Spring 2008...WELCOME BACK!

Hello all, and welcome back to the www.fishingthevineyard.com blog, 2008 edition! Thank you to all of our clients, families and friends, without you none of this would be possible. We hope everyone had a great winter and that this report find you all happy and healthy.

The spring fishing season is in full swing on the island with bass and bluefish at many of the Vineyard’s traditional early season hotspots. The action came out of the box a bit slow out here this year, with out a great deal of the schoolie action that we usually see along the south side in late April. There are probably a multitude of factors that contributed to this, but it seems that low water temps and a great deal of the northbound bass this year choosing to migrate through Vineyard Sound and Buzzard’s Bay as opposed to in the open Atlantic were the greatest contributers. Since then however the bass have arrived in force, filling into the Vineyard’s many estuaries and salt ponds; right where they belong in May. Fish at this time of year are generally found over dark bottom flats where the water is warmer and they can hunt the many critters that that are found in these types of marine environments in the spring. Sight fishing is the rule here, with the go-to flies being Jiggies, Diablos and Phlounders.

Bass have also begun to fill into the rips, with shoal water to the north and west being the most consistent thus far. The outer beaches and shoals on the east side are not quite on yet, but as we all know in the early season in this part of the world things can and do change overnight. It should be mere days before east end anglers are covered in squid ink and striper slime…sounds good to me. Bluefishing in the boats has had moments of blinding brilliance, but has yet to reach the level of consistency that we’d all like.

Beach fishing is on too, with multiple ponds and inlets fishing well for bass at this time. Those chasing striper on the beach at this time of year can find success using various tactics at various locations, but it seems that spin fishers do best with rubber shads and sluggos and fly rodders find the best success with Sliders, Deceivers and worm imitations. Bluefishing on the beach has yet to reach a fever pitch, but the best recipe for anglers searching out this type of action to date has been calm afternoons and surface plugs at traditional east end locales.

We’re all looking forward to a safe, fun and productive season of fly and light tackle fishing on the Vineyard. Stay tuned for up to date reports and info right here. Also, we all still have some prime dates available, so if you’re coming up to the island, don’t be a stranger!



Captain W. Brice Contessa
www.fishingthevineyard.com

8/31/07

This past week has been some of the best albie and bonito fishing in years. As the water temp drops it should only get better. I have had many fly rod slams and almost had a 2# tippet womens fly rod bonito record. After a 30 minute fight with the fish almost in net range, a small piece of weed parted the the 2#.
Capt. Jaime Boyle

Fishing the Vineyard Report 8/22/07

I really can’t stress how good the fishing on Martha’s Vineyard and surrounding coastal waters is right now. I have been extremely impressed with the condition of the fishery this year, and it just seems to keep getting better.

All four of our major local inshore species are in the mix as of now, with some areas sporting all of them feeding in close proximity to each other. Albies are the most recent addition to the scene; I landed my first one of the season yesterday after losing a handful of them in the previous days. The inshore bonito fishing is the best that any of us have seen in years, with double digit catch numbers on flies and plugs becoming common place. Huge schools of small to medium sized bluefish are available just a bit further off the beach than the green fish, and bass are still available early in the morning hours.

The bait fueling the current fishing fire is predominantly peanut bunker, with baby squid, silversides and sandeels on the menu as well. This wide variety of bait allows us to throw a wide variety of flies and plugs; personally I’ve caught more bonito on topwater stuff this year than ever before. The fishing fantastic right now and only seems to be picking up steam; it’s shaping up to be a truly special fall.

Captain W. Brice Contessa
www.fishingthevineyard.com

Fishing The Vineyard Report 08/09/07

Fishing on the Vineyard has been great during the past week. The numbers of bluefish and krilling bass in local waters at this point is truly amazing. Bonito have been in the mix as well, with anglers willing to put their time in getting their share of shots. It's a great time to get out and go fishing.

Capt. Brice

http://www.fishingthevineyard.com/

Vineyard Report 7/26/07

The summer pattern has emerged in Vineyard waters. Bluefishing is strong at the moment, with fish in the 5 to 1o pound range available in awsome numbers in the shoals off the East end of the island. The blues are also present inshore, with clouds of sandeels being the primary forage alond the Vineyard beaches.

Bonito are begining to show around the Vineyard, with peridoic catches occuring to the South and East of the island. The bones are not yet particulary targetable inshore, although they have been caught close to the beach on both sides of the island in the past week. It shouldn't be long before bonito fever sets in around these parts, hopefully everyone will be on their best behavior this year.

Bass fishing has slowed a bit in the past weeks, with the comercial fleet cleaning the fish out of many of the areas that were so consistant for us this spring. It's unfortunate, but it's the reality at the present time. There are still a great deal of bass feeding on krill on the North and West sides of the island. Krilling fish are tricky to catch, but persistance and presentation seem to pay dividends in the end. Flats fishing is also still an option for catching bass on fly and light tackle, with most of the islands shorline flats still holding. The fish are a bit more difficult at this point, as warmer temps and almost 2 months of looking at flies seem to cause them to get a bit of lockjaw. The best flies on the flats at this point are Jiggys and tan crab flies.

There aren't many tuna fish with in striking distance of the island at this point, but it shouldn't be long now; August generally seems to be the prime month for small boat tuna fishing out of the Vineyard anyway.