Massachusetts Surf Fishing Guide

Massachusetts coverage runs from Nantasket Beach at the mouth of Boston Harbor south along the South Shore to Plymouth, then out to the Outer Cape and Martha's Vineyard.

Striper Tracker covers 5 Massachusetts surf-fishing locations: Nantasket Beach, Scituate, Plymouth, Outer Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. Each town opens its fall striper conditions on the Striper Tracker migration map and has its own page of back bays, inlets and surf spots.

Massachusetts beaches we cover

Fall striped bass run in Massachusetts

Striper Tracker's own migration model starts in Massachusetts: it watches Boston's offshore buoy 44013 for a 7-day average of 62°F or cooler on or after October 1, the signal used for the main southward push. How the model works.

Typical windows from published sources, not fish reports. See fall run timing by state for sources, and the live migration map for each town's modeled status.

Where the conditions come from

Ocean temperature comes from the nearest suitable NOAA buoy or water-level station; tides from NOAA tide stations; wind from the National Weather Service forecast; and moon phases from the U.S. Naval Observatory. Each beach page names its own stations and how old each reading is.

Licenses and regulations

Saltwater licenses, size limits and seasons change. Check the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries before you fish.

More surf fishing guides

All states · Rhode Island →

Surf Fishing HQ: live conditions, Delaware to the Gulf · Fall striper migration tracker