Beach Trips

Martha’s Vineyard is one of the most renowned shore fishing destinations in the entire Northeast. From islands vast network of salt-ponds and estuaries, its endless stretches of sandy beaches and miles of rocky shorelines, the vineyard is easily one of the most varied, beautiful and challenging beach fishing destinations on the striper coast.

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Contessa Fly Fishing is a fully outfitted shore guide service providing top notch beach fishing excursions on the Vineyard. Beach fishing is a time honored tradition on the island, and there is truly nothing more thrilling than sliding a trophy fish onto Vineyard sand.

We specialize in wade trips that focus on fly fishing for striped bass, but beach trips geared towards light tackle fishing and surf casting are also available. Shore trips are available for the duration of our season, early May until late October. During peak season (June 1 – October 1) we take shore trips in the evenings. Striped Bass are predominantly a nocturnal feeder, and the best time to target them from the beach in the summer months is during the evening hours. During the early and late season, when the fish are migrating, excellent shore fishing opportunities can present themselves during daytime hours and since we are less busy with boat trips at these times of the season shore trips are available during the day as well.


When shore fishing we generally use Contessa Fly Fishing’s custom equipped Jeep Cherokee for transport to and from our destination. This often involves four-wheeling along the beaches of Chappaquiddick which is an experience in and of itself. On a given evening, we may fish virtually anywhere on the island based on tidal phase, prevailing wind direction and current fishing trends. A shore trip is 5 hours long and can be for up to 4 anglers. Waders and equipment are provided if needed, but we encourage you to bring your own rods and especially waders if you have them. See equipment page for what to bring.