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FISHING CALENDAR · MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts Fishing Calendar
Massachusetts covers Cape Cod, the Islands, Buzzards Bay and the Gulf of Maine for striped bass, bluefin tuna, albies and groundfish, plus stocked trout, bass and pike inland. Seasons are from MA DMF's 2026 rules; month ranges come from DMF's own Recreational Fishing Guide.
Government fish & wildlife updates
- MA DMF saltwater regulations — Current limits and advisories
- MassWildlife trout stocking report — Spring and fall stocking
- NOAA Fisheries — bluefin tuna actions — Federal openings, closures, limits
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — Coastwide rules
Month by month
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater | |||||||||||||
| Trout (brook, brown, rainbow, tiger) | Open all year, 6/day (only 3 brook, brown or tiger). Stocked spring and fall. No official best months found.[4][5] | ||||||||||||
| Largemouth & smallmouth bass | Open all year, 12 in, 5/day combined. No official best months found.[4] | ||||||||||||
| Northern pike | Open all year, 28 in, 1/day. No official best months found.[4] | ||||||||||||
| Walleye | Open all year, 14 in, 5/day. No official best months found.[4] | ||||||||||||
| Inshore saltwater | |||||||||||||
| Striped bass | Open all year, 28 to <31 in, 1/day; inline circle hooks with natural bait. DMF guide season: mid April-October.[1][2][9] | ||||||||||||
| Bluefish | Open all year, 5/day (7 for-hire). DMF guide season: June-mid October.[1][2][10] | ||||||||||||
| False albacore | 16 in, 5/day combined with bonito. DMF guide season: late July-October.[1][2][11] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic bonito | 16 in, 5/day combined with false albacore. DMF guide season: late July-October.[1][2][11] | ||||||||||||
| Summer flounder (fluke) | May 24 - Sept 23, 5/day; 17.5 in vessel, 16.5 in shore. DMF guide season: May-September.[1][2][12] | ||||||||||||
| Black sea bass | 16 in. May 16 - Aug 31: 4/day; Sept 1 - Oct 14: 2/day; closed rest of year.[1][2][10] | ||||||||||||
| Scup | May 1 - Dec 31, 30/day; 11 in vessel, 9.5 in shore. DMF guide season: May-October.[1][2][10] | ||||||||||||
| Tautog | 16 in. Apr-May 3/day; June-July 1/day; Aug 1 - Oct 14 3/day; Oct 15 - Dec 31 5/day. DMF guide season: April-November.[1][2][9] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic mackerel | Open all year, 25/day private (50 for-hire). DMF guide season: May-September.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
| Winter flounder | Gulf of Maine: all year, 12 in, 8/day. Southern New England: March 1 - Dec 31, 2/day. DMF guide season: May-February.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
| Weakfish | Open all year, 16 in, 1/day. DMF guide season: late June-September.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
| American lobster (recreational) | Permit required; 15/day; trap gear out of the water Nov 1 until May 16.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Offshore | |||||||||||||
| Atlantic bluefin tuna (federal) | DMF guide season: late June-October. HMS permit required. Trophy (73 in+) closed Aug 4 - Dec 31, 2026 north of 42°N and July 3 - Dec 31 south of 42°N.[2][6][7][8][13] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic cod (Western Gulf of Maine) | State waters: Western Gulf of Maine open Sept 1 - Oct 31 only, 23 in, 1/day; Southern New England cod prohibited.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
| Haddock (Gulf of Maine) | Gulf of Maine: Apr 1 - Feb 28, 17 in, 15/day. DMF guide season: May-November.[1][2][14] | ||||||||||||
| Pollock | Open all year, no limits in state waters. DMF guide: best runs in May and October.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
| Blue shark | 54 in min, 1 per trip; circle hooks required. DMF guide shark season: June-October. Shortfin mako is prohibited in MA.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic halibut | Open all year, 41 in, 1 fish. No official best months found.[1][2] | ||||||||||||
Never keep: Never keep: river herring, ocean pout, windowpane flounder and wolffish; cod from Southern New England state waters; shortfin mako, white, sand tiger, dusky, sandbar, basking and other prohibited sharks.[1]
Bait & rig for each fish
Trout (brook, brown, rainbow, tiger)
Bait: Worms and minnows where legal.
Lures: Streamers, nymphs, dry flies, spinners, spoons and stickbaits.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Northern pike
Bait: Whole dead herring, smelt or cisco under a float or on the bottom where bait is legal.
Lures: Red-and-white spoons, big inline spinners, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits and topwater baits.
Leader: Wire or 60–80 lb fluorocarbon leader, 12–18 in — pike teeth cut regular line.
Walleye
Bait: Live minnows, leeches and nightcrawlers.
