What the water is doing out of Chatham, MA and what changed before the next trip: NWS marine alerts and forecast, NOAA tides, attributed reports, and the Massachusetts rules that apply at the dock.
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Live panels load straight from NWS and NOAA in your browser. They are for planning, not navigation. A missing alert is not a safe forecast. Check the zone forecast and your own instruments before you leave, and the forecast can change after you do.
No attributed report from Chatham is on file right now. No report does not mean no fish. It means no operator or regional source we carry has posted one we could link.
Jimmy Fee's October 1 report described striped bass concentrated at the Canal East End on 3-to-5-ounce paddletails, with fish from schoolies to over 40 inches. School bluefin tuna turned up off Provincetown again after the storm; Captain Bobby Rice's boat found them on trolling and RonZ lures.
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State-water rules for the species we have verified against Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Federal water and highly migratory species follow NOAA rules.
| Species | Size | Bag | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Striped bass | 28" to less than 31" total length (slot) | 1 fish | Openas of Oct 13 |
| Summer flounder | 17.5" minimum (vessel-based); 16.5" minimum (shore-based) | 5 fish | Closedas of Oct 13 |
| Black sea bass | 16" minimum (not including tail filament) | 4 fish (May 16 – Aug 31); 2 fish (Sept 1 – Oct 14) | Openas of Oct 13 · Open through Oct 14 |
| Bluefish | No minimum size | 5 fish (shore and private vessel); 7 fish (for-hire vessel) | Openas of Oct 13 |
| Tautog | 16" minimum; only 1 fish per person per day may exceed 21" | 3 fish (Apr 1 – May 31); 1 fish (Jun 1 – Jul 31); 3 fish (Aug 1 – Oct 14); 5 fish (Oct 15 – Dec 31) | Openas of Oct 13 |
| Scup | 11" minimum (private and for-hire vessel); 9.5" minimum (shore) | 30 fish (private vessel and shore); for-hire: 40 fish May 1 – Jun 30, 30 fish Jul 1 – Dec 31 | Openas of Oct 13 |
| Weakfish | 16" minimum | 1 fish (possession limit) | Openas of Oct 13 |
Summarized from Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries pages; status derived for Oct 13, 2026. The agency page controls: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries ↗ · Full Massachusetts table →
