Year after year, our fishing cycles become somewhat predictable. Our bass fishing starts out slow and steady in early to mid May. As we progress towards the end of May, our fishery ramps up and we get a really good number of fish pushed into our warmer North Shore waters. Our next push is when the Stripers set up on the South Shore and it feels like we have three weeks of unparalleled beach fishing, before our inshore Bass fishing slows down and our best tides are at night.

Even though the cycle is predictable, the changes in our fishery are no less exciting! Last weekend, it felt like my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with reports of fishing being caught on the South Shore. The excitement was palpable. I went to the beach that evening to wet a line and didn’t even fish. I sat high on the dunes trying to count the anglers I could see. Fading into the darkness, I counted at least 40 fishermen to my left and to my right. The fishing was not red hot, but fish were caught and there was a sincere feeling of optimism.

I love how engaged our community is with fishing this year. Once you get the bug its hard to stop. We see it at the shop and on the beaches, but people are so into and for the most part people are catching. My favorite part about our community is how open people are to sharing information. Outside of the Tackle Shop this week, we had a couple of people waiting to be helped and I watched one of our great customers, who is an amazing fisherman help out a young family and tell them where and how to fish. That young man came back the next day, grinning ear to ear that he had caught a fish in the surf, exactly where he was told to go. That is awesome. I love this Island.

As you might have guessed, the south shore is fishing really well right now. It can be spotty, but if you put your time in, you’ll do very well. There has been a big concentration of fish in Tom Nevers and Surfside. These fish are feeding right in the surf. Bass are notoriously lazy and like to ambush bait. They will just sit in the trough at the break and use their powerful tail to attack a plug. I have been using good sized soft baits, fished slowly with a fair amount of success. Medium sized sliders and swimming plugs have also been very effective.

While I am excited about the south shore, the north shore and the harbor are very good. We aren’t seeing the same feeding frenzies as last week, but there are still good numbers of fish. The water has warmed up very quickly and pushed some of the really active fish out. We are waiting to see numbers of bigger fish, but they will show in the harbor first and we have had some good reports this week. These fish are best targeted in low light times, with smaller swimming plugs or top water plugs and fished very slowly. These fish slide out of the deeper, cooler water to feed on crabs and eels.

From a boat, the rips south of Muskeget and up toward the Cape have been really good. We are seeing big pushes of squid in this water which is really activating the fish. These fish provide an amazing show, but don’t fish any of these waters if you are not experienced or with someone who is experienced.

This week, we did get a quick surge of Bluefish. These fish were on the smaller side and only a handful were caught. We are hoping that this fishery can start to recover as it has long been a staple for Anglers on Nantucket. While you can keep Bluefish, if they are in good shape, please let them swim as some estimates have seen this fishery decline locally by 90% in recent years.

Lastly, Black Sea Bass has been really, really good. This is a fishery that is on a huge upswing and if you are looking for table fare, this should be your targeted meal. The meat is delicious and there are plenty of fish out there. Just look for change in depths or structure and fish the bottom for the best results from a boat.

Enjoy these next three weeks. For all of us, it is a total treat. Even if you’re not a fisherman, give it a try or sit on the beach and enjoy watching others experience this amazing time of year. Go wet a line and bring us a story!