ULTIMATE FISHING ADVENTURES SINCE 1999

Category: Season Reviews

Fishing Season Reviews, updates, and reports. Mass Bay Guides Fishing Charters near Cape Cod Massachusetts. Massachusetts Fishing Reports.

Massachusetts Fishing Report April 2026 – Charter Fishing Update
Massachusetts Fishing Report April 2026:

Mass Bay Guides boats are going in the water!

The 2026 MBG Charter Fishing Season Begins in May!

Now Offering Mixed Angler Trips for 2026 aboard “Line Shy”!

It’s almost time to fish!

The Mass Bay Guides Fleet splashes on May 1st and we can’t wait to get started. We start our charters May 15th! Our 2026 charter fishing schedule is filling up. We have had a lot of calls over the past few weeks. For those of you already on the books, thank you! If you want to fish with us this year, do not wait to book for your best chance at prime season dates, tides, and moon phases.

The local herring runs are filling up right now and the striped bass will not be far behind. We typically get into our first stripers of the season in the North River by the second week of May. Haddock are moving in from the north east as well which means we will be going offshore come mid-end of May to target these tasty fish.

Get yourself, your kids, friends, or co-workers out on the water chasing giant tuna, enjoy a light tackle striped bass fishing day, or get an early season haddock/pollock meat trip scheduled. Our family and crew is looking forward to fishing with you this season!

It has been several years since we have offered mixed angler/mixed party trips aboard our boats. If you are fishing solo or can’t find crew to fill a trip with us, mixed angler trips are a great option.

Below is the list of mixed angler days for our 2026 season. Trip length, target species, and price change depending on the time of year.

2026 Mass Bay Guides – “Line Shy” Mixed Angler Trip Schedule:

*All mixed party rates include mate’s gratuity

*Book 5 or more Mixed Angler Days and get a discounted rate ($200 discount)

*Maximum amount of anglers aboard Line Shy is 4.

*Minimum of 2 anglers is required to run the trip as scheduled.
- May 21: 5hr Inshore Striped Bass – $300 per angler
- May 28: 8hr Nearshore Striped Bass or Bottom Fish – $375 per angler
- June 4: 8hr Nearshore Striped Bass or Bottom Fish – $375 per angler
- June 18 (FULL): 8hr Nearshore Striped Bass or Bottom Fish – $375 per angler
- July 16: 10+hr Offshore Tuna or Striped Bass – $450 per angler
- July 23: 10+hr Offshore Tuna or Striped Bass – $450 per angler
- August 6 (FULL): 10+hr Offshore Tuna – $450 per angler
- August 13: 10+hr Offshore Tuna – $450 per angler
- September 17 (FULL)**: 10+hr Offshore Tuna – $450 per angler
- September 24: 10+hr Offshore Tuna – $450 per angler
View our Pricing & Booking Info

To Book a Charter Call: 781-545-6516

Thank you,

-The Sears Family & MBG Crew

Want bi-weekly reports for Stellwagen Bank, Inshore Massachusetts, Cape Cod Bay, The Canyons, and Jeffries Ledges – visit our sister company SeaBros Fishing and join our Patreon Community.
April 21, 2026
2025 Mass Bay Guides Season Recap – Book Now for 2026!

2025 Mass Bay Guides Season Recap

Spring Striper and Haddock/Bottomfish Charters

Our 2025 charter fishing season began on May 15th and ended on October 31st. In that time frame, we ran over 200 trips across the MBG Fleet. Lots of smiles on faces thanks to great fishing, awesome customers, and a hardworking crew.Our spring fishery was strong with great striped bass fishing inshore and in the backwater.

The North River provided us with frequent charter limits of striped bass early season. Bottom fishing for haddock and other species was “ok” in May and June last year. We managed to put meat in the box on most trips. The bottom fishing picked up as the season progressed. Prime time to fish for Haddock and Early Migration Striped Bass is May through mid June.

Summer Striped Bass Charters

In 2025 we experienced some of the best striped bass fishing that we have seen in decades in Massachusetts. Very close to home too! We had our recreational limits on almost every trip and trophy sized fish releases most days as well. There were incredible amounts of 40+” class fish, upwards of 40lbs. Prime Time Striped Bass Season is June through July.

Bluefin Tuna & Shark Charters

The majority of our charters from July 4th through October are focused on targeting bluefin tuna. Both giants (73″+) and recreational sized fish (less than 73″).The tuna fishing throughout the 2025 season was a grind compared to the last 10 years. We had some great days and we had slow days; ending the year with 40+ giants landed.
Last season’s tuna catches averaged 100″ or 600lbs. Our biggest fish was 112″ 950lbs. We did not see a body of recreational sized bluefin in Mass Bay last year.We had a lot of sharks around last year. Tons of porbeagles, some mako catches, a few threshers, and even some great white sightings.

