Martha's Vineyard Fishing Report: Rebound After Erin, Rip Lines Sizzle, Bonito and Stripers Chasing Bait

Artificial Lure here with your August 28th Martha’s Vineyard fishing report—let’s get right into it. Today’s weather shaped up nicely after Hurricane Erin pushed through earlier this week, leaving the air cool, skies partly cloudy, and a steady north-northeast breeze lingering. Sunrise came at 6:01 a.m. and sunset will be at 7:26 p.m., giving anglers those longer late-summer windows to work the water. The tidal swings for today were favorable: high tides hit at 5:39 a.m. and 5:54 p.m., while lows settled at 12:26 a.m. and 12:42 p.m., meaning plenty of flushing action in the estuaries and rips—prime time for bait movement according to CapeTides.com. After a rough patch courtesy of Erin’s winds, the Vineyard scene rebounded sharply. Stephen down at Kismet Outfitters in Edgartown reports the heavy blows drove thick schools of sand eels into Vineyard Sound. Bonito, stripers, and bluefish have been seen pushing bait right up onto the rips. Bird activity is absolutely ratcheting—where you spot diving birds, you’ll find fish under them gorging on sand eels and silversides. The **rip lines** are hot, and inlets from both shore and boat have produced. If you’re a fly fisherman without a boat, walk those jetties, especially on outgoing tides when bait gets flushed from the lagoons—Shore-bound folks have been connecting well. Sand eel flies with a slightly bigger profile are working best now, thanks to the larger bait present. For lures, pink, green, and white albie escorts have been the go-to, with a fast, two-handed strip. Boat anglers have reported better water clarity and action off the **Island’s north side**. Stripers and blues are getting thick, with stripers going hard after sand eels and small mackerel. The bonito bite is back and the best spots are still along the **rips off East Beach** and the **north shore**, especially near the Gut and Cape Pogue. Nantucket Sound continues to see improving conditions, but Vineyard Sound is the main stage these days. From the beaches, surfcasters are picking up schoolie and slot-sized stripers early and late, with blues—mostly snappers, but some gator-sized—mixed in. Bonito are cruising and several hefty fish came in from the harbor entrances and along the south beaches in the last tide cycle. Reports from M&D Outfitters and On The Water suggest sticking with metal lures, epoxy jigs, and soft plastics that mimic sand eels and silversides. For bait, live sand eels, fresh squid strips, and sea worms hooked up with minimal hardware are drawing strikes. Boat crews have also seen scattered albies on the edges, although the bulk haven’t arrived in full force yet. Jumbo fluke are still being hauled up around the shoals, but sea bass is winding down as the season closes. Black sea bass are still in decent numbers near the structure, so jigging bucktails tipped with squid remains effective for the next week or so. Top two hotspots today: - **Cape Pogue Gut:** Reliable numbers of bonito, stripers, and blues, espec This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.