About The Billingsgate Journal

The Billingsgate Journal is an independent editorial magazine about sportfishing from Rock Harbor and Cape Cod Bay, on the bay side of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It is written and edited by its own editorial team, in English, and it sells nothing. There are no charter bookings, no tackle for sale and no affiliate links on this site.

The magazine exists to explain a stretch of water that is unusual, productive and easy to misunderstand. Cape Cod Bay is shallow and strongly tidal, and the harbor at Rock Harbor opens only for a few hours around high water. That combination shapes everything: when boats sail, where fish hold, how a charter day is planned and why the tide matters more than the clock. The guides here try to make that world legible to anyone who wants to fish it, whether they are booking a first charter or running their own boat.

What we cover

The site is organised into four sections. The bay and its seasons explains the water itself: the tides, the shoals and the shape of the fishing year. Fish and techniques covers the species of the bay, from striped bass and bluefish to bluefin tuna, and the methods that catch them. Boats and the fleet explains how the Rock Harbor charter fleet works and how to choose a boat. The angler's craft collects the practical knowledge a visiting angler needs, including the Massachusetts rules.

Each guide is written to answer a real question and to help a reader act on the answer, whether that means planning a trip, understanding a tide or knowing which permit applies. Where a fact matters, the guide points to the source that owns it, such as the state fisheries authority or NOAA Fisheries.

How we write

Everything on this site is written in the third person and in plain English. The magazine describes the working fleet and the businesses around it objectively and never speaks on their behalf. It does not claim to be a charter operator, a captain or an official body, and it does not offer bookings or collect details on anyone's behalf.

Where regulations are involved, the guides summarise them and direct readers to the current official rules, because size limits, bag limits and permit requirements change from year to year. The magazine aims to be accurate and useful, and to correct mistakes quickly when they are found.

Corrections and contact

If you spot an error, or you think a guide could be clearer, write to the editorial team at contact@roxysportfishing.com. Corrections are welcome and are made on the page itself. The contact page explains how to reach the magazine and what to include.