With the tuna fishing being hot & cold for most of the season, we pivoted to light tackle shark fishing with clients on some days. It is a lot of fun and a great way to keep the action going while waiting for a tuna bite! Tuna fishing (and shark fishing) takes patience, persistence and is not a guaranteed catch, but when the rod swings, the rigger clip pops, and the reel starts to scream, it is 100% worth it. If you want to try for a bucket list bluefin tuna or big shark, prime time is from July through early November.Tuna & Shark Charters must be a 10+ hour trip

2026 Fishing Charters Begin in May!

Now is the Time to Book Your 2026 Trips!

Happy New Year from the entire Mass Bay Guides Crew! We hope you are having a safe and healthy winter. The 2026 fishing season in Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod will be here in a few months. The Mass Bay Guides Fleet splashes on May 1st and charters begin on May 15th.Our 2026 schedule is filling up fast. Thank you to everyone who already has trips on the books with us.

If you want prime 2026 dates, do not wait to book for your best chance at prime season dates, tides, and moon phases. Get yourself, your friends, family, or co-workers out on the water chasing giant tuna, enjoy a light tackle striped bass fishing day, or get an early season meat trip scheduled. Our family and crew is looking forward to fishing with you this season.Thank you,
-The Sears Family & MBG Crew

Visit our NEW Website!

Pricing & Booking Info Here

Trip Types Here

We would like to thank all of our customers for the support during the 2025 Season. We can’t wait to start bending rods in 2026!

Our entire family and crew truly enjoys sharing our passion with you. We will always work hard to provide you with the ultimate fishing adventure.

The Sears Family & MBG Crew

MBG Instagram

2024 Tuna Bite Video

2023 Tuna Bite Video

Bryan and Taylor Sears (The Sears Brothers) of SeaBros Fishing and Mass Bay Guides bring to you a podcast featuring Northeast fishing tactics, reports, detailed interviews, conversations, and stories with some of the best, and most entertaining, captains, mates, and anglers in their fishery and beyond.

SeaBros Fishing Podcast

Tuna Tail and Marine Artwork

March 12, 2026
2024 Mass Bay Guides Fishing Season | Fishing Season Review

2024 Mass Bay Guides Fishing Season

2024 Mass Bay Guides Early Spring Striper and Haddock Charters:

Our 2024 Mass Bay Guides fishing season began on May 15th and ended on October 31st. In that time frame we ran over 250 trips across the MBG Fleet. We were happy to welcome many fun crews throughout the year.Our spring fishery was strong with great striped bass fishing inshore and in the backwater and ok haddock fishing within 30 miles of Scituate Harbor. The North River and inshore ledges provided us with frequent charter limits of striped bass early season. We had some limits of nice white meat haddock on bottom fishing trips. Prime time to fish for Early Migration Striped Bass and Haddock is May through mid June.

Summer Striped Bass Charters:

2024 Mass Bay Guides Report: This year we experienced many epic striped bass fishing days. Some mornings of endless top water and light tackle fishing. We had our recreational limits on almost every trip and trophy sized fish releases most days as well. There were incredible amounts of 30-50″ class fish this year.

Prime Time Striped Bass Season is late May through mid July.

Bluefin Tuna Charters:

The majority of our trips from early July through October were focused on targeting bluefin tuna. Both giants and recreational sized fish (less than 73″).In 2024 the MBG Fleet had over 150 tuna bites.
“For2na” and “Line Shy” landed 90+ bluefin ranging from 150 to 900+ pounds.The fishing this season consisted of trolling some recreational sized fish, catch and release giants, and many successful commercial fishing days. Most of this past season’s tuna catches averaged 650lbs with our biggest taken at around 850lbs.Tuna fishing takes patience and persistence, but when the rod swings, the rigger clip pops, or the reel starts to scream, it is 100% worth it.

If you want to try for a bucket list bluefin tuna, prime time is from July through early November. Tuna Charters must be a 10+ hour trip

Thank you!

We would like to thank all of our customers for the support during the 2024 Season. Our entire family and crew truly enjoys sharing our passion with you. We will always work our hardest to provide you with the ultimate fishing adventure.Happy Holidays!
– The Sears Family & MBG Crew

Looking for real fishing reports and updates of our season? Check out our Seabros Patreon!

March 27, 2025