has the sticker details.
What's caught: north shore stripers at night, by anglers' accounts. Tide and time: Malowski calls the north shore typically a better nighttime or early-morning fishery, with eels usually out-fishing any lure. Watch for: a dark beach with no facilities; a light and someone who knows where you are both help. With children: calm Vineyard Sound water, pleasant for an evening cast. Nearest tackle: Shirley's Hardware in Vineyard Haven is on the state's bait and tackle list (we have not confirmed its range); otherwise Dick's in Oak Bluffs.
Herring Creek Beach, also called Tashmoo Beach, sits at the mouth of the channel into Lake Tashmoo, at the end of Herring Creek Road, a dirt road off Daggett Avenue. It is a Tisbury town beach with a lifeguard in season; our Lake Tashmoo Town Beach guide covers the parking. We found no written town rule about fishing from the Tashmoo jetties, so the posted signs are the guide.
What's caught: stripers and bluefish moving through on the tide, plus scup, by anglers' reports; Malowski notes that daytime bluefishing can be good near Tashmoo and West Chop, though boats and swimmers push the north shore toward after-hours fishing. Watch for: the county's warning that "the currents can be quite strong in the channel"; Tisbury's beach rules keep swimmers out of it. With children: older children at slack tide with an adult close by; for a first cast, the Oak Bluffs pier is easier. Nearest tackle: Shirley's Hardware, Vineyard Haven.
The north shore from West Chop to Menemsha is prime striper water, and most of it is private. Malowski calls its rocks "ankle busters" and, in his account, the north shore is typically a better night and early-morning fishery, where eels usually out-fish anything else. The public ways down are the Land Bank properties that list fishing as allowed, among them Great Rock Bight in Chilmark, which the state's saltwater guide also lists as a shore fishing site (parking is limited and the walk down to the beach is long and steep), Tashmoo Preserve, Wilfrid's Pond and James Pond. West Chop itself is a residential neighborhood, and we have no public fishing access there to send you to. With children: not a night shore for them. Nearest tackle: Shirley's Hardware, Vineyard Haven.
Everything on Chappaquiddick starts with the On Time ferry from Dock Street in Edgartown: $5 round trip on foot, $8 with a bike, $17 for a car and driver. It runs 6:30 AM to midnight through Saturday, October 17, 2026, the last night of the Derby, and from October 18 to May 26, 2027 runs 6:30 AM to 10 PM, with a last window from 11:00 to 11:15 PM. Earlier boats can be arranged with the captain in person before 5 PM the day before ($25 for 6 AM, $60 for 5 AM). Trustees properties close from 10 PM to 5 AM except for surfcasting, so night anglers are allowed on the beach; the last ferry is the real curfew.
From the ferry, Chappaquiddick Road and then Dike Road lead to Dike Bridge. There is a free town lot on the town side of the bridge, and the Trustees let walkers and bikers onto their beaches free. Driving onto the sand takes a Trustees over-sand permit, sold online after a required 20 to 30 minute training video and picked up at the Mytoi gatehouse with your registration and the required gear: shovel, full-size spare, tire gauge, board, tow strap and jack. Even with a permit, the Trustees say beach driving currently goes only as far as the Jetties on Cape Poge. On September 28, 2026 the Land Court also barred permit holders from the trails north of Division Lot 1, private land just north of Tom's Neck, until a trial set for March 2027; walking and boat access are unaffected. The 2025 to 2026 permits were $250 ("Cape Poge & Wasque") and $380 ("All Over"); the 2026 to 2027 prices sit behind the purchase page and we could not read them. Our Wasque and Cape Poge page and Chappaquiddick day trip guide cover the rest of the island.
What's caught: the Trustees say the currents flushing Cape Poge Bay draw striped bass, bluefish, bonito and albacore. The state bought East Beach, also called Leland Beach, in 1993 to keep the Wasque surf-fishing waters open to anglers. Tide and time: the anglers' rule of thumb from Malowski's guide is an incoming (east) tide along East Beach, Dike Bridge, the Jetties, Cape Poge Light and the Gut. Watch for: remote beach with no water or shade, soft sand, nesting closures in spring and summer, and a long walk to the Gut. With children: older children with water, snacks and patience. Nearest tackle: Larry's and Kismet on Upper Main Street, or Coop's, before you get in line for the ferry.
The sandy approach at Dike Bridge on a bright day, water on both sides and the Trustees’ gatehouse on the right, where the way to Cape Poge begins. Walkers and bikers go in free, and a permit is needed to drive the sand beyond.
