Tuna Ground

the Dump

The mud hole. The Dump is the broad soft-bottom grounds south of Martha's Vineyard (its productive northeast corner within reach of the Island fleet), a wide area of mud and bait that has long held tuna.

The Dump, sometimes called the mud hole, is a broad area of soft bottom south of Martha's Vineyard (extending west toward Block Island) that has a long history as productive tuna water. The mud bottom supports squid and other forage, and the area sits within a workable run of Menemsha and the south-side Cape and Island ports.

The ground

Unlike a hard ledge, the Dump is soft, broad bottom, so the fish relate heavily to bait, temperature breaks and current rather than a single piece of structure. Squid are often a key part of the forage here.

How to fish it

Because it is a searching game over open ground, trolling to cover water and find life is the usual start, then working fish with jigs or bait. Watch for temperature breaks and bait.

Tip Over the broad mud of the Dump, temperature breaks and bait are your structure. Study the water-temperature charts before the run and troll the breaks and the bait, not just random open bottom.

About the coordinates The coordinates on this page are an approximate reference to orient you, not a navigation waypoint. Fish move, and numbers vary boat to boat, get exact, current marks locally and always run on a plotter with proper charts.
Regulations Tuna are federally managed highly migratory species requiring an HMS permit, with category, size and retention rules that change through the season. Confirm current rules with NOAA Fisheries HMS before fishing.
From the page to the water

Learn it here, land it out there

Reading is a great start. The fastest way to get good is a day on the water with someone who does it every day.

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Note: fishing regulations (size limits, bag limits, seasons, permits) change often. Always confirm current rules with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (saltwater), MassWildlife (freshwater), or NOAA Fisheries (offshore/HMS) before you keep a fish.