Early Fall Stripers, Albies, and Bonito Bite on Martha's Vineyard

Artificial Lure here with your September 12th fishing report for the waters in and around beautiful Martha’s Vineyard. The sun crested the horizon at 6:18 this morning and will dip below the western edge at 6:56 tonight, giving us nearly a perfect fishing day under classic early fall skies—cool, crisp, and just a touch breezy according to the Vineyard Gazette and local forecasts. Tides are working in our favor today, with a high rolling in at 3:27 am and again at 3:43 pm, and lows at 9:16 am and 9:53 pm. That means prime fishing windows line up nicely with both sunrise and that late afternoon golden hour, just as the light starts to soften and baitfish get nervous. With water temps cooling off and bait thick—herring fry and peanut bunker are moving in strong, bringing stripers on the chew, as reported by On The Water and echoed at Dick’s Bait and Tackle. Blitzes are popping up all along the south side, especially around Lobsterville Beach and Menemsha. Strong runs of schoolie striped bass are mixed with 28-34 inch slot and a few cow bass holding deep in the currents, gorging on those peanuts. Bluefish have been slashing through the shoals, especially at Wasque Point, and the word is, keep your leaders fresh—blues are cutting through mono like wet thread. Albies are starting to light up the east side between Oak Bluffs and State Beach, and with each new tide, more birds are working the edges. Bonito have been reliable over at Tashmoo Inlet—look for the short, splashy busts and target the drop-offs with fast, flashy metals and small soft plastics. Fluke are piling into Squibnocket and Noman’s shoals, still keyed in on spearing and mullet, while hard-fighting black sea bass are thick over the reefs—try Middle Ground for keepers if you’re heading out on a boat. Best action’s coming early and late, close to the tides. For lures, nothing beats a 3 to 5 inch white or pink soft plastic on a light jighead, especially when the albies are in tight. Deadly Dicks and Hogy Epoxy Jigs are flying off the shelves. For stripers, throw topwater spooks or swimming plugs in natural bunker and herring patterns during low light, and switch to 1.5-ounce bucktails with a trailer once the sun’s up. The word from Dick’s Bait in Oak Bluffs is sand eels and peanut bunker are the natural ticket for live bait. For blues, stick with steel leaders and swap to surface poppers in bright colors. Fluke and sea bass are biting best on squid strips and Gulp baits, bounced slow in 30 to 60 feet. For hotspots, Lobsterville is red hot for stripers at dawn, while the Hooter off Edgartown is off and on for albies and bonito. Don’t overlook Menemsha jetties—those rocks are holding fish all tide, especially for the plug-and-soft-plastic crew. There’s a bit of a north wind picking up by midday, so expect some chop—work your lures slow and low, or tuck in on the lee side for more pleasant conditions. That’s the story from the water this Friday. Get out early, work the tides, and don’t This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.