The Trustees say Wasque is "currently inaccessible for OSVs due to extreme erosion" at the south end of Leland Beach, so nobody drives onto the point this year, and with the Norton Point breach open there is no beach route from Katama either. Walking and biking in are free. Parking at the Wasque lot costs $25 a day without a Trustees membership, $15 with a Family membership and nothing with a Contributing membership or a Trustees over-sand permit, charged from Memorial Day to mid-October between 9 AM and 5 PM; outside those hours there is no fee. The Edgartown, West Tisbury, Tisbury, Chilmark and Oak Bluffs libraries also lend free Wasque parking day passes to card holders.
What's caught: stripers and bluefish, with bonito and albies in the fall. The state calls these "the legendary Wasque Point surf-fishing waters," and Malowski writes that Wasque Point makes a grand slam (a striped bass, bluefish, bonito and false albacore) possible "without having to move more than a few yards." Tide and time: his rule of thumb is an outgoing (west) tide for Wasque, Norton Point and the Cut. Watch for: a strong tidal rip right along the beach, no lifeguards and an eroding shoreline; the same rip that brings the fish makes it no place for a swim. With children: not for small children. Nearest tackle: the Edgartown shops, before the ferry.
Norton Point is the barrier beach between Katama Bay and the Atlantic, owned by Dukes County and run by Edgartown since April 2023. On foot it is free from the Katama end. Vehicles need an Edgartown over-sand sticker, bought online and picked up at the trailer at the Left Fork from 9 to 5, and on October 2 the town's parks page read: "Norton Point is open for OSV access daily from 9AM until dark." The sticker was $90 for residents and $140 for others when the town took over in 2023; the 2026 price is behind the town's permit login and we could not see it. The Atlantic broke through the beach on New Year's Day 2026, a gap 502 feet wide a week later, so there is no driving through to Chappaquiddick. In summer the town closed the beach to vehicles from June 20 for nesting birds, then reopened it as far as the breach along the ocean-side path.
What's caught: stripers and bluefish in the surf, by anglers' accounts. Tide and time: an outgoing (west) tide, by Malowski's rule of thumb. Watch for: rip currents and shorebreak; the breach itself, which the town warns is very dangerous to swim; and sharks: a swimmer was bitten at Norton Point on August 31, 2026, which the state's shark biologist later confirmed as a shark bite. County rules keep vehicles off the bay-side flats all year, set 15 mph (5 near nesting birds) and 15 psi, and rope off nesting areas from April 1 to August 31. Our Norton Point page and beach safety guide have more. With children: older children only. Nearest tackle: the Edgartown shops.
Over the hood on the over-sand track at Norton Point in 2018, wind-bent scrub on one side and the water on the other. Driving here takes a four-wheel-drive vehicle, deflated tires and a county permit.
South Beach at Katama has free parking with no permit, and in 2026 the town says the right fork (Herring Creek Road) has more parking and more usable beach than the left fork (Katama Road) because of erosion. Lifeguards cover it in season, and dogs are not allowed at any time. Anglers fish the surf for stripers and bluefish. It is open Atlantic with rip currents, so the swimmers and the casters are best kept well apart; our South Beach page and South Beach guide cover the beach day. With children: surf fishing with older children and an adult. Nearest tackle: the Edgartown shops.
The summer rules are what most visitors run into. This is what we found for each spot, and where a town has not published something, the table says so.
| Spot | In season | Rest of the year |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Bluffs Fishing Pier | In town; no parking set aside for the pier that we found. Walk or take the bus. | The same |
| Memorial Wharf, Lighthouse Beach | On foot from Main Street in Edgartown | The same |
| State Beach and the bridges | Designated roadside areas on Beach Road; no vehicles on the beach | The same |
| Menemsha jetties | Free public lot at Menemsha Beach, fills early | Free |
| Lobsterville, West Basin | Signed spaces for Aquinnah resident permit holders; registered Derby anglers along West Basin Road during the Derby | Not published; read the signs |
| Dogfish Bar | Five state spaces on Oxcart Road, shore fishing only; no roadside parking | The same |
| Philbin Beach | Aquinnah permit for all access; Derby anglers 5 PM to 8 AM during the 2026 Derby | Not published; read the signs |
| Squibnocket | Chilmark permit for all access, June 15 to Labor Day | Open to everyone |
| Lambert's Cove | June 15 to September 15: sticker by day, public after 5 PM, closed 9 PM to 7 AM except free night fishing parking permits | Open to everyone |
| Cape Poge, East Beach | Free town lot at Dike Bridge; walkers free; Trustees permit to drive, to the Jetties only | The same; court order on trails north of Division Lot 1 until trial |
| Wasque | Walk or bike free; lot $25, $15 or free by membership, 9 to 5, Memorial Day to mid-October; no beach driving | No parking fee |
| Norton Point | Walk on free; vehicles with an Edgartown sticker, 9 AM to dark when open | Same sticker; no route to Chappaquiddick while the breach is open |
| South Beach | Free parking, more at the right fork in 2026 | Free |
The middle column is state law. The right-hand column is what tackle shops and charter captains reported around the Vineyard in 2026, mostly in On The Water's weekly Cape Cod report, which carries reports from Kismet Outfitters in Edgartown and Fishsticks Charters in Vineyard Haven: patterns, not promises. Some of those reports come from boats, so we kept the ones that matter from shore.
