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Buzzards Bay Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Southeastern Massachusetts’ bay: Buzzards holds stripers, blues and tautog on rocky bottom.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 10:52 PM
Air / High
78 / 82 F
Wind
SSE 5 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8447930, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Buzzards Bay offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SSE around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 82. Tides: high 2:08 AM and 2:48 PM, low 9:01 AM and 10:52 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 72 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 75 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8447930 (Woods Hole). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH2:08 AM1.6 ft
LOW9:01 AM0.5 ft
HIGH2:48 PM2.4 ft
LOW10:52 PM0.3 ft
Sat
HIGH3:06 AM1.6 ft
LOW10:11 AM0.4 ft
HIGH3:54 PM2.4 ft
LOW11:51 PM0.2 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low82 / 66 F
WindSSE 5-10 mph
Pressure1008.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain26% cloud, 17%
Sunrise / Sunset06:12 / 19:12
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 82/66 F, wind 9 mph, rain 17%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Buzzards Bay: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

When to come: the Buzzards Bay calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Buzzards Bay today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Massachusetts requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Massachusetts saltwater permit. Striped bass, tautog and fluke rules change annually: check current DMF regulations.

Access

Ramps at New Bedford, Mattapoisett, Marion and Wareham; shore access along the bay towns and Sconticut Neck.

About this water

A 28-mile bay between southeastern Massachusetts and the Elizabeth Islands, Bristol and Plymouth counties.

Fishing Buzzards Bay: the full guide

A bay of rocks and current

Buzzards Bay spreads about 28 miles between southeastern Massachusetts and the Elizabeth Islands, a shallow, rocky bay connected to Vineyard Sound through Woods Hole and the canal. Striped bass and bluefish are the headline, joined by tautog on the rocky structure, scup and sea bass in season, and fluke on the sandier bottom.

Stripers on structure

The bay’s countless rocks, ledges and boulder fields hold striped bass through the season, feeding hardest on moving tide: eels, plugs and soft plastics from boats, with shore access at Sconticut Neck, West Island and points along the shore. The Cape Cod Canal at the head of the bay is its own famous fishery.

Tautog and the seasons

Tautog work the rocky structure in spring and fall, taken on green crab: a serious fishery with a devoted following. Scup and sea bass are abundant in summer around any structure. The bay warms considerably in summer, pushing stripers to the cooler current areas near Woods Hole and the canal.

Southeastern Massachusetts logistics

Ramps at New Bedford, Mattapoisett, Marion and Wareham serve the bay, with extensive shore access along the shoreline towns. Wind against tide builds steep chop in shallow water, and the rocks are unforgiving: charts matter. New Bedford and Fairhaven provide full services and a working fishing fleet.

Common questions

Why is it good for stripers?

Rocks, ledges and boulder fields everywhere, with tidal current moving bait: classic structure fishing.

When is tautog season?

Spring and fall on the rocky structure, taken on green crab: a serious fishery with devoted followers.

Is navigation tricky?

Yes: the bay is shallow and rocky, and wind against tide builds steep chop. Charts and caution both matter.

Is fishing good at Buzzards Bay right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Sakonnet River19 miCape Cod Canal22 miPawtuxet River31 miWickford Harbor31 miNarragansett33 miPoint Judith37 mi
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