Fishing Report: Martha's Vineyard Fishing Report ' June 1, 2010
Just about every fisherman I know has some superstitions that will signal whether it’s going to be a good day or a bad day. Some believe that the banana is the harbinger of all things evil on the water. Some think a favorite hat wards off a skunking. For me, I try and never say "we’re going to slay them today" for fear a jinx is sure to follow. At the start of this last week I have added another superstition; seeing deer in my yard at the start of the day is a very good sign!
The past week has been stellar as long as you don’t mind putting a few extra miles in your pursuit of fish. Large schools of bass are showing on the surface feeding on clouds of bay anchovies, bait that had been fairly rare in our waters until last year. There has also been times when the linesiders can be seen slurping krill which doesn’t usually show up until later in the season. Although it’s hard to identify the bait sometimes, I’m fairly certain that this is what’s happening. If you want to find these schools of feeding bass then look to the skies and not the water. The birds tell all.
We haven’t spent much time on the shoals of late as the rips still have not shown many signs of "squid hounds". There were a few good reports from other captains but I’ve had my hands full at other locations. When I pass by a rip line I look for gulls and jumping squid. If I see neither I move on in short order. My guess is that as this week progresses, the squid hounds will be feeding in earnest. Middleground in Vineyard Sound had more boats than fish the other day and with all the weekenders anchoring up on the rip points, it has made no sense to get frustrated sliding down the line only to be blockaded by some anchored anglers. For my way of fishing, anchoring at middle ground is not a good thing while at other rips with more perpendicular currents it’s OK. Oh well, "to each their own".
Bluefish remain very plentiful on the flats and continue to make for an exciting day if the wind keeps you from other locations. It seems that for the past week if you wanted bass you went one way and if you wanted blues you went the opposite. Wind, weather and tides can be the determining factor as always.
This coming weekend will be a busy and fun time for anglers of all stripes. The Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club holds its annual Catch and Release fly rod shore tournament and the boat guys can compete in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Shoot Out, a tourney that had its roots as the "Pink Squid Tourney". You can expect a lot of fishing pressure around the island as anglers from all over journey to our little rock in paradise.
Tight Lines and Singing Drags,