Best Fishing Spots In Nantucket

Nantucket is a place that is known for its fishing.  There are so many great places to go fishing on the island.  There are a variety of fish to catch and if you know where to go your bound to catch some nice big fish.  Some of the best places for catching fish are; The Airport, The Bonito Bar, Great Point, along with many ponds throughout the island. 

Sunset Fishing on Nantucket

The Airport is one of the best places on Nantucket to fish.  Located about a mile offshore of Nantucket Memorial Airport there always seems to be fish jumping there.  It may be because of heat that emanates from the airport itself, or the shelf where the water depth suddenly drops, while it is probably a mixture of the two the only thing that matters is that it produces a great fishing experience almost every time.  The Airport is home to huge blue fish, blues of three feet or more are regularly caught here.  These salt water "piranhas," because of their razor sharp teeth, are a blast to catch as they put up a great fight and usually make acrobatic jumps into the air.  If your looking for variety though you may want to head somewhere else as mostly all you will catch here are blues, even though there's nothing wrong with that.

Bluefish and its razor sharp teeth

Another great place to fish in Nantucket is the Bonito Bar.  The Bonito Bar is located near Tuckernuck on the ocean side and while it is not always a sure bet that you will catch something, if the conditions are right you could catch some very nice fish.  The Bonito Bar is a place where you will find a very wide variety of fish; Bonito (hence the name), Bluefish, Tuna, and even sharks can all be caught here.  The Bonito Bar is a place that must be fished with patience but if you wait your persistence will pay off.  Huge fish have been known to hang around the Bonito Bar and it has become a hotspot for charter fisherman.  The Bonito Bar is a solid fishing spot, and you may even see some seals swimming around here trying to grab some lunch before going back to the beach to rest for the day.

Bonito

  Probably the best place to fish in Nantucket is Great Point.  Great Point has the biggest fish and probably the most variety too, but the main draw for Great Point is the striped bass.  The striped bass is one of the most highly prized fish, and the ones caught at Great Point are trophy fish.  Great Point is located at the northern most tip of Nantucket and is easily recognizable because of Great Point lighthouse.  When fishing at Great Point trolling works best.  When trolling at Great Point you will almost always catch some huge bluefish, and hopefully you will also catch some striped bass.  Great Point also yields tuna, dolphin, and of course some sharks.  Most of the charter boats out of Nantucket will regularly take trips to Great Point, and sometimes you may even see Jimmy Buffet's personal boat out there as he is also hoping to catch some Great Point stripers.

Great Point

Nantucket Beaches

Nantucket is an island so naturally it has many beaches, and some very fine beaches they are.  Possibly the most popular beach on Nantucket is Jetties Beach.  Jetties Beach, less than a mile from town and with all the amenities a person could want.  There is a playground for children, a basketball court, tennis courts, a restaurant, and even a shop were you can rent loungers.  Jetties beach is named after the famous jetties that come off the island on either side of the harbor entrance, which are right next to the beach.  There are virtually no waves at Jetties Beach and it is a perfect place for young children and families, because of this though Jetties is usually fairly crowded and may not be the best place to go if your looking for piece and quiet.

Jetties Beach with Ferry Leaving Nantucket Harbor

If you want to go to a beach that is similar to Jetties but less crowded there is always Cliff Side.  Only a short distance from Jetties the beaches are basically identical only Cliff Side is somewhat smaller and nowhere near as many people are there.  Cliff Side is easily accessible and to get to it you really only need to follow the signs that take you to Jetties Beach, but instead of turning into Jetties drive about half a mile past and Cliff Side will be on your right.  It is a quaint little beach and a great spot to relax on the sand, or go for a refreshing dip in Nantucket sound.

If your looking to go to a beach in on the ocean rather than the sound then Ladies Beach is perfect.  While Cisco is perhaps the most well known ocean side beach on Nantucket, Ladies beach is just as good if not better.  In order to get there you have to follow the signs for Cisco but turn onto Bartlett Farm Road, that road becomes a dirt road and you can follow that all the way to Ladies Beach.  Ladies is perfect for going out lounging around, throwing a football in the sand, and of course body surfing in the waves.  Sometimes you may see a boat anchored a few hundred yards off shore, and people swimming into shore from their boat to meet up with their families after fishing for a day at the beach.  All Ladies has to offer is a huge sandy beach, the massive Atlantic ocean, and sometimes some island natives renting out surfboards to anyone wanting to learn, everything else you bring yourself to make it a great day at the beach.

One other great beach in Nantucket is only accessible by boat, that beach is Tuckernuck Island about a five to ten minute boat ride from Madaket Harbor it is by far one of the best beaches on the Island.  The main part of the beach forms into a point and creates an inlet for boats to park in and for a nice calm swimming area.  On the other side of the beach is the ocean where there are waves and a strong current, a very fun place to swim.  Tuckernuck also has some defining characteristics about it, such as a statue in the middle of the island that is made up of old junk that has washed up on the shore.  The island is also home to seals, which can sometimes be seen either basking in the sun, or playing and feeding in the water.  Since there is no where to get food on Tuckernuck, it is a great place to bring your own and even perhaps a grill to have a cookout.  Tuckernuck is truly one of the most unique place in Nantucket and a place that you should definitely visit if your are in Nantucket.

Tuckernuck Island Inlet

Any beach you go to on Nantucket is going to be great, but these beaches just have a little more to offer than some of the others.  The way that each of these beaches differ is what makes Nantucket such a great place, it can have all these different venues in such a small confined island.  The beaches are of course an attraction for Nantucket and a great attraction at that.