New England - Cape Cod and the Islands Fishing Reports

The canal has been much slower than usual but Tony at Maco’s Bait & Tackle said a few guys using pogies have been chunking up bass from below slots to a few well over. With all the bait in the canal and Cape Cod Bay loaded with big stripers those fish might just come back inside to feed on the big mackerel and jumbo squid. There are still some legal sea bass in mid to upper Buzzards Bay and the guys that have been fluke fishing are getting a few more of legal size. Tony said the fishing in Cape Cod Bay has been excellent with live, chunked bait and the tube and worm doing most of the damage. They were getting in a truck load of flats of offshore baits as the tuna have been moving closer to the coast, giving mid-sized boats an opportunity at a recreational size bluefin. They carry every type of bait you need or want.

AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods said the successful anglers who are still taking bass are usually chunking and using macks or pogies. The canal is loaded with bait in the form of big mackerel and some of the biggest tubes on squid most canal anglers have ever seen in the ditch. The bass bite has been very good from Plymouth to Barnstable all the way to the tip of Provincetown. Other than a few 2- to 4-pound blues they have been scarce. Customers are reporting good tuna fishing in Cape Cod Bay and in the area of the windmills, with a few saying the giant bite on Crab Ledge fell off quite a bit. The heat has not killed the freshwater fishing with customers working their favorite lakes and ponds under low light conditions and catching a good mix of trout, largemouth, pickerel and an assortment of panfish. Next weekend the tackle showcase will include Shimano, Century rods and Ron-Z. Stop in and ask for John Paul.

We spoke with Keegan from Dick’s Bait and Tackle who had been catching some nice blues in the 6- to 10-pound class from Chappy and the south side. Almost anything they tossed brought that familiar and much appreciated response from those chopping machines, Doug said the terns were diving off South Beach and in Vineyard Haven Harbor and were picking away at some type of fry. Casting into them with even the tiny jigs and tins received no response. The nighttime bass fishing is still producing but the bite is turning on much later towards morning and those who have to work aren’t able to stay out that long. There are a lot of fluke on the north side with plenty of action from shore but most of the fish are just under the minimum size. Steve is out in the canyons with Captain Lee and were into tuna almost as soon as they arrived. Stop in and see the new shop and the new types of merchandise they are able to offer.

The word from Jeff at Canal Bait & Tackle was of great action in Cape Cod Bay from Barnstable to Billingsgate with some good reports from the surf and some boats fishing off Sandy Neck. There are pogies at Plymouth Harbor and beside the bass, tuna enjoy dining on menhaden, particularly when they are alive. The canal is loaded with big mackerel and the tubes on some of the squid are huge. My friends from Swansea and Westport loaded up on mackerel and produced some great eats on their backyard grill. The giant tuna bite at Crab Ledge has either slowed or evaporated but the striper bite at Monomoy has been good even though the white sharks are taking more hooked bass every day.

We were happy to talk to our friend Joe from Falmouth Bait & Tackle who said Christian and his crew were in Hyannis Harbor at the weigh station for their Offshore Bluewater tourney. Joe said there were lots of yellowfin and a few big eyes with one pulling the scales down to 211 pounds. There were a few blue marlin but nothing close to a 700-pounder and not a swordfish at the time of our phone call. There were a few Wahoo but nothing over 50 pounds, some white marlin in the 50-pound class and some mahi to 20-pounds. They had two days of very bad weather interfere with where and when they were able to fish. Their tourney is always a bright spot on the Cape, well run and enjoyed by the participants and the onlookers. Tony said Cape Cod Bay was loaded with big bass and Monomoy was giving up some impressive catches of big fish if you could avoid the white sharks.

We spoke with Nathan from the Sports Port who said there was some good action reported along the sound shore and up into the harbors and bays. There were some stripers from schoolies to slots and over along the jetties of Bass River, Cotuit and the upper sound waters topwater poppers were the ticket. There are also quite a few fluke in that area and more a short ride offshore. Many of them are shorts but there are enough legal fluke to make it a worthwhile effort. There were some 20-inch blues that moved into the chum lines of some sharkers and he also mentioned his friend Glen who beached and released a huge brown shark off Craigville Beach. Dead eels seem to be the new attraction for the shark fishermen. A few customers fished from Sandy Neck beach and had a good time with stripers including a rare 30-incher by his friend Anton.

Captain Rich Antonio of Black Rose Fishing Charters has a reputation of putting his fares onto good bass fishing as well as bottom fishing. You call the skipper, tell him your plans and he can make it happen. He was doing well in the rips of Nantucket Sound taking stripers in a variety of sizes. Give him a shout,

The striper fishing in Cape Cod Bay from boat and beach has been excellent. We spoke with our friend Ian at the Goose Hummock Shop who has been spending a few nights fishing from the bay shores where he and his pals have been catching numerous bass from slots to oversize specimens and they began moving once the white sharks find where they are fishing. After catching and releasing several bass in the 30-inch class the sharks found him again and took the tail off a 36-incher then after another move bit the striper from tail to belly. No matter how hot it was you wouldn’t get me into that water over my ankles. Some of the great whites working these areas are reported to be in the eight foot and above class. They were using Hydro Minnows which have hardware that hold bass up to 53-incher he caught and released last season. There were a few blues reported working the Monomoy rips where the bass fishing has been hot and cold. He mentioned that the smallmouth bass fishing in a few local ponds has been outstanding. Don’t forget their marine and kayak department where you can get just about anything you need for your boats and yaks, even a new or used one.

Capt. Jason of Little Sister Charters has been busy all week and when we spoke to him this weekend we could hear the sound of a drag in the background. He was about ready to net another striper after a few hours of limit catches of legal black sea bass. Give him a call and get aboard for a fun day of fishing.

Sea bass keep coming over the side for Capt. Carl with Westport River Outfitters who is getting plenty of filleting practice. He has been finding good numbers of legal sea bass as well as stripers and has been having fun while locating several schools of fluke, although most of them were just undersized.