Nantucket Fishing Report—June 5, 2025
The Tight Lines Fishing Report is brought to you by Corey and Cam Gammill via Bill Fisher Tackle and Bill Fisher Outfitters. Visit their website, their shop at 127 Orange Street, or give them a call at (508) 228-2261.
Dear Fishermen and Friends,
If you are reading this, and it is Thursday, June 5th, and you are on Nantucket, Dreamland is hosting the Fly fishing film tour tonight. We went for the first time last year, and it was epic. Must see… change your schedule and buy a ticket.
One of the best things an Angler can do is to keep a journal. Mother nature is funny. While we view weather events as one-offs, they tend to repeat themselves on a week-to-week and year-to-year basis. The same is true of our fishery. We start to see patterns year over year, from one moon cycle to the next and from one tide to the next. The more we fish, the more we understand, and it’s crucial to recognize these patterns to locate fish more easily.
Ticket link: https://www.nantucketdreamland.org/events/special-screening-the-2025-international-fly-fishing-film-festival
The big news of the week is that Noah Karberg caught a Bonito on June 2nd. What? Crazy… Just a few days after the first Bluefish was caught? Yes, yes and yes! Bonito are an August fish for us. Bonito love warmer water. Is this just a one-off? Well, Jay Park caught one on almost the same day last year. Actually, we have had a pattern of Bonito being caught in June for the past 6-8 years. And Noah wasn’t the only one. Two others have been caught. So fun!
This is not the start of our Bonito fishery, but there are more in our waters to be caught. Likely, a warm eddy sprung off some offshore water in the storm this weekend and carried some different fish into our ecosystem. We are set up with the bait right now, and despite the water being a bit chilly, these fish will stay in the warmest water we have and feed on sand eels, which we have, and they love. So, it makes sense?! We wouldn’t expect to catch one ever in June, but it no longer surprises me.
We might have overlooked the bigger storyline. Yes, the first Bluefish has been caught. On May 31st, Karrie Lapierre hooked into a nice fish to get the ball rolling! From then, we have seen quite a few fish in our fishery and bigger ones as well. We love the veracious fighters. Remember, that also means it’s leader season. So, always have a leader to protect those expensive lures. Blues are primarily along the north shore in the warmer water. They will not be as aggressive this time of year. We typically use metals or epoxies that swim just under the surface of the water but can also create a disturbance, much like we fish for Bonito!
Striped Bass continue to increase in numbers, and our fishery is getting better. If you put the time in, you can predictably catch fish, but it has still been spotty and even a little slower than we tend to expect this time of year. The best fishing continues to be on the south shore, primarily at night. The water is still cold enough that we are catching a lot of daytime stripers, but if we had our pick, we would be fishing the south shore at sunset. For a lot of reasons… These fish are reacting to slower retrieved lures generally below the surface. Most of the fish have been slot fish and are very strong.
We have a full moon coming on June 11th, and that is hopefully when we see the fishery kick into full gear. Keep on wetting a line, and remember, keep a journal because patterns repeat themselves! Tightlines.
Tight Lines,
Captain Corey Gammill: 203-962-8867
Captain Cam Gammill: 508-332-9149
Captain Mike Ruby: 508-221-7144
Captain Nat Reeder
Book a Charter!
The Spring Run is right around the corner. This is our favorite time of year with Bass rolling on squid. It is a scene not to be missed. We would love to get you on the water for a charter, call 203-962-8867