| Month | What the state rules change | What anglers reported in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | Striped bass are open all year, though nearly all of them have migrated; winter flounder opens March 1 | The quiet season in salt water |
| April | Tautog opens April 1, three a day | Bait arriving and anglers waiting for the first migratory stripers to push into Vineyard Sound |
| May | Scup opens May 1, bluefish limit rises to five on May 8, black sea bass opens May 16, fluke May 24 | A squid bite winding down by mid-May; by late May the most reliable striper fishing was in the rips of Vineyard Sound, from boats |
| June | Tautog drops to one a day from June 1 | Scup "everywhere" at jetties and harbor mouths; Kismet expecting the flats to come alive as the water climbed into the low 60s; a fresh wave of migratory stripers late in the month |
| July | No changes | Resident bass feeding in the early morning on sand eels; schools of 3 to 5 pound bluefish trickling toward the Vineyard; by late July bonito slow to show and "a complete lack of gators" |
| August | Tautog back to three a day from August 1 | "Bonito are here," Kismet reported mid-month, best early in the day and picky about small bait; the first albies on the Cape around August 20 |
| September | Black sea bass down to two a day from September 1; fluke closes after September 23; the Derby starts September 13 | Albies mixing in off the Vineyard; a "lackluster" bluefish season; the albie bite much improved before the late-September nor'easter; the leading shore albie taken off Memorial Wharf |
| October | Black sea bass closes after October 14; tautog five a day from October 15; the Derby ends October 17 | An "excellent season for bonito on the Vineyard, especially for shore anglers," judging by the Derby weigh-ins |
| November and December | Tautog five a day and scup open to December 31 | Nothing reported yet for 2026; Kismet lists its season for stripers and blues as April to November and for bonito and albies as August to November |
You do not need much to start, and three places will lend or rent it. Coop's sells fresh and frozen bait (squid, clams, eels, mackerel and shiners), rents rods and tackle boxes and keeps rods for children; Kismet rents Thomas & Thomas fly rods for $50 a day ($350 a week) and reels for $30 a day; and the Oak Bluffs library lends fishing rods from its Library of Things. A few choices the rules make for you: with whole or cut natural bait for striped bass the hook has to be an inline circle hook, gaffs, stringers and live wells are out for stripers, and shore anglers in Massachusetts may not send a bait out by drone, remote-control boat or bait cannon. What anglers report the fish wanted: eels after dark on the rocky north shore; Clousers, sand eel and squid patterns for the fly anglers at Lobsterville and Dogfish Bar; and in 2026 the bonito and albies wanted small: Kismet found small white flies working, and On The Water advised 2 to 2.5 inch epoxy jigs in place of the usual 3 and 4 inch ones. For squid in May, a squid jig and a light.
The south shore, from Wasque through Norton Point and South Beach to Squibnocket, is open Atlantic, and Wasque, Cape Poge and Norton Point have no lifeguards. The county's advice for a rip current is to swim parallel to the shore to get out of it. At night, a light and someone who knows where you went make every spot on this page safer, and NOAA's tide predictions, including its Wasque Point station, are worth a look before you go. Jetties are slick, and an east wind washes over them. The etiquette on crowded water is simple: casters get room, and nobody walks between a rod and the water. The state's handling advice for a striped bass going back: wet hands, support under the body, no holding by the jaw alone or by the gills, cut the line on a deep hook, and revive it head-first. Recreationally caught fish cannot be sold. The Land Bank, the Trustees and the county all run carry-in, carry-out, and that includes old line. The rest is in our beach safety guide.
