Fishing
Inshore Fishing
Our inshore trips involve fishing primarily for Bluefish, Bonito and False Albacore with an emphasis on the prized Striped Bass. We target these species depending on the time of the season we are fishing.
Bluefish can be caught anytime from late May until early fall. The larger fish are traditionally caught from the middle of September through October. These fish weigh from 3-4 pounds in the spring to 15- 18 pounds later in the year. We use a variety of techniques including jigging, casting with light tackle and casting with live bait. Pound for pound these fish are very strong and aggressive and always put up a great fight for all anglers. This is a great species to target with kids because there is plenty of action and a relatively short journey to the fishing grounds.
Anyone who has fished the Vineyard can tell you about our Striped Bass fishery and how it is one of the best on the east coast. If you want solid action with plenty of fish, these trips are it. We begin in early June, when the migration from the Mid- Atlantic starts. We target the fish with top water plugs on light tackle and jig for them when the water temperature heats up in July and August. By far, the most exciting and most productive means of catching is with live bait, which we use every opportunity we can. During spring these last couple of years, the Vineyard has produced fish in the 40’s, 50’s and even 60 lb class!
These inshore Bass trips are good for all the family and a great way to show off the area to your business acquaintances and friends. We fish all around the Island, from the beautiful back beaches and rips of the Elizabeth Islands, to the North Shore, South Beach and Katama. The Bass action lasts through August and well into September just when the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby is in full swing. This tournament has been in existence every fall, since 1946 and there is a reason for that. Plenty of big fish return on their migration back to the Mid- Atlantic; the fish are hungry and the Vineyard happens to be on their route.
Late summer and early fall bring Bonito and False Albacore to the Vineyard waters. These fast swimming and aggressive fish put up an awesome fight on light tackle. Most anglers’ site cast for these “bones” or “albies” in shallow water, but we troll for them in the deep waters just 5-6 miles south of the island. When the bite is on, is not unlikely to catch 10 to 15 per trip. Some sources say that they are capable of reaching speeds of 40mph, making for an exciting catch. These little rockets are in the tuna family and run anywhere from 5- 18 lbs.
Offshore Canyon Trips
Canyon trips offer the most incredible fishing experience that we offer. We fish anywhere from 70 to 100 miles south of the Island in 70 to 80 degrees of blue water. Here it is not unlikely to tangle with a wide variety of tuna species to include Wahoo, Mahi-mahi, and sharks. The fishing is hard and the opportunities endless. The canyons are where we do most of our tournament fishing. These trips are a 10-12 hour trip and early morning departures are mandatory. The CAROLINE is overly equipped with safety gear and the newest and best tackle for these trips.
These trips involve fishing 30 to 40 miles East of Nantucket for fish in the 50 to 200lb class when they are available. Trolling is the tactic used here and we only use the best custom rods and gear available. These trips have proved to be very productive from mid June through October where the fish can get over 1000lbs. CAROLINE averaged 3 fish per trip last year and has a proven record catching Bluefin.
Offshore Shark Trips
The waters south of the Vineyard and Nantucket provide, undoubtedly, some of the best shark fishing on the East coast. We target record Blue sharks, Threshers and Makos. Shark fishing starts in early June and picks up during the “dog days” of July and August. Several state and world records have been caught during the annual Monster Shark Tournament, held every July since 1986. We drift fish with chunk bait and live bait for these 200 to 1000 lb monsters. All sharks are released unharmed, unless it is an edible species requested by the customer. We fish Shimano 50 and 80 setups for unbelievable standup action. These fish pull incredibly hard and our crew is used to it. Smaller fish can be targeted for smaller or inexperienced anglers with great success. We generally run twenty to thirty miles offshore and can be to the shark grounds in less than two hours. On the way we stop to catch bluefish to use for bait.
Chatam Bluefin Trips
Can you say…. sushi? The Bluefin tuna we catch is by far, the best in the world. That is a fact. The Bluefin action East of Chatham is the best we have experienced in the past 7-9 years. I highly recommend this trip for those interested in catching these highly prized pelagics. These trips involve fishing 15 to 40 miles East of Chatham for fish in the 100 to 200lb class on average. Trolling is the tactic used here and we only use the best custom rods and gear available. These trips have proved to be very productive from mid June through October where the fish can get over 1000lbs. These trips are a full day and require an early morning departure. The fishing proved to be excellent last year with plenty of action on almost every trip we did. After seeing the fish we caught last year, scientists indicate that these fish will be in the 68- 75” range.
2011 TOURNAMENT TRIPS
BOSTON LINE INSHORE TOURNAMENT – JUNE 29
- Small competitive tournament with cash prizes
- Yearly bragging rights for Vineyard, Cape and Boston
STAR ISLAND SHARK TOURNAMENT - June 16-18
- 2 day fishing event for several shark species
- IGFA event, banquet, Calcutta and big money prizes
- www.starislandyc.com
TUNAFEST 2011 - July 7 - 10
- 2 day fishing event for Bluefin tuna
- Public charitable event
- Huge calcutta buy ins.
- www.castafaritournaments.com
OAK BLUFFS MONSTER SHARK TOURNAMENT - July 21-23
- The premier offshore shark tournament for the East coast.
- Over $200k in cash and prizes including a new boat.
- Banquet, Prizes and Big Money.
- www.bbgfc.com
NANTUCKET ANGLERS CLUB BILLFISH TOURNAMENT - July 28-30
- Bluewater all species event with 2 days/1 night fishing
- Banquet, prizes, Calcutta.
- www.nantucketanglersclub.com/billfish_tourney.php
NANTUCKET BIG GAME BATTLE - August 11-13
- Bluewater all species event.
- This is a charitable event with proceeds going to the International Rett Foundation.
- www.biggamebattle.com
TRI STATE SHOOTOUT - August T.B.A.
- Bluewater all species event.
- days/1 night fishing. ROLEX IGFA event and banquet.
- First Leg of NE Championship Series.
- www.jbtackle.com/tri-state.asp
MV STRIPED BASS AND BLUEFISH TOURNAMENT
- An Island tradition
- Over 300k in prizes
- www.mvderby.com
OBChallenge - Sept 15-18
- 2 day canyon tournament
- Huge Calcutta money and prizes
- www.castafaritournaments.com
