Sunset Lake near Oak Bluffs: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Sunset Lake belongs to Dukes County, Massachusetts. This is mixed woodland country. It covers about 4 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It lies lower than most water we list in Massachusetts. You are 0.2 miles from Oak Bluffs. New Bedford sits 22 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Sunset Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Work the tide here — moving water feeds, slack water rests. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Dukes County: American eel, striped bass, alewife and rainbow smelt. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Sunset Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 71°F for July and 31°F for January. Whether it freezes depends on the year. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. Sunset Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. A jetty or pier is mapped about half a mile from here. Dick's Bait and Tackle sits half a mile out and is marked for fishing. Facilities run to toilets 140 yards from the water. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Farm Pond, 0.7 miles out. What applies at Sunset Lake may have changed since it was mapped.