Current Waters: Nantucket Fishing Report
JohnCarl McGrady •
Ah, September. Certain dates mark seasonal turning points for us. But regardless of the calendar, fall shows up when it wants to, and it showed up this week. Fall is a feeling, not a date. This week we have felt the change. We’ve hit it. There is a certain sunset, the air temperature, the slant of shadows – it just reminds us that we’ve rounded the corner from summer. We’re still blessed with warm water and sunsets, but we’re definitely starting to have that fall feeling.
And the fishing is really getting good.
Fishing Report
There are a few stripers around, but it’s not abundant. It’s probably easier to catch a bluefin tuna than a striper right now. Some weather events like what we’re having now, plus seasonal migration, should liven things up again for us soon.
We’re still enjoying our bluefish. Though we’ve had some competition. We’ve had an amazing number of brown sharks this year. It’s almost a concerning amount, with the number of fish stolen or otherwise bitten off while reeling in a catch.
There are albie (false albacore) and bonito being caught, though the albies are just getting started. We’ve caught a few bonito incidentally while fishing for other things but we haven’t been targeting them. We even caught a bonito on a fluke rig recently. Hopefully more to come.
We’ve been picking away at fluke and black seabass, and it seems to be improving. A good thing to note is to try not to fish with the crowds (where the other boats are)./ Find your own spot. Better for all.
The bluefin blast is coming up soon (see below), so I can’t give you all my secrets about tuna. But if you want to go catch one, give me a call.
Fall is tournament season!
By all accounts the August Blues Tournament was a huge success. Now in its 4th year, the tournament keeps getting bigger and better. It was great to see so many people, some new to tournaments, getting in on the fun. Plus, they raised more than $65,000 to support The Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, an organization dedicated to ending Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This year’s tournament had great additions like the women’s fishing clinic and the weekend fishing derby. Check out the leaderboard for the winners, and congratulations to all! The triple strike prize (largest three fish) was won by tournament regular and New England Patriots legend Tedy Bruschi. There was a great showing from the Small family and the Stanifords, who won the family prize. Well done! Another favorite category is always the “unicorn” prize – basically the weirdest catches that aren’t bluefish. This year’s winner was no surprise; Stone Fornes won for his Cubera snapper catch. Other unicorns were northern pufferfish (Jake Haber) and an Atlantic Saury "Half Beak" (Bobby King). Just goes to show, you never know what will be at the end of the line. The end-of-the-tournament party may have already happened, but there are a few categories open. “First Albie” for Junior and Beach divisions is still up for grabs. Albies aren’t usually an issue during this tournament, but they are late to the game this year. You can’t catch a fish from the couch – get out there and catch that fish!
My favorite tournament of the year is also coming up soon - the Bluefin Blast. Topspin has been fortunate to win this tournament the last two years, so I’m sure we have a target on our back. This bluefin tuna tournament, now hosted by the Nantucket Angler’s Club, takes place from September 12-13. Recreational bluefin tuna were closed last year during the tournament which isn’t the case for 2026. It’ll be nice to have the rec fish open to full capacity for this mostly catch-and-release tourney. The scales will be open Saturday and Sunday afternoon for weigh-ins over by the Angler’s Club, which is always fun to view. Wish us luck!
Fall fishing is when we get to focus on the grand slam of Nantucket Fishing; bluefish, striped bass, false albacore, and bonito. The Nantucket Inshore Classic, which kicks off this weekend, targets that “grand slam” and is a great tournament for tracking the change in the season as we begin to transition to cooler air and then cooler waters.
The Nantucket Inshore Classic runs September 6th to October 10th and starts with the opening gam this Saturday at 5pm at the Angler’s Club. This year marks the 21st anniversary of this popular fall tournament. It’s always a fun time catching up with people after the busy summer and talking fishing. The tournament is hosted by the Nantucket Angler’s Club to raise money for their scholarship fund, but you don’t need to be a member to join in the fishing fun. Divisions include All-Tackle, Fly, and Junior, from boat or beach, with winners determined by fish length. There is a great list of sponsors who make all the prizes possible. So go ahead and register, pick up a ruler at one of the local tackle shops, and cast a line. For those in the tournament, the bonito will be the first to leave our cooler waters, so they should be the first species to target. To compete for the grand totals, you’ll need a bonito on the board!
To round out the upcoming tournaments, we have the Reel Impact Inshore & Offshore Fishing Tournament Sept 14th - 15th at the Nantucket Boat Basin. Topspin will be participating in this one as well. Looking forward to it.
Fall is such an exciting fishing season – so get out there. Best of luck to all the anglers!
Until next tide…