The Middle Ground is a long shoal running down the middle of Vineyard Sound, between the Elizabeth Islands and the Vineyard. Current ripping over its length stacks bait and holds striped bass and bluefish through the season, with albies working it in the fall.
The ground
Fish the rips along the shoal, where current sweeps sand eels and squid over the sand. The shoal is long, so cover it to find where the bait and fish are concentrated.
How to fish it
Swing soft plastics and jigs through the rips for bass and blues, and switch to small fast metals for albies in the fall. Time it to the tide that fires the rips.
Tip The Middle Ground is a big piece of water, so let the rips and bait narrow it down. Run the shoal until you find a rip with bait working, then set up and fish that seam hard before moving on.