Angelica Point (Mattapoisett)

Angelica Point in Mattapoisett is a long, rocky point that reaches farther into Buzzards Bay than anything else along the bay's north shore, and The Fisherman's writer calls it a migration stop for striped bass traveling to and from the Cape Cod Canal. A deep, boulder-filled hole wraps around the tip, and in spring and fall it holds bass and big bluefish.

When to fish

• Late May and early June: the deeper water off the point's southwest corner holds bass when the wind blows from the south or southwest.
• Fall: the writer's best day came in late September, on a gray, windy afternoon, with bass up to about 17 pounds and 10-pound bluefish on topwater plugs. On gray fall days, action can come almost any time.
• Tide and light: the point fishes best on the higher half of the tide (about three hours either side of high), and first light has a clear edge.

Where to fish

• The tip: the top of the point is very shallow, so you can rock-hop out to boulders without getting wet and cast into the deep, bouldery hole around it.
• The southwest corner: deeper water that's best in late spring on a southerly wind.
• Skip the east side: it's shallow and featureless.

How to fish it

Topwater plugs and surface swimmers are the writer's best producers, with poppers and pencil poppers the go-to in fall; eels at night also work. Wear waders with a dry top and cleats, or a wetsuit if you have one, to land a big fish from the rocks. When fishing eels or other bait for stripers, Massachusetts requires inline circle hooks.

Getting there

The writer walked down Crescent Beach Road past the dead end and followed a trail through the dunes out to the rocky point. Check with the Town of Mattapoisett about parking and access before you go. You need a Massachusetts saltwater fishing permit, and striped bass have a slot limit and can't be gaffed.