Lures: Jigs tipped with a minnow, spinner rigs ('crawler harnesses'), crankbaits and blade baits.
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Striped bass
Bait: Live shad and shiners.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, swimbaits and topwater plugs.
Leader: Usually none; add a short fluorocarbon leader with braid.
Bluefish
Bait: Cut mullet and live finger mullet.
Lures: Metal spoons, Gotcha plugs and topwater poppers.
Leader: 30–40 lb fluorocarbon (add light wire for mackerel and bluefish).
False albacore
Bait: Live pilchards and sardines.
Lures: Metal jigs, spoons and small trolling feathers.
Rig: Use a clean trolling or live-bait rig with minimal hardware, a strong swivel where needed and a leader long enough to protect against abrasion.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono/fluorocarbon is a common starting range; toothy species may need heavier abrasion-resistant or wire bite protection.
Summer flounder (fluke)
Bait: Live minnows (killies), squid strips, fresh fluke-belly or sea-robin strips, and live spot or snapper blues for big fish.
Lures: White or pink bucktails tipped with a soft-plastic grub or squid strip, and a teaser hook above the bucktail.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Black sea bass
Bait: Squid, cut fish and shrimp.
Lures: Small vertical jigs and bucktails.
Leader: 50–80 lb fluorocarbon.
Scup
Bait: Clam strips, squid strips and sandworms on small hooks.
Lures: Small jigs or a hi-lo rig with a strip of squid.
Leader: 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, short.
Tautog
Bait: Green crabs, Asian crabs, fiddler crabs and clams; cut crabs in half for big fish.
Lures: Tautog jigs (1–2 oz) tipped with a piece of crab.
Leader: 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, short.
Atlantic mackerel
Bait: Small strips of squid or mackerel belly; usually caught on bare rigs.
Lures: Mackerel tree (sabiki) rigs with a small diamond jig on the bottom.
Leader: Not needed with sabiki rigs.
Winter flounder
Bait: Sandworms, bloodworms, clams and mussels on small long-shank hooks, with a chum pot of crushed mussels on the bottom.
Lures: Not usually caught on lures.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Weakfish
Bait: Live shrimp, peeler crab and strip baits.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, soft plastics and small metal spoons.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Atlantic bluefin tuna (federal)
Bait: Live or dead mackerel, herring and squid.
Lures: Large spreader bars and big topwater plugs.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
Atlantic cod (Western Gulf of Maine)
Bait: Fresh clams, herring and squid.
Lures: Diamond and butterfly jigs (8–16 oz) with a red or green teaser fly above.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Haddock (Gulf of Maine)
Bait: Clams and squid on a two-hook bottom rig.
Lures: Small jigs or teasers with clam; haddock have small mouths.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Pollock
Bait: Herring, mackerel and clams.
Lures: Diamond jigs, soft-plastic shads and teasers; small ones hit flies and spinners near shore.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Blue shark
Bait: Fish or squid baits attract sharks, but baiting should only be used where legal and where the exact shark fishery rules are understood.
Lures: Large plugs, jigs or trolled lures can produce incidental shark strikes; use tackle heavy enough to shorten the fight.
Rig: Simple heavy rig with minimal hardware and immediate-access dehooking/cutting tools.
Leader: Use a heavy abrasion/bite leader and a setup that can be cut quickly near the hook if removal is unsafe.
Local fishing reports — what’s biting now
- On The Water — Cape Cod fishing report — Weekly Cape, Islands and Buzzards Bay report
- On The Water — Massachusetts fishing report — Weekly North and South Shore, Boston Harbor report
- The Fisherman — New England fishing forecast — Weekly CT/RI/MA forecast
- Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby — Derby leaderboards and news
Sources
- MA DMF Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations (updated April 28, 2026)
- MA DMF Recreational Saltwater Fishing Guide — Commonly Caught Species
- MA DMF 2026 Recreational Saltwater Fishing Limits Poster
- MassWildlife Freshwater Fishing Regulations
- MassWildlife Trout Stocking Report
- NOAA Fisheries / Federal Register 2026-10816: Bluefin tuna retention limits
- NOAA Fisheries / Federal Register 2026-13630: Southern New England trophy bluefin closure 2026
- NOAA Fisheries: Gulf of Maine trophy bluefin closure (Aug 4 - Dec 31, 2026)
- New England Boating – Fishing Westport, Massachusetts
- New England Boating – Fishing Hyannis, MA
- New England Boating – Fishing Falmouth, MA
- New England Boating – Fishing Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
- FishTrack – Northeast Bluefin Secrets
- New England Boating – Fishing Provincetown, MA
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every month on this calendar comes from the sources above. Empty boxes mean no official source gives those months. Rules change — check the agency page before you keep a fish.
On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock — for those few hours it’s just you, the water and peace.