New England - Cape Cod and the Islands Fishing Reports

Travis at Fish Linked Charters was in sunny Florida when we called, and Sebastian was out fishing with a party. They are excited about heading back home to Wareham and Buzzards Bay where the tautog season will be in full swing. They closed out the season with some of the best sizes and numbers of tautog and hope to begin the same way. Give them a call to reserve a trip in either of their comfortable boats and stop in and check out the tackle shop for anything you might need to get your season off on a high note.

Tony from Maco’s Bait & Tackle has been unpacking new inventory and filling orders for garden worms, Power Bait, and shiners as the break in the weather and the movement of the stocking trucks has given the freshwater fishing a boost. Most of the rainbows and brookies that were stocked were in the 12-inch class but there seems to be holdover trout from last year’s stocking that are bigger with a few much larger browns in the mix. Tony also reminded our readers that the state stocks broodstock browns later this month which provides a great opportunity to hook a large, hard-pulling brown trout, that might be the biggest of your life! Many customers are purchasing shiners and reporting on a very good largemouth bass bite as well. There have also been many reports from serious bass anglers using methods ranging from jigs and jerkbaits to Ned Rigs and Chatterbaits to giant swimbaits telling of some very large bass in the 5-, 6-, and even 7-pound class taken over the past few weeks – at that bite should hold on for several more weeks before they hop on the beds. Jeff has a new 19-footer in the yard and Tony said they would be ready for white perch and the first schoolies to hit the Weweantic and Wareham rivers this spring.

The trout fishing has been in high gear all during this mild winter and with the recent generous state stocking program in process the fishing has really taken off. The word from AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods was of some great trout and exceptional largemouth bass fishing in all the ponds from Plymouth to Nickerson State Park. The reports and photos of big pods of herring in the Middleboro run in the upper Taunton River is being followed with schools of white perch not far behind. The shop will be holding their annual spring storewide sale from March 25th through April 2nd, with almost all items being discounted. Most new reels will qualify for a filling of braided or mono line and the plug wall is also being discounted. A few customers are quietly hitting some secluded spots for catch and release holdover stripers. It won’t be long before there are reports of herring in the Wareham run.

Steve from Dick’s Bait and Tackle said he is receiving new stock on a regular basis, and they are still busy building their custom rods. His message to their customers is that he will meet them at the shop for anything they need until they are open. Just call ahead and leave a message and Steve will set up a time that is convenient to you. There are white perch and holdover schoolies now active in the salt ponds which has been drawing some angler interest. The stocking truck also took a ferry ride a few weeks back and stocked the Duarte Ponds, Old Millpond, Seth’s Pond and Upper Lagoon Pond, which local fishers have been taking advantage of as well.

We met Bruce and Jeff from Canal Bait & Tackle at the RISAA show and saw their display of canal lures and jigs. Their springtime hours will begin around April 1. There are herring in the upper Taunton River at the popular Middleboro run and a few people are catching and releasing holdover schoolies not far from the shop. They carry a large inventory of canal gear and most of their inventory can be purchased through their website.

Christian from Falmouth Bait & Tackle is still enjoying his time in Florida and will be heading back to Falmouth to open the store soon. In the meantime you can get almost anything you need by calling the shop and Christin will have one of the crew meet you and get you what you need. There are white perch in the Childs River and a few guys are picking away at winter over stripers, freshwater trout and largemouth bass in various local waterways.

We spoke with Gary at the Sports Port who said he had sold a few clam rakes this weekend as customers were ready to harvest some fresh seafood for their families. He has had several customers purchasing garden worms and crawlers as they hit the well-stocked ponds on the Cape. They also sell saltwater licenses.

Captain Seamus Muldoon of Jailbreak Charters is building a new dash for the instruments for the new diesel he has installed this spring and he is ready to go. He will be testing local waters for the spring squid bite off Hyannis before he takes his sea bass trips during the April opener. He has openings for black sea bass, fluke, cod, and stripers so give him a call for more details.

Danny was busy rigging new tuna reels at the Goose Hummock Shop while Phil and the crew from the Goose were busy on the show circuit and working the show at Edison New Jersey among others. Danny said there was a growing interest in tuna fishing be it giants or school-sized fish. They offer a complete rigging service on all the gear they sell which includes their hand-made trolling rigs, plugs and jigs. Danny has been taking advantage of the recent trout stockings and has been catching and releasing rainbows and brookies along with the occasional outsized brown trout and largemouth bass. The ponds inside Nickerson State Park have been stocked multiple times at this point and the fishing is good. When the crew returned from their East Coast fishing and outdoor show tour, Ian was right back on the Cape ponds throwing his favorite Baker’s jerkbaits for bass and landed some solid fish right off the bat. The Goose has a large inventory of kayaks, boats, outboards, and marine hardware all on site. Stop in for a look.

It’s a new season and location for Capt. Jason Colby from Little Sister Charters who begins fishing Cape Cod waters for winter flounder out of Sesuit Harbor this spring. I’ve fished that area with local sharpies for decades and it is one of the most pristine areas you could ever hope to catch a flounder in. He has a few slots left on his open boat trips that I would call him on quickly if you want to get in on the action. From Sesuit he heads back to his summer home in Westport Harbor for sea bass, tautog, scup, fluke and stripers. He may also be able to fit a few cod trips into that schedule if time and regulations permit. His book is open and now is the time to sign up to get in on the action.