Access rules, parking, prices and hours were checked on October 2, 2026 against the state Division of Marine Fisheries (regulations, the 2026 advisories and its pages for the Oak Bluffs pier, Dogfish Bar and East Beach), the official Massachusetts saltwater guide, Dukes County's beach pages, the towns of Edgartown, West Tisbury and Aquinnah, the Trustees' over-sand permit pages and FAQ, the Land Bank's fishing list, the Derby's 2026 rules and news, the Chappy ferry and the tackle shops' own sites. Fishing patterns come from On The Water's 2026 weekly reports, Matt Malowski's On The Water guide to Vineyard surfcasting, and Derby and fishing coverage in the MV Times and the Vineyard Gazette, and they are labelled as anglers' reports. Where a town has not published something, we say so rather than fill the gap. If you find a sign that says otherwise, tell us through the contact page and we will correct it.
Step 1 · WhenMonth PickerTwelve months compared on NOAA numbers, crowds, prices and what is open. 
Step 2 · DaysDay-by-Day Trip PlannerMorning, afternoon and evening sketched for every day, events dropped in, emailed to you. 
Step 3 · CostTrip Cost CalculatorFerry, beds with the rooms tax, meals, getting around and activities in one honest range. Our own footage: Menemsha Beach and the fishing village, Lobsterville Beach, a walk on the Oak Bluffs pier and an angler casting at sunset.
Keep Reading
Yes, if you are 16 or older. The Massachusetts recreational saltwater fishing permit costs $10 for residents and visitors alike, is free but still required at 60 and over, and runs to December 31. Buying it online through MassFishHunt adds a $3.38 fee. Children under 16 need no permit.
The Oak Bluffs Fishing Pier and Memorial Wharf in Edgartown are both in town, and State Beach and its bridges sit right on the bus route along Beach Road. The bus route finder has the stops. Most of the up-island spots need a bike, a ride or, at Lobsterville, the bike ferry while it runs.
Not by day in summer, as a rule. Lobsterville's signed spaces are for Aquinnah resident permit holders, Squibnocket needs a Chilmark permit for all access from June 15 to Labor Day, and Lambert's Cove takes a West Tisbury sticker by day from June 15 to September 15. Squibnocket and Lambert's Cove are open to everyone off-season, Lambert's Cove opens to the public after 5 PM in summer, and West Tisbury issues a limited number of free night fishing parking permits for it.
Not onto Wasque: the Trustees have closed it to beach vehicles because of erosion, and the Norton Point breach cuts off the route from Katama. With a Trustees permit you can drive Cape Poge as far as the Jetties, and a September 28, 2026 court order has closed the trails north of Division Lot 1. Walking and biking in are free, and Wasque has a pay lot.
The county's rules for State Beach do not mention fishing, we found no ban, and anglers fish from the bridges. Posted signs prohibit jumping and diving, and the tidal current through the channel is strong.
The Oak Bluffs Fishing Pier: built for anglers, accessible, with scup from late spring, and the Oak Bluffs library's free family fishing there on the first Friday of July, August and September. Derby Kids Day on the Oak Bluffs Steamship wharf each September is the other big day, and children need no saltwater permit under 16.
Bonito, false albacore and bluefish, the three Derby species; anglers called 2026 an excellent bonito season from shore. Striped bass are open, one a day from 28 to less than 31 inches. Black sea bass close after October 14, fluke is already closed, and tautog go to five a day from October 15.
Yes. Trustees properties close from 10 PM to 5 AM except for surfcasting. The catch is the ferry: it runs until midnight through October 17, 2026, then from October 18 until 10 PM, with a last window from 11:00 to 11:15 PM. Earlier morning boats can be arranged with the captain the day before.
Island tip of the day Food No. 17 of 86 New tip at midnight, island time
Book restaurants weeks in advance for July and August. Chilmark Tavern, State Road, and L'Etoile fill fast. State Road is on Resy; others may require calling directly.
Shellfishing on Martha's Vineyard town by town: what each of the six towns charges a visitor for a permit and what it covers, where to buy it, weekly limits and sizes, the 2026 to 2027 bay scallop dates published so far, how to check storm and rain closures, and keeping the catch safe to eat.
Every rule a visiting angler needs on Martha's Vineyard, checked October 2, 2026: who needs the $10 Massachusetts saltwater permit, freshwater and tuna permits, 2026 size and bag limits by species, what you can keep this month, the Derby, beach-driving permits, pier rules and Aquinnah parking.
Complete kayak guide to Martha's Vineyard: 10 launch sites, 10 routes, 5 rental operators, shark safety, tidal current warnings and scalloping tips.
No whale boats leave MV, but Stellwagen Bank is a ferry ride away. Provincetown and Barnstable options, 99%+ sighting rates, and day trip logistics.
MV fishing guide: the 81st Derby, the shore spots everyone knows by name, charter prices, monthly calendar, tackle shops, and beginner tips.
Weekly sailboat racing in Vineyard Haven Harbor: schedule, where to watch, major regattas, and 400 years of maritime history.
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