Blue marlin fishing out of Martha’s Vineyard is a canyon game that runs July through September. The fish are offshore, and the run is long enough that overnight trips are the local format. The island’s named shoals are landmarks on the way out; they aren’t marlin water. For the general picture of the species, see our blue marlin guide. What follows covers the season window, the run and the buoy, the grounds, the local spread, and who fishes it from here.
When blue marlin are here
Blue marlin show up off the Vineyard from July through September, according to the Done Deal Charters season table. Plan canyon trips inside that window. Port-level data doesn’t support ranking the months against each other, so this guide doesn’t try.
The July to September window
The season runs three months, and the whole window is your planning frame.
Where the regional pattern lives
How the fish move through the wider region isn’t a port-level question. The Northeast blue marlin guide (see also the Atlantic Northeast offshore fishing guide) covers it.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season | July through September |
| Where | The canyons |
| Trip format | Overnight canyon trips |
Where Vineyard boats run
Vineyard boats run to the canyons for blue marlin. The canyons are a long way from the island, so the local trip is planned as an overnight from the start rather than as a day trip that runs long. Everything else you fish from the island is on the way there.
The canyons
The canyons are where the marlin fishing happens out of this port.
Overnight trips
Overnight canyon trips are the local format, a direct result of the length of the run.
Reading 44020 before you leave
The nearest NOAA buoy is NDBC station 44020, Nantucket Sound, at 41.497 N, 70.283 W. Pull the NDBC station 44020 readings and check three numbers:
- Wind, in knots
- Wave height, in feet
- Dominant period, in seconds
The buoy sits in Nantucket Sound, not at the canyons, so its readings describe the start of the run and not the grounds. Canyon conditions may differ from what it reports.
Read the NWS Nantucket Sound marine forecast for the zone before you go. Also compare the 44020 readings with the OBS SST and Chart Contours layers in Breakpoint. Chart layers are not for navigation.
Grounds and structure around the island
None of the island’s named shoals and rips is blue marlin water. The marlin fishing is at the canyons. The island’s inshore spots are mapped on our Martha’s Vineyard page.
Inshore landmarks
These are places a Vineyard boater already knows.
| Place | Location note | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Ground | North side of the Vineyard | 3 ft shoal, about 2.5 NM long east to west |
| Bow Bell | Western end of Middle Ground | Named spot on Middle Ground |
| Lucas Shoal | Vineyard Sound, off Oak Bluffs and East Chop | Shoal |
| Tom’s Shoal | Near Wasque, Chappaquiddick | Shoal |
| Mutton Shoal | Wasque area | Shoal |
| Squibnocket | West end of the Vineyard | Named striped bass spot |
| Devil’s Bridge | On the Vineyard | Named striped bass spot |
| Rips off Gay Head Cliffs | Western Vineyard near Aquinnah | Rips |
Marlin water is offshore
These are inshore and nearshore landmarks. Use them as reference points on the way out, not as places to troll for marlin.
How it is fished locally
Local boats troll a spread of ballyhoo and large noisy lures, as described in Salty Cape reports.
Ballyhoo and noisy lures in a spread
The local combination is ballyhoo plus large noisy lures, trolled together as a spread. Spread layout and rigging detail are in our billfish fishing guides.
Built for the overnight trip
The boat goes out set up for a long run and an overnight, and the method is fitted to that format:
- Ballyhoo and large noisy lures make up the spread
- The spread is trolled at the canyons
- The trip is an overnight canyon run
Who fishes for them out of this port
Four Vineyard charters list blue marlin:
- Tomahawk Charters with Capt. Vanderhoop: Capt. Buddy Vanderhoop, 35 ft Carolina Classic Tomahawk 3
- Captain Clarke Charters: Femme Fatale
- Done Deal Charters: vessel Done Deal, with Captain Canha named on the operator’s site
- Fishsticks Charters on the Vineyard
If you’d rather see the run before making it yourself, these are the boats that list the fish.
FAQ about blue marlin fishing out of Martha’s Vineyard
When is the blue marlin season out of Martha’s Vineyard?
Blue marlin fishing out of Martha’s Vineyard runs July through September, per the Done Deal Charters season table. The fishing is at the canyons.
Do blue marlin come onto the Vineyard shoals?
No. Middle Ground, Lucas Shoal, the Wasque-area shoals and the Gay Head rips are inshore landmarks. The marlin water is the canyons.
Which buoy should I watch before the run?
NOAA NDBC station 44020, Nantucket Sound, at 41.497 N, 70.283 W. Read wind, wave height and period. It shows the start of the run, not the canyons, so read the official marine forecast as well.
Are canyon trips day trips or overnight?
Overnight canyon trips are the local format, because the canyons are a long run from the island. The trip is planned as an overnight from the start.
How do local boats fish for blue marlin?
By trolling a spread of ballyhoo and large noisy lures, as described in Salty Cape reports. They fish it on overnight canyon trips.
Which local charters list blue marlin?
Tomahawk Charters (Capt. Buddy Vanderhoop), Captain Clarke Charters (Femme Fatale), Done Deal Charters (Done Deal) and Fishsticks Charters.
