Sandy Point State Reservation

The south end of Plum Island. Named DCR lot, not Lot 1 on the refuge.

Season

Harvest is year-round on paper (28" to under 31", one fish). Schoolies are the usual fly fish here in season. Confirm current DMF rules. Official rule

License

Massachusetts saltwater permit

Park

DCR Sandy Point State Reservation lot at the south tip of Plum Island (Parker River Wildlife Refuge Road, Ipswich). About 15 closest spaces; refuge gate hours apply. Not the NWR lots farther north.

Walk in

2–10 minutes from the point lot to public sand and the Ipswich Bay bar.

Wading

Open sand and bar. Tide covers fast. Current at the point.

Usual window

Moving water around the bar. First light. Hard east wind is a slog.

Thursday conditions

W 1 mph around dawn. Fine to go.

Sky

⛅ 82° partly

Sun and moon

Rise 6:01 · 🌕 Full moon · Set 7:28

Wind at dawn

W 1 mph offshore · Partly Cloudy · 46°F

Wind later

• dawn: W 1 mph
• 10am: 0 mph
• 2pm: N 1 mph
• dusk: NW 5 mph

Tide

Low 5:46 am (0.7 ft) · High 11:50 am (8.9 ft) · Low 5:54 pm (1.0 ft) · High 11:58 pm (9.8 ft) Best moving water is the three hours into 11:50 am high. · Essex (Ipswich Bay sketch)

A setup that belongs here

8- or 9-wt, Clouser, sand-eel, crab on the bar.

Notes

DCR reservation at the end of Parker River NWR. Refuge gate and hours. Confirm MassWildlife / DMF.

Tiny lot and a refuge gate. If the sign says full, do not queue on the refuge road — fish another named lot.